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Are they really that bad?  

  1. 1. Are they really that bad?



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^ Oh okay, cool. Sorry about that. I was so used to so many standard versions of the SLC,

this felt like it was a custom made layout, etc. Thanks for the correction.

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Just noticed that this thread exists, so I'm just gonna give my two cents on this.

 

I've only been on two SLC's ever: Infusion and Blue Tornado. So far they are my bottom two coasters to date, mainly because I can't say that I've really come across any other "bad" roller coasters. I mean- I've never come across a bad Pinfari or Zamperla (or any other bad Italian manufacturer to speak of), the only woodies I've ever ridden are the ones at Blackpool, and out of the two Boomerangs I've ridden, one was "relatively" recent (Al Shallal's Boomerang, 2004), and the other had vest restraints, so they weren't all bad.

 

I think the layout would have been great, if only during the ride you weren't completely distracted by the SLC's major obvious flaw, which is their roughness, and honestly, with the direction New Vekoma has been taking in recent years I do honestly hope they remake the SLC with the same layout with their newer track style alongside some custom-made kicka$$ layouts. I've heard good things about their latest SLC's that have been made, like Mayan and the newly retracked TGNE but I haven't been on them yet, so I can't say anything without blatantly assuming what the ride would be like without riding it.

 

Bottom line, I think the SLC is really great on paper, the thing is because Old Vekoma poorly executed it, it's received a boatload of hate, which I can't say is not deserved, for the most part at least.

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In spite of having ridden almost 250 roller coasters, I have only ridden two SLC's. But one of them is at my home park. (SFDK). It is usually bad, but it can be enjoyable on occasion if I ride at the right time. I have also ridden Mind Eraser at SFA, which is also bad.

 

In terms of other bad coasters, I would consider New York New York in Las Vegas to be about on par with an SLC, or a giant Arrow looper on a bad day. If you really want to ride a bad coaster, try a Pinfari looper. I rode the now defunct one in Portland, and that thing made we wish I was riding an SLC. I am excited it has been replaced with a Eurofighter.

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Until recently riding the New England one, my two were SFA's Mind Eraser and The Great Nor'easter -- the latter back when it was pink or first painted orange and ran great, somehow going into warp speed as soon as the sun went down. At the time, it was a very hard experience to beat and the view over the ocean late at night there is not something many settings can match. The main coasters were still Arrows, woodies etc. and by that standard the SLC was amazing. Of course B&M actually beat Vekoma to market with their inverted but there weren't many of them yet and the wait times were high. I loved my first ride on Batman at Great Adv. but it wasn't until after Alpengeist was a couple years old that B&M indulgence really could become a repeatable experience.

 

Looking at the SLC now it doesn't fare so well but I think it's important to keep in perspective the timing of its appearance and the scene back then. I do wonder if it would considered much better if they had only built 1 of them (especially if it was more like the later ones they actually made). I do still ride them and wouldn't call them the roughest (maybe the most "shaking like a nervous little dog"), but most of them don't run fast enough to be exciting enough either. Some of those salt-encrusted rails with condensing humidity rides at Morey's seemed to transcend roughness. It was awesome.

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Having spent summer after summer of most of my life in Wildwood I've ridden The Great Nor'easter hundreds of times, and honestly... always loved it. I just didn't know any better. Then I started branching out to other parks and riding actual good coasters like B&Ms and Intamins, and then I realized how crappy TGNE was - and it was the last few years - but then they fixed it and its fairly awesome again. Being built right on the ocean with the drop overlooking that and then all the waterpark bits built into and around the ride creating all the near-misses makes it my fave of the three I've ridden.

 

The other two are the two Mind Erasers at SFA and SFNE. The one @ SFA we rode in the back and it was fine. Knowing the layout makes it easy to anticipate whats coming and I didn't think it was terrible. That was on my first visit to SFA, my second visit we skipped it because who gives a sh*t lol. We rode the one @ SFNE last year with the newer trains and it was also fine.

 

I get why people don't like SLCs but my experiences have been mostly ok-to-not bad.

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I've had few experiences at SLCs that were actually fun... maybe it's from knowing (or taking a good guess) on how to position myself as a way to minimize pain. BUT back in 2015 I rode the one at Canada's Wonderland and holy crap. It beat the sh*! out of me so bad. If it wasn't so shocking and painful, it would have been funny. Up til that point I always said to my friends "nah... I like SLCs, and I prefer them to B&M." Well, not after that one! Maybe my good rides on them in the past were flukes, or after they had a tune-up or something.

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If they have the new Vekoma trains, they're actually really fun coasters. I can actually appreciate the intense layout if my skull isn't being bashed into smithereens.

 

But if you give me a SLC with the original trains and those bulky OSTRs, it's not an enjoyable experience.

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I've only been on one as of writing this (Twisted Typhoon at Wild Adventures) and it wasn't half bad. A little bit of headbanging during the first inversion and the double inline twist, but it wasn't the worst coaster I've ever been on.

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I dont know if this counts as a SLC, but I've been on Stinger a few times. I didn't find it to be that horrific of a ride, in fact, when I went on it one year during Haunt, it gave a pretty cool night ride. However, the bulky restraints did make the experience seem more confining as opposed to the roomy and comfortable vest restraints. It does make you feel like if you have to ride an old Vekoma coaster, you'd rather ride Sidewinder, because at least that ride has comfy restraints that make the ride go from painful to fun.

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I will have the opportunity to ride three Mind Erasers this summer. It is encouraging that the one at SFNE sounds like it is actually good enough for re-rides. I'm sure I will ride at least one other one for comparison. Probably the last ride of the day, just in case.

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They're just a waste of space. You ride one, you ride them all. Why am I going to get excited about riding a coaster that's at 40 other parks other than to pad the count? Its basically like riding a scrambler or a swinging ship.

 

To enthusiasts, maybe. For parks, they're a bargain. Cloning a ride is cheaper and faster, also the GP will most likely adore it, and won't even be aware of the clones. And those who do find out about said clones, mainly through YouTube videos ( ), will then proceed to spam comments like "dIs RiDe Is A cOpY oF *insert SLC here* aT *insert park here* *insert a trillion emojis here*".

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They're just a waste of space. You ride one, you ride them all. Why am I going to get excited about riding a coaster that's at 40 other parks other than to pad the count? Its basically like riding a scrambler or a swinging ship.

 

To enthusiasts, maybe. For parks, they're a bargain. Cloning a ride is cheaper and faster, also the GP will most likely adore it, and won't even be aware of the clones. And those who do find out about said clones, mainly through YouTube videos ( ), will then proceed to spam comments like "dIs RiDe Is A cOpY oF *insert SLC here* aT *insert park here* *insert a trillion emojis here*".

 

But the idea is that if we're going to take the time to talk on a message board about coasters, than you're probably an enthusiast. So why should anybody on here be supportive of traveling halfway across the country to ride some basic ride that they could probably ride at their home park? I reserve the right to judge people whose patronization habits have a negative affect on myself and other enthusiasts.

 

And, I'm skeptical that cloning is a great idea for the bottom line. Over time, the industry should progress, technology should get better, designs should get better, etc. If you're paying full freight for a coaster that is basically a mid-90's style and quality design, you've overpaid for a mediocre coaster that isn't going to help deliver a great experience to guests. And, give the GP some credit. They go to parks when they travel sometimes. If they go to a park that has the same coaster that they can ride back home, it rubs off very poorly on the park, and may sour them on the entire industry. It makes going to amusement parks seem cheap and tawdry. So really, it has a regressive effect across the entire industry.

 

And also think about terrain matters. Who are you going to use a cookie cutter design, when you should be making elaborate and specific use of the terrain of the park, forestry, and natural features of the park? These are all questions that contradict that existence of clones if you ask me.

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And, I'm skeptical that cloning is a great idea for the bottom line. Over time, the industry should progress, technology should get better, designs should get better, etc. If you're paying full freight for a coaster that is basically a mid-90's style and quality design, you've overpaid for a mediocre coaster that isn't going to help deliver a great experience to guests.

 

In terms of SLCs, most were built years ago...and there have been improvements to the occasional newer ones, never mind those Chinese knockoffs. Some of the old SLCs have been relocated with mixed results, but no park is out there overpaying to build the original, first-gen Condor again.

 

And, give the GP some credit...If they go to a park that has the same coaster that they can ride back home, it rubs off very poorly on the park, and may sour them on the entire industry...So really, it has a regressive effect across the entire industry.

 

If some guy sours on a whole industry of fun because he found the same ride in two parks, he'd have to be the world's pettiest person.

 

"Whoa, whoa...Batman: The Ride is here, too?! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! KIDS, WE'RE GOING! NOW! IN THE CAR!"

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"Whoa, whoa...Batman: The Ride is here, too?! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! KIDS, WE'RE GOING! NOW! IN THE CAR!"

 

I personally have never been too bothered by clones. My home park is SFA, which is made up almost entirely of clones and relocations (actually, if you count the fact that Roar at SFDK was a modified clone of SFA's roar, then our entire collection of coasters are clones and relocations), but that doesn't bother me too much. A good coaster is a good coaster, and I'd rather have a clone of a good coaster in my park then a bad original coaster. I don't think I've ever heard any GP complain about SFA being made of clones and relocations, probably because none of them know or care. The GP goes to amusement parks for a day of fun and rides, why would they give a sh*t if a coaster they probably don't even remember the name of is a clone?

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If some guy sours on a whole industry of fun because he found the same ride in two parks, he'd have to be the world's pettiest person.

 

"Whoa, whoa...Batman: The Ride is here, too?! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! KIDS, WE'RE GOING! NOW! IN THE CAR!"

 

This is the worst kind of enthusiast, and sadly one of the most common. I once saw a guy on a different forum who naysayed every park that had a Wild Mouse.

 

Yeah.

 

I couldn't make this up if I tried.

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Only did one ever, Mind Eraser at Darien Lake. Was absolutely awful. No doubt one of the worst experiences ever.

Made me avoid them whenever I saw em, (given they all are exactly the same and I knew Vekoma was usually pretty rough) then people kept confirming they suck. So guess I cant really judge, but I also dont want to. I will gladly take the word of the (vast) majority that they all are pretty bad.

 

Esp when ya get into "how to ride" and "keys" to making it not so bad....stuff like that in itself is a bad sign!

Shame, people are right the layout is pretty awesome. Same layout but a B&M? Would be sick

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And, I'm skeptical that cloning is a great idea for the bottom line. Over time, the industry should progress, technology should get better, designs should get better, etc. If you're paying full freight for a coaster that is basically a mid-90's style and quality design, you've overpaid for a mediocre coaster that isn't going to help deliver a great experience to guests. And, give the GP some credit. They go to parks when they travel sometimes. If they go to a park that has the same coaster that they can ride back home, it rubs off very poorly on the park, and may sour them on the entire industry. It makes going to amusement parks seem cheap and tawdry. So really, it has a regressive effect across the entire industry.

Sheesh, I thought that post in the Kennywood thread was short-sighted...

 

A "cloned" coaster does NOT rub off poorly on a park. If anything, a cloned coaster, especially one that is fun or at the very least exciting, would mean that a guest wouldn't necessarily have to drive halfway across the country for a certain coaster when they have that exact same coaster within a shorter driving / flying distance. Roller coasters are often cloned so park brands can keep a distinct identity. There's a reason why most Batman clones are themed to Batman unless another Batman coaster already exists in the park, OR that Fantawild calls all their Boomerangs Stress Express OR that nearly every Legoland has a Zierer Force Five Dragon or Mack Park Wild Mouse Project X OR that Magic Kingdom and Shanghai Disneyland have effectively traded coasters with Tron and Seven Dwarfs. It means that when a guest goes to their "local" park, they do not feel like they are missing out on something that another park in the chain might have. Their experience isn't hindered.

 

In fact, at this very moment, I am working on something that will likely incorporate a cloned coaster, and the opinion that it will have your so-called "regressive effect" has never, and will not ever, come up in discussions - and that's coming from me, a card-carrying enthusiast.

 

There is something to be said about a proven design, and even then, nothing is stopping a company like Vekoma from making little tweaks to their design or manufacturing processes as the years go on to perfect the experience. I'll accept your argument when Fantawild and OCT stop purchasing brand new Vekoma Boomerang coasters (or an equivalent clone). But until then, please respectfully keep your judgments to yourself. That's the "bad" kind of coaster enthusiasm, y'know.

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