TOC2 Round 1: Sit-down Looping Coasters

[Chris]

The final Round 1 match-up from the Yellow Bracket features B&M sit-down looping coasters. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay represents Florida as it pits Kumba against Freestyle Music Park's The Time Machine (formerlly Led Zeppelin: the Ride) and Silver Dollar City's Wildfire.

Remember to vote for your FAVORITE coaster, and the two rides with the highest vote counts will advance to Round 2.



*This poll closed on Friday, January 1, 2010.

[Chris]

Here's another tough one! First off, the easy out for me is Led Zeppelin: the Ride / The Time Machine. No brand new coaster should have that kind of rattle in the trains throughout the entire ride. The layout itself, while unique, has no notable forces to be found either.

Here's where it gets tougher: Kumba or Wildfire. Kumba is quite possibly the measuring stick of sit-down looping coasters. It's innovative layout inspired the entire industry, while it's power and force continues to thrill riders today. Wildfire probably won't do well in this tournament, but it should. It's one of the best steel coasters in the world, but its location will be its downfall. Silver Dollar City is not the easiest park to access as its pretty out of the way. That said, this ride has a first drop with such forceful airtime that it can only be compared to a hyper coaster like Raging Bull or Nitro. The ride, perched on the side of a mountain in the Smokies, has quite possibly the most stunning setting you'll ever find. The inversions are huge and graceful, yet still maintain the forces of a smaller, more compact ride. Though the ride time is short, it's exceptionally satisfying, and one of those very few rides that I'm compelling to jump out of the seat, run through the gift shop and get back in line as quickly as possible for another go.

I think in the end, the smooth grace of Wildfire will be what pushes it forward for me. No matter how much I love Kumba, and I do LOVE Kumba, there's no denying that it *does* have quite a few rough moments, and the forces are so strong that after one or two rides, I just can't do it again. So I'm faced with the decision of two incredible coasters head to head. Hmmmmm. This will be tough.

[CreditCrazy]

I am going to vote for Wildfire.

Its layout actually isn't too B&Mish! While Kumba looks very forceful, Wildfire looks much more enjoyable, impressive, and unique.

Time Machine is a joke and perfectly explains why Intamin is better than B&M.

[Chris]

I am going to vote for Wildfire.

Its layout actually isn't too B&Mish! While Kumba looks very forceful, Wildfire looks much more enjoyable, impressive, and unique.

The layout is very unique, and the setting is stunning. It's actually a lot more forceful than it looks, and it runs very, very fast. The trains are also different - they're basically hyper coaster trains with over the shoulder restraints. Your feet don't touch the ground, and the sides are completely open.

Time Machine is a joke and perfectly explains why Intamin is better than B&M.

That's kind of a silly statement to make. Keep in mind B&M builds what the parks ask for. They're simply a vendor when it comes down to it. I could never, ever agree that Intamin is better, if for nothing else, the simple fact that their rides slaughter people left and right. There's clearly a lack of thought in their process, and that's not ok.

[CreditCrazy]

That's kind of a silly statement to make. Keep in mind B&M builds what the parks ask for. They're simply a vendor when it comes down to it. I could never, ever agree that Intamin is better, if for nothing else, the simple fact that their rides slaughter people left and right. There's clearly a lack of thought in their process, and that's not ok.

I know, but basically what I'm saying is if Intamin were to build the same ride, or something similiar, or something that would fit in Time Machine's place, like a mega-lite or launching coaster, it'd be better. I mean, nearly everything Intamin builds these days I'd prefer to ride than what B&M has come up with recently, but that's an opinion. I don't like big drawn out hills and large inversions. I like ejector air, height, speed, intense launches, etc. Time Machine is just so un-original and repetitive. It may have been what FMP wanted, and that's fine, but it just shows what some of these recent B&Ms are like.

[frankie]

I'm voting for WildFire! It has one of the best drop on anyride i have ever been on

[Chris]

I know, but basically what I'm saying is if Intamin were to build the same ride, or something similiar, or something that would fit in Time Machine's place, like a mega-lite or launching coaster, it'd be better. I mean, nearly everything Intamin builds these days I'd prefer to ride than what B&M has come up with recently, but that's an opinion. I don't like big drawn out hills and large inversions. I like ejector air, height, speed, intense launches, etc. Time Machine is just so un-original and repetitive. It may have been what FMP wanted, and that's fine, but it just shows what some of these recent B&Ms are like.

I'm not disagreeing with you by any means that The Time Machine is far from the best coaster B&M has built. I just have a problem personally supporting a company whose philosophy is "All rides kill people; it's simply a question of how many deaths are acceptable" - straight from the lips of Sandor, the head of US sales for Intamin, and that's not cool.

I'm voting for WildFire! It has one of the best drop on anyride i have ever been on

I think I've come to the conclusion that I'll be voting Wildfire as well. Between the first drop, great inversions, speed and smooth re-ridable ride, it's hard not to!

[braves0066]

My vote goes for Kumba on this one. Make no mistake it is very forceful, and you probably can't ride it more than once or twice before you're loopy, but that's ok, still gets my vote

[Chris]

My vote goes for Kumba on this one. Make no mistake it is very forceful, and you probably can't ride it more than once or twice before you're loopy, but that's ok, still gets my vote

I LOVE Kumba, so it doesn't surprise me that you're voting for it. The truth is it was several days of debating personally before I decided on Wildfire. It was not an easy choice between the two!

[Tomas]

Well, Kumba will be my pick in this one. It was always between Wildfire and Kumba. I tried to watch a lot of videos of Wildfire before choosing, and agree that the setting seems to be quite amazing. Also the coaster itself looks very interesting. Having said that, I chose Kumba for a number of factors. Kumba's setting is also nice to see, the ride is very intense, and that I like a lot, it has maintaned its smoothness in almost every piece of track AND was one of the coasters that changed how the industry worked. So Kumba FTW!