A Review of Mind Eraser & Its Many Clones
The concept of Vekoma’s Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) is a great one. It’s a compact inverted roller coaster(even though the model name has ‘suspended’ in it) with riders fixed below a tangle of twisted track. They are popular additions at theme parks with about 30 clones or slight variations around the globe. I’ve ridden the Mind Erasers at Six Flags America and Darien Lake, Great Nor’Easter at Morey’s Piers, T2 at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, and most recently Hangman at Wild Adventures. There’s very little difference between any of them. When I’m tight on time, I’ll skip them because it seems as if you’ve ridden one, you’ve likely ridden them all.
Vekoma SLCs Should Be Sponsored by Advil
The seemingly winning formula of a compact looper unfortunately fails greatly on the execution. These roller coasters are plagued with bad to horrible head banging as riders heads bounce of the head restraints like pinballs. The ear boxing can result in headaches and disdain from victims in the exit ramp.
The experience starts 0ff well enough. Riders board the two across trains that seem much smaller than the B&M inverted coaster trains. The train is lifted nearly eleven stories (109′) only to be dropped into a fast, swooping dive. The speed of these rides feels much faster than it looks from off the ride. Immediately following the drop, the train navigates its way through its first element; a rollover with two back-to-back loops. There’s typically a little headbanging here, but it’s about to get a whole lot worse.
Mind Eraser’s Rough Twisted Course
The train traverses back down, and then back up, and then dives next to the station’s exit ramp. This is a great spot for photos by the way. Then, the train rises up into a sidewinder loop with some more head banging. There’s a really good leg chopper moment that used to really get me. I remember on my first ride on Mind Eraser at Six Flags America I pulled my legs up thinking that they’d be knocked off by the track. Then, the ride finishes with the biggest OUCH, the tight double corkscrew. By now, there’s a good chance that riders minds are actually erased or at least in a bit of pain. On some SLC’s even the non-looping areas are rough and bumpy causing your back to bounce off the the seats.
It’s unfortunate that these coasters fail to live up to their potential. The layout is pretty ingenious. It’s an action-packed little course that doesn’t take up much space. I just wish they were better maintained and had better restraints. These rides only need a few things to become strong performers in your home park’s lineup. Vekoma’s new open restraints like those seen on Carowinds’ new Carolina Cobra. And probably a fresh set of wheels. Final Rating – 4.0 to 6.0 (Below Average to Above Average)
Mind Eraser and its clones are rated ‘TH’ for Thrilling. It’s a 3 out of 5 on my Thrill Scale.
What’s Your Take?
Have been victim to, I mean ridden a Vekoma SLC like the Mind Erasers or one of its clones? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below.
Other Vekoma SLCs:
Aside from the four that I’ve ridden, other Vekoma SLC’s in the U.S. are: Gauntlet at Magic Springs, Thunderhawk at Michigan’s Adventure, Kong at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and the Mind Erasers at Elitch Gardens and Six Flags New England.
July 16, 2009 at 15:32
Rode this in Sept. 2007 and was not impressed….my son thought it was better than I did…it just seemed to be another ride that you get on and off to say you knocked it off your list.
July 16, 2009 at 15:41
The thing about Mind Eraser(s) are that it(they) are so visually appealing. Every single time I go to SFNE, I ride it. I don't know why, every time I go on it, I hate it. So why do I ride it so much? Ugh…it sucks.
July 16, 2009 at 20:46
I rode the one at Michigan Adventure when it was at Geauga Lake (six flags Ohio), after the initial drop and loop element I hated the entire ride. I agree that it is so visually appealing and unique looking.
Also, I tend to dislike clone coasters. I want to travel to a park to ride rides I wouldn't get to at the one's near me. Being from Cleveland, I have Cedar Point and Kings Island that I attend regularly. I feel a coaster should be unique to the park and fit with the space and elements of the park. While I have never been to a Busch park, I believe they probably do the best!
July 18, 2009 at 12:28
I don't know when you went on the Great Nor'Easter, but they got new custom seats with different restraints which minimize head-banging. Now it's called "FLY The Great Nor'Easter". It's a lot better now, and the new seats are not only more comfortable, but make the ride more thrilling.
July 19, 2009 at 15:53
That sounds cool MarvelMaker, I'll look for some info on those updated restraints. They need to roll them out to the rest of the vekoma slc's. I rode Great Nor'Easter back in 2003! Wow, I'm getting old. Props to Morey's Piers for updating those trains!
July 23, 2009 at 07:17
hangman bangs your brains out. wild adventures have great potential in all of the main coasters but they just too rough to be noticed by anybody
July 24, 2009 at 07:51
Wow – 2003 was before they re-painted it and added the light show, I think….? They painted it white and added this light show at night as well.
August 16, 2009 at 14:27
I went on the clone in SFDC and I remember being so excited until after the double wing over. I felt like a bobble head at a baseball game. usually on a ride the rider looks forward to what is next, not on this. I remember people sitting in back of me saying "ow ow ow".
June 1, 2010 at 14:03
One word: HEADACHE
That is why Mind Eraser @ Elitch's is my least favorite roller coaster of all time.
November 4, 2010 at 13:23
I rode Flight Deck at Canada's Wonderland, and I think I might be one of the few people that actually enjoy Vekoma SLC's. I experienced some headbang on the inversions, but it wasn't too bad, and I had no headache afterwards. It feels like you're going much faster than 50 mph, and the intensity was nonstop, and the way the train tore through the inversions was awesome. The idea of a compact inverted coaster is ingenious, and I actually thought they executed it too. Maybe Flight Deck is one of the better constructed models, and maybe the Mind Erasers are as bad as everyone says, but I actually preferred Flight Deck to B&M's Batman The Ride.
November 5, 2010 at 01:50
I have only rode the Minderaser@SFNE, but I didn't like Batman OR the ME. Maybe it has to do with wich one you ride, or possibly when
January 21, 2011 at 12:10
The two models of this I've ridden were painful (Maryland, California), not re-rideable. I think part of the problem is the upstop wheels have a gap between them and the track, unlike the B&M inverted coasters where all of the wheels are always against the tracks. This probably accounts for a lot of the rattling of the ride. If they could redo the wheel systems to eliminate the gaps of the wheels that would probably make this a more pleasant experience.
My last ride on Kong had me vow not to ride it again, and why ride it with Medusa next to it — that ride is very re-ridable, one of the best of the B&Ms.
March 2, 2011 at 16:06
Rode exactly 1 time for GEOMARCUA AND A BAD DREAM!!!!!
June 4, 2011 at 20:15
I just rode nor'easter at wildwood and experienced the vest-like restraint system. While these restraints completely eliminate headbanging, they do (of course) nothing for the innate roughness of the ride. I really thought something was wrong with the coaster and I was going to die, it was so rough. I will give this coaster one prop though: with the vest restraints, there is nothing to hold on to. Nothing. I know I was flailing for purchase for the entire ride, and it was an interesting feeling (although with the roughness, it was more like sheer abject terror than a healthy fear at times). I actually had fun on Sea Serpent and had minimal headbanging (unlike Sidewinder and Tidal Wave–the other two Vekoma boomerangs I've been on), and Great White was pretty fun, but I will never ride the Nor'easter again, and I can't see how these "hang n bangs" still get so many people to ride.
August 25, 2011 at 07:52
I only rode the one at six flags new england. I did experience alot of headbanging, although it didnt hurt my head as much as other headbanging coasters(arrow loopers) because I found the restraints to not be that hard. But as if the headbanging wasnt enough, on some moments my back slammed against the back of the seat, I remember this on the first drop. Suprisingly, the person I rode with said that they liked the ride, and that they leaned their head to the right and experienced no headbanging.
May 28, 2012 at 19:54
With Darien Lake being my home park, its surprising I even became a coaster enthusiast! So right about the head banging! Miserable. Always left this ride with a headache afterward, yet I went on it every time I came here. It's just so darn pretty, I always think "Oh, maybe this time I'll enjoy it!"…never happened. This park in general is horrible. Ever since I discovered Cedar Point years and years ago, I havent been back here. With the only good ride being Superman: Ride of Steel, I'm hesitant to go back here even for that. Anyone hear of all the incidents that coaster has had? 1 death, 1 near death, the chain lift snapping with riders aboard? No thanks, I'd rather drive 4 more hours and go to Cedar Point where I feel safe!
August 5, 2012 at 18:22
I rode Great Nor'Easter just a couple months after it debuted the new trains and to me there was some improvement, but it was *very* minimal. You still get beat up pretty bad, but instead of constantly banging your head, your whole body shakes and your back takes a beating from constantly being pushed forwards and backwards. The restraints are an improvement but they can't cure a shuffling train that tracks poorly. SLC's are in the same league as wild mouse coasters and Boomerangs – nothing more than filler coasters that parks put in when they don't wanna spend the big bucks.
August 6, 2012 at 12:05
T2, to this day is my worst coaster expiriance of all time! Just T2 tho as i found it light years worse than SFNE's Mind Eraser. Just felt like rolling down Mt Everest in a Steel Cage. It didn't bang my head, but my whole body as it would jerk you voilently back and forth super rapidly. Never wanted to get of a coaster more than i did as when I rode this.
August 20, 2012 at 12:56
I rode Nor Easter yesterday for the first time. Those soft restraints are sweet. I thought it was very rough in a few spots. But not too bad in the front. The scary part is waiting to go after sitting down on the coaster. As the second train finishes it's run and slams on the brakes the whole coaster and pier shake pretty hard for a bit. Crazy! I liked the layout very very much, that double barrel roll was so sweet! Front seats smoother of course, but very worth it for the back seat abuse. The fronts speed sort of stalled a bit in a loop or two, where the back was more intense and whipped you through those spots. Strong g's. They had the last row of both trains blocked off. Never waited for more than 2 minutes even for the front.
I thinks everyone complaining about Nor Easter is nut's. If you can go to the beach [make the wife happy] and also ride a decent coaster even if it's a rough one, I consider it a very special thing.
Great White was sweet also…
October 11, 2012 at 21:27
Mind eraser is FINE. Not the best, but fine. It's surely better than that AWFUL Flashback…
October 27, 2012 at 23:17
At Six Flags America, I rode this today twice in a row and I enjoyed it both times! All I had to do was keep my head pressed back and I had no headbang. I love intense looping coasters.