Transcript
Speaker: You are listening to the Inverted Creative Podcast. I'm Allison. I'm Jen. I'm Brian. I'm Mikhail. And I'm Nate.
Speaker: Oh, just accidentally X on the audio. I tried to ah do the intro music to line us up and I accidentally hit the X and now it's not there on the soundboard anymore. oh but we are recording. I didn't even know we had started. so so what do we So what do we do now?
Speaker: this This is me starting the podcast. and ah I guess we're going. I love it. we'll wait to Something will do it live. yeah if you if like if you didn't know how to start the episode then i mean like there's no star there's no lower bar to then allison messing it up low go lower ruining it for everything and i'm nate yeah we didn't even get to hear our i know our not even correct intro music to line up my time stamps for later you know what i i need for this i need this guy
Speaker: I know no one can see my video, but I'm holding the Wallaby official merchandise, by the way. um the What is he? He's a Wallaby. That's what he is. is that That is what he is. I'm holding the wall of e Wallaby Wallaby.
Speaker: I've got a little plush Wallaby guy. lovelyly um i didn't buy it from Wallaby Belgium, though. bought Wallaby Holland. I don't count.
Speaker: I totally forgot about my bag. I'm joking. My purchase from Texas that i did not take out of my bag until just now. love world i have a Glove world. How was the fiery fist of pain?
Speaker: Give me a review. it was ah It was a little warm. And it was painful. was a little warm.
Speaker: Did you lose your spine? Did it come out? Were you holding your spine? Did they give you your spine as a souvenir after you were done? ah Yes, but i'm I'm old, so it was a little brittle and falling apart.
Speaker: But did you... You got it, though. Yeah. You got your spine. Okay, cool. How was the mitten?
Speaker: I don't even know what that one is, honestly. The mitten, it's the one that's an oval with like six-inch tall... Oh, so basically Circus Coaster. It may be smaller than Circus Coaster.
Speaker: It's more or less the micro coaster from SBF Visa. I should do the whole podcast with Glove World in my head. Yeah, please do. Yeah, I mean, we'll enjoy it.
Speaker: I'm sure. Because we can see it. I spent way too much money on this hat. How much was it? 40. Oh, that's not terrible. No, it was... Park merch. Wait, $40 or 40 euros? $40. I bought it in Texas. Why would it be euros?
Speaker: It was in Texas. Oh, i I thought you... yeah we went to I don't know why I thought you said you got it from Wallaby Belgium. No, Nance is from Wallaby Belgium. My Club World is from... No, mine's from Wallaby Holland.
Speaker: Oh, well, whatever. I'm all to It is from Wallaby something. I got the Wallaby from Wallaby Holland. I just loved it. I went to the Universal Kids Resort. um and We saw this hat and I'm like, I really want this hat, but it's expensive and I can't fit it in my ah backpack because I only had a personal item for the plane. And then we went to the Goofy Goober and got a Triple Berry Sunrise Sunday. I'm a Goofy Goober! And the whole time we're eating it, I'm like...
Speaker: man, I really want that Glove World hat. so i ah So you became a goofy goober. I went right back to that store after it finished our Sunday and got my Glove World hat and proceeded to wear it in the park the rest of the time.
Speaker: It was very warm. Because that umed that's what you wanted and that's what you deserved. ah And then I spent another $16 on a little blue dinosaur keychain. I also have a i have a blue plushie. I don't know where it is.
Speaker: But, oh, down there. I needed something. I didn't have my little Rocky plushie that you got me, Nate. I didn't have that on my bag, so I had to get some emotional support plushie Well, as long as, like, it doesn't fall off, right? No, it's still on my other bag. Yeah, so that's good. So now Rocky and Blue are good. No, Blue is on my work backpack. Rocky will just stay on my travel backpack.
Speaker: Okay, gotcha. Well, I just, as long as Rocky doesn't fall off. um Well, it was made apparent to me the other day by Alison that, more to the point of the episode, Wallaby Belgium has a lot of their, well, not just Condor, but a lot of their attraction soundtracks on Spotify.
Speaker: So oh yeah I definitely proceeded to spend the rest of my workday listening to all of the Doc World EP that they've got there. The Doc World one is so good.
Speaker: As well as the Conda soundtrack. And the Pulsar one. Yeah, there's some good ones. That was an in that that would that was it that wasn't that was a fun day. conda like We'll get to the some of that later.
Speaker: But ah yeah, that Conda soundtrack was very good. like Get worked on music. Great. It reminded me a lot Kianan's soundtrack.
Speaker: Yeah. I'll have to listen to Karnan's again. i don't... I don't remember Karnan's either. I don't remember it being like Kanda, but I might have to listen to that again.
Speaker: ah in In little bits. Like... don't know. The biggest thing I know about Kanda's is just like the creature that screeches in it. Yeah. Yeah. Or whatever.
Speaker: That was a pretty good impression of it, I would say. Sure. Fairly accurate. um Speaking of best ride soundtracks, really quick. um Make sure you're voting in the inverted creative awards. Because voting is open when this episode drops. Not right now, it's not. But...
Speaker: Yeah, nominations are open right now. Yeah. Yes. But not the time you're listening to this. Yeah. So this episode is dropping on October 5th because we're actually a couple weeks ahead right now, which is surprising. um Yeah, this episode drop October 5th. Voting is open through October 12th. So go vote via links in our socials.
Speaker: Loyal listeners, did you nominate Conda for anything? You should let us know if you nominated Conda for anything. I can actually look at the results. well the Well, I nominated Konda for something.
Speaker: Oh, did you? Yeah.
Speaker: I believe it was Station.
Speaker: That would be the one. ah Yeah, yeah, you did. I think that might be the only mention of Konda so far. Well, I'm glad it's in there because it deserves it. But I don't know if that's going be enough to get it on the vote.
Speaker: yeah i mean Other rides or meant have more mentions for best station design. Which is silly, but not really. I don't know. I i know. i my My favorite station is not even mentioned yet.
Speaker: Well, what's your favorite station? Untamed. Oh. I think Konda is like kind of a better Untamed, i'm not going lie. Well. It's a little bit more... But I also like the message for Untangled. Take the trip and love and all that.
Speaker: I feel really silly with this hat on still. They're similar because they're both wallaby parks. makes sense.
Speaker: Allison just like shook her head back and forth. I literally like bounced. It's kind of just like a stem for me right now. So just like back and forth and let it bounce back and forth. It's very top heavy with the little. I was going to say, keep doing it. It's going to cover your eyes. after She's just waving at us.
Speaker: ah One of the times I wish I was recording video. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Wait, quickly, one of y'all filmed this for Patreon.
Speaker: Are we actually doing in it now? Yeah. Oh my god, there's two phones on the screen. not See this but me.
Speaker: Glove World hat. Incredible.
Speaker: It made me a little dizzy. This is excellent podcast content. I'm going to take this off now. It's a little ah warm. Quality content. Oh, yeah. This is what we're known for, right?
Speaker: Right, yeah. That has to go on Patreon. Yeah. Although I realize mine won't have audio because it's in my headset. Oh, man. It's all right. Maybe I should film. I don't know.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: um Could have screen recorded, too, I guess, but whatever. Anyway, podcast. Yeah, podcast. Anyway. Sign up for the Patreon. You may or may not see a video of me waving my head with a glove on it.
Speaker: But what you can see, which posted today, which won't be today by the time you're listening, but ah was me and Mikhail on Mikhail's first ever zipper ride.
Speaker: I'm not even sure he knew that. Oh, yeah. I was like, what are you talking about? um Yeah. When you and I rode the zipper together. chance zipper, yeah. And you had never ridden one before. That was the time.
Speaker: I never, I don't get motion sick, guys. Like, I never, ever get motion sick. I thought for a second I might throw up on that. I was like, we were flipping so much. It was, it was crazy.
Speaker: You're flipping out. Yeah, i I was like, whoa, wait a minute. Hold on I thought I was going to start feeling motion sick on it because, i well, before before this trip, I was i was starting to think that the times of just going through flat ride after flat ride after flat ride were over for me. ah the ah I was kind of convinced that I'm starting to get old and like I can't really do flat rides like that anymore.
Speaker: Yeah, but apparently I'm cool after after this trip. um the only one ah The only one I didn't do was the... ah the um the Oh, that pendulum thing. The counterweighted pendulum um yeah at Oaks Park in Portland. um But the Chan Zipper at Washington State Fair...
Speaker: i i I thought I was like, oh, I'm going to come off this feeling not too great. That was cool. like I was fine, really. yes It was wild, though, that that thing. So that was that was the first time I've ever done a chance zipper. And I kind of want to do another one.
Speaker: That was only my second time. And that one was much more intense than the first time I did it. Which was already intense enough. But yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, those things are wild.
Speaker: But anyway, the the the reason you've probably clicked onto this podcast is to here is to hear some Thuzis gush about Condor a little bit. so yeah um Wait, do you pronounce Condor with an R at the end?
Speaker: Condor. No. Say Condor? Condor. ah There was an R when he you said Condor.
Speaker: i I remember what said. like I probably said like... Gush about Conda a little bit? come but Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah yeah Gush about Conda a little bit.
Speaker: You just did it again. Yeah, to like make it to to separate the... Conda a little Separate the A from the Conda. Conda. Conda.
Speaker: This is just going to become a podcast of just making fun of Mikhail's accent. right I think multiple episodes in a row now I always find it funny when people from America or Canada say someone else has an accent like they don't also have accents no we're American we all have accents we just have different accents no I agree I know what you're talking about I'm from the Midwest I don't have an accent
Speaker: I'm from the South. so And you... Well, you don't have a Southern accent. I don't really have a Southern accent, but I say y'all a lot. I say y'all. Y'all is a normal word in most people's vocabulary. And you you also say accent.
Speaker: yougen you You just... You just said... You said accent. ah little Like the tiniest bit. Accent. I don't have one of those accents. Accent.
Speaker: And also since Jen's not here to defend herself when she learned, now we learned that she says alien is alien. i wasn't there for that, but I've heard. She says alien? On the Patreon recording that we did, which I still have to edit.
Speaker: um Yeah, we were talking about alien encounter at Disney, and she was like, alien encounter. And i'm like, I'm sorry, what? yeah
Speaker: You know what people from that region, you know, Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, all that yeah um have said that i say words like 10 weird or not 10, but like, ah I don't know.
Speaker: can't think of words right now. Yeah. like there's also different Like my my friend Kenzie. I say Kenzie and they say it sounds like an I instead of an E. I'm like, but that's how you say it though.
Speaker: I'm like, there is a difference between like pen and pen. That. I say in the same way. It's a pen. No matter what. It's a pen. pen. This is a pen. And I don't have a pen.
Speaker: But this is a pen. An ink pen. That's definitely a pen. so It's a pen. Yeah, you're right.
Speaker: So, uh, so Conda.
Speaker: So Conda is a roller coaster. Very good at dangening. At, uh, Wallaby, Belgium. I was so convinced you were going to say Wollaby Holland. but No. I actually almost said Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Don't ask me What? Why?
Speaker: WB, BW, I don't know. Like Busch Gardens Williamsburg, BGW, I don't know. yeah Anyway, um it's a roller coaster at Wollaby, Belgium. We need to bring up the stats on RCDB.
Speaker: I believe it opened 2021, right? I don't remember right from what I looked at earlier. But it was closed for a flood at one point in 2021. Ooh, my random coaster was a Busch Gardens coaster.
Speaker: That's why my friends missed it in 2021. Went back and rode it with me for the first time in 2023 because it had been closed previously. Let's see. Operating since... Oh, May 2021. It has my anniversary!
Speaker: yeah but or Yeah, so when it comes to your first anniversary, I'm going to make sure I say, Happy birthday, Conda! Happy sixth birthday, Conda! Happy Conda Day!
Speaker: Nothing else is going on on this day. Nothing at all. yeah um No, but apparently apparently there was some sort of flood in like summer 2021 in Belgium, and that park was flooded, and I think... i don't know if was the whole park or if just Conda was closed, but But a couple of my friends were going to ride it and they didn't get to.
Speaker: I do remember that flood happening. I can't remember it happening in 2021, though. I thought it was late. it was a year It was the year Conda opened because the friends that I'm talking about went on a giant trip to Europe and one of my friends got 300 credits like in that year. oh And most of it was because he got like over 150 that Europe trip.
Speaker: oh wow Yeah, it was July 2021 that the flooding happened. heat for For reference, i hit four yeah yeah he hit 400 that year with me. It must have happened twice then, because I remember one happening in October.
Speaker: No, this was definitely in the summer. okay yeah um But he got 400 that year on Monster at Adventureland with me, and he ended up getting 700 on Terran in the same year. my god.
Speaker: Oh, a good coaster for a mile still, though. Pretty sure that's the right lore. Anyway. Yeah, no, i definitely I definitely remember... Or maybe I don't know. maybe Maybe I'm remembering an entirely different park. I don't know. but um like I know Over Georgia floods all the time, too.
Speaker: I gotta correct myself. He got 600 on Terran because his 700 was X2. He lied to us. Sorry, I had to correct myself there. How does that make you that his 700th was
Speaker: Well, I told him before I wrote $1,000, I'm like, I'm going to make my $1,000 your $700. And he was like, cool. And then that didn't happen. yeah um People decided that they wanted to sue the park.
Speaker: Something about hitting their head. I don't know. I haven't read about it. I don't know.
Speaker: um you know what ride you don't swipe in that whole rabbit hole um yeah um anyway we're doing really well at focusing on conda should i just like read the quote that we've got in here well i was gonna read stats real quick right oh okay go ahead and read stats how let's see since i'm on rcdb conda at waldby belgium operating since may 8th 2021 it's an intimate mega coaster yeah um I think I watched the Coaster Studios review Konda earlier as a refresher and it was kind of like a spiritual successor to a
Speaker: expedition gf yeah it is i was gonna bring that up at some point a more modern version obviously um just not as good yeah we'll get well i haven't been on egf yet so we'll get to that uh but just shy feet ah hundred sixty four height seventy miles now 164 heights.
Speaker: That's how tall it 164 feet in height. It doesn't say the drop height versus the actual height, so it just says height. It's probably the same. Could be. Oh, no. Let's see. um I didn't realize it does 70 miles per hour. i thought I thought it was like mid-60s or something. yeah It's fast. 15 airtime points and the like first airtime hill that it has is 124
Speaker: And it also has the first non-inverting cobra roll. Which is interesting. Yeah. But definitely not one of the best parts of the ride, for sure. i agree.
Speaker: But now you can read the quote, by the way. Okay. So, Konda. In exotic world, come and defy this creature that frightened the native tribes and enter the legend.
Speaker: Do you dare to confront Konda?
Speaker: yeah you like I was trying to find like, well, I was trying to find like the inspiration for the theme, like some lore about it or anything. You need music behind that. Like, duh and I don't know if you can put conda music. Yeah. I don't know if you can put conda music in a podcast behind me, a voice. We're reading that. It'd be funny.
Speaker: um But that was literally the only like description of what the heck a conda is. It's like some sort of reptile. um well I don't know if it's like a snake or a lizard. all right I imagine it's derived from anaconda.
Speaker: It could be, but I also picture it as like, i don't think they know they have merch of these little like stuffed animals and it's like a lizard. It looks kind of like a lizard dinosaur kind of thing.
Speaker: Cause it has um the, like the lizard head and it's got spikes, like really big spikes all the way down its back. Yeah. I think it's tail splits into two if I recall correctly.
Speaker: it's It's definitely a mythological sort of creature. So did you... did i I wouldn't blame you for not like seeing ah the TV advert considering it's in... it's in beto Another country. right well i mean that Well, they released a French version and they released a Dutch version. um Well, not... Flemish. But it depicts...
Speaker: but like it's ah like like it depicts Some kind of mythological, perhaps lizard, perhaps serpent, yeah, um as like a tribal carving on a wall. And I mean, it ah ah I think it might have a arms and legs, but it looks very s snake-ish to me. And I mean... Yeah, it looks snake-ish, it just has a full body.
Speaker: Yeah. think there's a more. If it's a mythical something. So, Intamin's website actually has a little bit more information. Shockingly. Oh, there you go More so than the Walby Belgium site. It says, the legend says that 5,000 years ago, there was a frightful creature. Whoever tried to fight it paid hate it with their lives, except one brave warrior who was able to tame this gigantic monster and snatch an egg from it.
Speaker: Forgotten until today, the egg hatches and the monster is back. Conda. Yeah. Technically mythical, I guess. Yeah, it is it is a mythical creature for sure. But um i guess we can kind of roll into some of the theming in our discussion because as you're going through the queue, especially as you get up toward the building, are a lot of tribal paintings. Wait, wait, wait.
Speaker: Sorry, not to cut you off. Just so just like just before we get into theming, I will say, because, um I mean, loose loosely related to that, is like one of the main things that I always appreciated about Condor as an attraction. before before I wrote it or anything, is that that um that TV advert that I was just referencing, um it, like... when we when we think When you think about adverts for, like, major coasters, or even family coasters these days... Yeah, or commercials. Yeah, like, we're always we're always talking about...
Speaker: like it's the tallest this it's the fastest this it has this many airtime moments has this many inversions it's the it's the it's the something ist in its state or in its country like all of those things on this on this come on this advert there's none of that like it's literally just like as as you said the um the the the one you know tagline that you read And there's a bit of lore on the story behind behind it and everything. And it highlights that in the advert. it's like The entire advert is literally just the story behind the attraction.
Speaker: And that's it. and And I'm like, that's... I miss things like that. Right, exactly. That's what i want. adverts for attractions to be like, just bring me into the world that you're creating that the attraction exists in. and like especially like Not that this is a family coaster, but there are so many different times we see like like not even just Six Flags like attractions. It'd be um United Parks do it for Busch Gardens attractions and SeaWorld attractions. Hell, Universal do it. Silver Dollar City for for their new mine train opening next year, like, they're on there talking about it's got this many airtime moments. What do I care about a mine train having airtime moments?
Speaker: just bring me into the world just bring just bring me into the story which they do a good job of telling as well but like it's honestly honestly when you when you get to start talking about like it does this many miles per hour and it's and it's the tallest in the tri-state area or whatever or whatever you know like whatever kind of record you want to pull out for like superlatives and stuff it kind of takes me out of the attraction like just my reception of the attraction thematically.
Speaker: Just, just, just bring me into the story. Yeah. And I'm good. I'm happy. You mean like you're not a fan of magic mountain and their thrill glider announcement and all the records are world's longest thrill glider, world's fastest thrill glider. Oh my gosh. I'm it's the only thrill glider. That annoyed me so much. kind of get why they're doing that because they're setting those records while they can before Efteling opens theirs.
Speaker: Or before Futuroscope opens theirs even. Yeah, which I don't know when that one's supposed to open. but I have no idea it might be before Magic Magic. Probably before Efteling. um At least.
Speaker: Yeah, isn't Efteling supposed to open in like 29 or something? 29, I think, yeah. Yeah. but um But, yeah, i i don't I don't care, man. yeah I mean you can see it's tall, I can see it's fast, I can see it does a whole bunch of things. like i don't need to Bring me into the world.
Speaker: yeah I think we're all big fans of immersion here, too. right now And, like, the Condor advert was really the only one I can put to memory that...
Speaker: really does away with all of the stat chasing and just focuses on what the coaster is as an attraction and the story that that it's that they're bringing you into. and i And I just really appreciated that. It was the it was the first thing I noticed about about the whole thing before it even opened.
Speaker: It was just super refreshing. But yeah, sorry, Nate, carry on. ah Well, we're going to just... Yeah, just what I was saying was I was starting to get into some of the theming around like the ride area. And what I was talking about was mainly the queue um is as you get up to the building, you're in the line. And in my experience, I don't think I have waited more than 20 minutes ever for Konda. And I have ridden it a grand total of 20 times between my two visits. um so taking in some of the theming wasn't
Speaker: necessarily something I was standing there doing. But um a lot of the queue when you enter it is mainly just surrounded by tall grass and like these um kind of wooden or like made to look wooden structures that are for shade i' getting up all the way into the building.
Speaker: Including your nice um drink vending machines that are very lore accurate. um On the way there, I will say I'm glad they do that, but it's definitely just ah like a Pepsi machine basically sitting there.
Speaker: um Anyway, not to harp on that, that's not really a big deal. um yeah As you get up along the wall, you go along the wall before you enter the station, and on that wall is a lot of tribal...
Speaker: like, um kind of, not Native American, but like, caveman kind of sort of paintings. Just tribal language. Yeah, like tribal paintings. They show them, I believe, fighting some sort of beast.
Speaker: There may, i I feel like I recall seeing something of an egg being painted on there, which would play into the lore. yeah um But there are tribal paintings of them fighting this mythical beast, and it's a giant lizard-esque...
Speaker: snake creature with legs and i think once again i can't remember but I feel like it has a split tail like it has two tails um and so they really start to tell a story on the wall in tribal paintings which is cool because that's honestly how you would get it if you were an archaeologist digging this up somewhere um and then that leads you all the way into the station which is all stone work and it's made to look like an old cave and there's a bunch of growth in there from what would be naturally growing in like the layer of a creature as such of Honda.
Speaker: And, um, that kind of takes you all the way to the gates. And so that's not even to mention the area. I'm just kind of talking about the queue. Yeah. Oh my God. The whole area is gorgeous. I love it. Yeah.
Speaker: Um, the queue is incredible just because, Or like the the station queue at least. The station's incredible because every inch of it other than like, you know, where there's obviously coaster track is like themed. Like all of it is themed.
Speaker: yeah Even the coaster track's green, so that just fits in. i was going to say, is the station supposed to be a temple of some kind? I don't know if it's a temple or now that I've heard a little bit of the lore. feels like you're in in a cave.
Speaker: Yeah. If it's like cave people created a living space for themselves and then that's where the egg was maybe stored and then it was forgotten about. and then so the egg hatched in there and now it's become Kanda's lair.
Speaker: or cave or whatever, rather than like where the people used to live. like You walk into the... like As you approach the station, you've got the you've got the snake slash pen so serpent head like right at the right at the top, looking ominous and menacing. yeah um And I swear there's...
Speaker: there's like stone torches yeah like on the on either side. yeah lintil like that it looks very It looks very temple-esque. I'll say that. Which it looks It really does. I'm wondering if the characters, the human the human kind of characters from the lore maybe built a temple around a cave, a mysteriously disappeared, and left the Or were they still around? i don't know.
Speaker: But they left the egg in there. Maybe as a trophy or something. And then it hatched. And then now it that it took it over is kind of what I'm thinking in my head of what it is. Because over to the right of that area, when you walk in, there's an obvious exotic world area. And you kind of walk into the conda section.
Speaker: And over to the right, there's like this arched tree branch. And on that arched tree branch, looks like a skull and like the... the spine and like rib bones of maybe another conda or another animal that kind of looks like that um kind of like leaned over the wooden arch.
Speaker: So I don't know if maybe that animal got eaten by Konda and it you know died there or or if it was a something sacrificial from the humans.
Speaker: I don't know. You're talking about the part that goes like over the water. Yeah. There's a little water and it's kind of... Is it a kind of a play area? Yeah, it's like a little obstacle course. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. um Before you get to the bathrooms. Like, when you're walking in the area, kind of hides the bathrooms. Then you get past it and you can see him um them. I mean, this entire area is just a higher level of theming than you would expect from Wallaby Parks in the past. Yeah, honestly, yeah.
Speaker: Now that we've seen Konda and now we've seen Mechalodon and the retheme going from Psyche Underground back to its roots of Turbine and Dock World, I think we'll all be starting to kick up their theming.
Speaker: oh son yeah I kind of wonder how that Mardi Gras area with loop the RMC Loop Guru is going to look. I'm sure that's going to be really good. I don't think i was gonna say i's go i don't think i don't think it's far-fetched to have like pre relatively high expectations for it.
Speaker: Yeah, and they're going to take out Vampire. i don't know if that's part of that or not. Yeah. But they're also removing Vampire, which, thank goodness, terrible SLC. It was fine.
Speaker: It was one of the worst ones ever. We had issues with it. Yeah, well, there's a reason I didn't rewrite it with you. Yeah. It was terrible. It was fine. Anyway, that piece of garbage is...
Speaker: absolutely ready to go like get it out of there um loop guru i'm more sad about because that was fun yeah um but either way they're gonna revamp that whole area it's gonna look awesome so maybe maybe condo was the start of you know wallaby transitioning into a lot more good theming elements i think it was um um it's interesting to see uh because um i don't know if that you you guys might know this all you might know i don't know um The Wallaby Parks are owned by the same company that owns Park Asterix.
Speaker: um I did not actually know that. What's it called? um it's ah I can't ah can't remember the name of the company. I'll i'll find it. um there's ah It's a yeah French resort ah like company that owns like a bunch of ski resorts as well. but They happen they happen to um ah manage I don't know if those are the only parks they manage, but they definitely they definitely manage ah Park Asterix and then the two, well, the three Wallaby parks um with Wallaby Roan Alps as well. um
Speaker: And with the job that they've been doing with Park Asterix in terms of... um theming their most recent attractions, being Two Tires, being Set Automatics, um ah the the new the new ah the new ah England, Great Britain, London themed area with that new multi-dimensional coaster going there. um they are They are putting a lot of love and effort and attention to detail into the thematic integrity of Park Asterix. And you can see they're putting something close to the same intentionality in at Wallaby Belgium as well. ah from From everything that I've been told, Wallaby Holland is kind of, kind of operates as its own entity in terms of its new attractions and stuff.
Speaker: So that's, I think that's where the difference, like presentation wise, comes in with both parks. But with Wallaby Belgium, they are, they're, they're doing, they're doing an incredible job.
Speaker: Like for sure. i was really impressed with that park. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I was going to say, Wallaby Holland, not to get on that, but they haven't really had, their newest coaster is, I think, Eat My Dust, which is a family coaster. And before that, I think it was Untamed. They haven't been getting quite the investment that Wallaby Belgium is. What?
Speaker: Oh, Yoi. Dude, I always forget about Yoi. Oh my goodness. So yo but I don't know what Yoi looks like. Um, like I know what it looks like, but I don't know what the area is like if it's on the level of Wally B Belgium or not. If with Doc World and Exotic World.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, it seems, it seems decent from pictures I've seen. Yeah, forgot about Joy completely. is called Compania des Alps.
Speaker: I wouldn't have known how to say that. However, that's supposed to be pronounced. I don't know.
Speaker: But yeah, they own a they own a bunch of ski resorts. And they also... ah to do Let me see. any see youssuming you see that They are here. Yeah, they own Park Asterix, the Wallaby Parks, Wallaby Roan Alps, Wallaby Belgium, Wallaby Holland. BellaWard and Futuroscope, as well as ah the Lantis and then the the ah sort of like adjacent water parks in those brands as well. um
Speaker: So yeah, they um they get a lot of love from um European enthusiasts about like being ah a park operator that actually like really cares about like investing in in the parks and like you can you see it you see it with uh belantis and bella weard their their new attractions that they're getting um uh coming up in the next few years as well um they get a lot of praise for sure yeah i mean they're they're doing a great job and it's
Speaker: incredibly, incredibly apparent in Wallaby, Belgium. And I think it kind of started around the time of condo. Like that's where I feel like it turned. Like, I feel like it, the condo was the first step in that process.
Speaker: I mean, I remember hearing for ah like years about the Wallaby Mega. Wallaby Mega. it was In my head, it was just Wallaby Mega for years until the name Konda finally got announced. but as well as me and they that thing because then Because that one and ah the were both...
Speaker: announced at the same time at IAPA at the IAPA Expo in like 2019 or something like that? Yeah, 2019. Like a few years before they both got built. So yeah, they were on the horizon for a while then obviously... Like we knew about a more than one park season.
Speaker: More than one whole park season in in advance. like it It felt like a long time about hearing the Wallaby Mega and the Park Asterix Launch Coaster until they happened. But, um, so I think that was probably the beginning of, of the changes, at least to wallaby Belgium. Cause I mean, park asterisks was kind of already really well done.
Speaker: Um, for sure. so we can probably discuss maybe the next, what what what What's the next natural next step with Kanda? Maybe the... Train? the How the train fits in the theming? Yeah. yeah Because I think almost the whole like layout, now that I've been sitting here thinking about it, going through the layout my head, I've got, you know, with my amount of rides on it, I kind of remember it pretty well. Yeah. remember the layout.
Speaker: Yeah. it So the train, the front of it is the head of this Konda creature. So sick. And it's it's one of the best lead cars I've seen. Like, at top 10 lead cars. Yeah. up so For sure.
Speaker: um But, I mean, obviously with those Intamin trains, it's hard to theme the rest of it. They did keep it all the same color and they have some markings down the train. But they did as good of a job as possible with that with that train. Yeah.
Speaker: um The way I'm thinking about it is you go, obviously you go up the lift hill, 164 height in the air. um And then you take a drop, take a drop, which immediately yanks you to the right.
Speaker: and proceed throughout the layout. But the way I'm thinking about this, this is all laid out in like a large grassland. They've purposefully allowed the grass to grow up a little higher. It makes it look weedy. makes it look wild and natural.
Speaker: um and Now that I'm thinking about it, a creature hatching from an egg and rampaging around like a settlement of humans, it may just be waking up and you the ride of Kanda itself is themed to that creature running around raing rampaging and like um terrorizing people, you know, because it would go out, kind of do some erratic movements and then come back and be like, you know,
Speaker: Maybe the ending is like it hopping back to its like home or whatever. yeah I don't know if this is true, but I just like all that popped in my head and it's green tracks. The green track could either be the conda or it could be just a representation of the ground where it's running. Yeah. I've heard stranger head cannons.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, it honestly makes a lot of sense because the motions and movements of conda are erratic and the ride is intense. And it feels like you're going you're riding on the back of this creature as it rampages through um after being born or out of the egg or or awoken out of a sleep.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, I don't know. I think that, along with the train design, like I just think that would work that works so perfectly. like They did such a good job with that.
Speaker: um The one thing I wish about the trains is that I wish it had the higher heart line seats like on Taron, on Velocicoaster, on Tiger. where you think he might die if they did that. You know that first drop?
Speaker: Like, oh my gosh. yeah It already whips you enough. Holy crap. But I mean, I'm always one for more intensity so I can't fully disagree.
Speaker: That literally gave me a gigantic bruise on my thigh. Yeah. i few days later I got one on my side during the ride because my shirt came up and we deemed it the Intahickey.
Speaker: Like the Intamin Hickey. Because that's what it looked like. It was on my lower side, lower right side. and it was just like a big red mark that kind of turned blue and purple after a while. But it wasn't a bruise. It was like a, like a rub like i rubbed it on the oh it hurt it really did hurt when it happened but um it didn't take away from the ride grazing like a gri yeah it your skin yeah it's like when you like fall on a basketball court and your skin rubs real quick that's yeah that's what it felt like but um i'm just straight up just dark bruise where i was looking at my leg where i'm like
Speaker: what? I don't even know like how I got this. And I'm like, Condis first drop. That's how I got this. tax right place Yeah. It's, it's nuts. And you know, what else is kind of crazy about Condis, how the restraints release since we're talking about the trains. Yeah.
Speaker: It's... Keep you keep your like they keep your hands back. Keep your head back. yeah and hold I have never seen a restraint release more aggressive than on the combat. They scare me. yeah It's like, boom!
Speaker: I was like... I was i was thinking, like, that can't be good for, like, wear and tear on i was thinking that too on the parts. It open. Like the hinges. It hits the top and it's like, boom!
Speaker: yeah yeah it like but yeah it hits it hits its max reach and then like bounces that yeah it shakes the train like because they all release it once it's like don it's like if you don't move out the you're gonna get hit and it's gonna hurt you're gonna get a nosebleed from it you're not gonna be having a good time yeah not even the other Intamin trains do that yeah it's really weird that that's like the only one yeah interesting the snake getting its last attack on you yeah about the right it's steaming clearly yeah my uh my friend emma who i used to do the chain dogs uh podcast with um she like the first time she wrote i always i always remember her talking about like the first time she wrote it like she came off with a bunch of bruises on her legs and she like i like she and she actively like
Speaker: like ranks the ranks it like kind of low because because of like it's uncomfortable for her on a leg and stuff. I'm like, you just need to go to the gym. Beef out the legs. Get some muscle on those thighs. Do some squats. You'll have a much better time.
Speaker: Do some squats. Yeah, know. Mikhail, what do you squat? Oh my god. Um... For reference, I have no idea what I squat. A lot, I will say that. I can't remember, though.
Speaker: I have no idea what I squat. I've been by doing squats in the gym since I was a teenager, or so I have have pretty... big legs honestly um so i've never i've never really come off with a lot lot of a lot the causes that people say they come off with with bruises on because of the restraints i never really like get that to be honest but like it's it's it's not to downplay like how strong the airtime is at all like i definitely i definitely still feel it like it's just yeah but um Yeah, no, I mean, to be honest, like when it, when with the layout on Condor, I just like,
Speaker: let me, let me start with this. Like I, ah i I love this ride. I do. Like I i love, I love it It's so good. It's so good. It's so fun. It's so, it's a powerhouse. Like it's aggressive.
Speaker: um I do think I need to, need to go back and get more rides on it though. No. ah Like, just, like, in general, because because i because i just want i just want to ride it more. um But then also, it i don't think I don't think it was quite as, like, aggressive as I was expecting it to be. um Not to a detriment in the sense that, like, it's not as good as everyone says it is, because it definitely is.
Speaker: I think maybe I ah maybe maybe i just need... another day or another day and a half there to just really just lap it without you know like having to worry about getting creds or anything like that um for it to really set in and be like oh my god yes this is one of my favorite coasts in the world i feel like i'm all i'm so close to being there i need like another day to just so just to just like get like a stupid amount of rides on it and then i'll be there This feels like you Ride to Happiness. I need a look. um Yeah. i was yeah guess So I was actually, now that you mentioned Ride to Happiness, both of these actually, but I'm going to focus on Kanda for obvious reasons.
Speaker: I was very fortunate. i'm very happy in the rides. The 17 rides I was able to get um my first visit there because Um, we got all the credits in the park fairly quickly and we even got to rewrite. Um, we rode loop group twice and we got to ride, um, at the time psyche underground a second time.
Speaker: um but condo we got to ride 17 times because we had gotten done with everything and we just kept lapping it and it was like five minute wait at most that entire day and it was i don't know we just hit it on a good day in july um i was go i was gonna say when when like when what time of year was it that you went it was july 2023 in the middle of summer Yeah, I can't, I don't remember exactly what days of July, but it was July 2023. And like, it had no particular reason to be dead.
Speaker: But we were very fortunate in the fact that it was because we were just able to go. It was nice weather too. Like, it's not like... ah According to my phone, it was July 11th, 2023. Yeah, so I imagine it was much more warmer when I went in September um on a weekend where it wasn't open for like, and like it was closed like ah at least two days out of the out of the week. um And it wasn't, it like it was it was sunny, it was nice weather, but it wasn't that warm. That's a really nice photo. ah I'm showing you the torches you were talking about.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It is a temple. Yeah. Like, it was nice weather when I went, but it was September, so it wasn't that warm. And, like, it was kind of busy as well. So, like... It was kind of busy. Getting on, like, Tiki... Getting on, like, Tiki Waka took, like, 45 minutes. Getting on... Like, Mechaludum was on a...
Speaker: I want to say, like, minimum 30 minute wait all day. um my biking like i i i straight up Like, I got all the credits and everything, but I didn't have the time to get, like, the amount of rewriting in on Konda that I would have wanted. So, like, I need another I need another day to deliver us to Tikiwaka.
Speaker: yeah Yeah. For thine is the Pulsar, of the Turbine, and the Konda forever. Ah, Megalodon. Ah, Megalodon. That's our like Lord's prayer of Wallaby Belgium.
Speaker: Give us this day our daily Fanta. Right.
Speaker: but Kyle's broken. um i have the whole thing written down. Actually, back then I hit my 600th credit at Wallaby Belgium, but I made it um Psyche Underground, which that's what it was called back then. It's before they rethemed it back to the original name. Yeah.
Speaker: The reason I didn't make it Konda, because Konda is clearly by far not even close the better coaster. um i was i'm going I was going for different manufacturers for every hundred, and I already had an Intamin Pantheon. So I was like, well, I'll take the Schwarzkopf.
Speaker: so Random Nate lore to throw in there. but ah yeah i love Turbine so much. We didn't do a lot of re-rides that day that we went, but no we got I wanted to ride Turbine again.
Speaker: Yeah, I think so. Yeah. But um either way, I mean, i total I've gotten to ride Condit 20 times that I already said that earlier, but that's how basically are the three that we did and then the 20 that I or the 17 I did the other day or the other year.
Speaker: Yeah, i need i need I need heat of the summer rides. on it yeah When did you ride it, Mikhail? September. Yeah, you need to go in the summer. yeah Yeah, mine were June and July. That's what I was going to say. i also did not get a front row ride. I did not get a back row ride. There were assigning seats.
Speaker: um Ooh. Yeah. yeah i think the furthest I think the closest to the back I got was like third from the back, maybe.
Speaker: It was such a walk-on for us that they weren't even like thinking about assigning seats. They didn't even have anyone there to do it. like it was It was definitely busy on the day that I went. because they the yeah they I tried to ask for the back, I think. um But like tried I was just trying not to overdo it.
Speaker: why in that sense. right um So yeah, i think i think I think my very last ride of the day ended up being like third or fourth from the back or something like that. So like i've so like i've not I've not gotten it on like what would evidently be either of the best two rows.
Speaker: Yeah, i've I've gotten most of mine in the back, a couple of mine in the front. um But either way, I mean, both... I don't even know if... I'm pretty sure it's a back row ride just because you get like that that yank over the top of the hill, the the first drop.
Speaker: But it's still really good at the front. Is that your favorite part of the layout, then? The drop? oh Yeah, either the drop or that very first hill.
Speaker: I was going to say, like that you know one, two of the drop into that That first hill is great. That first hill is pretty great. Yeah, but pretty much, yes, that would be my favorite part of it, would be the the drop into that that hill. Both of those are just incredible.
Speaker: Into the wave turn for them, or the outer bank. Yeah, yeah, the wave turn, outer bank, whatever, crazy. also crazy
Speaker: it's like It's a great sequence for sure. I um naturally ah I think I do you prefer Pantheon's Outer Bank just judging from... because I mean I rode both in the same year. um i think ah ah like I... mean like Pantheon was running just out of its mind when when we rode it ah during the Virginia stumble.
Speaker: um I think I do prefer the Pantheon's a fair bit but You know, like i said, that could When I eventually get back on Konda sometime in the near future, ah that could change. Who knows?
Speaker: That sounds bad, but I almost forget about Pantheon with two Tatis and Konda and... I feel like... ah like I mean, quick little side tangent. I feel like, honestly, I might have ridden a version of Pantheon during that weekend that no one else got. In the same weekend. Because no no one talks about that.
Speaker: like how just absurd like those ERT rides were. i was like, well um was I on the train by myself or something? No, you're riding with me. Exactly.
Speaker: Don't get me wrong, I love Pantheon. I ranked Pantheon higher after that weekend because of those rides we got, to be fair. Dude, that ride was crazy! That was one of the best ERTs I've had. like Granted, I've not had like you know hyper superior your t a lot of the ERTs that BuzzBars has been able to amass over the years. Um...
Speaker: but I have Hyperia and Pantheon like right by each other in my way. Yeah, Hyperia and ART was crazy. Pantheon was moving different that weekend. Like, for sure. That was something.
Speaker: That was something, sure. But... but Real quick, between Hyperia and Pantheon, there's something about me riding these rides during ERT with my co-hosts that just make them special for me. That just make it a 12 out of 10 instead of just a lowly 11 out of 10.
Speaker: Oh yeah, for sure. Nate never found a seat, so. No, Hyperia I'm pretty sure doesn't have one. I don't think they have seats on it, but. What, like a yeah best seat? or No, as in... No, like there's so there was still much airtime and hang time that there might as well be no seat because there isn't one.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Yeah, I kept saying that every time Alice and I were riding every ride we got. I was like, Alice, where is my seat? The seat might as well not be here because I ain't Arguably, I could have said the same thing on Konda.
Speaker: Although Konda's got... The thing is, Konda's got a lot of positives. And because it's got it because it has a lot of positives, you know i'm i'm not... I'm not thinking, oh my butt's out of the seat this literal entire ride as much as I am on Hyperia, which goes from out-of-your-seat airtime immediately into out-of-your-seat hangtime.
Speaker: so But I actually do have Konda rated higher in my rankings than Hyperia, though, since we're on that topic. I think I do, too. Konda, I was going to look at where it was in my rankings, and I forgot because I was looking at when I went to ride it.
Speaker: i always forget how high I have Konda. i have it pretty high. It fell out of my top 10 this year.
Speaker: Yeah, I have it at 5. With EGF, which I will take a moment to talk about Expedition G-Force's first drop. Yeah, rights are actually we'll get to that I was to say we're going to get to that comparison at some point shortly. Yeah, I'll just talk about it real quick because the main thing is the first drop, but really...
Speaker: They are spiritual successors or Kanda is a spiritual successor because they're so similar. They really are. it's kind of is the modern version of of EGF.
Speaker: um Exposition G Force. ah The reason I like Expedition G-Forces drop more is because it's less refined. They didn't have quite the computer technology um to smooth it out quite as much. So because of that extra little wobble in it, I prefer it.
Speaker: But I will say Konda's is more refined. Konda is my number 11, actually. And I have it just below Terran, which is at 10. Which is funny. Mine is it's just below Terran for me, too. It's just at 4 and 5 instead. yeah Yeah. what the Pretty much all I hear from people who have done both is that Condor's drop is a a more smoothed out, a more de-pumped version, to use no-limits terms, um a depumped version of uh exhibition g-forces drop g-forces drop basically basically like it whips you to the right so hard it has to over it has to like course correct well like before before like yes polling yes it does everything i would say overcorrect it's awful that is what it does yes um but it it's just
Speaker: It's just the rest the layout of Expedition GeForce that really... just It's like endless, unending airtime, and that is why i have it over Konda. And maybe the non-inverting Cobra Roll turnaround, maybe what makes that difference, what kills it. Because what I didn't mention, Expedition GeForce is at It's a break in the pacing.
Speaker: So... um My 9 is EGF, my 10 is Taren, my 11 is Konda. They're kind of all right there together. is It is like the the non-inverting Cobra. like It is ah is a break in the pacing, but I didn't find it to be as much of a nothing element as I had been led to believe by people had written... No, it does whip. I really like the whip on it. like I like how it...
Speaker: Not either. Well, that yeah. But like, the honest, like, I feel like, um I guess in the rides I got, like ah like I said, I didn't i didn't manage to get front or a back row ride. So it might like um whip pretty well on entry or exit, depending on which row. But um I thought the positives going into it were really were were really strong. Like out of the, in the valley, out of the outer bank, going up into it.
Speaker: i i thought it felt I thought the positive G-forces felt good and strong going up into it. And then like in certain rows, um I kind of liked just the floatiness of the transition like going through it. It's just the valley up at the top where it starts to feel...
Speaker: where the ride just starts to feel a little bit slower than I think it might want to. But it pick it it does pick it up it does pick it right back up like you know once you exit um the element. But um i I think um the two transitions up at the top, they can feel quite floaty. And that's kind of satisfying to me, um depending on depending on the row that I'm sitting in. like um Obviously, obviously i would prefer that it just you know, just whip and drag me like, like into it or or out of it or anything. But, um, I do, but I appreciate, I appreciate, um, floaty sensation that like the floaty sensation that it can give depending on the ah other rows that you're in as well.
Speaker: Um, But yeah, I mean, it picks the pace right back up after it. That hill, that one hill after the non-inverting Cobra is one of my favorite moments on ride. Oh, that's crazy. It's mental. That hill, it goes immediately back into just trying to kill you. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I'm going to have to watch the video again because I don't remember that hill offhand. it It gives you strong, like, it's ejector into it, but then it sustains it. Like, it just keeps going. And like I like how it um it gives you that strong hill.
Speaker: it and then And then it's one long sweeping turn. I've really felt a sense of speed through that through the ah the two like long sweeping turns in in this sort of like pseudo spaghetti bowl section before like doing the return run. um It's a very satisfying...
Speaker: um layout in terms of the forces and sensations that it gives you um it balances them out really well it doesn't really do it doesn't really try to do too much of one thing um and it executes on its like main focus points really well before just you know calling it quits and it goes and it hits like, I guess on the return run, there's, and there's enough, um, different kinds of airtime moments. There's some off axis moments. There's, um, like straight and down airtime. I'm literally like in that point of the POV. I'm like, yeah, it does a lot of like trick track things. and Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: But like, not not too much where it gets kind of silly, like, it and it it, and it carries enough speed through them where they all feel purposeful as well. Right. So like, and then, and then it, it hits, it hits the brakes with enough speed. i' was just like, Oh, this, yeah, the the, the rides can be really satisfying on them.
Speaker: I mean, Intamin for the Wintamin because they do it better than Steel Vengeance and Air Force 1 with those bunny hops at the end. so they' agree They're tolerable, they're fun, they're enjoyable, like all of it. You get a solid amount of airtime.
Speaker: so Yeah, the trains are nice. Allison, I think I've maybe said this to you before. I feel like Condor's layout tries to do the same things that, like, in order of how they do them as Steel Vengeance's layout does, but to a much more satisfying kind of... To a much and better. they It's executed so much better. Yeah. the Yeah, like, the flow and the pacing is a lot better.
Speaker: Yeah. But like, but like the reason why I can, the reason why I compare the two is because it seems like in terms of what it's trying, in terms of what it's trying to do and the moments it's trying to deliver, it kind of tries to deliver them in the same order.
Speaker: But where Steel Vengeance overstays its welcome and kind of, and just kind of has no choice but to run out of steam before it hits the brakes. Condor,
Speaker: feels a bit more balanced and it's not just it's not just airtime after airtime after airtime after airtime it's good is given it's given you a lot of different things um and then hits the brakes with still enough steam for it to feel like oh yeah that was a good that was a you know ah a good finale proportional to what like what the rest of the ride feels like yeah where where i do not get that feeling on steel vengeance same yeah it's I have it ranked much higher than Steel Minutes.
Speaker: Same. And I have it over Air Force One, in fact. Mm-hmm. all know my thoughts on... Right.
Speaker: I will say, like, I wish that it had on-board audio. oh I just think that's the... It's perfect. like It's pretty perfect without it, but I think it would add just a bit more to it if it had that. Like...
Speaker: um Especially the audio in that advert. Oh my god. Oh yeah. right yeah I'm going to have to watch that after we get done this. I'll send you the link for it because it's awesome.
Speaker: I love Hulk Onrite Audio and um some others kind of like that, but what really made me realize how much I love onro Onboard Audio lately is actually a Circuit Breaker that we rode.
Speaker: um sure allison because that that soundtrack is incredible but can just imagine if condo was able to have that onboard audio with how good the condo soundtrack is already and the layout of the ride think it'd make a perfect ride even better like imagine those like tribal drums yeah gaining as you go get back into yeah yeah You get back and you just hear the screech.
Speaker: Yeah, like the screech in your ear as you hit the brakes. Yeah. Which I think actually it does play that, but it's not on board. It's surround sound. So you do get something of that um when you when you do write it. But...
Speaker: and don't know. so having something like that throughout the ride to be crazy. Yeah. And obviously I wouldn't want them to like change the trains or do anything that might make it weird because I think it's pretty perfect as it is right now. mean, they could do trains that don't pop their strength so much.
Speaker: ah No, that's almost like a feature at this point. Like I would be disappointed if I went back and they didn't slam open like that. They didn't try to kill you. Yeah. Like, like that's funny.
Speaker: Um, But yeah, i I don't know. It would be really cool with with onboard audio. I think so too. Because onboard audio can just elevate a ride so much.
Speaker: Yeah, it really does. It's just, yeah. Like I know we live like we did an episode on music like very early in the podcast. I feel like we might need to revisit that specifically for onboard audio.
Speaker: Yeah, true, because um there's a lot to talk about there. I'm going to make a of We could compile a list of a lot of onboard audio options that you could you could talk about, which some that are like defunct now, too.
Speaker: Not like the rides themselves, but the the onboard audio part of the rides are defunct.
Speaker: um But, yeah. Yeah. I mean, just a great ride all around. I don't know if I have much else to say about it. Just we've, we've given it a lot of love because it deserves it.
Speaker: Well, we still have some listener comments as well. Well, right. I'm just saying me. I don't know if I personally have much else to add. I've, I love that ride. It's so good. i do. love I do love the soundtrack.
Speaker: The soundtrack's awesome. Yeah.
Speaker: I'm like, we just had such a good day at that park. yeah Yeah, I do just want more time at the park because it's great. yeah and and like i was there but um I was there by myself like just like as I was traveling through ah a couple of different European countries after spending some time ah back home in England. I was just there by myself, which i i love a park day but um ah I love a park day by myself. um But ah I do just want more time at the park because I was just walking around and was like, this is...
Speaker: this is this is This is what I want. like this is This is the kind of like theme park that i want. That blends theme like really well-done themes with really good coaster hardware. hi That's what that's why i want. And...
Speaker: To see a park kind of be like blossoming into that and really like starting to do it better and better as it like you know develops its attraction lineup, as it develops its coastal lineup, um was just really cool. to like you It's almost like, obviously they're not not building attractions this fast, but you can kind of see it unfolding like in front of you as you're there.
Speaker: And yeah it was it it was a it was a really cool feeling. I was i was feeling like um the one thing that they need is their second staple thrill coaster. And they go. And there they go. there they go I mean, i mean that um that RMC conversion was rumored for I don't know how many years at this point. but um Right. Right.
Speaker: but, uh, but yeah, it's happening now. Yeah. Now they're going, now they're going ahead and doing it. So they probably, and they're going somewhere on on the same lines because they need, they need something to take the pressure off of Condor, um, with the kind of, well, you know, you mentioned like in the middle of the summer, it was kind of dead still, but, um,
Speaker: but like to take the pressure off of Condor in terms of the lines that it gets. And, i mean, we we do champion Intamin for making their making their new that like newer creations like a bit more reliable. i could i i They're reliable. They're also capacity machines. like they Well, ah i was I was going to say, like that at least the day I was there, Condor was not without its share of downtime.
Speaker: Yeah. as well Oh, I think it broke down like maybe a little bit when I was there the first time. i don't recall. it It was broke down. I think it was like in the morning it was closed for us. break down for us? Okay. i I feel like I remember a brief bit of a breakdown time. Yeah. My first visit. That's when we went back to ride Turbine. But like, I i don't say i don't say that to say like...
Speaker: oh, Intamin, Intamin, Intamin, always down. um Not to say that, just it like because it wasn't like an egregious amount of downtime, but in a park where that is so very clearly like your headline-like thrill coaster, you kind of need at least one other one to take the pressure off, is the point I'm making.
Speaker: And Megalodon is currently the second best at the park, for sure. Yeah, But I think having that RMC there is going to really make it a destination park. Like, what a one-two punch. We could do a whole deep dive on Mechlinar. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: But like like like like I'm saying, you need that that second big thrill coaster. Yeah. um I will say kind of on your point of like them improving the park. I actually, ah wasn't a huge fan of Wallaby Belgium after my first visit 2023.
Speaker: um Nothing the park did to like hurt my experience there per se. um Like I had a pretty good day there, especially riding Conda 17 times. But i don't know. There were just things about the park that felt a little bit...
Speaker: you know there' that there's definitely parts of it that they is like all still to they need to improve continue to improve yeah yeah but then when i i went back last year um and rode meclodon saw that new area and just the whole vibe of the entire park was just um upped on a whole nother level and it became it became a much higher quality park in my opinion like i i enjoy it a lot more now after that that second. Like, go ah going to Park Asterix for the first time last year, and then almost immediately following that up with Wallaby Belgium, who I saw... That's a tough act to follow. Yeah, right. But... ah
Speaker: um as i'm about to say though like it validated pretty much everything because because i'm i'm in the um the coaster bot discord as well which is like vast majority british and european enthusiasts in there so they talk they talk about um uh cda a lot in terms of uh how much money they're putting into park asterix how much they're putting into Wallaby Belgium and all and their other parks how much Wallaby Holland kind of is like the red-headed stepchild a little bit um it is think it's turned into that um and like to sit like the uh in in terms of like the quality of investments and the quality of the of the theming the quality of the presentation and the the um
Speaker: the the the ride manufacturers that they're choosing for their attractions, um the the ah operations levels, that like the how how they are designing attractions infrastructure-wise to be able to work, for to to be conducive to um efficient operations as well. You can see the similarities between Park Asterix and Wallaby Belgium.
Speaker: that everything that they're trying to implement and perfect in park asterix, they're using that and learning that to improve WallyBelgium as well. Like you can, and I could definite then you can see it definitely, yeah, you can see it, you can feel it. Um, yeah it definitely, I definitely saw similarities in that sense.
Speaker: Um, where I don't know much about Wallaby Belgium's history in terms of like how it used to be as a park before it was acquired by CDA. have no idea. But ah but you can so you can tell they're putting a lot of effort as well and into into that park and into making it making it honestly one of one of the best one of the best parks in Europe.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: For sure. Maybe not on the level of something like Efteling or Europe. Well, not quite. but like But it's not it's not trying to compete with them, really.
Speaker: No, it's not. so It's doing very well for what it's trying to do right now. Yeah. for sure. And there's still room for there's still room for improvement. There's still a lot of potential that they can um ah realize.
Speaker: So I'm i'm definitely... ah um um' I'm excited to see like what what they really can become in the next few years.
Speaker: And evidently Condor was only the start. so Yeah. you know... well you know On the note of Conda, maybe we can get into some listener comments here. Yes.
Speaker: Especially with one of the comments I see here that says, from Marty, that says, best coaster in Belgium. And while it is in my number 11 overall.
Speaker: i can't say that. i I have one other coaster in Belgium that I just have a little bit higher. A little bit higher than con than Conda. um called Ride to Happiness. You may have heard of it. um But i will say, holy crap, Belgium has a top two and they're about to have a top three. Yeah, yeah. He does not like Ride to Happiness though. does Yeah, i don right insane that like yeah i don't I don't know his opinion on Ride to Happiness. but He's always adamant any time Ride to Happiness comes up.
Speaker: It rolls and rolls, it rolls, it rolls. ah That wouldn't be the reason I would think
Speaker: to I don't know. That's what I always... Yeah, yeah. um That's what always hear him saying. I always see him saying and in the BuzzBars Discord, at least.
Speaker: and Granted, for me right now, I do have Konda above Ride to Happiness, but like I said earlier, i need a lot of rides on Ride to Happiness. You did not get good rides on that. No. I know it will be higher once I get better rides on it.
Speaker: I don't know if it will be higher than Konda, but... I was on a really good trip in 2023 because in that same trip, just a few days later, i got 13 rides in one day on a ride of happiness. Yeah.
Speaker: You just went at great time of year, evidently. Apparently, i it wasn't that hot, like, really. So, I don't know. In 2023, it wasn't. i'm not I'm not too, like, clued up upon ah when um when schools in, i guess I guess, that region of Belgium and, like like, in Brussels and nearby Brussels and stuff. I'm not i'm not too sure, like, when they...
Speaker: like get out for summer break um but the schools in england get out in like mid july so like going to parks has usually for for me anyway, been a write off, um, in the summer until like, maybe be like August, like early to mid, mid August. Like when, when all of the families have gotten their trips in like, like fresh out of school and stuff. Um, I don't know if that, I have no idea if that's the case in, in like Belgium, Netherlands, France, wherever, wherever else. Um,
Speaker: But that that that is that is kind of surprising on the face of it to hear that you went in like basically the middle of July and it was that dead. don't know, man. I mean... um Popsaland definitely wasn't that dead at all. um Just I don't think Ride to Happiness kits that many, because there are a lot of children, a lot of families, a lot of small kids there.
Speaker: I waited half an hour for the K2 roller skater. But I didn't, we waited maybe at most 15 to 20 minutes for Ride to Happiness. But then at the end of the day, when all the kids had kind of gone home, we waited an hour for Anubis.
Speaker: um So, like, I'm not saying that park was dead, although Wallaby, Belgium, that one was ah bit more dead. no But I think with Ride of Happiness, it just died out at the end of the day, and we got lucky with our rides.
Speaker: Yeah, I can see that. Yeah.
Speaker: But yeah, no, I have Ride to Happiness like barely clinging onto my top 10. And um Conda at 21 at the moment. Although I feel like after after um after I hopefully get Summer Rides on it, um that will that will climb for sure.
Speaker: Ride to Happiness is my number two. And then Conda's my 11. So I love both of them, obviously. Yeah. um Yeah. I could i could see Konda getting up into my top 15 just looking at what it would leapfrog.
Speaker: What I have in like 20 to 16, I could see Konda getting up in the top 15. Yeah. but we should also um TBD on that. Back to the comments. um Solar Coaster says, i haven't ridden Konda, but the concept of a non-inverting cobra roll is so cool.
Speaker: Also, from what I have seen, the station is very cool. Which, station yeah, we did touch on the station, which is a really incredible looking station. It is awesome. um And I will say going into before I had ridden it, the non-inverting Cobra roll did really intrigue me as well. And I'm not, I don't want to act like, or sound like I was saying it's a dead element because it's not, it has whipped into it and out of it. You get a lot of laterals on that part and you get a bit of a breather in a pretty intense ride, but it didn't like when I hear Cobra roll, I think of bracing myself on a boomerang, honestly, honestly,
Speaker: Not even that. When I hear Cobra Roll, I think of Alpengeist, Hulk, Cooler. Those are the good ones. I think of the scary ones on Boomerangs.
Speaker: Well, it's like the things that I like about those Cobras um being so whippy at the top and then like you don't feel a loss of sense of speed like during like the valley in between the two corkscrews where you do kind of feel that on Condor's non-inverting Cobra roll, which um i like i i i I have thought about like what...
Speaker: could what could be done to basically improve that element, like improve the non-inverting Cobra. And honestly, I kind of just think if you made it smaller, it might work better because like you wouldn't lose the sense of speed through it. It would still be whippy at the top. You would get a good sense of speed like through the middle of it, like in between the two whippy moments, and you would still get dragged down out of it, and it would still carry on its pace.
Speaker: i Honestly. I think Intamin should try again. They should do it again. I feel like... I kind of feel like if it was just a bit smaller, yeah like just a bit shorter, then it wouldn't lose it wouldn't lose its speed so...
Speaker: not and I don't want to say drastically because it's not a drastic loss, but like but like it wouldn't lose so much speed through it, basically. yeah Honestly, i will so I will say this as well. We were talking about Hyperia earlier.
Speaker: I also feel the same way about that Outer Bank, like the Outer Bank role. i kind of I kind of do feel like it it's it's crazy, it is, it's crazy, like that element.
Speaker: I did kind of feel like, oh, I would i would have appreciated it keeping its speed a bit more through it, I will say. But that's just me, though. like i kind i but like i just kind I kind of feel like if it was a bit shorter they wouldn't for first first and foremost, they wouldn't have so many valleying issues with it. um But then also like it like that feeling of... Because in the front, in the in the front um you get whipped out to the side, like and then the um the the crazy like airtime, like the the the sideways airtime hits you, and then like it slows up to where you're just hanging there.
Speaker: Before it starts rolling. I feel like if the element was a little bit shorter, it would maintain the strength of that airtime all the way around it. And then roll you over.
Speaker: So it would be even... For me, personally, it would that would be even crazier. But yeah. I kind of feel like it would do the same. I just hope Intamin does try a non-inverted cover roll again at some point.
Speaker: And make it, like you said, make it a little smaller. Make it little more forceful or something. i think it'd be cool to see you again. Yeah, no, definitely. It is a fun element. Because off-ride it looks sick as well.
Speaker: Like, off-ride, light just taking photos of it or people doing like B-roll footage of it and stuff. like It's just a crazy thing to look at.
Speaker: um Who else have we got? We've got Parker that says, um I love how it combines the style of Intamin's mega coaster with the elements of a multi launch.
Speaker: I can see that. Yeah, yeah, kind get that. Yeah. I can honestly see them just launching into that first element and then same ride, basically. Yeah. Turning it into a top hat.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. A top top hat with a crazy, like, twisting drop. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that could work. Yeah. I agree. I think that is cool that it is kind of in the style of a multi-launch.
Speaker: It feels kind of like those. Speaking of that, I think in the Coaster Studios video, he mentioned um that one of the original options or whatever that they were looking at for Kanda included Mosasaurus-like role at the end. Oh my gosh.
Speaker: I think that would have been nuts. think I did hear that. I can't remember exactly. That would have been wild to think about it, especially if that was like the only inversion on that ride. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, like the like the way it it like, for like the first no pun intended, snakes off a little bit like and starts doing more... I see what you did there. via You like that one? That's fun. But like, the way it's the way it's doing those last few little ah bunny hills, the way it's like banking in between them, if it then just threw you through a Mosasaurus roll, that'd be crazy. Yeah.
Speaker: ah That would be that wouldd be wild. Yeah, that would be bonkers.
Speaker: can't even imagine Konda getting a Mosasaurus roll.
Speaker: Nuts. Sittering Velocicoaster is my number one and I have Konda at five. But it's been adding a Mosasaurus roll and doing on-ride audio. I think there's an art to having one inversion in an otherwise inversionless coaster, though.
Speaker: like i feel I feel like that would be the perfect way to execute that. Because if it's just stuck in the middle of the ride, it's like, why is this here? Yeah, if only there was a ride at a wallley park Wallaby Park that ended with a roll into the the break run.
Speaker: Oh, and that's like one of the best elements on that ride. Yeah, but it has four other inversions before that. I know, I know. Dude, just like a quick...
Speaker: roll like that right before you hit the brakes yeah like shakranian outlaw run has that it takes it little too slow i was just trying to bring untamed to do it for no reason really no i think honestly i think it was a valid reason okay i know some people who don't like that role lot like that's all oh i love that role on which one untamed untamed oh see i love i have some friends who really don't like the but the rules for them they They love the rest of the ride, but just that just that last roll.
Speaker: It's so close to the ground. I love More of those forever. It's also how RA4 should have ended instead of the bunny house. Instead of whatever the hell it does. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Granted, there's already like two quick rolls right before that. but I do think Air Force's ending is better than Steel Vengeance's ending, but whatever. They're both not my favorite. Agreed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah yeah i'd i'd I'd give the advantage to Air Force though. Steel Vengeance's last hills are just... They're just they're just there. They're too much.
Speaker: they're too much
Speaker: there's not really that you It just it just loses it loses its... It loses steam before... like yeah like the right Steel Vengeance can end after the last roll.
Speaker: And I'm good. The rest of it is filler to me. I'm glad we all have very similar thoughts on Steel Vengeance. Yeah.
Speaker: The Steel Vengeance Hagers podcast. And if that makes you mad, by the way... I don't care. to yeah really To a listener. To any of the listeners that might love Steel Vengeance.
Speaker: No, I really do not. We know Jen's opinion on this, too. so She's not here. he also has opinions on Voyage, and she hasn't been on it. i We weren't talking about Voyage, though. I'm just saying. How does Bryant feel about Steel Vengeance?
Speaker: i i can't I think more more positive than the rest of us. yeah if If I knew what he thought of it, I've forgotten. His... Well, considering we argued like for the Coaster Madness, not Coaster Madness, Coaster World Cup of 7th. Yeah, where we were trying to like pick the five coasters that best represented the U.S. and we were only allowed one RMC.
Speaker: e And we all fought on steel pendants and we ended up on Iron Gwazi. Oh.
Speaker: I would text him, but I'm pretty sure he's on a plane. Nice.
Speaker: ah So our last comment is from Lom Lom Lom Lom. Which also, shout out to to him. He is era our newest Patreon subscriber. Oh, hello. It's like the ending on Seal Vengeance. Lom Lom Lom Lom.
Speaker: but
Speaker: um I'm going to just keep saying Lom on the bunny hills next time we're in.
Speaker: It also would have been good on Airy Force because it's just a little bit more punchy and been like, womp, womp, womp. um yeah
Speaker: Anyway, um, I hope you appreciate this.
Speaker: Shout out to you. Um, Said, it's a masterpiece aesthetically. The reveal of the area is really striking. The placement of the lift hill makes the coaster look massive. The co-roll looks incredible from Calamity Mine. I can always kind of forget how well you can see that ride from Calamity Yeah, it's right up it. That's good point.
Speaker: Yeah. boy you can You can go up to... um There's a deck right near that. I don't know if it's on top of Calamity Mine Station or like right nearby it where you can get really good shots of both the... um ah both the Cobra roll and the Outer Bank as well.
Speaker: I remember getting good pictures from the queue as well. I think. Yeah. Yeah. You can in the queue as well.
Speaker: I just thought of something really random and stupid from the Calamity Mine line, but that's not important. Oh. Go ahead and finish the comment. I know what you're thinking of. the The Fanta?
Speaker: Yeah, the Fanta-C. Yeah. There's a bottle of Fanta in the lake. And we said, is this the real life or is it just fantasy? Fantasy.
Speaker: Anyhow, um I love a coaster element functioning as theming. Station feels like you're in the jungle. I wish there were some foliage at the end because the one thing that that up the ride from a scenery standpoint is some weaving through trees and such. And i think it'd be easy to do with that on the return run. Oh, that'd be awesome.
Speaker: Yeah. But also like if the grass is grown out a lot more, into like that kind of overgrown feel. That could also add to it. Yeah, but like the way that the way the the last few hills are positioned, like how it's almost zigzagging through them. Imagine if it was dodging tall trees. Ha ha ha, mate! That'd be awesome! so fire. also appreciate how it's essentially an evolved version of Expedition G-Force.
Speaker: Nate, there's an EGF reference and you're not saying anything? EGF is so good. I was wondering how you feel about it being described as an evolved Expedition G-Force. I mean, and no, he's right. It is an evolved EGF, but like it's more refined. i just prefer the more primitive drop because it's more out of control. Yeah.
Speaker: ah He said, I really want to ride EGF someday. Also, shout out to the Insane Restraint releases. Genuinely shocking to see for the first time. now Insane is a grown-along mom.
Speaker: right
Speaker: I don't remember the and the restraint releases at Insane. I just remember the break run of Insane. Yeah, the break run of Insane where my head was actually facing the ground. when we Oh, yeah. like myed Yeah. But no, um you know the restraint releases on Hakonda are stupid.
Speaker: yeah They're so funny. but Obviously, referenced it multiple times. It is genuinely shocking to see that. Honestly, not just the first time, but every time.
Speaker: Is there another Intamin where it's restraints light even come close to that? Literally no. I don't think there Literally no. Not Taron, not Velascoaster, not Taiga. I don't think I'm not Velascoasters, but Velascoasters, nah. Not Pantheon, not Tutatis. Velascoasters do come kind of quick, but like not like not like that. like that. No.
Speaker: None of them. Yeah, it's wild. I'm like... ah hope I hope the maintenance team looking after those. Yeah. yeahers Double checking the bolt on those.
Speaker: Well, guys, I believe that brings us to the end of the episode. Thanks, Jen. dan You're welcome. that was perfectly in unison, too. That was great.
Speaker: why it's my miss I think Jen is also maybe on a plane. You have to give thanks. You have to give thanks on this Thanksgiving. And yeah, she did say um she would not be recording with us because she will literally be on a plane. be on a plane, right, yes.
Speaker: We miss you, Jen. Very much so. I really liked having all of us on the podcast. Yeah, all six of us was awesome. Yeah. I'm scared to edit. i still have to edit that episode. um I'm scared to because there's going to just be so many audio tracks to deal with.
Speaker: How long does it take for you to usually do one? Not super long. I mean, it depends on how many notes that I have and how many, like, if I need to take out a larger section.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, which I will do a quick plug for Patreon on there at some point. I don't remember when I did post a behind the scenes of editing the episodes for like how I edit the episodes. So if that's something you're interested in seeing, go check out our Patreon, oh yeah which got to give a shout out to our Patreon supporters.
Speaker: Thank you to Chris, Jeff, Alexander, Barbara, and now Nick. can never not say that. um i can never not say Not many times. Like, just three times? Yeah.
Speaker: I know it's written as like, wom, wom, wom, but it's more fun. to Just wom, wom, wom, wom. Yes. Wom. Wom.
Speaker: Heck yeah. This has been a fun episode. i enjoyed it. It was fun. I'm glad to talk about one of my favorite coasters ever. Yes. and um If anybody has suggestions for other coasters, we should do these ah coaster focused episodes on. Let us know. It's mostly going be things that are in like our top 10.
Speaker: We're insane. and Yeah. At Gremlin. Yeah, that one. we We might have to. We might just have to do that oh i have this at this point. maybe Maybe that'll be a short episode on Patreon as a special.
Speaker: Put it on the free tier, even. We need an April Fool's episode for next year. True.
Speaker: Mikhail was on our April Fool's episode this year, and that was a lot of fun. yeah What was that again? Oh yeah, the bathroom was one. Because we brought you on with like zero context of what we were recording. yeah Pre-Cobo's. Oh, that's why Mike's here.
Speaker: all makes sense. It all makes sense now. He's very knowledgeable of that field.
Speaker: Oh, indeed. All right. that it? Yep. Thanks, everybody. Thank you. Nice to chat with you again. Bye-bye, and beware of the conda restraints.
Speaker: I forgot to say my hashtag keep thinking inverted. Oh, sorry. Yeah, go ahead and do that. My hashtag keep thinking inverted. My bad. I forgot. How dare you.
Speaker: He threw off our groove. Hashtag think keep thinking inverted. we will see Or non-inverted. Yeah, keep thinking non-inverted. But that doesn't fit with the whole concept of inverted. Thinking inverted, right.
Speaker: Oh, well. It is creative, though. I'll say this. It was a new element, so they were seeing things from a new perspective. Yeah. narrative It was creative. It was very creative. Anyway, we'll see y'all next time.
Speaker: Bye! Bye!
