Thank you both for the warm response!
Thank you for the nice comments!
Part 4: Walygator
From the moment I booked my tickets to Fraispertuis I knew I was going to bundle the charming western-themed Park with its tempestuous neighbor. It boasts the tallest coaster in France - Monster which is only a measly 40m/131ft tall - and because a friend work there, I had a free ticket as well! The infamous Anaconda woodie spited me back in 2015 and I was oddly eager to ride it, even though I knew I was not going to like it x)
Instead of commenting the (obviously) wonderful scenery, let me share with you some history about the place. The park first opened in 1989 as "Big Bang Schtroumpf" and was themed around the Smurfs comics. Interestingly Astérix opened the same year, in the late 80s era when a lot of amusement parks popped up in France. Many of them only had poor Vekoma loopers to show and ended up in bankrupcy, and Disneyland's storming of the market in 1992 stifled any prospect for another similar project.
Big Bang Schtroumpf was among the most ambitious ventures but never matched its original attendance targets. It went through a long series of ownership changes, somehow being part of the Six Flags chain in the early 2000s (though it did not get the name change). I believe it is now owned by some Spanish business corporation.
Anyway, back on topic with what was my first ride of the day. Yellow Submarine is a fairground-ish Zamperla crazy bus. The only reason I went off the beaten tracks to try this was because my friend was its designated operator that day.
As you may know, The Monster was France's first B&M. When it was relocated from Japan in 2010, it ended a long and frustrating wait among French goons for a good and thrilling coaster. It might just be a coincidence, but since then my country has taken a really good dynamic, adding OzIris, Alpina Blitz, Timber and soon Yukon Quad in just under a decade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxzQUzz_zdg
Even in the morning, the coaster was as forceful and snappy as I remembered. The MCBR were removed (unlike on Raptor CP which shares the same layout) and thus this Inverted delivers a really enjoyable second half. However, the ride has developed a slight yet noticable rattle at a few sections (bottom of the first drop and bottom of the Cobra Roll exit) when you sit towards the back of the train. It isn't very surprising given the age of the coaster and the fact it's a relocation, and it is moderate enough not to ruin the on-ride experience.
Monster was almost a walk-on, so I chained 7 laps on it and still had time to take some pictures and off-ride videos. I really wish it gets a paint job someday, B&M curves can be so appealing when it gets properly showcased.
Unfortunately, Comet was the one looping coaster who received a colour refurbishment a few years ago. To my surprise it did not provided too much headbanging, but not much intensity and excitement either.
Along with Goudurix, Anaconda is the other national shame among French coasterfans which obviously made me very curious before riding it. My expectations were set ridiculously low, and perhaps as a result I did not disliked this woodie that much. It's sluggish and uninteresting, but the rattles weren't so bad except for the final turnaround. It's more very forgettable than outright garbage in my opinion, and the Wild One at SFA was way more brutal than this from what I remember.
Space Shoot (yes, the park spells it that way!) felt a little disappointing compared to my last visit. The launch gives you a nice rush of adrenaline and there's a small pop of airtime when you reach the top, but after that the vehicle meanders too long up and down with no really significant forces. Still the second best ride at the park though.
G-Lock is another good attraction for thrill seekers, but I'm more taken aback by the use of a plain billboard as theming in the background.
I did not ride this Wacky Worm on my last visit and it was time to make up for that. Family Coaster (very imaginative name) was added when the park was owned by fairground workers and it shows. I hope that someday this out-of-place credit will make way for some decent ride like a Family Boomerang.
One good thing about Monster's lack of theming is that you can see and stare at the naked mechanism of B&M Inverts, which I did not really bothered with too much since the coaster was, again, a no-wait. I ended up riding it 24 times for the day, my most whoring since my almost unthinkable 60 (or was it 80?) laps on Goliath WH more than a decade ago. Part of it is because there's nothing else to do, but there's much worse coasters to marathon than this fun and intense B&M classic!
One of the nicer picture spots of the park.
Even though my less enthusiastic storytelling can suggest otherwise, I actually spent a good time at Walygator. The ride ops were warm and efficient enough, and Monster remains the most intense coaster you can find in France. To be fair, the newest park owners retrived a very sketchy situation to make up for, and I'm curious to see how the place improves over the next few years. Of course RMC Anaconda will not happen any time soon (if it ever comes true), but maybe the park can join the good dynamic in France at the moment.
Part 5 will be a much bigger day as I returned to Holiday Park and got a lot of rerides on Expedition GeForce!