#winjas

So, I go looking around a pre-deviant-art fantasy art site and what do I find?

Last year, I went to Phantasialand with someone who had not only never been before, but didn’t know about Winjas’ tricks. There’s something really brilliant about rides that have some kind of surprise element to them, but even more so when they do it well, and Winjas is one of those rides that does it so damn well.

I have a soft spot for the Maurer Spinners anyway; given Dragon’s Fury is the best local coaster to me and perhaps my most ridden… I think they’re fun and it’s a damn shame that the custom versions of them are so rare worldwide. In the US, they’ve just got the crappy off-the-shelf models everywhere. Even Disneyland-fucking-Paris got an off-the-shelf clone. Fucking. Lame. Being so close to a substantial MS spinner like Fury means I know how unreliable they are, too. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to Chessington on a day when Fury hasn’t broken down at some point… I bet that’s a pretty big clue as to why there’s so few of them. And their capacity sucks. I never get to ride Spinball at Alton because its line is always the longest in the damn park. Their low height restriction means everyone brave enough can ride them AND they have a crap capacity. Disaster.

But they’re fun as shit. And Winjas is funner than shit. Because Winjas is different.

The theme is so wtf – like, who even understands what that’s about? It reminds me of some creepy, heavily stylised early 90s video game, before it became popular for games to blatantly explain their stories. The music is creeptacular and calming and the complete opposite of the ride experience. All the intense or scary parts of the ride are obscured from view to non-riders. I wonder how many people get on that thinking it’s tamer than it is. Not that’s its particularly scary or intense, but you know what I mean.

Back in 2008, the queue was disgusting. I remember waiting far too long in a huge, horrible, dimly lit, cramped room. I was relieved to find it had changed last year… you now split way later in the line and either the queue was too short to require the extension into that DISGUSTING room I remember, or they’ve just blocked it off.

So you sit down… and the ride moves forward into that dark room and the door closes behind you. If I, as a seasoned theme parker, was like wtf is going on… Then I can only imagine what normal people feel in the next few moments. For those unaware, Winjas has a lift. Not a normal hill the coaster is pulled up, a vertical lift. And it’s in the dark. And you feel this weird sensation as you’re rising. It’s not until the doors at the top open and light floods into the chamber you realise you’ve tilted as you rose, ready to be lined up with the big first drop. Magic. Then you’re let go and… Mediocre coaster happens.

It would be crap if it wasn’t for the tricks it pulls, lets be honest.  It’s gimmicky and I should hate it for that alone, but something about Winjas is just wonderful. Maybe because it’s tricks are really interesting, I don’t know… There’s one decent hill, I think it’s on the “Fear” side of the ride? But it’s pretty naff as a coaster overall. The tricks of course don’t stop at the lift, there’s several points on the tracks where you cruise up into darkness and then just STOP, dramatic music accompanying you as the entire track section just … MOVES. And that little bounce at the end of the ride when you think it’s over…?!

My mind was blown when I first rode Winjas, desperate for diagrams to explain wtf was going on and how it worked.

Well, I went to the European Attractions Trade Show when it came to London a few years back and finally got to find out wtf Winjas does. I spoke to Maurer and told them how much I love the ride, how I think the trick track elements have SO much potential for narrative based rides and if they would be doing anything similar again soon… Well, they didn’t think so. I am going to guess because it’s a technical nightmare. If Dragon’s Fury – a far more simple ride of the same kin – breaks down as much as it does, I dread to fucking think what Winjas is like. There is SO MUCH on those TWO rides that could have a technical problem. But, I did pick up their brochure, which had this in it….

Thanks for the ask! :D