I find it amusing that I remember you saying immediately after riding it that you did not like it, and we all thought "the Americans hate it", and then I watch your vlog where you're the only one on the brake run saying it was good 🤣
I rode it back in 2019 and my experience was pretty solid. I rode mostly in the front but I'll say it was very rickety but in a good way. It was a bit rough and shaky but not enough to be uncomfortable. It had a good uncontrollable feel to it which added to the thrill factor. But that was 4½ years ago, and I dont know how much this park prioritises maintenance of this bad boy. As for me I didnt mind the jolt that much. Then again Ive experienced the Coney Island cyclone where you ride in basically sofas, but where the jolts are so violent they send you flying literally from one side of the train to the other.
Our company designed this ride back in 1997 and I did the layout. Many things I would have done slightly differently now, but it is what it is. I'm intrigued as to how the layout was reprofiled several years ago - I know one of the banked curves was lifted and they did something to the airtime hill but don't know the details. Seeing these videos makes me want to do a roadtrip back to the old girl. :D
Thank you very much for watching! I presume you're Rob Lomax? (If my facts are straight). I really love the layout itself of the ride. It's a great one and fits the terrain wonderfully. Just a shame how the new trains handle the old track. But a great ride design that I wish could be preserved with new comfort 😁
@@NorthernRidesYaBoi ah no. The company i worked for was called Allott & Lomax. A chance meeting with one of the directors and Geoffrey Thompson of blackpool pleasure beach got them involved in the leisure industry, although this was a small part of the 'proper' work they did. Thanks for the compliment. I really enjoyed doing the layout, and whilst I've learned a lot since i did it, it really was my 'dream come true' moment.
Great video and great review! Well made video! Id love to ride this someday but probably won't so this was a great watch to learn a lot more about the coaster. Scandanavia has some very good parks!
@NorthernRidesYaBoi Yeah! Wooden coasters can last a long time like Racer ( 1972 ) and The Beast ( 1979 ) at Kings Island. Hopefully they do something about the roughness though.
I braced for some heavy roughness, but aside from one or two nasty jolts, it was completely fine (second last row): I appreciate the aggressive pacing, long layout and scenic views. Unfortunately, it only ran one train and we had to wait almost one hour - such a shame, otherwise I would have been on it again...
I rode both weerwolf at walibi belgium and robin hood at holland before it became untamed and i loved the airtime on both but turns were just the worst imo
I'm forever skeptical of just how much a re-track helps the ride experience. It just breaks my brain that Tonnere 2 Zeus is the prime example of "we refurbished it and now it's *awesome*" woodies and yet I can't really say I like it 💀(I thought Hades 360 was closer to "comfortable")
I suppose only doing it would let us know how much it would help. I'm certain that a retracking with shaping adjustments and new trains would help it severely, but it's a big investment
Personally the curve after that massive camelback rattles my brain so bad! Worst moment for me. Anyways I have bruised hips after ridding it six times in a row without even leaving the station! Almost no queues whatsoever
ThunderCoaster is the only big rollercoaster I’ve ever been on and it kinda broke me. I hated every second of it and I am legitimately terrified of rollercoasters in general now. I think the roughness was a big part of it though. I was a child at the time and not only was I being thrown around like crazy, at times I would get squeezed pretty hard in-between the wall of the cart and the adult sitting next to me. I don’t really remember the ride itself, only the discomfort of the seat and that feeling of being squeezed. I can’t help but wonder if my first big coaster had been a more comfortable modern ride, maybe I would have learned to enjoy coasters…after all I’ve been on some smaller very child-friendly rides and I did enjoy those. Sadly I’m now too scared of the big ones to ever give them another shot.
I'm very sorry to hear of your experience... that's terrible... If you want to try again, I'd recommend starting slow and with something you know will be smooth :)
