Robot Claw

Kumba is the first truly thrillian coaster I ever rode. It has 7 inversions, and at just shy of 70 mph is the fastest at the park. I still find it technically beautiful, but I have to be honest and say compared to the newer, smoother coasters it’s starting to show its age. In other words, a bit of a bone rattler! The landscaping also has a perhaps unexpected effect – hiding how far the rider is from the ground. Therefore any height-based thrill is lessened. A good coaster, but no longer a great one.

We’ve been on so many ‘4D’ attractions these past few days they tend to run together. ‘Pirates’, here at Busch Gardens was memorable for one reason: it’s utter hatefulness. A 3D film starring Leslie Nielson and Eric Idle, this was neither funny nor interesting nor thrilling in any way. It was cinematic effluvia; its only virtue being that the theatre in which it ran was air conditioned.

Despite being small, shorter and with only one inversion, the Scorpion was much more intense than Montu or Sheikra. I blame this on pre-computer aided design. The thing shook me around like a sackboy. and wasn’t pleasant at all! Only one coaster left to ride – Kumba!