T-Rex's Review: Sydney Royal Easter Show 2010

[T-Rex]

It's been 2 years now since I've been coming to the RES. The 2009 RES disappointed me greatly even though I've enjoyed some rides they've provided last year, but this time, the 2010 RES shone a different light. Though nowhere near as good as the 2008 RES (manly due to absence of awesome rides like the Rainbow and KMG Claw), they've managed to lay a good impression on me, despite the presence of the defunct Fear Tower Coaster. The 2010 RES witnessed new rides like the Sky Flier and XXXL. Old favourites were there too like the Breakdance and Taipan Rollercoaster. There are some sh*tty rides too, but thankfully there weren't many. So anyway, let's get on to what was there at the Coca Cola Carnival. I will start first by reviewing the rides I went on today... Taipan Rollercoaster - Although transportable rollercoasters don't match up the awesomeness of the bigger coasters found in amusement parks, this one hardly disappoint me. A pretty big transportable coaster, and a really good one. You start by dropping down two slopes, followed a round of two helixes. True, this coaster is very short, but it does win over the Crazy Coaster, which is pretty decent in my opinion since it adds more fun with its spinning cars. Number of times ridden: 2 Breakdance - A classic thrill ride manufactured by Huss. While LPS has Spider, which is the same type of ride, we also have another one which goes under its generic name. This one is more intense than the Spider in one way, and it is more fun due to the time length of the ride. It nearly clocks up to 5 minutes, and it doesn't let up. The upbeat music adds more to the thrill and intensity of the ride. The ride may only twist and turn, but it was definitely worth it. Number of times ridden: 2 Rock n Roll - Taking the place of the Chance Matterhorn Thunderbolt is the Rock n Roll, which is another Matterhorn as a matter of fact, but with a completely different set up. Though the ride behaves similarly to the Raupen Bahn, it spices up the thrill with the concept of cars swinging. There's even a possibility that it can swing up virtually upsidedown if riders are riding it alone, so to get the most out of this fast and furious ride is to ride it by yourself. Very exciting ride indeed. Number of times ridden: 2 Hard Rock - I've always wanted to see a KMG Freak Out here in Australia, but we only have the Technical Park Street Fighter Hard Rock. A incredibly sensational ride that swings up and down, with the maximum swing virtually reaching 127 degrees. When you're in the facedown position, it almost feels as if you're about to fall down, but that's the fun of it since you know you're safely secured by the strong shoulder restraints. Awesome. Totally awesome, though I would prefer the KMG Freak Out - even if I haven't rode one. Number of times ridden: 1 Sky Flier - Yes, I have ridden a new ride for the RES. I'm familiar with Wave Swingers, even the Wild Chairs which does come to Luna Park sometimes during the holidays (though I've considered it a butchered Yo-yo since it's not that thrilling), but the Sky Flier brings the thrill of flying chairs up to full throttle. When the ride starts, the chairs are lifted up a tower which is more than half the height of the KMG Speed ride. You could practically get a good view of the whole showground from that height. The Sky Flier provided a very breathtaking experience, and it is a pretty relaxing ride to me. Number of times ridden: 1 Other than the rides I have ridden, I will also review some rides I haven't ridden. True, anyone could say that I can't review something I haven't tried, but some of these rides do deserved to be mentioned. XXXL - From the guys that brought us Speed, Sky Walker, and Claw, this new attraction by KMG looks like an awesome ride. A Hard Rock/Ranger hybrid type of ride that made its debut at the 2009 Royal Adelaide Show, it also provides some free-flipping of the seats later on. I did say I was going to try it, but unfortunately I didn't get to since I wasn't brave enough to ride this one by myself. Hopefully, I will ride this one next year. KMG, a company from West Holland, manufactured such high-quality rides which bridges the gap between flat rides and rollercoasters, and they outdid themselves with this spectacular ride. Let's hope we will see a new attraction from them in the future. Ali Baba - OMFG! You've got to be sh*tting me! Ever since the Rainbow incident in Liseburg back in 2008, Huss put a temporary suspension of the classic ride resulting in the substitution of horrible clones of the Rainbow, and that's what this friggin' pile of sh*t is. So many riders were pissed off because of that. True it is faster than the Rainbow, but that doesn't make up the lameness of this ride. It's so bad, that I absolutely won't ride it at all. It doesn't even go as high as the Rainbow! Seriously, rides that try to succeed classic rides ought to provide better thrills, like the 1001 Nachts for example, but this atrocious clone of the Rainbow failed miserably (although many riders go on it for whatever the reason). Thankfully, Huss decided not to pull the plug on the Rainbow, since word has been going on that Gary O'Neill, the owner of Australia's Huss Rainbow, has been making some updates on the ride since the already mentioned incident. Hopefully, the Rainbow will return for the 2011 RES to replace this pile of junk that we have since 2009. Unless you're a diehard rider, or just someone who can't find any good ride to go on, then avoid this ungodly abomination at all costs. I'm sorry, but it's not worth it. Well, that's all I can say about this piece of gar-bitch. Let's hope we won't see it again next year. Speed - A.k.a. Extreme Speed. This is another good ride manufactured by the legendary KMG. It looks pretty intimidating, especially for first-time riders who end up starting from the top. The ride is approximately 40 metres tall, and as it starts, it goes up and down at breakneck speed (no pun intended ) while the seats flip freely. I can only describe how it looks since I haven't tried it yet. Still, I can say it doen't look as intense as its Mondial cousin No Limit. Sky Walker - The last of the three available KMG rides for this years RES, this ride, generically called the Tango, flips riders up and down as it rotates at different angles. Additionally, this ride is notorious for causing great discomfort on many riders, especially men. This is the second Tango variant to have a Star Wars setting. That's all I can say about it. Overall, it doesn't look like a bad ride, but I wouldn't go on it myself, cause many people say that it hurts the conkers and bruises the thighs. No joke. I might have left out other rides like Space Roller, Cliff Hanger, and of course, the Zipper, but I delved deep enough on this year's RES, plus I only want to talk about the rides worth mentioning. Bottom line: The 2010 RES improved since the 2009 RES. It was still disappointing not to see other good rides, but it did managed to raise some appeal for me. Overall, I could honestly say that I did get my money's worth. Other than the absence of some rides like the Rainbow and having to get a glance the derelict coaster (which I wouldn't recommend anyone to ride since it looks pretty nasty), I had a wonderful time, even if I didn't ride the XXXL. Let's hope that next year's RES will be better - and with better rides this time! That's it for this review. Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope everyone who went to the RES will relax for now until next year. Have a perfect world. T-Rex

[Gazza]

I did say I was going to try it, but unfortunately I didn't get to since I wasn't brave enough to ride this one by myself.

Why did you have to ride it with someone else?

[T-Rex]

Why did you have to ride it with someone else?

To be honest, I'm not good at riding upsidedown rides by myself. I didn't have a problem with LPS's Ranger, but that was because when I rode it the first time, I was with friends. After that, I managed to ride it alone on my last visit. There's some difference, though. The Ranger is a caged ride, while with the XXXL, you're pretty much out in the open. Edited April 14, 2010 by T-Rex

[Gazza]

The Ranger is a caged ride, while with the XXXL, you're pretty much out in the open.

Should it make a difference though...if the harness were to pop open you'd still get banged up pretty badly on either ride Dunno, it just makes me lol when people need to post asking "Is this ride OK", or need to go with someone else. In reality its not going to change anything because the ride will be exactly same, and if you ask other people for advice 100% of the time they will say "no, no, its perfectly fine and safe".... I guess I'm just a big believer in having balls.

[T-Rex]

It's not that I don't trust the safety of the rides, I'm a bit funny with them. When it comes to scary rides, namely upsidedown rides, I would ride it with someone I can trust, because even though the ride would still be the same, it just doesn't seem as bad - well for me. After riding something like that, I finally feel I could ride that same ride again this time by myself since I know now how the ride is. Anyway, we really aren't discussing the XXXL now. I did say I will try it next year. This is a review of the RES. Any comments regarding the review will be fine.

Edited April 14, 2010 by T-Rex

[T-Rex]

Now that I think about it, I might have been unfairly harsh on the Ali Baba while writing this review. This was because I was one of those riders who were really pissed off at how the RES would replace the Rainbow for the Ali Baba. To be fair, it looks like an okay ride, but unfortunately, it isn't as thrilling as the Rainbow (it may be faster, but doesn't go higher). Oh well, every ride has its own pros and cons, but I have my own preferences. I must admit, my bad comments about the ride made me sound like a Rainbow fanboy.

[TimMc333]

Taipan used to be the Thrillseaker at SW didn't it? Does it have spinning cars now?

[Gazza]

Does it have spinning cars now?

Nah, Crazy Coaster is the one with spinning cars. It was just some odd wording in the post that gave the impression Taipan had them too, that's all. Edited April 15, 2010 by Gazza

[JD_bunnies_supporter]

I had no intentions of going to the RES this year, i havent been for many years now, but I did check out the rides, and am intersted to hear if anyone went on the "Haunted Hotel" and their thoughts on the ride. Most Ghost Trains are average, but just wondering how this one measured up to others.

[TimMc333]

Nah, Crazy Coaster is the one with spinning cars. It was just some odd wording in the post that gave the impression Taipan had them too, that's all.

Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up! I want to ride Taipan someday.... Thrillseaker was my very first roller coaster all those years ago.... It would be nice to re-live it, even though I know it wouldn't be all that 'thrilling' now. Edited April 15, 2010 by TimMc333

[Stef]

I want to ride Taipan someday.... Thrillseaker was my very first roller coaster all those years ago.... It would be nice to re-live it, even though I know it wouldn't be all that 'thrilling' now.

Yeah same haha, my dad still pays me out about it because as soon as the ride started i kept saying.. okay thanks dad i'll get off here etc hahahah memories I thought the taipan was thrillseeker.. good educated guess ay?

[TimMc333]

Yeah same haha, my dad still pays me out about it because as soon as the ride started i kept saying.. okay thanks dad i'll get off here etc hahahah memories I thought the taipan was thrillseeker.. good educated guess ay?

Wow, same! On my very first Thrillseaker ride (I was 7), I wanted to get off when we were going up the hill! But I think I must have enjoyed it...

[T-Rex]

I gotta admit, the Taipan is one of the best travelling coasters I have ever rode. Probably the largest travelling coasters too.

[paauly101]

Breakdance isn't HUSS, its manufactured by Sobema

[T-Rex]

Breakdance isn't HUSS, its manufactured by Sobema

Seriously? Never knew that! Thanks for pointing that out. Now I know that not a single HUSS ride was present in the RES since 2009. Oh yeah, and there's other rides I wanted to mention in my review, but I didn't want it to be too big, so here's a couple more rides (I haven't ridden) worthy of recognition. No Limit - Perhaps the second scariest ride at the RES - even to me. Mondial was known for its incredibly freakish rides such as Space Roller. Commonly known as No Limit in so many places (though in some countries, this ride was also given different names such as Bomber, Cyberspace and Eclipse), this ride certainly knows NO LIMITS! Its generic unused name is Capriolo/Furiozo (though sometimes I like to call it the Mondial Booster), and it high intensity really puts the Zipper to shame - totals more than 4Gs, and some models can reach up to 7Gs! This ride is definitely not for casual riders. Sling Shot - If there's any ride that could give No Limit a run for its money, it would have to be Sling Shot. This is the only ride in the RES that doesn't accept coupons. Instead, you have to pay $30 to ride this beast, making it the most expensive ride to ride on. The Sling Shot really rivals No Limit and Speed as one of the scariest rides in the RES. Zipper - Good ol' Zipper, the classic ride manufactured by Chance Morgan Rides, and definitely one of the infamous rides in amusement history. Some riders who rode the Zipper were unfortunate to come out with bruises and whiplash - or worse. It's pretty scary, but now looks like another kids' ride if you compare it with the bigger and scarier rides like the ones mentioned above. I would say it looks pretty neat, though I would prefer to ride the Chaos since it's a ride I could manage, when I try it. Hoperfully, we might see Chaos and KMG Claw in 2011's RES. Well that's all I have to say about the honourable rides I left out in my review. It would have been a lot better if we had Rainbow instead of Ali Baba. To me, it doesn't look like a bad ride, but the Rainbow is the real winner hands down, which goes to show you that successors aren't necessarily better than its predecessors. Thanks again to paauly101 for the Breakdance info. This is T-Rex, and keep riding. T-Rex

[paauly101]

No Limit, Spaceroller and XXXL are my 3 favourite rides at the show I would say start at XXXL then do Spaceroller then work your way up to No Limit. All of them are great rides, and are easy for me to ride. But they can seem quite intimidating for first time riders. Good luck next year haha.

[T-Rex]

XXXL will be one of the rides I will try next year - if it does come again. Dunno about Space Roller or No Limit. I'm not much of a Mondial fan. I will pace myself each time I go to the RES and LPS. I'm itching to go on the Rainbow again, it's one of my fave rides so far, and I haven't seen it this year or last year. Ali Baba is just not as good as Rainbow. Then there's the KMG Claw and Chaos. I haven't ridden them, and I'm sure anxious to try them. Probably before I try the more intense rides like Speed, I might try the Zipper once I'm fully adjusted to upsidedown rides. Yeah, that's how I'll roll. Start with XXXL, then work my way up to the Zipper. Then I should be ready for Speed.

[Noxegon]

I gotta admit, the Taipan is one of the best travelling coasters I have ever rode. Probably the largest travelling coasters too.

Not even close. http://www.olympialooping.de/

[T-Rex]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Olympia Looping, but it isn't a coaster that I have ridden, nor is it a coaster we have here in Australia. Now that I think about it, I think there are other travelling coasters that look better than the Taipan like the Olympia Looping and the Maurer Sohne coaster. The Taipan and the Crazy Coaster were the only coasters I have seen at the RES (excluding the SBF Visa Tower Coaster due to it being defunct). And another thing about the RES, my other gripe is how its presenting flume rides like Pirate's Revenge. Don't get me wrong. I think flume rides are fun, but come on. This is a carnival, not an amusement park, and I think that this is another reason why we're missing out on other good rides which deserved to be at the RES, mainly because the large theme park-esque rides are hogging too much space.

[Gazza]

^But log flumes are a common feature at carnivals in any country so they aren't strictly an amusement park ride, and at the end of the day they are popular and very high capacity, so they can justify the space they take up (I'd imagine one big flume could make more money and take more people than the smaller rides that would occupy the same space)

[T-Rex]

If the RES could present the log flume ride and other enjoyable rides, that would be great. I would like them to have the Pirate's Revenge and my personal favourites along with the other rides at the 2011 RES. Apparently, the Chaos and KMG Claw are being used in other shows around Australia, so I don't understand why they didn't appear in Sydney. They look like great rides, so they should be in almost every show like the RES. I'm cool with the Rainbow however, cause it should be ready to hit the shows later on this year or at the start of next year.

[Noxegon]

Er, what? Personally I think that larger rides at carnivals are an awesome sight, all the more so because these massive machines are moved in and out in a matter of days. Check out the three Wildwasserbahn rides in Germany if you want to see truly crazy flumes...

[T-Rex]

Er, what? Personally I think that larger rides at carnivals are an awesome sight, all the more so because these massive machines are moved in and out in a matter of days.

If you're referring to my post above my last one, I already stated that they should keep the flume ride because Gazza says that they're common in the majority of travelling carnivals worldwide. But they shouldn't ignore the other compact rides (like my favourites) because many of them DO deliver substantial thrills. Sure bigger rides are better, but every type of ride has their own pros and cons, and I would like it that in the 2011 RES, they would continue presenting the flume ride as an attraction, but at least have a couple of rides from 2008 that didn't make the cut for 2009 and this year's RES. I really hope they bring back the Rainbow, Chaos, and KMG Claw for 2011's RES. I've already made some resolutions for next year. - Ride the rides I have ridden so far since 2008 and this year including the Rainbow. - Try the following rides I haven't ridden yet: XXXL, Chaos, KMG Claw, Power Surge, and the log flume. I may be excluding other rides like Space Roller, Speed, and No Limit, but I want to pace myself first.