B&M Inverts, Best to Worst
- Thread starter Edward M
- Start date
theRock-steel
Mega Poster
1. Alpengeist
2. Talon
3. Patriot
4. Afterburn
5. Montu
6. Raptor
7. Great Bear
8. Silver Bullet
9. Vampire
10. Chinese Fireball
11. Batman The Ride (SFGAM)
12. Goliath
13. Batman The Ride (SFOG)
14. Batman The Ride (SFGAV)
15. Batman The Ride (SFMM)
16. Batman The Ride (SFOT)
17. Batman The Ride (SFSTL)
18. Great White
19. Hungarian Horntail
2. Talon
3. Patriot
4. Afterburn
5. Montu
6. Raptor
7. Great Bear
8. Silver Bullet
9. Vampire
10. Chinese Fireball
11. Batman The Ride (SFGAM)
12. Goliath
13. Batman The Ride (SFOG)
14. Batman The Ride (SFGAV)
15. Batman The Ride (SFMM)
16. Batman The Ride (SFOT)
17. Batman The Ride (SFSTL)
18. Great White
19. Hungarian Horntail
usablefiber
Roller Poster
I completely agree with gforce about the black mamba. Hands down my favorite of the bunch. The themed elements work wonderfully. You are almost always close to the ground or themed structures so the sense of speed is fantastic. It has a similar intensity to batman where the forces are intense and relentlessly quick. It is too bad it is in an obscure german family park that many coaster lovers haven't gotten to, although personally I love phantasialand. They also have a great spinning family coaster called winjas that is totally unique and also one of my favorites.
usablefiber
Roller Poster
So I am going to give a brief review of the ones I have been on for the ranking It is going to sound like I am being really harsh but they (almost) are fantastic rides that give you great forces but I am going to nitpick all the nuances I can recall for rankings. My only real complaint about these rides is that you really have to sit in the front seat for the best experience (you really can't see anything but the chairs in front of you) whereas floorless and hypers give you a good ride in most seats.
1. Black Mamba (see above post).
2. Talon
Scenery could be better (you get a nice view of the park lot and motorway as you ascend) but the ride is great. I love how it doesn't have a cobra Roll (the most boring element of B and M loopers in my opinion) and instead has the upward imleman that gives you a near miss to the ground. The second half is awesome and one of my favorite post trim sections. Unlike raptor the whole thing is really tight and close to the ground so it gives you that speed and batman like intensity towards the end.
3: It's a tie between montu and alpengeist.
The next two I really couldn't decide which to rank better. I think Montu has slightly better pacing overall and more elements that get close to the ground (a big plus for me for the sense of speed) but the scenery is way better for alpengeist (as you crest the lift you look out over the forest as opposed to the park lot on montu). I love the swiss alpine ski theme and the ride spends much of the time in the trees. The second half is very good ( I love the flat entry to the heartline). However I Think the pacing and unique elements of montu (the batwing instead of a cobra roll is a huge plus for me) though make it better in terms of the forceful experience of the journey. It is a tough call as they are similar in size and length so ultimately it is a tie for me.
5. The Great Bear
I am a big fan of the Great Bear even though it isn't as highly regarded as the others. I love the unique scenery and location. It is a gorgeous view of the beautiful park around the lake as you go around the track. There are numerous fly by's and near misses to the water and the park midway which makes it exciting. I love how the drop begins with the helix in the trees before dropping you over the lake. It is totally unique. I will agree though that it loses points for the ending. It is quite short and it seems like the ride just suddenly ends out of nowhere. It doesn't have a fun second half. which is a shame because it could really have been fantastic if they added a few more elements for a proper ending.
6. Batman the Ride: So many casual coaster riders I bring on this don't like it. They say it is too intense and gives them a headache, but that's what I love about it. It is soooo intense and even after 2 decades it doesn't feel weak or dated at all. All the elements hit you so quickly one after the other, but the 2nd half is my fav. after the second loop the helix-corckscrew-helix-corkscrew-helix is as good as it gets. It loses points for being one of the shorter rides of the bunch and the first drop is smaller compared to the newer models.
7 and 8: Dueling Dragons Fire and Ice:
I haven't been there in a few years so I personally can't differentiate which one I liked better. I think it changed each time I went. I am pretty sure the fire was a bit snappier and intense but the ice had all the great near misses like the heartline under the red track and the cobra roll near miss to the castle wall. I do like how the red one has an actual ending as the ice, much like great bear, just suddenly ends.
If each of these rides were in a park lot by themselves they would be decent inverts, but the fantastic medieval dragon theme in the castle and the dueling near miss aspects really elevate them. it loses points for 2 reasons: the weak endings and the terrible view as you crest the hill. It would have been nicer to have the drop facing the center of the park as opposed to the concrete warehouse and parking lot dump of the backlot. However these are still really fun rides.
9. Raptor
Its a big great ride but it's the least memorable of the bunch. Its just a little bit slower paced, a little bit less forcefull than the others.
Still Need to ride Nemesis, Oziris, Katun, and Banshee
1. Black Mamba (see above post).
2. Talon
Scenery could be better (you get a nice view of the park lot and motorway as you ascend) but the ride is great. I love how it doesn't have a cobra Roll (the most boring element of B and M loopers in my opinion) and instead has the upward imleman that gives you a near miss to the ground. The second half is awesome and one of my favorite post trim sections. Unlike raptor the whole thing is really tight and close to the ground so it gives you that speed and batman like intensity towards the end.
3: It's a tie between montu and alpengeist.
The next two I really couldn't decide which to rank better. I think Montu has slightly better pacing overall and more elements that get close to the ground (a big plus for me for the sense of speed) but the scenery is way better for alpengeist (as you crest the lift you look out over the forest as opposed to the park lot on montu). I love the swiss alpine ski theme and the ride spends much of the time in the trees. The second half is very good ( I love the flat entry to the heartline). However I Think the pacing and unique elements of montu (the batwing instead of a cobra roll is a huge plus for me) though make it better in terms of the forceful experience of the journey. It is a tough call as they are similar in size and length so ultimately it is a tie for me.
5. The Great Bear
I am a big fan of the Great Bear even though it isn't as highly regarded as the others. I love the unique scenery and location. It is a gorgeous view of the beautiful park around the lake as you go around the track. There are numerous fly by's and near misses to the water and the park midway which makes it exciting. I love how the drop begins with the helix in the trees before dropping you over the lake. It is totally unique. I will agree though that it loses points for the ending. It is quite short and it seems like the ride just suddenly ends out of nowhere. It doesn't have a fun second half. which is a shame because it could really have been fantastic if they added a few more elements for a proper ending.
6. Batman the Ride: So many casual coaster riders I bring on this don't like it. They say it is too intense and gives them a headache, but that's what I love about it. It is soooo intense and even after 2 decades it doesn't feel weak or dated at all. All the elements hit you so quickly one after the other, but the 2nd half is my fav. after the second loop the helix-corckscrew-helix-corkscrew-helix is as good as it gets. It loses points for being one of the shorter rides of the bunch and the first drop is smaller compared to the newer models.
7 and 8: Dueling Dragons Fire and Ice:
I haven't been there in a few years so I personally can't differentiate which one I liked better. I think it changed each time I went. I am pretty sure the fire was a bit snappier and intense but the ice had all the great near misses like the heartline under the red track and the cobra roll near miss to the castle wall. I do like how the red one has an actual ending as the ice, much like great bear, just suddenly ends.
If each of these rides were in a park lot by themselves they would be decent inverts, but the fantastic medieval dragon theme in the castle and the dueling near miss aspects really elevate them. it loses points for 2 reasons: the weak endings and the terrible view as you crest the hill. It would have been nicer to have the drop facing the center of the park as opposed to the concrete warehouse and parking lot dump of the backlot. However these are still really fun rides.
9. Raptor
Its a big great ride but it's the least memorable of the bunch. Its just a little bit slower paced, a little bit less forcefull than the others.
Still Need to ride Nemesis, Oziris, Katun, and Banshee
ThomVD
Giga Poster
usablefiber said:
I wouldn't say Phantasialand is all that obscure, especially not on this site. Looking at what people listed as their favourite park on here, and last year's park tournament, I'd say it's one of the most popular parks on this site. I agree with all you said about Black Mamba though.
TilenB
Strata Poster
I've been on 4 and I would rank them as follow:
1. Katun
2. Nemesis
Both of these are really amazing pieces of roller coaster engineering. Forceful, fast and fun. There's very little for me to separate them, but I've found Katun to be a bit more enjoyable, due to the intimidating height and airtime on the first drop (do any other B&M Inverts actually have airtime?)
3. Batman, SFMM - An okay coaster, of which I can't remember too much, since I've ridden it before I became an enthusiast and start ranking coasters. And with all the rides in SFMM, it doesn't really stand out... Also the heat (I guess it was close to 40°C on the day of my visit) made the experience a bit worse.
4. Nemesis Inferno - Mellow and gentle coaster, which I found lacking the forces that are usually associated with B&M Inverts. It still an okay ride but it is something I would describe as 'it goes around and doesn't do much'.
1. Katun
2. Nemesis
Both of these are really amazing pieces of roller coaster engineering. Forceful, fast and fun. There's very little for me to separate them, but I've found Katun to be a bit more enjoyable, due to the intimidating height and airtime on the first drop (do any other B&M Inverts actually have airtime?)
3. Batman, SFMM - An okay coaster, of which I can't remember too much, since I've ridden it before I became an enthusiast and start ranking coasters. And with all the rides in SFMM, it doesn't really stand out... Also the heat (I guess it was close to 40°C on the day of my visit) made the experience a bit worse.
4. Nemesis Inferno - Mellow and gentle coaster, which I found lacking the forces that are usually associated with B&M Inverts. It still an okay ride but it is something I would describe as 'it goes around and doesn't do much'.
Time for another quick update (new in bold):
1. Pyrennees - Fantastic coaster. It has the height, speed, length and "old school" B&M feel to it.
2. Afterburn - Where did it come from? Never heard of it before, but it was amazing. Could have benefited from some actual mist in the tunnel though, instead of that pathetic sprinkle that was there.
3. Nemesis - Maybe it's loyalty/nostalgia, but there really is nothing else like it.
4. Montu - Thought this was great. Realistically, the coasters in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place are pretty interchangeable.
5. Katun - Best first drop of any invert I've ridden, and stupidly forceful to the point of feeling quite ill after a few rerides.
6. Black Mamba - Really good fun with excellent theming. Smooth and forceful.
7. Talon - Forceful layout with no "dead" spots at all. An excellent coaster.
8. Great Bear - Huge surprise! I've heard so many mediocre reports on it, but I thought it was excellent. The whole "dying at the end" argument left me expecting a really crappy second half, but it's literally RIGHT at the end. There's not much track left after the corkscrew anyway.
9. Alpengeist - Loved the first half. The second half was ****, especially the zero g that actually does NOTHING. I'm tempted to move it down the list, but I've got no real reason to since I haven't ridden it again to re-rank it fairly.
10. Phaethon - One of the best zero g rolls I've ridden, but the rest of the coaster is a bit bland. It's tall, long and has a nice layout, but it's just too smooth and lacks force. It's easily, along with Patriot, the most reridable of the bunch though, and one of the most enjoyable.
11. Patriot - Reminded me a lot of Phaethon, in that it's really smooth and reridable, though not particularly forceful. The zero-g ties with Phaethon's for my favourite zero g of any coaster.
12. Dragon Challenge: Chinese Fireball - I wasn't expecting to rate either of these since they don't seem to get a lot of love, but I thought they were pretty decent, with Fireball seeming to be a bit more intense
13. Dragon Challange: Hungarian Horntail - Not much between the two really. This probably had the slightly better layout, but didn't seem as forceful. The lack of interaction puts these lower down the list than they probably deserve, as does the fact that after an interesting queue and station, they're basically just sitting over ugly concrete.
14. Flight Deck - Got some old-school B&M forces to it, and the helix over the lake is nice, but it's just ridiculously short.
15. Batman The Ride (Warner Madrid) - Yeah, they're all the same ride, but I enjoyed this one the most. Probably to do with the theming of the area and station.
16. Batman The Ride (St. Louis) - Seemed much more forceful than Great Adventure's. However, I wasn't in the best condition to judge on the day I rode it. A big apple would have felt too forceful to be honest.
17. Batman The Ride (Magic Mountain) - Same as the ones above and below really.
18. Batman The Ride (Great Adventure) - Maybe I was expecting too much, but it did nothing for me. This was my first Batman clone, but I much preferred the two I rode after it.
19. Silver Bullet - It's probably because I had very low expectations based on others' opinions, but I thought it was alright really. I'll agree with the whole "forceless" argument, but it's enjoyable enough.
20. Nemesis Inferno - I liked it a lot more last time I rode it, but it's still not as good as the ones I've listed above it.
21. Raptor - Just a bit crap to be honest when compared with all the others.
1. Pyrennees - Fantastic coaster. It has the height, speed, length and "old school" B&M feel to it.
2. Afterburn - Where did it come from? Never heard of it before, but it was amazing. Could have benefited from some actual mist in the tunnel though, instead of that pathetic sprinkle that was there.
3. Nemesis - Maybe it's loyalty/nostalgia, but there really is nothing else like it.
4. Montu - Thought this was great. Realistically, the coasters in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place are pretty interchangeable.
5. Katun - Best first drop of any invert I've ridden, and stupidly forceful to the point of feeling quite ill after a few rerides.
6. Black Mamba - Really good fun with excellent theming. Smooth and forceful.
7. Talon - Forceful layout with no "dead" spots at all. An excellent coaster.
8. Great Bear - Huge surprise! I've heard so many mediocre reports on it, but I thought it was excellent. The whole "dying at the end" argument left me expecting a really crappy second half, but it's literally RIGHT at the end. There's not much track left after the corkscrew anyway.
9. Alpengeist - Loved the first half. The second half was ****, especially the zero g that actually does NOTHING. I'm tempted to move it down the list, but I've got no real reason to since I haven't ridden it again to re-rank it fairly.
10. Phaethon - One of the best zero g rolls I've ridden, but the rest of the coaster is a bit bland. It's tall, long and has a nice layout, but it's just too smooth and lacks force. It's easily, along with Patriot, the most reridable of the bunch though, and one of the most enjoyable.
11. Patriot - Reminded me a lot of Phaethon, in that it's really smooth and reridable, though not particularly forceful. The zero-g ties with Phaethon's for my favourite zero g of any coaster.
12. Dragon Challenge: Chinese Fireball - I wasn't expecting to rate either of these since they don't seem to get a lot of love, but I thought they were pretty decent, with Fireball seeming to be a bit more intense
13. Dragon Challange: Hungarian Horntail - Not much between the two really. This probably had the slightly better layout, but didn't seem as forceful. The lack of interaction puts these lower down the list than they probably deserve, as does the fact that after an interesting queue and station, they're basically just sitting over ugly concrete.
14. Flight Deck - Got some old-school B&M forces to it, and the helix over the lake is nice, but it's just ridiculously short.
15. Batman The Ride (Warner Madrid) - Yeah, they're all the same ride, but I enjoyed this one the most. Probably to do with the theming of the area and station.
16. Batman The Ride (St. Louis) - Seemed much more forceful than Great Adventure's. However, I wasn't in the best condition to judge on the day I rode it. A big apple would have felt too forceful to be honest.
17. Batman The Ride (Magic Mountain) - Same as the ones above and below really.
18. Batman The Ride (Great Adventure) - Maybe I was expecting too much, but it did nothing for me. This was my first Batman clone, but I much preferred the two I rode after it.
19. Silver Bullet - It's probably because I had very low expectations based on others' opinions, but I thought it was alright really. I'll agree with the whole "forceless" argument, but it's enjoyable enough.
20. Nemesis Inferno - I liked it a lot more last time I rode it, but it's still not as good as the ones I've listed above it.
21. Raptor - Just a bit crap to be honest when compared with all the others.
SilverArrow
Certified Ride Geek
Out of what I've ridden:
1. Montu
2. Nemesis
3. & 4. Dragon Challenge x 2
5. Nemesis Inferno
I haven't ridden Nemesis for quite a while and can't remember which of the two dragon challenges I preferred hence their joint listing. Top ones to ride would include Oz'Iris, Black Mamba (both for theming) and Banshee.
1. Montu
2. Nemesis
3. & 4. Dragon Challenge x 2
5. Nemesis Inferno
I haven't ridden Nemesis for quite a while and can't remember which of the two dragon challenges I preferred hence their joint listing. Top ones to ride would include Oz'Iris, Black Mamba (both for theming) and Banshee.
singforfood
Roller Poster
In defense of Silver Bullet: The ride is only forceless if you sit in the middle of the train. Rows 7 and 8 are really a kick in the pants in a couple spots, and the helix isn't a joke either.
DelPiero
Strata Poster
Added a new Invert to my list recently;
1: Nemesis - I love it, still in my top 10
2: Montu - Fantastic Batwing, everything about this is awesome
3: Black Mamba - Aesthetically it's amazing, beautiful. I loved the sense of speed and interaction with the surroundings and the station is fab, but only the loop gave any decent force, the rest was disappointing. I need to ride it more as it may be a grower.
4: Nemesis Inferno - Back row, night rides, all effects working, it's fab. Otherwise it's nowhere near as good
5: Raptor - Great first drop and final helix, rest is just ok
6: Great Bear - Decent, immelmann is the best part, couple of nice legchoppers but that's it
6: Dragon Fire - Nothing great, still a solid ride7
7: Dragon Ice - Same as fire, less intense8
1: Nemesis - I love it, still in my top 10
2: Montu - Fantastic Batwing, everything about this is awesome
3: Black Mamba - Aesthetically it's amazing, beautiful. I loved the sense of speed and interaction with the surroundings and the station is fab, but only the loop gave any decent force, the rest was disappointing. I need to ride it more as it may be a grower.
4: Nemesis Inferno - Back row, night rides, all effects working, it's fab. Otherwise it's nowhere near as good
5: Raptor - Great first drop and final helix, rest is just ok
6: Great Bear - Decent, immelmann is the best part, couple of nice legchoppers but that's it
6: Dragon Fire - Nothing great, still a solid ride7
7: Dragon Ice - Same as fire, less intense8
Jordanovichy
Credit Whore 2016
1. Montu - It's just brilliant, forceful and an amazing amazing coaster.
2. Black Mamba - Absolutely amazing. How it whizzes around the terrain with plenty of force, it's fantastically themed, and brilliant.
3. Nemesis - It is just a fantastic coaster, world class.
4. Dragon Challenge Hungarian Horntail - Forceful, not too rough, thrilling, genuinely love it
5. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball - Less intense and forceful, still a very good coaster.
6. Nemesis Inferno - When the full effects are on that makes this coaster for me, it's still a great coaster
2. Black Mamba - Absolutely amazing. How it whizzes around the terrain with plenty of force, it's fantastically themed, and brilliant.
3. Nemesis - It is just a fantastic coaster, world class.
4. Dragon Challenge Hungarian Horntail - Forceful, not too rough, thrilling, genuinely love it
5. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball - Less intense and forceful, still a very good coaster.
6. Nemesis Inferno - When the full effects are on that makes this coaster for me, it's still a great coaster
Inversion_Te4m
Roller Poster
Not that tough, considering that I've only been on 3.
3. Nemesis Inferno
2. Oziris
1. Nemesis
3. Nemesis Inferno
2. Oziris
1. Nemesis
CarolinaRider
Mega Poster
Only been on 2:
1. Afterburn- Incredibly forceful. Still the most intense ride at the park even with Fury325 dominating the skies. The ride never slows down and the elements get incredibly tighter as the ride goes on. While I enjoy Afterburn, you do have to brace for some of the elements, especially the wing-over and turn back to the station. Fail to do so and you will endure a pretty violent headbang.
2. Alpengeist- The first half of this ride is the most powerful thing I've ever been on. I'm not talking about force. The speed of this thing is insane, and it feels like you're going to get whipped out of your seat and into the trees. Afterburn is forceful, but Alpengeist is definitely more out of control.... at least for the first half. The ride feels over at the MCBR. While the second half is fun, it isn't as amazing as the first half. Also, Alpengeist isn't as re-rideable as Afterburn, so it's more of a one-and-done type of ride.
1. Afterburn- Incredibly forceful. Still the most intense ride at the park even with Fury325 dominating the skies. The ride never slows down and the elements get incredibly tighter as the ride goes on. While I enjoy Afterburn, you do have to brace for some of the elements, especially the wing-over and turn back to the station. Fail to do so and you will endure a pretty violent headbang.
2. Alpengeist- The first half of this ride is the most powerful thing I've ever been on. I'm not talking about force. The speed of this thing is insane, and it feels like you're going to get whipped out of your seat and into the trees. Afterburn is forceful, but Alpengeist is definitely more out of control.... at least for the first half. The ride feels over at the MCBR. While the second half is fun, it isn't as amazing as the first half. Also, Alpengeist isn't as re-rideable as Afterburn, so it's more of a one-and-done type of ride.
JJLehto
Hyper Poster
Of the ones I've been on so far:
Batman the Ride. Yes. It's still smooth and of course incredibly forceful. I love it, so punchy and intense!
Talon. Really fun ride, forceful and cool layout.
Great Bear. I love this ride. I know it's near universally picked on, (or at least shrugged off) by the enthusiast community but it's got a unique layout, is smooth, forceful and fun. And since scenery is something enthusiasts take into consideration, I think this one has a great environment around it.
Raptor.
Alpengeist. Good ride but I thought it a bit lacking in force and was maybe too big, if that makes sense.
Dueling Dragons: Fire
Dueling Dragons: Ice OK it was ages ago when I went to IoA so memory is rusty, but by this time I already have been on all the above except Raptor, and remember thinking all the others were better.
Batman the Ride. Yes. It's still smooth and of course incredibly forceful. I love it, so punchy and intense!
Talon. Really fun ride, forceful and cool layout.
Great Bear. I love this ride. I know it's near universally picked on, (or at least shrugged off) by the enthusiast community but it's got a unique layout, is smooth, forceful and fun. And since scenery is something enthusiasts take into consideration, I think this one has a great environment around it.
Raptor.
Alpengeist. Good ride but I thought it a bit lacking in force and was maybe too big, if that makes sense.
Dueling Dragons: Fire
Dueling Dragons: Ice OK it was ages ago when I went to IoA so memory is rusty, but by this time I already have been on all the above except Raptor, and remember thinking all the others were better.
There seems to be a pattern to Big Bear - folks either love it or hate it. Even jumping back a page, it seems to either be towards the top of the list with a "big surprise" or "I know it gets bashed, but" carve out, or it sinks to second to last.
FanThemePark
Roller Poster
Out of the ones I've ridden, I'd put:
Alpengeist
Montu
Silver Bullet
Chinese Firebolt
Hungarian Horntail
Patriot
Batman
Alpengeist
Montu
Silver Bullet
Chinese Firebolt
Hungarian Horntail
Patriot
Batman
AmusementSci
Roller Poster
Just got back into riding after a few summers of being too busy to get to any parks:
1) Banshee - shot straight to the top of my list pretty much the second I sat on the train and experienced the new restraints. Good amount of airtime on the drop and the inversions were intense. Loved the heartline at the end taken at low speed, really pulled the whole ride together.
2) Alpengeist - fast and intense, but it felt short.
3) Raptor - my first and it was awesome at the time...
4) Great Bear - like others have said, this was a pleasant surprise, but was too short to be a great ride.
5) Batman the ride (SFGAdv) - I didn't think it was very intense...
1) Banshee - shot straight to the top of my list pretty much the second I sat on the train and experienced the new restraints. Good amount of airtime on the drop and the inversions were intense. Loved the heartline at the end taken at low speed, really pulled the whole ride together.
2) Alpengeist - fast and intense, but it felt short.
3) Raptor - my first and it was awesome at the time...
4) Great Bear - like others have said, this was a pleasant surprise, but was too short to be a great ride.
5) Batman the ride (SFGAdv) - I didn't think it was very intense...
ATTACKHAMMER
Strata Poster
1: Katun - A beast.
2: Montu - I love the batwing.
3: Nemesis - Solid Ride.
4: Nemesis Inferno - Decent Ride.
5: Dragon Challenge Ice - The better of the two.
6: Dragon Challenge Fire - Both were better when they duelled.
2: Montu - I love the batwing.
3: Nemesis - Solid Ride.
4: Nemesis Inferno - Decent Ride.
5: Dragon Challenge Ice - The better of the two.
6: Dragon Challenge Fire - Both were better when they duelled.
singforfood
Roller Poster
Having recently ridden Raptor for the first time... the Cobra Roll on that thing is a kick in the butt if you're sitting in rows 6, 7, or 8.