Recent content by Graeme

Hmm, that's interesting. I'd say the complete opposite. With those old Schwarzkopf loopers (only done the Looping Star and Silver Arrow, to be honest), the positive Gs are enough that you never even think about having a lap bar. But most coasters with a vertical loop can run slowly, even...

Thanks. I went there last week and took a picture - it looks very good indeed. It's all set to open on 6th June.

Day 4 - Robin Hill If there was one place I wanted to revisit more than any other, it was Robin Hill - somewhere else I hadn’t been to since 1983. I can remember some peacocks, and that’s it. Up until recently, the park was owned by Blackgang Chine. However, they put Robin Hill up for sale...

Similarly, I think "yes and no". Enthusiasts can get so caught up in what the "best" equipment is, it's all too easy to overlook the fact that each park is doing what's right for them. Imagine if you owned a park and you spent months choosing between rides and manufacturers. There would be...

Day 3 - Shanklin Chine Returning to Shanklin, I really wanted to see if I could ride Captain Jack’s Runaway Train. Unfortunately, it was still closed. There are also a couple of crazy golf courses here - one pirate and one dinosaur - but they were also closed. Instead, I went to see an old...

I think a lot of it also depends on whether you "fall into" the restraint or not. Lap bars are great on the positive-G filled Schwarzkopf loopers, but not so good if there's part of the ride where something needs to support your upper body, ie. coming out of an inversion slowly. Even on...

Day 2 - Ryde to Godshill After a hot and stuffy night in Newport, I needed some fresh air, so I headed to Ryde. There used to be a tiny Schiff coaster here, but today I wanted to see Appley Tower, a folly built on the promenade. The tower wasn’t open, so I passed the time by viewing some...

Day 1 - Southsea Adventure Day 2 - Ryde to Godshill Day 3 - Shanklin Chine Day 4 - Robin Hill Day 5 - ??? Day 1 - Southsea Adventure A Virgin Atlantic jet plane flew low over my head on the M25. I was near Heathrow, which meant one thing - Thorpe Park was up ahead. Sure enough, Stealth and...

Ah, that makes sense. Beats rolling over into a cherry picker!

New-gen Vekoma? No, I honestly don't think so. I think people would have been ecstatic for the UK to get one. I do think anything even similar to the Space Warp would have been off-scale for Paultons, though, same goes for the Mack and Intamin equivalents. Formula would only fit in if they...

I don't do it, personally - it's just one of those things I don't really understand. You have to brace yourself a lot, especially on older coasters, and I just find it's easier to avoid injuries if you have that extra bracing.

Well, that was a shame for Remember Monday. I thought they performed well and deserved better than that. I didn't have Austria on my radar at all, but it just goes to show how different people's tastes are.

I don't think it's bad, it's just not to my taste. Personally, I'd have loved another family-thrill coaster, like Mecalodon, Juvelen or a woodie. And I know a lot of us were expecting a less intimidating "extreme" coaster like a Hot Racer or perhaps a Titan Track GCI. I know people who are...

I quite like Ukraine, Latvia and Germany so far. All quite original songs.

I've just watched a recap of all the songs, and I honestly think Australia was by far the best. I'm gutted they didn't get through! Maybe the innuendo was a bit much, but that's an excellent song!