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Favorite Launch

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
1. Xcelerator
2. Top Thrill Dragster
3. Storm Runner
4. Volcano
5. blue fire Megacoaster
6. Fluch von Novgorod
7. Kingda Ka
8. White Lightning
9. California Screamin'
10. Wicked Twister
11. Lynet
12. Xpress
13. Speed - The Ride
14. Mr. Freeze
15. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
 

Ben

CF Legend
1. Furius Baco
2. Storm Runner
3. Kingda Ka
4. Blue Fire

That'd be my top few. CBA to do them ALL.
 

A-Kid

Giga Poster
I have:
Maverick
Wicked T
Dragster
Stealth
Rita
I suppose you could say Irn Bru?

Dragster is EPIC. You actually get to the end and think...Sh1t this thing is fast!

Thats something you don't get with Stealth as it accelerates too fast to notice much. But its still good fun.

But suprizingly the magnetic ones are really good fun. A consistant push all the way. Wicked Twister was always a suprize to me. Something so simple was something so good.

Maverick is pure fun in coaster form. The launch on that works perfectly with its pacing. Which makes it more exciting. In the dark tunnel, with the lights and sfx, it makes it a tad more intense. The enclosed space gives whats basically that Nemesis helix effect, the illusion of speed and hitting something. You get half way down and think, oh dam that corner comming is tight, and that idea of expecting the worst (if thats the right thing to say?!) adds a little more fun.

I think for thrill, it without a doubt the Dragster. For the fun factor I think my favourite is Maverick.
 

Casio

Mega Poster
1. Furius Baco
2. Stealth
3. Rita
4. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Paris



5. Revenge of the Mummy
6. Incredible Hulk
7. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Florida
8. Space Mountain Mission 2

Unsurprisingly generally the faster the better with me.
 

Mike

Giga Poster
1. Kingda Ka, SF Great Adventure
2. Xcelerator, Knott's Berry Farm
3. Rita: Queen of Speed, Alton Towers
4. Stealth, Thorpe Park
5. Montezooma's Revenge, Knott's Berry Farm
6. Powder Keg, Silver Dollar City
7. Storm Runner, Hersheypark
8. California Screamin', Disneyland California
9. Speed, Nascar Cafe
10. Vertical Velocity, SF Discovery Kingdom
Vertical Velocity, SF Great America
Steel Venom, Valleyfair
13. Mr Freeze, SF St Louis
14. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, Disney World Florida
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Disneyland Paris
16. Volcano, Kings Dominion
17. Flight of Fear, Kings Dominion
18. Joker’s Jinx, SF America
19. Revenge of the Mummy, Universal Studios Hollywood
20. Superman: The Escape, SF Magic Mountain
21. Space Mountain, Disneyland Paris
22. Velocity, Flamingo Land
23. Back Lot Coaster, Kings Dominion
24. Pony Express, Knott's Berry Farm
25. Revolution, Pleasure Beach Blackpool

That'll do I guess.
 

Gavin

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Before I start, could I just ask that people try and put a bit more thought into the posts? I know they're basically asking for lists, and a lot of these have cropped up (from the same person) recently. You don't have to write essays, but it makes these things so much more interesting to read. Personally, I don't care about your lists, but I do care about your opinions.

I can't be **** ed to list every launch, so I'll just put my favourites:

1. Dodonpa - not that I really like the coaster that much, but it's still one of the most serious wtf?! moments of any coaster, regardless of reputation or rerides.

2. Dragster/Ka - Dragster is the better overall coaster, but the launches are very similar, reaching similar speeds in about the same time. Oh, I don't need to read essays about how they're different thanks; they rode basically the same for me.

3. Atlantis Adventure - Not the fastest by any means, but really quite forceful. It's enhanced by the unual seating position and going so quickly into a top hat that you'd never know was there.

4. Furious Baco - I don't like this coaster, but the launch is excellent.

5. Stealth - so shoot me, I really like the launch on this coaster. It's no Dragster, but it's still pretty intense.
 

Rush

Giga Poster
Xcelerator would have to be my favourite launch. It feels very quick and I love that it has lap bars so you feel so much more exposed and free especially at the front.

I'd probably put Rita or Stealth next. Despite what others may say I found Rita's launch to be pretty damn quick and I actually like the ride afterwards. Sadly Stealth goes a bit downhill pretty much as soon as the launch is over.

Another of my favourites is the launch on Florida's Revenge of the Mummy. It's not particularly fast but it caught me by surprise not knowing anything about the ride. Also, the launch occurs whilst the train is moving slowly so it has a bit more of a kick to it.

Although just because the launch is bad, it doesn't make it a poor ride. California Screamin' for example had a pretty weak launch in my opinion but the rest of the ride makes up for it.

Oh and finally I'd like to say that Space Mountain: Mission 2's launch is tripe!
 

dropthefloor93

Hyper Poster
^ Thank you for a post worth reading...

Opinions with lists would be very nice... otherwise i have no clue why you posted your rides.

Im gonna restate my initial opinion.

1. Hulk (IOA) - I didn't quite realize it was there, but the amazing transition from slow to 40 felt great, plus the incline of the launch adds to the force effect

2. Rock 'n' rollercoaster (WDW) its a very quick launch, 2.8 seconds is GREAT and especially going into the tunnel it gives you a great feeling of speed.

3. Kingda Ka (SFGA) It comes out of nowhere, so you sit in suspense, and the pure force of the shot is insane.
 

Jer

Strata Poster
Let me restate my post and rank all the launch coasters i've ridden:

1. Storm Runner: I loved the little time you had to prepare for the launch, it was short sweet and to the point, no count down, no tense holding before the launch just a simple "Get ready, here we go" and you're off.

2. Kingda Ka: I mean, I hate the ride, but the launch always makes it worth riding.

3. Chiller: This launch from the back row was spectacularly intense, and always fun when you had an operator who was into the ride, and the fact that the operator could choose when to launch you made it all better.

4. Possessed: Sure the ride was rough, but that second launch back through the station literally left me short of breath. I also like that there was little bull**** before all the of the launches on this one.

5. Rock'n'Rollercoaster: Having Steven Tyler scream in your ear is always a plus, but I enjoyed reading the signs before the ride, and having it right next to the Q is always a plus.

6. Revenge of The Mummy: Pretty standard launch, definitely the weakest i've ridden, but it still felt pretty strong (thanks to those wonderful LIMs)
 

CMonster

Giga Poster
1. Hulk- I really like this, the launch is just a lot of fun, especially followed by the zero-g roll and rest of the layout. Like a short B&M looper with a launch, can't go wrong with that!

2. Possessed- I was actually pretty nervous waiting for this launch, and I thought it was a lot of fun. The following launches were good as well.

3. Rock'n'Roller Coaster- Can't say much about this.

4. Mummy- The launch itself wasn't amazing, but the ride was fun and the theming around the launch was cool.
 

DjTommyB

Hyper Poster
1. Furius Baco - Fastest launch I've done and I loved the pop of airtime going down that dip after the launch.

2. Stealth - Similar launch speed to Baco and I loved the hill at the end as it really pushed me out of my seat.

3. The Incredible Hulk - Caught me by surprise as it starts off slow then just launches you all of a sudden.

4. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (Paris version) - Pretty fast launch and I love the tension before the launch and all the colourful flashing lights and stobes etc around the station, launch track and the main part of the ride.

5. Velocity - Quite a fast launch and I love the seating position.
 

Naemuti

Mega Poster
I came into this thread expecting to just say Ka/Dragster, but after reading some other replies, I got reminded of some other good launches I've been on, too. :wink:

1. Kingda Ka - Okay, so this does still top my list. The second-to-last time I rode this, the launch on Kingda Ka was absolutely the most breathtaking thing I've experienced on a roller coaster. I swear the ride was running extra fast that day, because I couldn't believe how fast it was going at the end of the launch. It went down the other side of the tophat insanely fast as well. I can't say enough about how amazing a front seat launch on this thing is. It's an orgasm in roller coaster form. :D

2. Top Thrill Dragster - It's Kingda Ka except a few mph slower and WITH LAPBARS; which should make it better, but Ka edges it out because ^.

3. Storm Runner - I rode this a few days ago and it gave me some really good floater airtime in the back rows. I'm not sure I've ever experienced floater on a launch before. But it was fantastic, as was the rest of the ride.

4. Maverick - Really powerful launch right out of the tunnel into a large banked curve, not much more to say I guess.

5. Wicked Twister I love the insane first launch of this ride, and all the other launches are really great too.

6. Voodoo - The first launch is kind of weak compared to Wicked Twister, but I don't remember Wicked Twister having this kind of airtime in the back row OR this many positive gs on the back spikes. Maybe it's because of the non-twisted back spike?

7. Rock and Roller Coaster - Kind of a slow top speed for a launch considering all the rides above it, but it's still got great acceleration and flying into a dark tunnel up the first half of a 5g sea serpent makes it feel more intense than it is.

8. The Incredible Hulk - I don't remember liking this ride much because quite frankly I don't remember much of it at all. I got one ride on it after it reopened for the first time all day on the one day I was at IoA in a bollocks row that I didn't even get to pick because the line was so long. And of all the things that were not memorable about it, the launch was one of the more not memorable parts. I think this is the only launch on a coaster I have been on that I have not really cared for at all.
 

CreditCrazy

Hyper Poster
Xcelerator is the best. Nothing I've ridden can compare to its intensity. It never has and never will get old. :D

I think Volcano is my second favorite, the surprise factor is probably the best. Oh, and Maverick's launch.

TTD is great, but I was disappointed at how time it is considering its speed. Same goes for Storm Runner, although it's much slower. Fun but not extreme.

I hated Ka because I couldn't even focus on the speed. I don't know how something so simple can be so rough, but it was. Nice!

The Flight of Fear's somehow manage to scare me, which is great, but I think it's just more of the theme because Joker's Jinx was no biggy. Speed is pretty good.

The rest are fun but not really worth mentioning.
 
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