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Colossus


Adam J

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I'm not denying Colossus was a success and indeed a great hook for Thorpe's development to really take strides, but over the years (and being impressed by it when it first opened), it just quite simply has aged badly with a mixture of poor train design and it generally being Intamin...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hmm I tend to like intamin, mainly because there acceleration coasters are my favourite. The track looks a bit shabby now, not sure if that's the desired look or it's aged badly. I never saw the 2002 restraints, I'll have a hunt round for some pictures.

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Shocking that it is nearly 10 years old! I still remember when I visited and saw the first drop being built and thought "wow, that is huge".When I rode it on Thursday in the second carriage/third row it was much rougher than I had experienced earlier on in the year when I actually thought it was a little smoother than before. Personally it is my least favourite coaster and I always avoid sitting in the back row of a carriage as I always get cramp due to lack of leg room.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I suppose I'm in a minority saying I like Colossus. Even if it is rough, it does add a few unique elements. For those who enjoy hangtime, you can't beat the quad rolls, and as far as themeing goes, for an off the self design, it really doesn't get much better. In terms of a terrain coaster, I honestly don't think Colossus is far off nemesis. In terms of themeing, it really reaches it's potential.It's not a B&M multi looper, but then again, it doesn't really try to be. It exists purely to break a world record, and, compared to the Chinese version, I'm pretty happy with the way Colossus turned out.

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Under-rated?It's rough as hell, you have to sit in specific seats to not have your legs crushed (if you're tall), it's aged poorly, the train design is terrible, the bars are perhaps the heaviest ones I've ever encountered...Last time I rode it I had a massive headache as a reward... Just have complete contempt towards that ride... I do to any ride where I have to sit in any particular row or seat to get a 'good' ride... That's not the mark of a good ride at all...It WAS good 9 years ago, but now, whilst not my least favourite coaster, it's certainly in the bottom half of my list...

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I find the ride maintains excellent speed throughout the course though, so the track can't be poorly designed if that's the case. Also, I'm in the lucky minority and despite have very long legs (5'11") I really enjoy the ride and rarely get headaches from it. Colossus and Inferno are without doubt the best coaster on park for me. I mention Inferno because it's just happy as it is; it doesn't try to be anything it's not.

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I agree with most of the points above... I enjoy Colossus very much and think it is a brilliant ride, even if I have to ride it in the front seats to get a better ride experience. Yes, it does shuffle quite a lot and can be rough through some elements (*second corkscrew*)... If I have to ride a coaster in different seats to get a better ride it doesn't effect what I think of the ride experience overall. You have to remember Colossus was quite a big change for Intamin at the time of design, as the type of trains it has had never been used on an Intamin looping coaster before. Then again, companies learn from their mistakes and in the case of Intamin they have gone and designed the new style trains (Maverick/Cheetah Hunt/iSpeed). I have to say that whenever I hit the brakes on Colossus in the front seats after being flung through that last inline twist my first reaction is "Wow" and it never changes... :D oh... and THAT hangtime in all those inline twists. :D At least it didn't have the old design of Intamin trains... eh :DPosted Image

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Have to agree with those saying it is rough, not enough leg room and come off with a bit of a headache. This happens every time for me and therefore takes away the pleasurable side of it. The only part I do enjoy if I havent got a major headache or cramp from the lack of leg room in the back section of a carriage are the inline twist. Definitely my least favourite major coaster at Thorpe.

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All the reasons you guys have stated for hating it are why I love Colossus. It feels like a real roller coaster, in the same way a wooden coaster has more of a risk element. You feel every moment of that ride. Where as I find Nemesis Inferno too smooth, like you are disconnected and riding a simulator. I find if you stick your head far forward then you don't get the 'head banging effect', which I admit can be quite headache inducing.

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Nah, there's a massive difference between Tonnerre/Megaphobia/Beast/Thunderhead and a few others and Colossus...Mean Streak is the only wooden coaster worst than Colossus for roughness...Nothing wrong with a bit of rough, but Colossus goes over the line if you have any height on you...

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Pfft, so many of you need to get a grip, claiming broken bones and migranes from the ride... ;)

Except no one has said that at all. The seating position is quite odd in that you are forced downwards at your waist. I've had leg cramp in my calf muscle from going through the in-lines on Colossus before so can understand where people are coming from. Oddly I sometimes get the same thing on Rita.I have nowhere near the contempt for Colossus as some people do, for what it did for Thorpe and how groundbreaking it was in 2002 it has my respect. It's my favourite Intamin rollercoaster. (Which to be fair is like asking me what my favourite life threatening disease is. :) )
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I love Colossus. I think that after Tidal Wave, it is Thorpe's most "complete" attraction. It still has that Tussauds magic of including everyone in the excitement of the ride, whether you're queueing, or just watching the ride. It is styled perfectly, has fantastic audio (when it works) and I actually really enjoy the coaster as well.I do not enjoy the loading and unloading part, or find the trains particularly comfortable. I do not find the ride particularly rough, either. I really enjoy it. :)

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I love Colossus. I think that after Tidal Wave, it is Thorpe's most "complete" attraction. It still has that Tussauds magic of including everyone in the excitement of the ride, whether you're queueing, or just watching the ride. It is styled perfectly, has fantastic audio (when it works) and I actually really enjoy the coaster as well.I do not enjoy the loading and unloading part, or find the trains particularly comfortable. I do not find the ride particularly rough, either. I really enjoy it. :)

I agree with what you said there. The ride and everything surrounding it is very well done and the atmosphere when queueing up is exciting. It wasn't until a few months ago and yesterday, when I went to Thorpe, that I realised how much I love Colossus. I'm 6'4 and yes, it's not the most comfortable ride, but I still enjoy it every time I ride it and I genuinely think it's the best coaster at the park.
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Nothing wrong with a bit of rough, but Colossus goes over the line if you have any height on you...

6' 1" here, and I only ever had head banging when I was about 10, the same applies to Corkscrew, I tend to find, now, that my head is above the restraints, so at best I get a jaw bashing.I do accept there is little leg room on Colossus, but, it's not the worst, I find Maurer Sohne spinners far far worse, and much more uncomfortable/cramp inducing. I also barely experience any roughness at all on Colossus, but I suppose when the benchmark is Furius Baco, a car crash feels smooth compared....But, I personally don't mind a ride which offers a different experience per seat, even if some seats are terrible. Again, Furius Baco is a good example. If the overall experience is better than the pain, it's a good thing, it's just a matter of finding the point where the two balance out. Certain seats on Baco left me feeling as though my ribs had been broken. Pure pain, no fun, yet, selected seats on the front row deliver, what I would consider, one of the best rides in the world. It's that positive that keeps Baco in my top 10. Colossus is the same, just, nowhere near as good, but also a lot less painful, so it balances out as up there with my favourites.
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  • 2 weeks later...

If I'm going to put up with a bit of rough, I can take it up to SAW's standard, or even the back seat of Stealth (I find it whacks my neck as it yarks over the top hat) - for me I'll travel down from Blackpool for Thorpe, do Colossus once on my trip (which lasts on average three days) and fluff it off for the rest.

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