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 Review of Hellcat (Tsunami/J2) @ Clementon Amusement Park
4 Rating Posted by: Cyclonic on 10/14/2004 9:04:00 PM
The trains on the ride are beautiful. One is a dark blue, the other is blood red, and both feature classic gold leaf outlining on them. I wish I took a close-up shot of them to show them. They were, of coarse, nice and comfy PTCs, with a new feature. The seat divider is no longer a solid piece, but instead is more of an L-shaped arm rest that creates a big hole in it, perfect for my fat butt.

They were very big on safety here, creating slow dispatches, but that is OK. Every safety belt was checked, and then double checked, as were the lapbars. No loose rides here, belts were tightened and lapbars pushed all the way down. There was some stapling, but it was rare, they were pretty good about it.

So, finally, you are off. A small dip under the brake run leads to a fairly quick lift hill. Once you reach the top, the insanity begins. The first drop is masterful, steep and filled with airtime, particualy from the back of the train. Pure heaven, then all heck breaks loose.

A quick valley, tilted slightly to the left, bring you up to the second hill, which is one wild ride. As you crest this hill, you are bucked back and forth, left and right, as you float out of your seat. It is like riding a bucking bronco, rough, intense, and completely unlike anything else. Before you know it, you are headed back down, and much of the rest of the ride runs low and fast.

You rise a bit, flatten out, and go though a tight, highly banked turnaround. The transition looks weird and feels weird, and is over in a heart beat.

Them you drop into the helix. It is very tight, very highly backed, and very fast. It also is not tracked quite right, and the train shimies a bit back a forth, making it a bit rough.

Twice around, and you are back up into what is just a neat element, a bunny hop that jumps over the helix, and then dives to the left and away. Neat combination of airtime and laterals.

One bunny hop, then a nice banked hop, then another bunny hop, and finally you hop into the brake run.

The whole ride is very fast, and very intense. It maintains incredible speed the entire time. Is it a winner? I dont know. It may be too much for the locals, who were used to the gentle Jack Rabbit. Certainly not a kiddie ride, and many may find it too rough and tumble. I found the wheel seats to be a bit much for me, prefering the forward seats, with my favorite being 4-1. I also worry about maintance. It feels like it is going to tear itself apart, it runs just so fast though all the twists and turns. One thing it is, it is the signature ride the park wanted, and it will put the little old park on the map.
 

Review Comments

SLFAKE on 10/28/2004 3:01:03 PM said:
I was wondering the same thing about maintenance.

This is one rough and tumble coaster and I can imagine that it puts a lot of stress on the track. It will be interesting to see what it will be like after a season or two. Maintained? Tamed down to relieve the stress? Not mainteained and let to get very rough? Who knows. As for the "L" shaped arm rest... I never put two and two together... I just know that they were possibly the most comfortable PTC style trains I have encountered.
Timberman on 11/26/2004 2:02:41 PM said:
Great review, Cyclonic. Im totally psyched to ride this. I just hope I get on it before the inevitable taming occurs.
Hercules on 10/19/2005 12:44:04 AM said:
Very very good review of the ride. It makes me want to get on it right now. When I was there I guess they fixed that little defect with the second hill that throws you around a little bit because it wasnt really that bad, just a little toss back and forth while floating out of your seat. I also noticed that the helix was not quite tracked correctly, but that made it more fun, at least for a freak like me. And... "Twice around, and you are back up into what is just a neat element, a bunny hop that jumps over the helix, and then dives to the left and away. Neat combination of airtime and laterals.", this was by far my favorite of the ride besides the first drop. But of course, I guess the ride was just a little too much of an investment for the park to handle, and didnt really put them on the map. I guess the number 1 golf course in the world (Pine Valley, right outside of Clementon) is a bigger draw. Too sad.
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