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Favourite coaster inversions?

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. There are all kinds of inversions on various rides out there, but I’d be intrigued to know; what are some of your favourite inversions on the coasters you’ve done?

I’ll get the ball rolling with some of my candidates:
  • The Swarm at Thorpe Park (Various) - In general, I just think Swarm has great inversions! My favourites, though, are the wing-over drop, the first zero-g roll and the final inline twist over the station; I love the epic hangtime you get on the wing-over drop, I love the lovely kick of sustained, floaty hangtime you get during the first zero-g roll, and I absolutely love the surprisingly forceful, sustained kick of what almost feels like inverted airtime during that final in-line twist! If I had to pick a favourite, I’d probably go with the final inversion, but I think all 3 are worthy of a mention!
  • Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee (Zero-g roll) - Mine Blower may only have one single inversion, but it’s a great one, in my opinion! This zero-g roll gives you a lovely kick of hangtime, and it’s also surprisingly sustained hangtime, which provides a great contrast to the more abrupt, erratic sensations throughout the rest of the ride, in my opinion!
  • The Smiler at Alton Towers (enclosed heartline roll) - I know that the one hidden inversion on Smiler isn’t exactly the prime candidate you’d typically think of for a favourite inversion on the ride when you have 14 inversions to pick from, but I’ll admit that I really like this inversion because I simply feel that it’s really well executed, and is just a very nice way to kick the ride off! It has a nice level of whip, yet is smooth and provides some very pleasant hangtime; the train goes through this element at just the right speed, such that the inversion isn’t uncomfortably slow, but also doesn’t pass through it too quickly, so that you get that nice level of comfortable whip, yet also get that lovely hangtime as well. I know you might be asking why Saw’s doesn’t make this as well, but Saw’s has never felt quite as nice to me, for some reason. On the whole, as much as Smiler isn’t my favourite coaster, I think they nailed the start of the ride, as this inversion is a great way to kick off the whole experience, in my opinion!
  • Shockwave at Drayton Manor (Zero-g roll) - This is possibly one of the most unique inversions I’ve ever experienced in terms of the sensation it provided, and I loved it! It kicks you off your seat with surprising force, and with it being a standup coaster, it added an entirely new sense of fear and thrill to the inversion! As much as Shockwave isn’t exactly my favourite coaster overall, the zero-g roll was a really unique, surprisingly fun sensation that I’ll admit I rather liked!
In terms of inversions I haven’t yet experienced; I’d love to try a zero-g stall at some point, as they look amazing, and the mosasaurus roll on VelociCoaster also looks sublime!

But what are some of your favourite inversions you’ve experienced?
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
To still pull from the last thread we did on this (now) 4 years ago: https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/favourite-inversion.40049/page-2

  • Cobra Roll, Raptor, Cedar Point - There are bigger cobra rolls in the world, but this one just kicks so well. Having Valravn right next to it also opens up more sight-line on the inversion, which really lends itself well visually.
  • Zero-g Roll, Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point - boy howdy did Schilke get this one right; the roll is so well paced with the natural airtime flow of the track, it really is a perfect, crowning inversion.
  • Pretzel Loop, Tatsu, SFFM - when an inversion has a trim in the middle of it, you know there's going to be a lot of speed. It's just a big-ass inversion with a lot of positive g.
  • Banana Loop, Steel Curtain, Kennywood - There are so many deceiving inversions on Steel Curtain, all of which make you feel weird and surprised at different airtime and pull sensations, the Banana Loop being the best of it. It really is a coaster that is perpetually inverting, with a lot of different inversion styles on the way.
  • 153 Overbank Inversion, Outlaw Run, Silver Dollar City - This is still just a kick-ass inversion, and a heck of a way to start a roller coaster.
 

Furiustobaco

Mega Poster
Okay here is mine:

Blue Fire's Heartline:
Blue fire is a very graceful coaster, bar this moment. With those restraints it throws you about like a rag doll. Best part of the ride.

Superman's Pretzel Loop:
Pretzel loops are indeed the monster inversion people tout them up to.

The Smiler- Staffordshire Knot:
Just a batwing threaded by a cobra roll. It kinda resembles the logo though, and it is a masterful show of track placement.

Goliath's Zero G Stall: Damn this thing is huge, and just plain insane. The hangtime though.

Steel Vengeance's Zero G roll's: All of these just deliver on the laterals and air. RMC know how to throw you around like a rag-doll, and the inversions are proof of this.
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Nemesis's zero g roll, followed by Nemesis's first corkscrew. Nothing else comes close to the whip of those inversions.

Honorable mentions to Manta's pretzel loop, Kumba's zero g, Montu's zero g, and either the 3rd or 4th inversion on Vengeance (that one had a wicked lateral on the exit).
 

Nitefly

Hyper Poster
The best inversion for me is the Zadra stall. It's just outrageous - I couldn't help burst into laughter at its absurdity every time.

In a close second place is the Nemesis zero-g roll over the station - really, I associate this with the helix that immediately proceeds it as a one-two punch of greatness. So because it's a combination of elements, I have to give the crown to Zadra.

Other notable mentions for me are the Hyperion turnaround (great shout, @Peet ) and Montu's batwing.
 

Trax

Hyper Poster
Just thinking about it...

5. Monsters (Walygator) Cobra-Roll: What a whip! Awesome and intense, and the ride only raises the intensity afterwards. Still, the double whip is awesome.
4. Junkers Finnish-Loop: Just the right amount of hangtime for what feels like an eternity
3. Zadras Zero-G-Stall: So long and weird. Just great.
2. Hyperions Turnaround: It's a kind of cheating in my opinion, but if you deem it an inversion, here it is. Love this element, you just don't touch your seat for seconds.
1. Untamed's 270° double inverting corner stall. To put it simply: This is the single greatest coasterelement I have experienced so far.
 

JoshC.

Strata Poster
Can't come up with an particular ordering for the most part, but:

Taiga's Zero-G Stall
Probably my favourite inversion. Just everything about it is perfect

Untamed's 270º Double Inverting Corner Stall*
So so so much fun. Hard to describe the exact feeling of it too

Shockwave's Zero-G Roll
I hate the ride, but that element is wonderfully bonkers

Saw's Dive Loop
I have a soft spot for Saw as it is, and the final inversion is just crazy with the speed and intensity

Lech's Corkscrew though station
More for the spectacle of it, but also because that ride deserves all the extra attention

*The 270º double inverting corner stall comes with the added bonus of being able to be abbreviated to the 270dics, heh
 

Torpaalle

Roller Poster
Those 2 flatspins on Black mamba, And problably all other flatspins on inverted b&m:s. Wonderful crazy take of the classic corkscrew. They are so tight and taken with fast speed and have that wonderful g-force acceleration to it.
 

Kw6sTheater

Hyper Poster
In no particular order:
- Montu's batwing
- Kumba's death roll & cobra roll
- Storm Runner's flying snake dive
- Wonder Woman's Late Down Raven ("dive loop")
- Alpengeist's cobra roll
- Copperhead Strike's 1st loop & jojo roll
- Mindbender (Galaxyland)'s back-to-back loops
 

RcTmix

Mega Poster
Launched zero-G roll on the Hulk. Really the first four inversions of the Hulk in quick succession. If the second half was as good as the first, this coaster would be ranked much higher for me.

Final inline twist on Banshee. I didn't know hangtime was something I needed on a B&M Invert until I got it.

Interlocking loops on Loch Ness Monster, mainly just for aesthetics.
 

Nitefly

Hyper Poster
@cmix great shout on that Hulk inversion. You can help but yell “YESSS!!!” when you launch off - which is a succinct version of “YESSS I’m at a theme park in Orlandoooooo!!!”
 
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Matt N

CF Legend
I’ve got to say, I really like the first sequence of elements on Hulk too. The launch into the zero-g roll is an explosive start, and the cobra roll and loop are great too! It kind of dies a bit after that, though; I seem to remember the rest of it not packing quite the same punch, and the post-MCBR section especially seemed very slow.

If Hulk maintained the pacing and electricity of the first couple of elements throughout the ride, then I think I’d rate it a fair bit more highly. I’d also rate the ride more highly if it was a little bit smoother (while I wouldn’t have said Hulk was rough per se, I remember it seeming surprisingly rattly for a B&M that had reopened from retracking a few weeks prior to me riding), but that’s besides the point.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
A few obvious ones that have already been mentioned:
Wildfire's stall.
Tatsu's pretzel loop.
Untamed's 270° DICS.
Montu's batwing.
Nemesis' station roll over.

And a couple that haven't yet been mentioned:
SteVe's first inversion. It's like a 540° zero g roll, crossed with an airtime hill, crossed with an overbanked turn. It looks like it will feel violent and whippy, but in fact it's incredibly floaty, weightless and delicious.

Wildfire's last inversion - the superfast, inline twist through the wooden structure. Almost as good as the stall.

Dominator's vertical loop. The classic inversion, done properly. Fast, smooth, enormous and simply exquisite.
 

ScottLann

Mega Poster
A few that have been mentioned as above:
Nemesis' Zero-G over the station.
Montu's batwing.

One that first sprung to mind for me was the Zero-G roll straight after the launch on The Incredible Hulk - some serious whip on that.

Another inversion that I absolutely loved was the Pretzel Loop on Manta. Loved the intensity of it and hope to get on Tastu some day to experience that one.
 

Kw6sTheater

Hyper Poster
In no particular order:
- Montu's batwing
- Kumba's death roll & cobra roll
- Storm Runner's flying snake dive
- Wonder Woman's Late Down Raven ("dive loop")
- Alpengeist's cobra roll
- Copperhead Strike's 1st loop & jojo roll
- Mindbender (Galaxyland)'s back-to-back loops
I've got a few new ones to add to my list:
- Iron Gwazi's death roll (new favorite inversion)
- Velocicoaster's mosasaurus roll (new second favorite inversion)
- Twisted Timbers' barrel roll downdrop
- Pantheon's zero-g stall
 
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