Comments on: Mantis & Wicked Twister Analyses

By: The Coaster Philosopher

The Coaster Philosopher — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:51:48 +0000

I rode Georgia Scorcher once back in 2003. I recall liking it back then, but I can’t really give any more specific reaction to it. Your assessment sounds about right, and I think I would rate it, Mantis and the sadly on it’s way out Iron Wolf as the best B&M stand-up coasters. A shame two of those three have a reputation for being extremely rough and unforgiving. I don’t think Iron Wolf will survive that list when it relocates to Six Flags America, since most of what made it so successful to me was how dense the foliage had grown around what had been a compact layout. Hopefully they’ll fix the chronic roughness issues and will give it a new audience.

By: A.T.

A.T. — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:18:58 +0000

^ What can I say? Your statement about B&M’s area of ineptitude can be applied to so many of their models, especially those of the last decade. It’s for this reason that I’m very curious as to the ride experience is on Georgia Scorcher. Based on the on-ride POV videos I’ve seen of it, Scorcher appears to capture some of the intense directional fluctuations that make Mantis’ finale so cool, and because of its compact footprint, it doesn’t waste time with the compulsory “intro inversions”. I wouldn’t be surprised if I liked it much more than the two biggest stand-ups.

Anyway, I’ll be sure to check out your reviews of more of the European parks, as well as any material you post at a later date! (Heck, I’ll probably end up enjoying your “cringe-worthy” reviews, too. Despite my knee-jerk reaction to the very first review I came across, I really do find your nuanced approach to coaster reviews a fresh change of pace!)

By: The Coaster Philosopher

The Coaster Philosopher — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:48:38 +0000

Thank you for the feedback! I agree with your assessment that a lot of my reviews have a latent motive to appear revisionary if not completely contradictory to popular opinion, and that they occasionally get needlessly wordy and complex. I think that was much more so present in the earlier stuff from 2009 when I first started writing, as I felt I needed a lot more to prove. If I were to assemble a portfolio of my best work so far, it would probably mostly be from the European series, and I hope that to change again when I complete the California and Asian articles. I’m always looking over my work and figuring out how I can do better or do differently on the next review, that is whenever I’m not cringing over the sophomoric amateurishness of some of them. It’s good to hear from others how my writing is read and interpreted, so thank you again for taking the time to leave me some feedback.

I am always surprised that Mantis’ finale doesn’t garner more attention from enthusiasts, as the more I ride other B&M coasters the more I realize just how lucky Cedar Point got with both Raptor and Mantis, at least in regards to having strong finishes. I think regardless of what side of the fence you’re on in regards to B&M’s craftsmanship, when you look at the layout for, say, Leviathan, you can’t deny that they’re simply inept at plotting rides with a strong (even any!) dramatic arc to them. For whatever it’s faults, Mantis is still easily one of the first coasters I’d refer people to whom are looking for a B&M with good layout sequencing.

By: A.T.

A.T. — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 13:45:40 +0000

I’m glad you’ve highlighted Mantis’ final section as the part that makes it stand out among B&M’s large stand-up coasters. The quick banking transitions caught me by surprise when I rode Mantis over a decade ago, and they are probably the only moments that I clearly remember as I think back on my ride experience today. I think even the most devoted “B&M fanboys” (of which I would consider myself part) are a little frustrated with the lack of freshness and originality in many of their models, so it’s nice when a ride like Mantis demonstrates their occasional ability to incorporate surprise and vitality into one of their creations.

You know, despite my occasional feeling that you probably secretly enjoy trashing rides that the masses deem great (and I say this jokingly, of course), and despite the sometimes cumbersome complexity of your reviews, I must say that I love your site! There’s something irresistible about the thoroughness of your analyses that leaves me clicking on review after review. I appreciate that you do a great job of clarifying your meaning as you write your honest impressions, and you genuinely seem interested in identifying a ride’s strengths and weaknesses rather than blaring out generalizations and biased statements. Although I feel very differently about certain rides you describe, I often enjoy the mere deconstruction of your thoughts and experiences. Good work!

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:14:56 +0000

Great analyses! If Mantis was named Banshee as originally planned I would like the ride more. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it just sounds more reckless and fitting rather than the static “Mantis”. That aside, I would sit working MF’s entrance an watch Mantis and I’m convinced there is something about the layout that is screaming for backwards floorless trains. I imagine a weightless drop, free flying leg flipping grand sized inversions, suspense and nervous anticipation through the unique middle elements and reckless abandon after the MCBR. All with your ankles lost in the wind. CP must do this. But people do still line up and queue for over an hour for the thing as it is. It’s O.K. It ripped my watch off my wrist on a ride night… I’m not sure how but it did seem to do it angrily. I agree that the end of the ride over dirt kinda sucks. But you highlighted it’s strengths very nicely.
Wicked Twister: I will have to try your recommended seat. That sounds right. So far I have had only one ride towards the back and I could only compare it to the experience of being grabbed vertically and stopped by a holding brake and I liked that much better than WT’s back spiral. But I will try again.
Thanks!