hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
 10/10/2005 7:00:45 PM
hello-
i find the reviews for kennywood's thunderbolt interesting. some people just love it, and some seem a little bored by it. i understand with a ride as outrageous as phantom's revenge right next door and with many great modern woodies around the country, that t-bolt seems kind of tame. it also occurs to me that because of robert cartmell's 1970s new york times published "top ten coasters" having thunderbolt at number one, many writers and TV magazines etc hyped it up throughout the 80s, and to this day the hype persists. hype is always hard to live up to.
myself, i love it. i love it in part because it has that "old" feel to it. new wood coasters i've been on, such as hershey's wildcat, knoebel's twister, or morey's great white just weren't as fun to ride for me - they don't "feel" right. they're good and all, but older wood coasters have a "mellow" style of roughness, which sounds like a contradiction, but maybe some of you know what i'm mean. for instance the hershey comet has that old mellow "vibe" to it. that doesn't mean slow, because comet has good speed and nice airtime on the first two drops. by "mellow" i mean something abstract, some design charcteristic that is not used any more...can't put a finger on it. but, comet is boring at the end, whereas thunderbolt's ending is awesome and a humdinger. therefore i think compared to the other oldies around, thunderbolt really delivers and hasn't gone downhill (no pun int). this should be a plus with enthusiasts as it is a major one for me. additionally, i feel that the trains on t-bolt offer the optimum wood coaster ride on any coaster - lots of room to get slammed around, super lush and cozy. it may not be nearly as wild and bizarre as the coney island cyclone, but i don't subtract points for that.
i think that some reviewers may think that people still score it highly because of inertia - "it's supposed to be great, so i guess i like it too."
so what's the deal? do people really love it, or does the emperor stand with his willy out? why the hate on such an obviously cool ride?
--------------------
"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.)"
Message updated 10/10/2005 7:11:09 PM by hrrytraver
|
RCGenius
Posts: 1180
Registered: 12/23/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/10/2005 8:34:33 PM
Hrrytraver, I'm not trying to get smart w/you or anythang, but I think that in order for your questions to be answered, you should read some reviews & just figure it out yourself. I agree w/you that Thunderbolt's a great classic woody & it used to be #8 on my Top 10 List a long time ago. We just can't change other peoples' opinions of a certain ride just so that it'll come out the way we want to. It all matters about whether a certain coaster has given you an all-around great ride & if it has lived up to its hype or not. Some people, like me & you, will love Thunderbolt no matter how many modern woodies pop up & others just won't like Thunderbolt b/c they've got their own different tastes for coaster thrills. That's just how it is man. Everyone around the world has their own opinions whether we like them or not.
Message updated 10/10/2005 8:39:13 PM by RCGenius
|
hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/10/2005 10:54:51 PM
^rcg-
on the contrary, i have no interest in changing anyone's opinion. i was wondering if anyone had any insight into why this ride would be "yeh" to some and "meh" to others. older classics such as phoenix and cyclone don't get "so so" reviews. so i'd like to get into a deeper discussion about hype and the emperor's new clothes and why some rides, volcano:tbc also comes to my mind, always divide enthusiasts as to whether they are great or not. lately the beast has been dividing a lot of opinions too.
so hopefully if this is interesting for some they will post. i'm sorry, rcg, but you missed the point of my post entirely. why try to bury a thread before it even begins?
|
Timberman
Posts: 845
Registered: 9/21/2004
Rank: Gold Critic
|
10/12/2005 2:31:43 PM
Could it be that that Thunderbolt is a terrain coaster and that it's pacing is rather syncopated? You don't have the psychic advantage of towering hills reaching to the skies (ala Hades) or the consistently quick pacing of, say, Pheonix. Thunderbolt kind of speeds up, slows down, tosses you around, but it doesn't haul ass from station to brakes the way most newer designs do. It's also hard to see and lacks the iconic profile of some of the other classic wooden coasters. I love it, but my fondness has grown over time. It may not be the ride that blows people away from the first trip, and in an era of instant gratification and short attention spans, that's going to turn a lot of people off.
|
larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/12/2005 4:47:07 PM
Personally I think The Comet and Thunderbolt are both overrated. They are both good but I can name at least a dozen woodies off the top of my head that I enjoy more meaning Thunderbolt and Comet would never be in my Top 10. Off the top of my head: Cyclone, Boulder Dash, Hades, Avalanche, Thunderhead, Phoenix, Legend, Twister, Roar (SFA), Lightning Racer, Cornball Express, Beast, Ghostrider, Silver Comet
--------------------
Mom always said, "Don't play ball in the house".
Message updated 10/13/2005 10:25:55 AM by larrygator
|
hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/12/2005 5:34:12 PM
larry-
why do you think many rate it highly? why, in your opinion, has it carried such a high status across the years?
|
larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/13/2005 10:35:09 AM
I don't know if they are living on past experiences or what. Everybody rates coasters differently so I don't stress about it. I've seen some people saying similar living in the past statements about some of favorite older woodies Cyclone and Beast (well Beast is relatively old).
A little of topic - another coaster I just didn't get was Raven. In my opinion, it was very good but not as great as everyone raves about.
|
hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/13/2005 3:29:20 PM
Quote:
larrygator said:
Everybody rates coasters differently so I don't stress about it. |
you don't? larry, i was hoping you would be the one to bear the weight of this pressing issue.
i almost want to start an "overrated coaster" thread, but there's one buried in here somewhere, for sure. if anyone know where it is, link us to it...thx.
|
larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
10/13/2005 3:41:45 PM
I brought the thread back, I found it in the FoN. and it looks like I called out Thunderbolt back in 2003
Message updated 10/13/2005 4:03:35 PM by larrygator
|
coasterwom
Posts: 1446
Registered: 3/23/2001
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
5/6/2006 1:43:55 AM
I have rode Thunderbolt many times at Kennywood with another person and it's a very good ride. I like the layout, structure, and terrain. I don't like the rule that you have to ride with someone. There are alot of single riders at parks and they should be able to ride a coaster by themselves.
|
sowinski
Posts: 370
Registered: 6/9/2005
Rank: Silver Critic
|
5/6/2006 6:39:40 PM
I'm with Larry on this one. I rode the Beast and Thunderbolt last summer, both for the first time and it was no contest. The Beast wins. Based on hype from people at this and other theme park sites, I thought Thunderbolt would be amazing, but it is not. It uses the landscape well and is very smooth for a wooden coaster, and as hrrytraver mentioned the trains are vey comfortable, which I liked. I think agree with coasterwom that the no single rider rule that they enforce is stupid.
|
RCGenius
Posts: 1180
Registered: 12/23/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
5/7/2006 6:30:47 AM
The reason for why Thunderbolt has that rule for not riding without another person's because during its first year of operation, a lil boy rode on the Thunderbolt by his self & he got flung off of one of the turns going at a very high speed & he died. I remember this info. while doing my hardcore roller coaster research, so that's why I know. Who knows. Maybe we might not fly off of Thunderbolt like that lil boy did 38 years ago, but Kennywood just doesn't want to take that very unlikely chance of someone else flying off the Thunderbolt & die because of our demands for getting rid of that "No Single Rider" rule. In my opinion, as long as I'm able to ride the Thunderbolt in the first place & have a great time on it, I really don't care about how Kennywood has that one unique policy. Just ride it with a friend or a regular GP & ya'll will have a lot of fun on it anyway & not worry about your safety.
|
Danny
Posts: 6316
Registered: 5/23/2003
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
5/7/2006 10:59:33 AM
Thunderbolt is overrated. It's small and there's little airtime, although the layout is cool and there are some good lateral g-forces during the middle section. I'd give it a 7/10 because it's a fun ride, but it's not even close to being as good as some people said it was.
|
no cars go
Posts: 501
Registered: 4/7/2006
Rank: Gold Critic
|
5/7/2006 6:07:15 PM
 I LOVE the Thunderbolt! It's one of my favorite coasters. I just can't put one ride over another ride though, because all rides have their perks.
So for T-Bolt I'd say awesome wood.
By the way, I love the title of this thread. Very catchy.
--------------------
http://flyingturnsproject.com/01202006/100_0723b.JPG
Look at the man on the left with the gray hair... That's an odd expression he has on his face...
:spam: That spam dude is HOTT!!!
Message updated 5/7/2006 6:34:03 PM by no cars go
|
taylorb251
Posts: 1181
Registered: 3/8/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
|
5/11/2006 4:18:54 PM
I'm with larry on this one. I think the Thunderbolt is over rated. I think its a 6 or 7 at best for me. There are alot of old woodies I like better.
|
koster
Posts: 2
Registered: 5/11/2006
Rank: Aspiring Critic
|
5/11/2006 4:36:22 PM
iyve nevur bin on thunderbolt buht it looks reelee layme espeshilee as it is thee oldest koster in lyk thee hol world
|
adriahna
Posts: 4692
Registered: 6/4/2003
Rank: Site Moderator
Skooter Junkie
|
5/11/2006 5:10:30 PM
Boy, that was intelligent...
Although I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Kennywood yet, it's interesting to hear the various opinions on Thunderbolt. Traver's right - it's not typically a lukewarm issue; it seems to run hot or cold. As for me, I'm dying just for a chance to ride those old NAD trains, and get the feeling I'll fall in love with the coaster once I've been able to hop on...
--------------------
"Coney Island is the most human thing that God ever made... or permitted the devil to make." - Richard LeGallienne
Message updated 5/11/2006 5:11:38 PM by adriahna
|
no cars go
Posts: 501
Registered: 4/7/2006
Rank: Gold Critic
|
5/11/2006 5:42:52 PM
I love the trains on the Thunderbolt. They are really comfortable and they have the coolest look of any trains on a coaster I have ever seen. It's great, and I hope you like it if you end up going out to Kennywood. Which, by the way, is one of the best parks out there in my opinion.
Although I am not sure what to say about "koster"'s post. Maybe you should spend less time here and more time with your head in your spelling blank?
Message updated 5/11/2006 6:04:34 PM by no cars go
|