THE VEKOMA SLC: The story of the world's worst roller coaster
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- In this video, we explore the history of the world’s worst roller coaster model - the Vekoma SLC. We follow the development of the worst Vekoma roller coaster, from its roots with the Vekoma MK 1200, Vekoma Corkscrew and Vekoma Boomerang, to its future in the Vekoma STC. Is this really the worst roller coaster in the world? This is the story of the Vekoma inverted coaster, the SLC.
Also check out my Vekoma SLC POV from Mayan Adventure at Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, possibly the worst Vekoma coaster I’ve ridden!
Let me know your thoughts on the SLC, the Arkham Asylum Ride at Movie World, or the new Vekoma Suspended Thrill Coaster, in the comments below!
Please don’t forget to like the video to help with the RUclips algorithm. You can also subscribe to see more content and help us on the road to 1,000 subscribers!
Thanks again for watching, new coaster content coming in late October!
This is an original Maloney's Coasters production, directed and written by Jake Hunt.
It was filmed on the lands of the Eora Nation. I wish to extend my respects to the elders, past, present and emerging.
No disrespect is intended to Vekoma or their designers. The nature of this documentary is for entertainment and education.
Footage belongs to the creators credited onscreen and is their property.
Special thanks for research assistance to:
Park Vault
Alchetron
CoasterForce
RCDB
Coaster Buzz
Parkworld Online
The Dod3
InPark Magazine
Heidi Douglas
Diss Track was written and produced by Shockwave Dan
![MISSING: SLIM SHADY [Expanded Mourner’s Edition Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xh8qgHrOO1g/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi everyone! Thanks for watching! I would love to hear your thoughts on this video, and on any SLCs you've been unfortunate enough to ride, in the comments below! Just a reminder as always to keep your comments kind and respectful 😊
My next video is going to be quite an ambitious and labour-intensive project, so I'm anticipating it could take until the end of October to be ready. I'll keep you all posted, and in the meantime, there will be a couple more podcast episodes to look forward to.
Also, if you have a friend who really likes coasters or theme parks, or maybe wants to learn more about them, please let them know about my channel! We're so close to 1,000 subscribers which is absolutely crazy! I appreciate the love and support so much!
Thanks for watching!
I rode Kong at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom a couple of years ago...OUCH. Those had the hard OTSRs (not the vests)
@@360coasters The hard OTSRs are very rough, I agree! My only two SLCs have been Mayan Adventure and Arkham Asylum, so I've also tried the KumbaK vests, and the thigh crushing was awful. I'd almost prefer the OTSR. I remember coming back into the station one time almost begging the operator to unlock them, it was so tight and painful. I am curious to try the Vekoma vests and see how much it improves it!
I've only ridden mind eraser at SFA. The layout isn't bad but it's the damn transitions and tracking that ruin the ride experience.
The first Vekoma SLC that i ever rode was Kumali, at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire (UK). Its a great ride, often considered the best in the entire park. So I was pretty disappointed when I ride other Vekoma SLCs and realised how rough they can be! Kumali is excellent though.
B&M's weren't just expensive, they were limited production, at least for the custom ones which were most worth it. There were some years where even a SLC was a thing to behold. They were good compared to most, and it at least helped they were still new. That SFA's Mind Eraser will be getting a new theme and trains at 29 years old next year is insane!
If someone would fund me to travel I'd ride every SLC in the world and let them film the results...
sure!!
Get a good chiropractor while you're at it
But you wouldn't be able to reproduce after that
100$ per SLC???
@@tobiashenkstIf you also pay park entrance, travel and hotel, I will do it.
After riding Mayan at Energylandia we stopped riding SLCs. That ride is glass smooth. Condor got new trains in 2021 but it’s still rough as hell. Used to love it back in the day.
I’ll ride for the credit and nothing more, with a few exceptions like Great Nor’Easter and Mayan. I expect they might be at least tolerable
That’s the only SLC I’ve ever ridden and I was very confused seeing the title of the video as Mayan was actually a nice coaster in my opinion and really smooth.
@@MaximilianZ96 I’ve heard decent things! I could understand why you would like the model if that was your only experience of an SLC! But keep in mind that Vekoma had to make decades of progress just to make it that tolerable, and all the models that came before it were absolutely awful!
To be honest, and I don't know if it's possible, but Mayan roughened over time. I remember being in Energylandia and in theme park overall, for the first time in my life in 2019 iirc, Mayan was the first ever rollercoaster I've been on and it was incredibly smooth. I've been revisiting the park every year since (because I live an hour away), but when I've been there two years ago I was excited to ride Mayan again but I've been disappointed by the ride's roughness. Or at least I remember it differently from the previous times 🤷🏻♂️
The first Vekoma SLC I've ever ridden was the one in Heidepark. Unfortunately, that was also the first ride on a suspended coaster for me, and on any coaster newer than early nineties... it completely soured me on the concept of suspended coasters for a decade, before I learnt that Vekoma SLCs are uniquely bad. And that one certainly is. It's got severly rough track and the old style of restraints.
I got talked into reriding it a few years ago by a friend who had never ridden one, and it looked so exciting with all the inversions, and was very dissimilar from Colossos and they just wouldn't believe me.
There was no queue. None. About 10 tweens and young teens lapping the thing, that was it. For good reason.
After being very proud of myself, my core strength and my power of holding on for dear life to have gotten away with just a few bangs to the ears that should stop hurting again very soon, I lifted the restraint and straight banged my nose on it. That hurt til the next day.
Friend did not ask to go again.
A big reason why Vekomas and Arrows have a reputation for rough rides is the wheel placement on the tracks. The wheels of Arrows and Vekomas are on the inside of the track, whereas the wheels of B&Ms, RMCs, Intamins, Premiers, Giovanolas, etc. are on the outside of the track, which makes for smoother and more graceful transitions rather than roughness and jerkiness (any B&M invert will make you feel like you're floating in a chair, as they are smooth as glass). And it's no coincidence that these manufacturers have had numerous well-reviewed coasters, whereas Arrow is known for X2 and Magnum XL 200 and Vekoma is known for their Giant Inverted Boomerangs (though having major reliability issues, they are mainly well reviewed) and their Disney coasters, with pretty much all Arrow Corkscrew clones and Vekoma SLCs and sit down Boomerangs having reputations that aren't great. If somebody wants to go on a suspended or inverted coaster with you, the track difference alone will tell you if it'll be good or not, as Vekoma track is MUCH bigger than B&M track.
I frequently make trips to Six Flags New England, and I almost always ride Riddler Revenge. I think it's a good SLC, the vest restraints significantly reduce the head trauma the SLC is known for, and the transitions aren't bad. It's the first SLC I've been on, and if I hadn't been warned, I would have assumed they were all moderately enjoyable. The Riddler Revenge is one of the best standard SLCs in the same park as one of the worst Boomerangs ever.
I agree it’s great, however flashback isn’t bad per say but just kind of boring
My "local" SLC is Riddler Revenge (formerly Mind Eraser) at Six Flags New England. As a general rule, I'm not the kind of guy who goes out of his way to ride bad, painful coasters just for the cred, and I've been hesitant to try it. But Riddler Revenge was one of the first to get the new vest restraints, and it's gotten more mixed reviews since then: some people actually insist it's good now, though it's no Great Nor'Easter and the layout is still janky as hell. So I might give it a whirl sometime when I'm feeling impervious.
I have only rode one Vekoma SLC, and that one was Mind Eraser at Six Flags America. I felt like I had a concussion after that ride. This is the most in-depth video on RUclips that explains why these coasters are pure garbage. Great job! You have earned yourself a new subscriber.
I was recently at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on a teacher training day, so the park was very quiet and all the major coasters were walk-on queues - my 9 year old step son wanted to get every credit he could and that is how I found myself strapping myself in on Infusion, the park's standard layout SLC.
It wasn't long into the ride before I realised I had been badly misled about SLC's - I had heard they were awful, but no... they are SO MUCH WORSE than I expected... By the halfway point in the layout I was actually laughing at how bad it was... The headbanging was so severe in the final few turns that I genuinely couldn't even tell you what the layout was even doing... there was no sense of movement, just the feeling of being a pinball between the restraints (which are thankfully heavily padded, or I genuinely think I'd have been hospitalised)
adamanonymous its Infusion that should have gone not the Wild Mouse
The STC in Trippsdrill is just amazing! My last SLC ride was in Italy last year and this beast was soooo bad....
Nice Video!
Great video. First explanation I've seen as to why the SLC is rough. You clearly know your 💩.
Subscribed.
I've never thought they were that bad tbh. Not comfy but I've done far worse than SLCs. Pinfari loopers spring to mind lol
Zamperla's Volare and Thunderbolt, everything SBL has made, MCC's early rides, everything Sameco ever made...
You can’t deny though that these coasters look spectacular. Nopuko is outstanding looking with the paint job, but it’s a damn shame that these models are so intense - Nevermind that pothole.
🙃 as an Australian coaster enthusiast I am proud to say I haven’t been on an slc
You never went on Arkham asylum (lethal weapon) at movieworld?
Never
Very interesting video, thank you. Minor correction, the first Bayern Kurve actually opened the previous year. It travelled the German fairs, and debuted at the Düren Annakirmes. At the end of the year, it was sold to become the Movie Park ride you mentioned
The "Bayern Kurve" model was actually designed by Stengel and he knew right away that the showmen made a poor decision to buy it (Kinzler/Bruch also own(ed )the big Schwarzkopf fair loopers. The coaster was indeed build to tour the fairs, but it was sold right after its first gig at Annakirmes. It was far too difficult and expensive to travel with this bulky coaster. The track pieces alone needed far too much space on the trucks. Loading/Unloading the trains took too much time for efficient 3-train operation. In short: The was no money to be made with it on the fairs.
Compact Inverted Coaster 1 is really good value!
Great video. At last an explanation of why the SLC is rough yet extremely successful.
I have only ridden one Vekoma SLC in my life. Mayan at energylandia. I actually thought it was completely fine but maybe because it’s one of the newest builds it’s way more smooth than the older models.
Mayan definitely is one of the better models because of its newer build and the nicer trains. I wouldn’t recommend very many of the others!
SLC's are terrible but i wouldn't go as far as calling them the worlds worst coasters. For me that one has to go to the volare. Btw - Mayan at Energylandia is actually pretty enjoyable.
The Volare has come up a few times in the comments, it may be future video material!
@@MaloneysCoasters seriously, the SLC is actually a decent (if rough) ride. I'd gladly ride an SLC over a Volare or a large woodie in need of retracking or anything made by Top Fun.
Or the godawful Fabbri portable invert, the Mistral 63.
oh man i loved this ... random niche rollercoaster topics are so wonderful !!!! i have luckily never been on an slc
0:37 - Me when Hyperia has another rollback the day I’m there
I have over 350 credits and somehow have been fortunate enough to only have ridden 1 SLC in T3 (RIP), so I havent had the “privilege” to ride any with bulky OTSR yet. I’ll still probably ride them for the credit, but I am not looking forward to it. lol
I've ridden just the two SLCs and I can't decide which I hated more - the KumbaK restraints or the OTSRs. The head banging was absolutely brutal on Mayan Adventure and got even worse with every row we went back, but on the other hand I remember a few rides on Arkham where I was begging for the restraints to be unlocked because of how badly I was being crushed.
I have an SLC at my home park, Michigan Adventure... Thankfully its one of the better ones out there. My daughter and I ride it everytime we are at the park. While we certainly prefer the B&Ms out there, were happy with pur off the shelf SLC.
To me it always seemed like Vekoma engineers had to be frugal, B&M engineers had people to sharpen their pencils, and Intamin engineers were running around with boners.
This is one the best comments I've ever received and I just had to come back and read it again. Thank you.
I think that alot of people just can't handle the intensity of these great roller coasters 🗿
I have only ridden Mayan at Energylandia. That is supposed to be one of the good ones, i still found it rough, if that is the last one I ride i wont be too unhappy. Did have the chance to ride El Condor last month when at Walabi. With much better rides nearby, gave it a hard pass.
You would have thought all the years they made the SLC, they could have got away with a decent re-profile of the track to smooth it out. Without having to do too much to the trains. Saying that, im not an engineer.
Condor at Walibi Holland is my home park. The restraints help with the headbanging. Laat month 's on a hot day the Coaster was flying and - dare I say it - more enjoyed compared to Untamed (!). That day the restraints on Untamed did not agree with me and that Ride was painful. Condor was the expected shaky blast.
KUMALI at Flamingoland UK is a custom SLC layout, although rough it’s not as bad as the regular layout! It’s the restraints I can’t stand! I do one annual ride per year! lol 😂
I've heard very good things about Kumali! Although you might be interested to learn it's actually a clone of another SLC in China. The Chinese version is currently SBNO however
Na Fianna Force is their newest. It's the one you briefly mentioned in Emerald Park. Opened about a month ago and have been on it a few times. I'd say it's a pretty decent family coaster, and in particular a good one for coaster newbies
Aight, I came to fight because I have a soft spot for SLCs but I fuckin cackled at the intro. Great editing and as always you're very well spoken, love it mate
I've been on 2 out of 3 of the SLCs in the UK, only need to ride Kumali
The worst slc in the UK is infusion at Blackpool pleasure beach Even enthusiasts don't ride the thing but I would vote the volare as the worst type since not a single person ever has said they good but slc is a close second for me
I don't understand why the Vekoma SLC gets so much hate I grew up riding the Traumatizer in Southport every chance I could they're awesome little coasters.
Here in chile we have a SLC at the only amusement park in the country Fantasilandia (Raptor), it’s rough as hell, i’ve ended up bleeding because of the head banging hitting my earrings and the inconsistency between carts and where you are seated is way too noticeable, they operate only 2 carts with the padding around the head so it’s really terrible.
I’ve also rode in the Kentucky Kingdom one (T3), just once and it was not rough compared to Fantasilandia here in chile, pretty enjoyable.
We also have a Boomerang here in chile and it’s pretty fun although a tiny bit rough
Only one I've been on is Infusion at Blackpool. I liked it; but, it is a tad rough
I´ve ridden the STC model (Hals über Kopf) and it is indeed as good as the SLC is trash. I like it even better than the B&M inverted coasters bc they are often too intense and too focused on positive G´s imo.
They are eye catching.
Flight at canadas wonderland will give you head trauma
Honestly if thunderhawk at Michigans adventure got the new trains, it would be one of the best slcs, just like
How the great nor’easter is.
As someone who has ridden the only stc open, I have to say it's a great ride. Fairly smooth, definitely rattles though.
Excellent video.
i enjoyed the mind eraser
I survived a Vekoma SLC with only minor spinal damage 😊
I've ridden two SLCs in my life, mayan at energylandia, and... el condor. And oh my god, I cannot describe how much i hate condor. In the queue for the coaster, there is a sign with safety rules, one of them being that you cannot ride it if you have neck and/or back problems. I like to joke that its a rule because you will get it anyway on the ride
Look personally I loved the Arkham asylum and I really miss it yes it had its issues however I’ve never been on a coaster since that hits the same way it did I think the closest would be the new leviathan at sea world
Its too bad that the execution was so bad, because the layout looks like it could be SO cool. Ive never ridden it, but they say the Great Noreaster is actually good after the trackwork, and trains from Vekoma. Its too bad more parks didnt take to that option, and left their SLCs be the torture devices they are.
ive yet to ride on of these, but i plan to go to beto carrero soon, and for brazillians, it seems well received at least, with new trains and all :)
I don't know. those Zamperla Volare coasters are really hated by everyone
I honestly like El Condor at walibi holland because it is so intense with those 5 g's
Mayan at Energylandia is quite good in my opinion.
Great work man keep it up
Have you ever ridden a Zamperla Volare? Compared to that, every SLC is smooth😎😂
Future video idea for sure 😜
As someone who likes the Volare model, I will admit I am insane
The only SLC I was on is Blue Tornado in Gardaland. I have to say it wasn't that bad.
I was at Heidepark and survived it my ears being red from all the head banging and a small headache (it was fun tho)
I am curious about how track design affects smoothness of a coaster. since vekoma moved away from the arrow style track it makes me wonder if it had an inherent design flaw or if there was some other reason for the switch
Possibly! Although the main reason I believe is the amount of precision design put into it and an improve in their manufacturing quality. A lot less imperfections. But you could also be right, I’m not sure!
You forgot about the non inverted old Vekomas: they're also mostly horrible. I hear Noreaster in New Jersey and the biggest one which is in in England is good, but I've never ridden them. But I do like the inverted Bommerang I've ridden at Kings Island.
I didn't want to comment too much on the quality of non-inverted old Vekomas, because I've only ridden one Vekoma looper and... I kinda liked it! French Revolution at Lotte World was surprisingly smooth and a lot of fun
Arkham Asylum when it was lethal weapon... 🫨
SLCs aren't that bad. They arent even the worst coaster in classic Vekoma's stable; that honor goes to the Inverted Boomerang.
(Also, the Zamperla Volare is _much_ worse than anything Vekoma made.)
great video!
Wrong title: Meant to be story of world's most effective torture machine!
I have the privilege of not riding one of those things, Arkham Asylum closed down before I got the chance to ride. Probably lucky for that...
As someone who rode Arkham and has been on one other SLC as well, you are indeed very lucky
Look Arkham was rough but personally it was my favourite coaster at movieworld none of the other coasters hit the right spot like it did
12:02 I hate these vests
The standard layout is definitely better then the prototype
That was a perfectly good ice cream
There are 3 slc custom layouts not 2, the last one is kumali in flamingo land and it isn’t rough!
Kumali is not custom, it’s a clone of Snow Mountain Flying Dragon at Happy Valley Shenzhen 😊
The layout is called the 671m Shenlin layout, and it's one of Vekoma's four offered extended layouts for the SLC model
I beg to differ. Zamperla volares are worse. Compare hero to Kumali for example
Kumali at flamingo land is a custom SLC which isn’t too rough
I think you forgot it
Kumali is a clone of another SLC in China. I have ridden it though and I agree it’s better than most
16:40 Kumali at Flamingo Land is also a custom layout
Kumali is rather unique, but not custom. It's the 671m Shenlin layout, the same as Snow Mountain Flying Dragon at Happy Valley Shenzhen.
@@MaloneysCoasters Ah, alright.
lightningboat so is Odyssey at Fantasy Island
the great nor eastern in North Wildwood NJ is the best in SLC in my opinion
I rode this in Denver. It is terrible. My head was slammed into the restraints. Do not wear earrings on this ride.
Condor is the roughest of all the slc's and it wasnt even that terrible
I'd take slcs over volares any day
Before watching I’d just like to say they aren’t the worst coaster in the world from a ride experience perspective, certainly not good on average but there’s worse.
Isn't there another custom layout in flamingo land uk
It’s a rare layout, but not custom. It’s actually a clone of another SLC in China. However that one is SBNO, so Kumali is currently the only SLC of its kind
Ah cool 😊
I see a lot of people that need to eat a bag of cement... LOL
Idk how many SLCs you've ridden but they're quite thoroughly unenjoyable. It's not so much that the pain is actually bad. It's just so constant and bad enough that it's impossible to enjoy the very few good aspects of the ride.
bro hasnt heard of hero...
Stay tuned... 😉
😳
the slc is only for real men😁