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An extremely late Flamingo Land TPR

Blaze

Hyper Poster
Sorry for taking 4 weeks to actually bother writing a report.
In summer I went to Flamingo land for a few days. I wont bore you with all the details; I'll just let you know about the rides.

Mumbo Jumbo
New ride is good. Very smooth, restraints are cool but uncomfortable, and if you do not sit in the right position your back arse and shoulders will hurt. Head bounces around a bit, too. Loading very slow. The drop is quite good and so is the turn at the pull out. The next section feels dead, but the roll into the dive loop is good, as is the dive loop itself. The downward roll is good but bumps your head about. Over bank good and brakes are a revelation; they are superb. A good addition, they did well to get one of these, I expect them to pop up lots now. Maybe the new SLC or Maurer Wild Mouse?

Velocity
In my opinion, this is the best coaster in Flamingo Land. The bike position makes the launch feel better than it would be sitting down. Bits of airtime around the layout, some head choppers and great vertical forces. Watch out for first corner, it's very violent. Overall, it's a smooth, fun coaster, very well paced and has no dull points. Twice as good as Rita. I find Rita's corners feel slow and forceless, there is no airtime and unless you are at the front the launch is poor. Velocity on the other hand is much better in pretty much every way. Needs two-train operation. 8/10

Kumali
Very slow loading times and only one train used means there is always a big wait. When you are finally on, the first drop is epically epic. If you are on the right, careful you don’t hit the grass with your hand. The loop is forceful but the cobra is very rough. The roll is good and if you sit on the front the acceleration between the cobra and roll is breathtaking. The helix kills it suddenly. Was it too much to ask for another helix or another inversion before the end? Still, a good ride, especially at the back, but the front just felt...weird. Can't describe it, but it just felt odd. On board DVD is very unreliable. Good, but I think I prefer the standard style to the Shenlin style this is. Just about an 8. 8/10

Flip Flop
This was excellent, and I love the Beatles themeing. The forces on this are excellent, you really fly into the restraints the airtime is that good, so watch out or you may just hurt your balls quite badly. Only thing stopping this getting a 10 is the fairly short cycle. 30-60 seconds more would be all it took for this to be perfect. 9/10

Cliff Hanger
Best ride in the park. Very intimidating. Launch is very powerful and airtime is stunning. Then after two bounces you go up to the top again and there is a huge bang and you expect to drop, but don't. The wait is about 15 seconds before the drop (and launch at the start). Then you drop and the airtime is amazing, then the pull out pulls what could be 5G, could make some people grey out. Extremely good. 10/10

Corkscrew
Better of the two Vekoma MK1200 Corkscrew with Bayern-curve models we have seen over here. Smoother than the one Alton Towers had, but that isn't saying much. Also, seemed to have airtime after Bayern curve, don't remember that on the other one, and I went on that twice as much as this one. Although this one lacked the airtime of Alton’s on the drops. It's a classic, and again, should have another train. Maybe they should have bought the one Alton didn't auction off the front car. 4/10

Navigator
Surprisingly good. Themeing looks more Arabian/1001 nights than the city theme of Metropolis (which is actually just everything painted blue and red-orange, not really a theme). Good airtime, but evil restraints and I found it, strangely enough, rather sickly for some reason. 7/10

Wild Mouse
Ride-ops are over-the-top with restraints, the bar is pushed too far down, and then again some more until you get gangrene in your legs. You will be winded in the brake run. Still, the lats are good and there are good bit of airtime to be had. Not bad at all, but then again I quite like Wild Mouse rides. 6/10

Voodoo
Poor pirate ship, but well themed. Must be only catamaran pirate ship in the world, but unless this is like Blade at Alton and only good on one side, it is not very good. Sat at the back but there was not that much airtime. 6/10

4D cinema
Enjoyed it despite my hatred of Sponge Bob. Good fun and good effects. My first 4D cinema. Should let you keep the glasses. 7/10

Bongo warriors
They were very good, don't normally go for these things, seen one seen them all was what I thought, but they were better than the other types of these shows I have seen. Those lads have some super-human skill.

Didn't go on anything else. Never bothered with Lost River and it's biblical 200 yard wide splash. Sky swinger or whatever it was called was avoided just like any swinging inverter ship will be every since I rode Submission.

Overall I enjoyed my time. The rides were good and the themeing in the African and Yellow Submarine areas is great, but poor everywhere else. Would have loved Cliff Hanger to still be fully themed, but there's nothing they can do about that. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good day out or weekend break alternative to Alton Towers or Blackpool Pleasure Beach. They must be congratulated for how they have built such a good selection these last few years and hope to return at least once next year.

EDIT: Forgot to mention ride counts
Flip Flop x 12-15 (including 7 in just one day)
Navigator x approx 5-7
Velocity x 3 (2 back, 1 front)
Kumali x2 (1 front, 1 back)
Mumbo Jumbo x2 (one front, on eback, as if it makes a difference on this)
4D cinema x1
Voodoo x1
Bongo Warriors x1
Cliff Hanger x approx 4-5 (maybe 6, think I did every side)
Wild Mouse x2
Corkscrew x1
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
I agree that dispatch times for pretty much all rides is a joke. Thye just seem to take as much time as they like. On Kumali, they came round to undo all the belts on the restraints, then went back to release the restraints!

The park is too plain in area's, with no atmosphere at all, yet it is nice in other area's, then you have area's which are badly run down. It just seems an unual mixture of bad and good. Veolicty, Flip Flop & Cliff Hanger stood out for me as the awsome rides, everything else was average-poor. Even the Zoo was lacking. Anyway, I'll stop moaing in your report!lol

Did you not feel the drop on Mumbo was utterly destroyed by the brakes?
 

slappy mcguire

Mega Poster
I feel the brakes MAKE the drop. Excellent TR, and kinda summed up why FL was simply more enjoyable than AT and BPB for me this year.
 

Blaze

Hyper Poster
Martyn B said:
I agree that dispatch times for pretty much all rides is a joke. Thye just seem to take as much time as they like. On Kumali, they came round to undo all the belts on the restraints, then went back to release the restraints!

The park is too plain in area's, with no atmosphere at all, yet it is nice in other area's, then you have area's which are badly run down. It just seems an unual mixture of bad and good. Veolicty, Flip Flop & Cliff Hanger stood out for me as the awsome rides, everything else was average-poor. Even the Zoo was lacking. Anyway, I'll stop moaing in your report!lol

Did you not feel the drop on Mumbo was utterly destroyed by the brakes?

I did, they seemd to slow the drop down, so only half of the drop actualy felt like a drop. Didn't go in the zoo but it didn't look too good, agree with pretty much all you say, Kumali has the worst dispatch times I have ever seen. One train, and then they go across the train ateast twice before and after sending it out. The picsolve DVD is very unreliable, on Kumali and Wild Mouse.
Speaking of Kumali, the drop is excelent, but after that it does fade to not much more than average, if it wern't for the drop it would probably only be a 6.

The atmosphere bit is very noticeable. The newer African bit is quite good, and The Beatles bit I liked, but the bit where everything is painted blue and red is awfull, supposed to be themed to a city, but there is no theming. Then the plaza and bits in between are even worse. Looks very poor and run down.
 

Martyn B

CF Legend
slappy mcguire said:
I feel the brakes MAKE the drop.

Really? :shock:

So you think its better covered in brakes instead of without? Without the brakes you would be flung right over the drop, which would not only be extremely exhilirating, but also offer an abundance of airtime!


I also cant get my head around how they plan where to put the rides! You have area's that are crammed full with rides, yet some where the rides are spread out too much!

For example, you'd never know that Kumali & Mumbo were apart of the 'Lost Kingdom' - because of the walk to get to the main area of it, hey might as well be apart of the seaside area. Also that Wagon wheel, how on earth can say that is apart of the Lost Kingdom, when its next to the Splosh area, and about a mile walk all the way round to the lost kingdom!

Again, sorry :D
 

Ollie

CF Legend
^I reckon without the brakes that drop would hurt. I don't mind the brakes being there as I didn't feel they spoilt the drop at all. Also with Mumbo Jumbo you actually felt the steepness whereas with Eurofighters you don't notice it as much.
 

slappy mcguire

Mega Poster
The reason I quite like the brakes is that the extenuate the ride experience, like the corners on a wild mouse, but in 3D, so to speak. To Just bomb around the ride, drop included would be to miss the point of what it actually does to you.
 
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