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Energylandia | Zadra | RMC I-Box

Snoo

The Legend
Hey, fair enough, my fault for assuming things (not for the first time!)

‘ASS’ out of ‘U’ and ‘ME’ and all that :)

Back to the point, early reviews (quantity aside) are suggesting it’s not quite as good as the other big RMCs, though time will tell if that’s a continue trend of opinions. :)

You good. :D

And I've heard that but the hype game was STRONG with this one tho. From those I know personally who've been on it, all think it's amazing (still Top 10 worthy) but not the best RMC out there. Definitely worth a trip to Poland if I already did that for Wildfire.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
You good. :D

And I've heard that but the hype game was STRONG with this one tho. From those I know personally who've been on it, all think it's amazing (still Top 10 worthy) but not the best RMC out there. Definitely worth a trip to Poland if I already did that for Wildfire.
Well I haven’t done any RMCs except for Untamed yet (Basic, I know ?) and will be doing this on Monday. I am travelling alone this time, so should definitely have time to do a decent (by my standard, poor by everyone else’s) trip report and review.
 

mewantcandy2

Mega Poster
Hi guys,
Long time no see - think its probably been a decade since I posted here...

Anyways I'm based in Berlin these days and took the night train out to krakow -
wanted to visit auschwitz and also ride this thing (weird combination but both destinations are like 20 mins apart from one another).
If anyone is debating whether or not to make this trip I can guarantee its worth your time and (very little) money.
My friends and I had a fantastic weekend all around.

On to Zadra - yeah, its really, really, really good.

Looks stunning from any angle (as does Hyperion, also a great ride 8/10). Elements are BIG and ride big.
Drop is sick, stall is sick, turnaround is sick, s bend coming into the final inversion also sick...
this wild like quick transition outer-banked wave turn above the queue is wicked...
All of the inversions are perfectly smooth (the second inversion coming into the structure being the coolest sensation imo).
Rides better in the front than in the back, one of the trains (cant remember which) provides a better ride - more pops of air etc.
Pacing is spot on...save for maybe the double down ?

in summary i'd say it's more or less a 'perfect' coaster, or at least in the top 1% of rides out there.
How 'perfect' it is I guess is a matter of judgement / personal preference.
I've been somewhat out of the game so to speak for the better part of 10 years so I haven't hit the majority of the consensus top 10s built after 2009.
That being said, would be very hard pressed to believe there are many 'better' rides out there.

Side note - operations at energylandia were the best I've seen...anywhere, ever. Better than universal, disney, busch, cp....
Two train ops on every ride with the lead train dispatching as soon as the second train hits the brakes (or even earlier in some cases).
Maybe only once or twice throughout the entire day did we even see a train have to hold before entering the station.
They also surprise kept the park open an hour later because of increased attendance.

I would definitely keep an eye out for these guys as they increase in size - it's obvious that management is trying to put together a world class product.

Anyways here's a pic that sums up our great day.

IMG_6977.jpg

Big love to Energylandia
x
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
OK so I’ve had several rides on this now. It’s big, it’s fast and it’s an RMC, what’s not to love?

The first drop is huge, it’s incredible the way it dives into that structure, and the whip over the top on the back row takes your breath away. It’s much less interesting on the front, where it obviously hangs you over the edge instead. I was expecting the first turnaround to feel amazing, but it just kind of, well, to steal a phrase, ‘it exists.’

But it’s uphill from there, litterally, into that zero G stall. Probably my favourite element, the height of this inversion, and the time you have to look down at the ground (or up at the ground, depending on your perspective) make it one of my favourite inversions ever. Then it’s up and into the wave turn. Now, back row, first drop whip excluded, this is really the first time the coaster tries to dump you out onto the road, one of the few sections of the ride that actually give you any indication that the thing warms up throughout the day, as it’s much stronger later on. From there we get a bend and a BIG airtime hill, with amazing eje.... WHAT? FLOATER... Yep no ejector here, and not great floater either :( and it was looking so promising.

The roll through the structure is great, not sure exactly what that sort of roll is called, but it is kind of cut short and turns into a downwards bend continuing through the structure, which feels great. It is immediately followed by a double down, finally, some amazing air time, and easily my second favourite element. The following bends into the final inversion are pretty good fun, and then that’s it, the train slams to a halt so fast that if it was in the UK, we’d demand air bags were fitted to the rear of every row.

It’s good, extremely good. But it didn’t blow my mind like Untamed did. It didn’t have the ejector air time of Untamed and though felt much longer, it didn’t seem to pack in as many fun elements. It’s not my favourite coaster, not even my favourite coaster in the park, that belongs to Hyperion which in the words of @pvnks “Does things to me that scare me.” But, it is in my top 5. I don’t think it will get near the top 5 of you more seasoned RMC fanatics and other generally better travelled folk though.

Tl;dr Amazing coaster, but don’t expect a world beater.
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
After learning more about this ride, the one thing that this seems to have that the other big RMCs lack is a first drop diving immediately into a structure. The structure interaction in Steel Vengeance's second half might be the best thing that ride does, so I imagine doing that but with big first drop should be pretty wild.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
After learning more about this ride, the one thing that this seems to have that the other big RMCs lack is a first drop diving immediately into a structure. The structure interaction in Steel Vengeance's second half might be the best thing that ride does, so I imagine doing that but with big first drop should be pretty wild.
It is amazing. When I talk about ‘favourite elements’ on a ride, for some inexplicable reason I never include the first drop, as if it’s not an element, which I suppose it is. In that case it’s easily a contender. But only near the back, when you’re pulled over that top and your arse decides to leave the chair, pack it’s things, move out, close the joint account, shack up with a bigger, richer, better looking, well hung guy, files for divorce, only changing it’s mind last minute after you’ve flown through the structure. It is Stunning, the drop that is, not my arse.
 

Serena

Miss CoasterForce 2016
Staff member
Social Media Team
Okay, the verdict is in!

In my opinion, Zadra is pretty much perfect, especially in the front row. I've not been left speechless by a coaster like that for a while!

It's slightly less forceful than Hakugei, which is probably why I prefer it over Hakugei. Hakugei is insane, but it also gave me bruises on my thighs and a headache every time I came off.

Zadra is the most well rounded RMC I've ridden. Perfect inversions, floaty and ejector airtime, snappy transitions, near misses, big swooping elements...it has the lot. It's very very very good. And my new favourite RMC :)
 

SilverArrow

Certified Ride Geek
Really enjoyed Zadra, had an amazing front ride (with Serena so can second that that ride was amazing!).

I personally really think it's a contender for rivalling Steve! Steve seemed more violent to me with Zadra flowing a better because it's got less crammed into it (and less wiggly bits that I hate) so I have found it hard to decide between the two.

Zadra seemed like a mash up of Steve, in terms of speed and height and Goliath, with the huge zero-g stall but a much more fleshed out layout. All in all a really solid ride that tbh I still can't believe exists in Europe. Really think the combo of Zadra and Hyperion rivals a lot of established american park lineups!

In conclusion, I think I would probably put Steve just above Zadra because of it's insanity and location by the water but I'm finding it hard to choose so that could change. In a nutshell, it's really good!
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
It's slightly less forceful than Hakugei, which is probably why I prefer it over Hakugei. Hakugei is insane, but it also gave me bruises on my thighs and a headache every time I came off.

I NEED to get out to Japan, sounds amazing ???

Did you prefer Hakugei or SteVe? Just trying to get a feel for how you place the ‘big 3.’
 
I compared all three in a recent video, to me hakugei is best and it's very close between zadra and Steve, but Steve just beats Zara, as it's still a more substantial ride. I feel zadra could still do quite a bit more with the energy it has when it hits the brakes, and could do with being a bit longer, but honestly, all the are amazing top tier coasters.
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
I compared all three in a recent video, to me hakugei is best and it's very close between zadra and Steve, but Steve just beats Zara, as it's still a more substantial ride. I feel zadra could still do quite a bit more with the energy it has when it hits the brakes, and could do with being a bit longer, but honestly, all the are amazing top tier coasters.
I saw the video when it dropped, seemed to be a well thought out, balanced, evaluation of the 3. I enjoyed it.

I wasn’t going to say this, as it’s pretty pathetic and nit picky, but one of my issues with the front row on Zadra, aswell as the drop being destroyed, is that on the brake run you cannot brace yourself on the back of the seats in front, and it can hurt your stomach / lower ribs, it hits that brake run SO hard. Same applies for the front row of any carriage on Zadra. Still an amazing ride on the front though.

I haven't ridden SteVe yet. It was still being built when I visited Cedar Point :(
FFS, I just keep making assumptions about you, and rollercoasters, don’t I ?

I’m sorry, honestly thought you’d ridden SteVe aswell, in my defence, I at least remembered rightly that you’d been to CP ?
 

Nicky Borrill

Strata Poster
I have a question I forgot to ask last week to you more seasoned RMC riders.

Around the inside of the taller parts of Zadras wooden supports are ground to top metal support beams. Not just the lift hill, but the mass of wood at each end too. You cannot really see them from the outside, not until you’re inside the structure, and the only picture I can find to show this is this one.

20A38ECC-61B7-4F9D-92E5-5063286C1C3E.jpeg

My question(s) are, is this normal practice on a conversion? Or just something they have done on a ground up to give more support with less wood?

Also, if these weren’t in place during the collapse, which would seem to be the case as they anchor between the ground and the top, could this have been why the structure was not at full strength yet?

Sorry about the picture, I know it’s hard to tell if they’re steel or wood, but trust me that is steel, from top to bottom all the way around the inside of that mass of wood.
 
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