Great Bear is definitely on the short side but I like what it has. At first I thought that helix/drop thing was really dull but now I love the way it feels to soar over Comet Hollow before plunging into the elements. And you're absolutely right about the drop to the river after the zero-g roll- pure genius.
That coaster would be just about perfect with another 500' of track... and another paint job, since the flat black/flat gray thing has never really worked for me. How about deep purple?
I like the B:TRs for what they are - short, compact, power-packed nuggets of full-on intensity.
For the most part, however, I like the inverts that have...for lack of a better term, variable pacing. Some floats, some non-inverting twists and turns, time to "catch your breath". More interesting layouts, IMO. Probably explains why Fire Dragon, Great Bear, and TG:TJC rate highly for me...and why one of my favorite moments on Montu is the swooping fly-by near the queue. ;)
*** Edited 6/27/2007 4:18:21 PM UTC by rollergator***
Sorry but I have to totally disagree with you guys saying that Bat wings are more intense than Cobra Rolls. Ice Dragons Cobra Roll is by far the most intense element I have experienced on any inverted coaster.
I have ridden: Talon, Raptor, Great Bear, Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Batman(x2) and Montu as far as inverts go.
^^^^ Well, I never said I didn't like the Batman rides!
As I've gotten older, I've found that I'm not as into loop-after-loop-after-loop rides like I once was, but I'm always up for a B&M invert because the elements really do create so many different sensations. By now they're all familiar but they're still so much fun. I can't say the same about Arrow and Vekoma elements.
I guess for ME, the Cobra Roll is the one element on a Beemer that *usually* bangs my head/neck...right at the beginning of the second inversion. Hundreds of laps later, I've never banged once in Montu's Batwing - and it ain't cause I'm watching, since I usually ride it eyes-closed.
I have no thoughts on Ice's cobra roll but I have very few thoughts on Ice in general. It's not at all a bad ride but after experiencing the perfection that is Fire, Ice is kinda "meh".
As far as intensity goes, I can't think of a cobra roll that makes my legs feel weak like Montu's batwing. Maybe I need to ride Ice again... without riding Fire first.
I still think B&M's cobra rolls are one of the most aesthetically pleasing coaster elements going. They just present a great visual.
However, most of them seem to have gotten 'bangy' to me. (maybe I'm just getting old :) )
As far as ride experience, for me, the Batwing is vastly superior.
With that said, I think the 'newer' cobra roll design that Hydra uses eliminates that bang and makes the element feel like one continuous motion vs the up-snap-snap-down ride the older ones give. The trade-off is a slightly different look and a less intense element.
Hmmm. Raptor with a Batwing for the turn-around element rather than that Cobra Roll. That'd be interesting.
Thus concludes my post of barely related random thoughts on a 6 year old subject. :)
Hydra's cobra roll does have a different look, as if the track curves out more before entering the inversion. I agree that it's not as aesthetically-pleasing... can't remember if it's any less bangy.
Fire has that certain something...beyond just its uniqueness, it actually FEELS like a possible flight path for a living breathing dragon. No dragon in its right mind would do a cobra roll up against a wall - dragons don't flee, they fight. ;)
LOL....honestly, though, Ice feels too similar to all of those SLC experiences I'd rather forget - Fire is the one true Dragon, and my preference goes beyond rational explanation - as evidenced above... :)
^ I wouldn't call that a "flee", I would call it an attempt to flee, since the dragon hits the wall, tumbles around and heads in back in the other direction in a daze. ;)
I thought Fire was so much better than Ice that I've often wondered if they designed the layout for Fire first then 'fit in' Ice (for moments of dueling, space constraints, etc).
Yeah, I think it's the zero-G roll that does it for me too, although I never experienced anymore headbangage on Ice than I did on Fire. Still, nice poetry Gates. ;)
When you ride the monorail at HP, they say that Great Bear has 7 "elements" to correspond to the 7 stars of the constellation. So what would they be? You have 4 inversions, the helix... I suppose the drop could count... but what else?
