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If you could bring a ride to its original form...

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Great topic!

Many rides I had in mind were already mentioned. I wish Superman the Ride at SFNE still had its original T-bars (or at least a more comfortable alternative to the current restraints). This Megacoaster has so much potential imo, even still today. I did not mind the weird bars personally, but it's sad to hear many feel the awkward restraint design affect their experiences on the ride...
 

mo237

Roller Poster
First thing that springs to mind is Chessington's Vampire with the full theatricality of the ride. Other suggestions are other UK rides such as The Haunted House, Bubbleworks etc. before they were botched to death!
 

Benenen

Hyper Poster
Darren Brown Ghost Train - when it was originally planned without vr
*When it was originally rumoured to be a set based Doctor Who dark ride. Now that could have great.

Still can't believe they wasted a high investment year on a VR based attraction. Definitely won't feel dated in 20 years.....
 

FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
Literally all of chessington please
90's Chessington was the absolute peak of UK theme parks IMO.

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toofpikk

Mega Poster
^ no. Chessingtons infrastructure, theming, versatile & family friendly ride selection and all round execution made it the 'argued' 90's Phantasialand, way before towers was developed enough to be the powerhouse it's (some what) considered now or throughout the last 10/15 years. I'd really love to have wondered around chessington back in this period, I'm sure it would be a totally different world of adventures to what we can experience now.
 

TMCoasters

Mega Poster
Bring the old Superman at SFNE with T bars back PLEASE. Wish I had a chance to ride in the original form. Already one of my favorites I can only imagine how good it was when glossy smooth and with more open restraints.
 

oriolat2

Giga Poster
Bring the old Superman at SFNE with T bars back PLEASE. Wish I had a chance to ride in the original form. Already one of my favorites I can only imagine how good it was when glossy smooth and with more open restraints.
How come rides with a similar intensity profile from the same period still operate with T-bars (Goliath at WW, EGF)?

A couple more coasters that come to my mind are:
- Dueling Dragons: I mean pre-HP. When they actually duelled and performed as they were intended and its pieces of themeing made actual sense. I got to ride both, never got a duel though.

- Stampida: if anybody has ridden Stampida before the neutering, that person is my hero. When the ride opened in 1997 it didn't have any trims on the first drop and buzzbars only (holy airtime!). During tests the ride was clocked at something close to 55 mph, which is pretty wild since the ride now runs at 45 mph. 3 months after opening someone was ejected, the ride closed just to reopen in 1998 with PTCs featuring individual ratchet bars and seat dividers. Skip to 2007 and Kumbak ruined the ride even further by running those horrible trains and adding magnetic brakes as trims on the first drop. I am still hoping for a RMC version of it.
 

Coaster

Mega Poster
Valhalla at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

I first rode in 2004 and it was like nothing else on the planet back then, the huge number of special effects, fire, ice, live electricity and water combined with the stunning soundtrack/sound effects made it feel like a fully themed experience with no areas cut back on.

The exterior was stunning with the imposing facade and skull (the original rockwork was hand-sculpted and was based on some cliffs in Yorkshire), original authentically crafted station and shop with the perpex wall allowing you to see the water falling down behind it, the window to watch boats exit through the shop, all the station crows were animated and the soundtrack played through a much better sound system.

Inside, moments like the first lifthill used to be almost show-like with the spinning tunnels, viking chanting and Odin lighting up as you approached, speaking in a deafeningly loud voice and then transforming into a skull as you started to crest the lift. He's been on a clumsily-edited loop for years now sadly, you can barely even hear him anymore.

The room before the final drop was incredible with the original thunder sound effect accompanied by plunging riders into darkness before the tesla coil kicked in and filled the room with volts of electricity.

Small moments such as a lighting effect to distract riders from the rolling log until it was near enough to surprise made all the difference, a level of showmanship that just isn't seen on the ride today.

The ride in its 2004 form made perfect sense as a themed experience, whilst it didn't explicitly explain the storyline it told the story through physical scenes whilst leaving some of it to the imagination. I'd love to be able to see the ride in its 2000 form as I believe there were even more incredible effects (such as a water screen) which only lasted 1/2 seasons before being removed.

Sadly the ride has suffered from modifications which take it further away from the originally intended experience, a lack of scenic care in many areas and a number of effects are either gone entirely, unreliable or working in a much less impressive way than previously.
 
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rob666

Hyper Poster
You missed one from the first season Jamie...first drop used to have a laser floor on the half way level of the dip, where it briefly levels out.
You thought you had done the drop, then you dropped again "under" the laser "floor".
Amazing.
Needs doing up or scrapping.
Looked very rotten on our last walk round.
Either an indoor coaster or the fun house back please!
 
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