TTF Euro Coaster Poll 2011-12

[Rob L]

Well I have really struggled ranking this group and am not entirely happy with my order. I even found it hard to decide which coaster to put first, it was very close for me and on another day I could have chosen something different. Anyway, this is what I have gone for:

10. Grand National - this does nothing for me at all, it's round and very uncomfortable.

9. Space Mountain: Mission 2  - impossible to judge from POVs so I cannot place it any higher.

8. Van Helsing's Factory - as above, I cannot judge this from POVs. I am really looking forward to riding it next year though.

7. Shock - I think this looks good for what it is, and on another day I could easily have placed it higher.

6. Nemesis Inferno - this is a good coaster in my mind, and is underrated because of the Nemesis name. Very thrilling and better than the Batman clones in my opinion.

5. Speed Monster - I really like the look of this, it seems quite different to the other Intamin Accelerators. Not quite good enough for my top 4 though.

4. Krake - this seems to be taking a bit of a bashing here when in all honesty it looks quite good. Sure it's not as tall as others, but it is a B&M Dive Machine and I love them, which is enough for it to be in my top 4. It will be even better next season once the theming has been fully added.

3. Twister - this looks like pure fun, it is amazing what they have done with such little height and space. I'd really like to ride this.

2. Blue Fire - on another day I'd have placed this first. This does look amazing in almost every way and I'm really looking forward to riding it. It probably is the worthy winner of this group, but not today for me, if that makes any sense at all! 

1. Balder - there is no way I would have placed this above Blue Fire last year, however this is an Intamin woodie and having now been on one I can say they are awesome. Sure this is nowhere near as big as El Toro but it still looks packed with airtime. It excites me and I really really would love to ride.

Very tough, I found it so hard to decide between Balder and Blue Fire. I think Blue Fire, Balder and Twister will all go through but I don't have a clue what will take 4th place.

[AstroDan]

Balder does look sensational. It looks "wild", whereas Blue Fire is more "collected" if you get me.

:P

[Mattmash]

10.  Space Mountain: Mission 2*
9.  Krake*
8.  Nemesis Inferno*
7.  Shock
6.  Speed Monster

5.  Grand National* - As much as I love Nash I prefer the look of the other two woodies in this group.  Love the back row though, brutal but fun.

4.  Van Helsing's Factory* - Great theming and a solid coaster make for a great all round package. Really packs a punch for it's size.  I probably prefer Nash if I'm honest but it's close and I didn't want my qualifiers to be wood dominated :P

3.  Blue Fire* - Great trains and restraints, and amazing final inversion. 'Nuff said!

2.  Twister - This looks great for it's size, I really have to ride it soon.

1.  Balder - Airtime, airtime, airtime.  Yes please!

Must get to Sweden soon.....

[Jared]

Okay, here's what I went for... Having been on most of the coasters... I think I can judge effectively.

1. Shock *
Easily the best coaster in the group (That I've been on). It provides great airtime, a powerful and extremely thrilling launch and one of the most forceful moments I've ever experienced on a coaster. The ride packs a real punch and really shows some big promise from Maurer, it's nice to see them joining the big boys for once. By the way, props for using one of my photos!

2. Twister *
This coaster is all sorts of insane, it's twisted, fast, furious and one of the most mental woodie's I've ever been on, yet at the same time, it's smooth, packed with airtime and has some wicked fast laterals. It's hands down one of the best coasters in Europe.

3. Van Helsings Factory
Now, I've not done this ride yet (May 2012 ftw!), but it looks solid, it seems highly themed, looks like it packs a nice layout with some stellar ride effects. One to watch I'd say.

4. Krake *
Sure, it's not Oblivion, but to most UK fans, no dive machine will top Blivvy, but Krake does things differently, and that's one of the reasons I really like it. It's not only a solid, fast coaster, but it's brilliant to look at. The water effect is sensational!

5. Speed Monster *
Okay, the launch is standard Intamin, but the second you're off the launch track, it kicks in with some awesomeness. The track layout is fluid, smooth and has some really cool elements. It's a great coaster, but just not as good as some others I've been on.

6. Blue Fire
I've not personally done it, but I think Mack missed a few tricks with this ride. Sure, throughput is sensational and the theming is top notch, but the ride experience suffers from sluggish manoeuvres that in my eyes, could have been done better.

7. Balder *
A poor ride. End of. The airtime is weak at best, the first drop is good, the head choppers are good, but this is one grossly over rated ride.

8. Grand National *
A British classic. What more can I say?

9. Nemesis Inferno *
It's nothing like the original, it's name is an insult and there are far better inverts out there.

10. Space Mountain, Mission 2
I just think it looks a bit poor, there are better coasters more deserving to win.

[AstroDan]

Results

I have to say, these are for me, the most suprising results so far:

Q1: Blue Fire 341
Q2: Balder 289
Q3: Twister 221
Q4: Van Helsings Factory 210

5: Space Mountain Mission Two 200
6: Grand National 188
7: Krake 180
8: Nemesis Inferno 166
9: Shock 150
10: Speed Monster 145

VOTES: 38

Observations
The death of any form of major success for Disneyland Paris in this years poll has surely now happened - with a previous finalist - Space Mountain Mission 2 - falling. A massive range of scores for the ride have sent it tumbling. Much the same for Grand National, a ride which has been a favourite on the poll for many years - but now, it's fallen to the new kid on the block - the tiny new Gravity Group coaster at Grona Lund, which has incredibly finished 3rd. An amazing feat for such a compact coaster. Also new-for-2011 is Van Helsings Factory, which has gone through in 4th place. The new, indoor, compact Gerstlauer Bobsled picked up consistently 6-7-8 points (aside from a few cases), without getting any top scores. Balder has gone through as a strong second, although Blue Fire continues its dominance in most of the groups it's in, by finishing top - by some distance. Blue Fire did however find itself awarded only 2 points by one member, and several people voted it 6th - so the ride clearly not to the taste of a few people!

[AstroDan]

Okay, here's what I went for... Having been on most of the coasters... I think I can judge effectively.

1. Shock *
Easily the best coaster in the group (That I've been on). It provides great airtime, a powerful and extremely thrilling launch and one of the most forceful moments I've ever experienced on a coaster. The ride packs a real punch and really shows some big promise from Maurer, it's nice to see them joining the big boys for once. By the way, props for using one of my photos!

2. Twister *
This coaster is all sorts of insane, it's twisted, fast, furious and one of the most mental woodie's I've ever been on, yet at the same time, it's smooth, packed with airtime and has some wicked fast laterals. It's hands down one of the best coasters in Europe.

3. Van Helsings Factory
Now, I've not done this ride yet (May 2012 ftw!), but it looks solid, it seems highly themed, looks like it packs a nice layout with some stellar ride effects. One to watch I'd say.

4. Krake *
Sure, it's not Oblivion, but to most UK fans, no dive machine will top Blivvy, but Krake does things differently, and that's one of the reasons I really like it. It's not only a solid, fast coaster, but it's brilliant to look at. The water effect is sensational!

5. Speed Monster *
Okay, the launch is standard Intamin, but the second you're off the launch track, it kicks in with some awesomeness. The track layout is fluid, smooth and has some really cool elements. It's a great coaster, but just not as good as some others I've been on.

6. Blue Fire
I've not personally done it, but I think Mack missed a few tricks with this ride. Sure, throughput is sensational and the theming is top notch, but the ride experience suffers from sluggish manoeuvres that in my eyes, could have been done better.

7. Balder *
A poor ride. End of. The airtime is weak at best, the first drop is good, the head choppers are good, but this is one grossly over rated ride.

8. Grand National *
A British classic. What more can I say?

9. Nemesis Inferno *
It's nothing like the original, it's name is an insult and there are far better inverts out there.

10. Space Mountain, Mission 2
I just think it looks a bit poor, there are better coasters more deserving to win.

I just find the idea that you rate Krake, a 15 second B&M with a drop, one inversion and a barely-any-airtime floater hill, over the likes of Balder, Blue Fire and Grand National, really quite odd.

:P

[Chris W]

If the Disney coasters weren't built in Disneyland they would have done much better :P

But was always going to happen with the new system, too many people seem to hate them because they are Disney, and because SM/RNRC's biggest strengths are the overall experience which you cannot judge from POVs.

[AstroDan]

If the Disney coasters weren't built in Disneyland they would have done much better :P

But was always going to happen with the new system, too many people seem to hate them because they are Disney, and because SM/RNRC's biggest strengths are the overall experience which you cannot judge from POVs.

A lot of Disney coasters, being enclosed - lets them down on polls like this. Not sure why VHF has done well. Even though I personally voted it in my top 4, I am suprised. Not suprised though about SMM2, some people genuinely detest it as it can be so, so rough. Eurosat has also gone out at EP.

I love Space Mountain Mission 2 though - not such a fan of RNR, I find it a bit dull.

[Rob L]

If the Disney coasters weren't built in Disneyland they would have done much better :P

But was always going to happen with the new system, too many people seem to hate them because they are Disney, and because SM/RNRC's biggest strengths are the overall experience which you cannot judge from POVs.

I don't think it is because people hate them because they are Disney. I think it is that you cannot judge an indoor coaster from a POV, so only those that have ridden these rides have been able to fairly rank them. At this stage of the competition I placed all indoor rides that I had not ridden towards the bottom of my list as I felt that was the only fair way for me to vote.

[John]

Another observation - Blue Fire, Krake, Grand National and Van Helsing's Factory were all in the same group in R1, but finished in a very different order.  Blue Fire was top by a huge margin, followed by Krake in 2nd, VHF in 3rd and Nash 4th.

Interesting to see such a drop for Krake - it would have made the top 20 if going off first round results alone.

Regarding Disney coasters - I've always thought in previous TTF polls they'd all have done far worse if built at another park  :P

[Jared]

I just find the idea that you rate Krake, a 15 second B&M with a drop, one inversion and a barely-any-airtime floater hill, over the likes of Balder, Blue Fire and Grand National, really quite odd.

:P

I found Balder to be tame, hugely over-rated and lacking in airtime. Grand National is just one of those rides that doesn't really do anything for me and Blue Fire I can't acurately rate until after May when I've ridden it. Krake I just found to be short, but sweet. For me it's not just about how long a ride is, but it's about it's substance, and I think for what Krake is, it is a great coaster.

[AstroDan]

I guess. I found Krake bland. If it had been longer, it would have been better - but it was so short. And 13 years on from Oblivion, they should have done something a little more substantial.

[Jared]

Yeah, but then you have rides like Nemesis that are short, but pack a punch. For me, Krake did that.

I've done one of every type of coaster B&M offer, and sure, it's not one of their best, but in this instance I found it to be better than some of the other rides in the Poll.

Balder is just painfully boring. Of all the rides at Liseberg, it was probably one of my least favourite. Maybe the rain had something to do with it, I don't know, but to me it was a poor coaster.

[Nightfall]

I spy the Liseberg ponchos! I need to go back to get more of them. They were awesome!

[AstroDan]

FYI the first Semi Final will begin on Monday, 13th February.

[SpinballEdders]

You couldn't post the highest/lowest scores could ya Dan?

[AstroDan]

You couldn't post the highest/lowest scores could ya Dan?

Here is a bit of detail for you, with the highest and lowest (21 x 10 = 21 people voted this top (i.e. 10 points)).

Blue Fire
21 x 10pts
1 x 2pts

Balder
7 x 10pts
1 x 2pts

Twister
1 x 10pts
6 x 2 pts

Van Helsings Factory
1 x 9pts
3 x 1pt

SMM2
3 x 10pts
6 x 1pt

G. National
2 x 10pts
6 x 1pt

Krake
1 x 10pts
8 x 1pt

N. Inferno
3 x 9pts
3 x 1pt

Shock
2 x 10pts
6 x 1pt

Speed Monster
5 x 7pts
6 x 1pt

[SpinballEdders]

Cheers Dan!

Kinda surprised at how many people voted Nash, Krake and Inferno (including myself :P) last place.

[Blaze]

Missed voting, stupid life!

Guted Nash is out, really gutted, but agree with the top 2. Not so sure about the other two qualifiers at all. The bottom end is ok.

But Nash.

[Nora]

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Blue-Fire came first!? Never in my wildest dreams would I have suspected that! :P