Home > Edmonton > Galaxyland > Mindbender > Review Comments
 Review of Mindbender @ Galaxyland
0 Rating Posted by: tiiger on 7/15/2004 9:39:00 AM
Absolutely stunning ride. When it was built it had one of the most insane drops of its time, and nothing has changed! This r/c is one of Anton Schwarzkopf s best ever. For those who are not familiar with Schwarzkopf, he was one of the most celbrated metal rollercoaster designers ever. He pioneered the vertical loop and his loops are his signature. Some of have criticised his rides as being too rough, but this only makes them all the more intense! The mindbender is no exception, the first drop of 126 ft goes straight into one of the most powerful loops of any coaster. When you realize that Schwarkopf was given a small space in which to place his coaster you will understand why it gives such a powerful ride! The mindbender is by far an excellent coaster, it is extremely exciting to roar through the last loop around a walkway! I reccomend this ride to experienced riders who want an exhilirating ride. (Side note, this coaster has been rated one of the safest rides in the world after extensive modifications and superb maintenance) Its too bad theres so much restraints on this train, I wish safety people would realize that over the shoulder restraints are not needed on looping trains, centrifugal force will keep you in your seat.
 

Review Comments

kowrip on 7/15/2004 10:55:22 AM said:

A lot of the Schwarzkopf coasters Ive been on were boring, but Mindbender is definitely the exception to the rule. Its amazing for such an old coaster. Itd be great to see what a MODERN version of this type of coaster would be like. I bet it could EASILY compete with the new B&M and Intamin rides, especially if they still used only the lapbar.
tiiger on 7/16/2004 3:59:32 AM said:
Stop it, Im drooling!

Nice to see another Schwarkopf fan on the site! So many people hate his rides because of the rough ride, but for me, the rattle and bang and his extreme loops are the most satisfying rides in existence. (Go figure im also a big Vekoma fan, the SLC hang and bang is awesome, as is there LIM launch coasters!)
http://rcdb.com/installationdetail769.htm

http://rcdb.com/installationdetail770.htm
Ive ridden both of these, the El Condor is the original prototype Hang and Bang!
Dream Ride:
http://rcdb.com/installationgallery818.htm
Schwarkopfs meanest ride (and thats saying a lot!)
kowrip on 7/16/2004 11:25:38 AM said:

Well, I cant say that Im a huge fan of rough coasters. If I was, Id be going on Viper at SFGAdv all day. Ive never been on a Vekoma LSM bowl coaster either, but I DO enjoy the SLC. I didnt find Mindbender particularly rough when I went on it. Im sure the lap bars played some part in that. In any case, Mindbender is a great ride !
tiiger on 7/16/2004 3:46:20 PM said:
Mindbender is smooth mostly, rough was the wrong word, i enjoy "intense rides". Vekoma and Schwarzkopf are undisputed masters at spine-compression
kowrip on 7/16/2004 8:23:13 PM said:
Intense is a better word, but even the loops on Schwarzkopf coasters dont seem that forceful to me. Sure, I feel stuck to my seat but I dont have any problem with that. The lapbars make a HUGE difference. I rode B&R: The Chiller with only the OTSRs years ago and then only lapbars after they converted. The ride is 10 times better now. It just goes to show you that lapbars work fine, even for the crazy inversions like barrel rolls and cobra rolls.
Horizons12 on 10/31/2004 10:51:39 PM said:
Ive only been on one Schwarzkopf looper and thats the Laser at Dorney Park. That was a very good ride even though it was only 1:30 long or so. Im also a Schwarzkopf fan, all of his coasters are really good as well as his flat rides (Spinmeister at SFGAdv is the best and nicest looking "enterprise" type ride IMO.) Ive always wanted to ride the Mindbender but its a bit too far away from me in NJ...just a bit far. lol
BobFunland on 10/31/2004 11:03:08 PM said:
I didnt see this review yet?!? Well, it is a wonderful review of a truly fantastic coaster. As said above, Schwarzkopfs engineering expertise is among the best, still decades later, showing it off by using only lap bars at a time in which OTSRs became the norm. He is the only designer that has had succes in doing so with inverting coasters, and the intensity of the tight-radii loops is awesome, as is the third horozontal loop on this gem. Good reveiw tiiger
Horizons12 on 10/31/2004 11:10:39 PM said:
You got that right about engineering expertise. I noticed that even though the Laser is an old ride, it is still incredibly smooth. The supports on these portable type loopers that Schwarzkopf made are also amazing.
coaster05 on 11/2/2004 8:42:56 AM said:
yea i also wouldnt say this ride is rough just excellent i am so glad i waited in line on my one visit there since they were having maintenance trouble.
BobFunland on 11/2/2004 10:10:36 AM said:
The ride is finally starting to show just a peek of its age nowadays, with more frequent problems. It is sad, but I think that Mind Bender will continue to rock.
mrceagle on 11/3/2004 10:37:35 PM said:
This ride is truely insane. I Havent been able to find a coaster like it.
BobFunland on 11/16/2004 9:02:52 PM said:
I just realized this is the Mindbender in the Canadian mall LOL

At least Im not the only one to think it was the one in Georgia
Post Review Comment
You must login or create an account to post a review comment.
 
Clicky Web Analytics