Those trains are horrendous looking. It’s so weird how elevated they are. But the strange thing is that even though that ride looks incredibly cheaply made and such, the basic model costs $10,000,000+. That’s on par with rides like Outlaw Run and Lightning Run. Many of the midsized Eurofighters cost between $6,000,000 and $9,000,000.
@@danthecoasterman22 RMC probably can't keep up with the demand in their current state, especially given how everything from track fabrication to ride construction is done in house.
I found this ride to be borderline unbearable. Glad to hear you bring up that pothole in the track, because on our third ride it was rough enough to actually put me off riding anything else for the day.
Glad you mentioned that pothole. When my girlfriend and I rode this back in 2018, the pothole jarred her enough to send her head flying into the bar on the side of the restraint. I loved the ride but that was enough to put her out for the day.
Very much anticipated this review! I went to OWA two days ago so I wanted to see how my view lined up with yours. Still sucks that we went so close in time and that we couldn’t meet, but I’m glad I still get to see your thoughts on Rollin’ Thunder and hopefully the park itself! Keep pushing out the great content Taylor!
I personally loved thunderbolt at Coney Island! Definitely a bit shaky and weird restraints but very well rounded layout and for some reason I found the drop to be insanely powerful
When you get a chance to ride the original at Luna Park can you make a video in comparison of the two... like which one is better by restraints, color scheme etc. I would love to see that :)
Honestly I think Rollin Thunder is better. It’s smoother, I like the color scheme a little more (I’m not a huge fan of the orange on Thunderbolt), and I think the ride is just better looking with the whole setting and everything. I mean Thunderbolt is on the beach, but you don’t even get to see the ocean when you crest the lift. Rollin Thunder has all the fountains lining it with landscaping under it while Thunderbolt is on a dirt patch.
I just rode this for the first time yesterday, had a blast. It’s not perfect but put a smile on my face, the price of going to this park was well worth it and is such a fun little spot for our area.
this thing was fun! yeah, the straight-up lift hill was scary, AND THE DROP... but it was fun! it didn't really make you feel like you were upside down, but i don't like the hills at the end, since im so so so short it was scary lol, but the best part was when you are at the top of the loop-de-loop, RAISE YOUR HANDS UP AND LOOK AT THE GROUND... WOOOO XD! it hurt to have 20 pounds of restraints on ya though.. and not to mention, THE TOUGH TURNS.. lol!! front seat, in the middle is the best spot! make sure to get there early too! because there is usally 0-2 people in line whenever its early. but 50 people when its late out. i screamed and closed my eyes the first time, but when i rode the second it was fun!! i didn't scream or close my eyes! 9/10 coaster!
I rode Thunderbolt at Coney Island a few weeks ago. My thoughts are similarly mixed, my main critique of the ride/model itself is that it needs padding it doesn't have. That's something that could easily be fixed without having to change out trains or do expensive modifications. If that were done it would be better than almost any eurofighter I've ridden (it couldn't rival Shellraiser but Zamperla definately has the potential to make something that good, they can do a good launch for a launch section and Thunderbolt does rival the second half, if they wanted to have multiple sections like that). But in it's current state it's just "above average" which I guess if you consider the other products Zamperla has produced (the aweful Volare model, slightly below average flat rides and cloned coasters that exist everywhere) I guess the Thunderbolt model being above average is a huge step forward for them.
I rode it yesterday and agree with your conclusions. I thought it was a great layout, but the ride experience itself was awful, and I too blamed the trains. I rode just after it rained twice in a row, and although it was a little rough, it was bearable. I went back for one last ride before leaving the park and what I planned to be two rides ended up being one. It was just too rough on that last go-round, and I said to myself "I've had enough". I was at the park for 2½ hours, and that was more than enough time to cover everything. It was a rainy day for portions and so there were really no lines. If you're in the area, it's a good diversion, and I would recommend. It's not quite a destination park yet. The construction on the water park dome is going well.
I really liked Thunderbolt but there's definitely a difference in roughness between the inner and outer seats. The rattle definitely shows between the zero-g roll and the dive loop/turnaround thing!
I agree with everything from a standpoint that I have not ridden one yet. POV’s look and sound shaky, but the layout is pretty ingenious. Reminds me of an SLC. Great layout but everything else falls short (not as severely as an SLC obviously)
Zamparla did a good job with this coaster, I definitely think this is one of there more successful projects. The layout of it is great and it packs in quite a bit in the space they worked with.
I’ve ridden Thunderbolt at Luna Park Coney Island, and this review pretty much sums up my opinions on it. Great layout, great ejector airtime, but the restraints are beyond horrendous. I haven’t ridden Rollin’ Thunder but I’ve experienced those lap bars and can I just say they just might be the worst restraints I’ve ever experienced on a coaster. Really takes away from the ride. And I agree, it’s super shaky. Not including woodies that need the RMC treatment, I think this model has the most potential to be significantly better than it actually is.
I actually enjoy the original Thunderbolt model at Coney Island, but Zamperla has been making subtle improvements to it from opening year (namely better aligning the track at the bottom of the drop).
When I rode this ride it was so bumpy and rough but it was fun and the box was heavy on my leg that it started to heart but owa is the only amusement park we have in this local area.
Zamperla recently came out with those new lightning trains, and I hope those are much smoother and fit on these older models so they can replace the bad trains.
I ca fill you in on that, its painfully rough, sure I last rode it in 2012, but with how awful the park is from I dont have any faith that they fixed it. Plus don't give that shithole your money, Noah's Ark is worth the time as they have nothing good to offer after Cyclops was turned into a shadow of its former self.
I rode it last year. It's fairly smooth, for a wood coaster. Decent quality airtime, but nothing mind blowing. I liked Cyclops & Hades more, but Zeus is still good. Mt Olympus is one of my favorite non-chain parks I have ever been to, highly underrated!
i appreciate this coaster bc its zamperla trying to make thunderbolt better and they did succeed at that but that being said its still a pretty mid coaster. the trains and restraints are weird as hell but the layout can go toe to toe with some of the best gerstlauer eurofighters out there i think. it evens out to be like a slightly above average coaster that does benefit a small/new park like the park at OWA that needs some form of decent starting point
rode this 3 times today at different times of the day 12 pm 4 pm and 7 pm. the riding experience was okay then as the day progressed got significantly more painfull. my arms are bruised from the restraints. I would enjoy the layout 100% would be fun and enjoyable if the trains were more comfortable.
Zamperla is definitely better for flat rides, and not really roller coasters, but I'm glad this is a decent ride~ Better than the Volares, OMG SCREW THOSE. But Zamperla I think is definitely the best when it comes to flat rides, since they have so many good ones to make a name for themselves :)
Great review and I have to agree with you on the trains just from looking at them. These trains and the restraints seem pretty dumb and it is unfortunate because I think this ride has the potential to be one of the better euro-fighter or euro-fighter like coasters if they just put a lap bar on it.
It won’t happen but I hope zamperla fits it out with its new trains because this park is kinda a giant zamperla showcase and I figure they might want to show off their new trains
Seems to me you’re in a solid majority in hating it. For whatever reason, it felt perfectly smooth to me on the day I experienced it. In fact, I rode it four times in a row and enjoyed it. 🤷♂️
I absolutely HATED my experience on this ride when I rode it last year. It was so rough that both me and the girl I was with were literally 100% DONE with rides for the day after riding it -ONE-TIME. I was so saddened by it that I reached out to the park begging for a repair to the pothole or changes to the trains. I also tried imploring them to consider an RMC Raptor Model coaster because I feel like it would just be the perfect coaster for the park save for perhaps a full RMC hybrid. Being that this is the closest park to me, I am genuinely concerned however by the fact that EVERY ride is made by Zamperla, as it scares me that maybe they have a contract for exclusive rights to build rides there. Especially considering that they’re approaching the 5 year anniversary of opening and haven’t added a single coaster or said anything about plans to do so. 😔
I got off Thunderbolt at Luna Park pleasantly surprised by this janky coaster! Fun vertical lift and great ejector mixed in with the inversions! Cheap feeling tho!
2 years ago my mom retired to Foley, AL from the Cleveland, OH area... so we traded trips to Cedar Point when visiting in the summer... to OWA. Kind of a step down... But- The park is cheap, ALWAYS vacant... and great for kids (mine are 10 and 7). This coaster is... ummmmm... ok? For a park of this size a fantastic ride. You hit it on the head. Great layout, terrible trains. It is a great step up coaster for the 10 year old, entertaining for GP, tolerable for enthusiasts. The park could use to step outside of it's Zamperla theme and buy a Gravity Group Jr coaster... would really fit the lineup. How did you end up at OWA? I mean... Foley is off the beaten path!
We were looking for parks that were actually open (since most are still closed due to the pandemic) and we saw that both of the Alabama parks were open, and none of us had ever been before, so we decided to make a weekend out of it! Definitely a bit of a drive to get there, but we had a good time!
3:17 . I know you missed out on this one, but The Flying Dutchman (or de Vliegende Hollander) in the Netherlands also has 3 across seating (it is actually 3-4-3-4 since the trains are like small boats)
