Mitch Hawker 2013 Steel Coaster Poll

[Slick]

The Mitch Hawker Steel Coaster Poll is back this year for another round of entries to be reviewed. For those unacquainted with Hawker's polls, i'd regard it as the only real legitimate coaster poll as it reviews ridden an unridden rides from poller's votes.

If you'd like to submit your votes, there's a ballot generator.

In the interest of biost favouritism, Superman Escape, Kawasemi, Abyss, Eejanaika & Takabisha topped my list this year for coasters ridden. What's yours?

[Zanstabar]

Just sent mine through. It was my first time voting and I was pleasantly surprised that there is a fair amount of Aussie rides on the list.

Some on my list were Superman Escape, California Screamin', and Expedition Everest

Edit: The VRTP fan inside me feels so happy looking back on last years poll, and seeing Superman Escape at #21, Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster at #150, and the Cyclone at #341

Edited March 6, 2014 by Zanstabar

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

And MDMC not making the list.

[Slick]

I didn't even bother voting motocoaster. It's better off the list, dismantled and turned into an art piece then placed somewhere in a top 500 list.

[alex_1]

I have few enough credits to list them all, so MDMC was right near the bottom of my list.

Anyway, my top 10 were:

1. Expedition GeForce
2. iSpeed

3. Blue Fire

4. Nemesis

5. Black Mamba

6. Revenge of the Mummy (Singapore)

7. Superman Escape

8. Silver Star

9. Fav Wooden Coaster (which is Wodan Timburcoaster for me)

10. Saw the Ride

[downunder]

I'm in the process of doing mine. I'm doing it from scratch just so I can put some thought into, but with almost 500 steelies in my count (albeit Mitch has rationalised it a fair bit) it's a bit of work. After some sensational rides on Maverick and Millennium Force last, they moved up my list. Once I'm done, I'm confident Goudurix will be at the bottom.

My top 15 steel is pretty much set (plus my fave woodie at the top):

1. Favorite Wood Coaster - Outlaw Run
2. Expedition GeForce

3. Bizarro (SF New England)

4. Maverick

5. New Texas Giant
6. Millennium Force

7. Goliath (Walibi Holland)

8. X2

9. Piraten

10. Top Thrill Dragster

11. Nemesis (Alton Towers)

12. Montu

13. iSpeed (Mirabilandia)

14. Kumba

15. Katun

16. Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)

[aaronm]

And MDMC not making the list.

I think this is the first year MDMC, Jet Rescue and Juvelen have been listed independently. In past years they've been grouped under "Favourite Motocoaster" (or something similar).

Really do not get the hate for MDMC to be honest. It's a bit short but by no means a terrible ride, and definitely more thrilling than anything Zamperla have done in the same vein (i.e. Pony Express at Knotts, or Steeplechase at Coney Island). If Dreamworld had a greeter out the front to encourage use of the test seat, and used a second train, the operations could be much improved.

Not that I wouldn't love to see it replaced with Juvelen, but there are lots of far worse coasters out there.

Edited March 8, 2014 by aaronm

[Brad2912]

I think this is the first year MDMC, Jet Rescue and Juvelen have been listed independently. In past years they've been grouped under "Favourite Motocoaster" (or something similar).

Really do not get the hate for MDMC to be honest. It's a bit short but by no means a terrible ride, and definitely more thrilling than anything Zamperla have done in the same vein (i.e. Pony Express at Knotts, or Steeplechase at Coney Island). If Dreamworld had a greeter out the front to encourage use of the test seat, and used a second train, the operations could be much improved.

Not that I wouldn't love to see it replaced with Juvelen, but there are lots of far worse coasters out there.

I don't think it's bad, but it could be sooo much better.

Jet Rescue is a far superior ride

[DWP]

Agreed as last year when I was a Theme park 'virgin' well when it came to the Gold Coast parks at least, I was excited to see MDMC as it was a unique style of ride but was underwhelmed by it after riding it. Was skeptical of Jet Rescue at SW when I saw it thinking it was going to be more of the same but that thing blew away MDMC.

I agree that MDMC isn't a bad ride but it's just missing that something to push it over the top

[alex_1]

I just find MDMC really forceless and rattly, and unless you position yourself in a certain way the restraints are very painful on the legs.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Really do not get the hate for MDMC to be honest. It's a bit short but by no means a terrible ride, and definitely more thrilling than anything Zamperla have done in the same vein (i.e. Pony Express at Knotts, or Steeplechase at Coney Island).

TBH, Having ridden both Pony Express and MDMC in the past year, I still find MDMC to be totally underwhelming and yawn worthy, whereas PE was quite an enjoyable little coaster.

I think it's success lies in the fact that PE isn't marketed as a thrill ride, so you aren't set up for disappointment.

[Reanimated35]

Aren't most of us on here against the marketing not the ride?

[BigKev]

Aren't most of us on here against the marketing not the ride?

I've always been puzzled about the knocks on the MDMC on here.

I know the harness thing is uncomfortable but I've always thought it was an ok ride otherwise.

I've never been on Jet Rescue but they basically look the same to me.

[Gazza]

^No, jet rescue is better...The turns are tighter and the banking from turn to turn is more sudden so you get this really good "slalom" type feeling. The second launch section halfway through keeps the speed up, whereas Motocoaster kinda limps towards the finish line having lost all its speed.

As for my thoughts on the ride...The whole gimmick is based around sitting in a motorbike shaped car...but it does that uncomfortably, so what are you left with? Something that just does a fairly pedestrian figure 8 type layout.

If you cast your mind back to the ride and had to pick out "your favourite bit" what would you say? That's the thing, the ride doesn't have any highlights.

The launch perhaps? But there's better launch rides out there on the coast aren't there?

A good coaster has to have at least something memorable about it...It might be launching backwards out of a tunnel filled with lights, or it might be plunging down a huge drop into a fog filled trench, or it might be hanging upside down 50m in the air with only a lap bar holding you in. What does Motocoaster have?

[joz]

I do dislike the marketing of MDMC, but that's not the only thing that makes it a bad ride. Here are an incomplete list of other things about the ride I don't like:

1. Slow moving queue.

2. Uncomfortable trains

3. Unintuitive restraints

4. Unintuitive and noisy station which vibrates constantly

5. OH&S issue for staff as they have to push down on restraints

6. Has only one fast turn, rest of ride is dull

7. Most rides get lower to increase the thrill as ride goes on. MDMC actually gets higher as the ride goes on, making a slow ride even less thrilling.

8. Takes up a massive piece of prime real estate within the park which could be better used on a better ride/themed area.

9. Is an ugly looking ride, which doesn't fit within it's surrounds.

10. Has an unambitious, garish theme.

11. "It needs to fire up"

Things I like about MDMC

1. The loose items carousel.

2. The sidecars. As a thrill ride with a height restriction of 130cm, it's hopeless. As a kid's ride with 110cm height restriction, it's at least enjoyable to someone.

3. It's such failure as a ride apparently inspired Sea World to add a second launch to the ride it was working on.

Edited March 9, 2014 by joz

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^I'm with Joz on all the dislikes. One good thing about the queue is the 'split' queues for Sidecars etc. This is something I've seen other parks do very well where you can choose to queue in 'back' 'middle' or 'front', and it works very well - unfortunately - the separation occurs too far in the queue, resulting in there being very few people in some of the queues, thereby further 'slowing' the queue because every man and his dog wants the 'best' seat, not just 'a' ride. If the queue separation extended to ground level, it would be far more effective.

I'm curious now - and wonder what Jet Rescue would have been like without the second launch... I think it'd still be ok, although the final hill down onto the brake run might be a struggle... but I don't think it would be as bad as MDMC as there is very little uphill in the ride.

[Jobe]

That interests me as well AlexB and conversely I would like to pose a question:Could Motocoaster be improved by adding a second launch somewhere in the layout? Is this even possible?

[Gazza]

The only place where that might be viable is on that little straight with the small airtime hill.

Even so, it just seems like such a poorly concieved layout...I just rewatched the Juvelen POV, and that ride seems excellent...Really mixes things up, goes up and down, has a few airtime hills, a few quick transitions between turns.

Watch Juvelen

Then watch Motocoaster, and you can see how Motocoaster just seems to be 'lacking'.

[zacsta_1997]

They should put another launch segment in where the airtime hill is. Get rid of the airtime hill and add the launch and maybe it will be a bit faster especially through the last few turns before the brake run.

[Reanimated35]

Get rid of the hill and add the launch and maybe it will be a bit faster especially through the last few turns before the brake run.

It's all in the interpretation

[zacsta_1997]

It's all in the interpretation

Obviously with the tracks connected !

[alex_1]

It's amazing seeing the difference between MDMC and Juvelen. I've always thought of MDMC as one of Intamin's biggest failures, but they improved greatly on the Motocoaster design with Jet Rescue and it seems they've perfected it with Juvelen.

[_koppen]

The CEO of Djurs Sommerland was in Australia to ride both the motocoasters from Intamin, and he preferred the jetski one by far.

I also found out that Intamin strongly recommends two launch for that type of ride, so in the case of MDMC it was probably a budget question.

Also adding another launch to the ride wouldn't really be that easy, as you want the two launch parallel to each other, in order to share the hydraulics system.

All the Intamin's with tire launches do have a few meter of dead straight track just after the launch/launches in case of miss calculating the ride, so they can easy add a few extra wheels. Not sure how much extra track this ride have, but if they wanted they could always maximize the launch with wheels, to booster the speed up a bit more, it would be fairly cheap as well. But after what I have read about the park on this board, I doubt they would care.

On a note of Juvelen, it sure is a world class coaster, and the biggest surprise I ever had coaster wise. It's just so darn fun!

Edited March 12, 2014 by _koppen

[Spotty]

I was thinking it likely wasn't Intamin's decision to only have the 1 launch on the track, they are merely the designer of the ride. The park would generally decide on the overall layout of the ride. Clearly Dreamworld didn't have the best execution but Motocoaster clearly is one of Intamin's biggest dud's that they have attached their name to either way.

[alex_1]

Results are out, and yes, we managed to sink MDMC pretty low.

http://www.ushsho.com/detailedsteelrollercoasterpollresults2013.htm

Results for Australian coasters:
#27 Superman Escape

#146 Jet Rescue

#163 Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster

#194 Storm Coaster

#220 Tower of Terror II

#310 Mick Doohan's Motocoaster

#331 Cyclone

Abyss didn't get enough votes to rank, but otherwise it would've been #44

I still put Cyclone way above MDMC on my own ballot, though.

Edited April 16, 2014 by alex_1