I've been on the Wicker Man a few times now, and I have to say that for me, it's probably the best coaster experience we have in the UK (before WM, I really couldn't say what that was).
For me, the biggest factor is that I just wasn't expecting anything from it. Through-out the construction I just wasn't really feeling it, just expecting it to be another run of the mill "good fun" GCI. I'm glad I had that mind-set though, I might not feel the same way about it if I was bumming it during construction...?
It surpasses anything Merlin have ever created in the UK (IMO), although there are still touches of Merlin around, like the seemingly endless miles of the ugly queue line fencing. I'm being picky I know, but it does look nasty and cheap. They've put this fencing along parts of the ride structure for some reason. But the music, effects, the roar of the coaster and the general atmosphere really do make it something special (for the UK).
At front and the middle, its good, but at the back, it's really good. Really wasn't expecting that tiny first drop to feel so powerful (at the back). The tunnels surprisingly really add to it too, especially if the smoke effects are working well (they seem to be really temperamental in the tunnels). Second hill, you get pulled over that wonderfully in to the s-bend drop thing. That start to the ride truly is awesome.
The other part that really took me by surprise was the two tiny little bumps just as you enter WM for the second time. Actual air time on them that I wasn't expecting. Again, with the smoke everywhere and the flames, it really is a great experience.
I believe the unbanked turn is like that due to the focus on the WM (that's also supposedly why the original plans for the first drop were so awful, so the main focus would on entering the structure). I don't find it that bad really, if you're at the front you get some ejector going into it, at the back its just floater, but then going down the drop is equally awesome at the back (seriously, GCI make some awesome straight drops, they need to do it more!). I look at that turn like the stall turn on Nemesis, a bit of clam before some more carnage.
One thing I don't get, is the brake run and why the brakes are so far away. There's an unusual unbanked s-bend just before the brake run.... this is a GCI coaster, why haven't they stuck in some little quirky bumps/jolts that they are famed for?
Also, I was a little disappointed that nothing happened in the shed at the end. That guy who created WM said something about when the ride ends, the experience doesn't, so I was expecting something to happen. Filling that shed with more of the same basic smoke effects with red lights and burning sound effects would have been good. Nothing spectacular I know, but better than a pitch black shed.
It's great that they want to run it on 3 trains, but why do they? It's stacks like Oblivion, so they may as well keep it on 2. And what is the deal with the restraints? I get that some restraints need rechecking, but with MW is practically every train, with multiple seats. And why do they need to release them and push them down again? What happened to just pushing them down more? I've never seen anything like it on any other coaster, let alone any other GCI I've been on. It's just so time consuming and painful.
And with regards to the RAP nonsense, I agree with what's been said, it infuriates me that a ride can open with a huge disabled queue, with no one in the queue having any physical disabilities (that's what it's for isn't it?). Yes not all disabilities are visible blah blah, but why should every family get a disabled pass because one of their kids has ADHD? or "he gets anxious in queues" - don't go to a theme park then? Coz your kid who can't queue seems to be doing just fine in the long RAP queue...
If there really are these restrictions in place, why is the WM RAP queue constantly full all day? I've had to bite my lip around some people that I know who use it. One guy I know, who is very much physically disabled, used his RAP and then queued normally, sort of proving that he doesn't need the RAP. I also know someone who claims to have anxiety when in big crowds, yet they'll visit Towers during Fireworks and Scarefest... it just winds me up so much.
I actually saw this morning in that poisonous Annual Pass group on Facebook someone woman wanting to know what to do to get their passes as her precious little boy who she can't raise properly has just been diagnosed with ADHD....