On September 17th, 2022, I took a short visit to the Nickelodeon Universe to ride two coasters that I have been trying to re-ride for a long time. The two coasters I rode that evening were TMNT Shellraiser and Sandy’s Blastin’ Bronco, and I wanted to re-ride both coasters since I didn’t feel like I got the best rides on either of them during my first ever visit in October of 2020. In addition, both coasters have been closed for long periods of time in 2021 and 2022, which has made it difficult for me to find a time to re-ride both coasters. Also, the Nickelodeon Universe only recently started a pay-per-a-ride ticketing system which made me wait even longer. Nevertheless, I really like both coasters, but I don’t think they belong in this park.
TMNT Shellraiser
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Shellraiser is a world record breaking coaster since it currently has the world’s steepest drop. At an angle of 121.5°, this drop is not a joke, and it is very intense. In addition to having the world’s steepest drop, it also has seven inversions, a launch, and over three thousand feet of track. Although this coaster has a terrific layout, all coaster enthusiasts know that this is a near clone of another coaster named Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, but the drop is only half a degree steeper.
I enjoy TMNT Shellraiser because it has a long ride time, a great launch and drop, and it feels like two coaster experiences in one ride since the world record breaking drop is in the middle of the coaster. This coaster also looks insane because it is intertwined with another coaster named the Shredder, which is another record-breaking coaster. Unfortunately, this coaster has one major flaw and that it is very rough in the front row. This is odd since most coasters are smoother in the front row compared to the back row. I rode this coaster in the far-left seat in the back row, and I thought the ride was smooth, but getting a front row ride may be unbearable for some.
Sandy’s Blastin’ Bronco
Sandy’s Blastin’ Bronco is another coaster that is unique. Although it didn’t break any world records, it is the only coaster of its kind from the manufacture named Intamin. This coaster consists of two launches and four Immelmann inversions which are a lot of fun, but this coaster is most famous for it’s turn table station. All riders will experience this coaster once while going forward, and then experience the same layout backwards!
Sandy’s Blastin’ Bronco is my favorite ride at the Nickelodeon Universe, but unfortunately this coaster is also rough like TMNT Shellraiser. There isn’t any head banging but riding this coaster multiple times is challenging since it is very disorienting even for a seasoned coaster enthusiast like me. Two rides were enough for me during my visit since I went upside down a total of 16 times from both of my rides, and the backwards launch is really intense.
I mentioned in the first paragraph that I don’t believe that both coasters belong in this park. As a roller coaster enthusiast, I love both coasters, but they don’t belong in this park since the Nickelodeon Universe is marketed to families. Their signature coasters may be too intense for the general public, and in my opinion these coasters should be in a different park.
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