Your favourite kiddie coaster model?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. As many of you may know, a lot of us tend to ride kiddie coasters in order to bolster our coaster counts up. The extent to which you do is variable; I don't tend to as much, whereas others love to! Anyway, the point of this topic is; out of the kiddie coasters you've experienced, which model is your favourite? Out of the 66 coasters I've currently ridden, I've managed to experience 5 different kiddie coaster models:

• Gerstlauer Junior Coaster - I experienced this model in the form of Troublesome Trucks at Drayton Manor, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised! The ride was glass smooth, packed a surprising punch for a kiddie coaster and all in all, I found it fun for what it was!
• Vekoma Junior Coaster (335m) - I experienced this model in the form of Flight of the Hippogriff at Islands of Adventure, and I'd say this is probably the most substantial of the models listed here, although I remember it being surprisingly rough, with a notable rattle and a couple of jolts. Still perfectly fine as a kiddie coaster, though!
• Vekoma Junior Coaster (207m) - I experienced this model in the form of Barnstormer at Disney's Magic Kingdom, and I'd say it was very similar to the 335m model above except for the fact it didn't feel quite as substantial. To be fair to the Vekomas I've ridden, they've probably seen the most use out of the kiddie coasters I've ridden, being in highly visited year-round parks. They're not exactly new either, with Barnstormer opening in 1990 and Hippogriff opening in 2000.
• Zamperla Junior Coaster - I experienced this model in the form of Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure at Alton Towers, and I'd say that it was a perfectly fun ride as far as kiddie coasters go! It's probably the least substantial of these models, but it was still perfectly fine for its size! The coaster was also perfectly smooth in terms of its transitions, but I did notice that it had a noticeable vibration. This didn't detract from the ride experience at all, but I could certainly feel it.
• Zierer Tivoli Large - I experienced this model in the form of Treetops Rollercoaster at Oakwood, and I'd say it was a very fun little ride! Quite a long, substantial layout with some surprising whip towards the back of the train! It's also surprisingly smooth given it's 30 years old!

So, in terms of my order, I'd personally go with;

1. Gerstlauer Junior Coaster
2. Zierer Tivoli Large
3. Zamperla Junior Coaster
4. Vekoma Junior Coaster 335m
5. Vekoma Junior Coaster 207m

I know it's a bit of a random topic, but which kiddie coaster models are your favourites?

 

[caffeine_demon]

It's gerstlauer for me too - Troublesome trucks, and the smurf thing in dubai are surprisingly punchy, although mack youngstars (particularly gotterblitz) are also nice rides.

Was pleasantly surprised by octonauts considering how awful their other coasters are!

 

[Matt N]

I'm yet to ride a Mack Youngstar, so I look forward to trying one; my first will probably be Pegasus at Europa Park in 2021!

I must say I was also pleasantly surprised not to find Octonauts rough given Zamperla's reputation! It had a noticeable vibration, but the transitions were very smooth and the vibration was only very minor and did not affect the ride experience at all!