I will totally disagree with you here. I've ridden Big Ben about 5 times now and have had a airtime filled ride. In fact only Cliffhanger at Flamingoland can beat it for airtime. Brilliant ride.

Jack Cullen

The first time I went on this ride was at Kirkcaldy this year and on the Saturday you got launched twice which was OK for £2.50. When I got on I was facing the back/side of Move It. The countdown jingle was wrong first time I went on we went up 5 seconds after the countdown and then the next time on 4? The launch is rubbish - as soon as you start you slow down and the wait at the top made me a bit nervous for my first ride but when we went down it was boring the bounces are more fun... just slow... although its a ride I like but it could do with a lot of improvement

DJT

Truly awful

Catherine Brooks

I rode it (for free!) at Kirkcaldy Links Market in April this year, and came to the same opinion. I remember the restraints looking very thin with little padding. Very sore. Big Ben was built on the shore front in Kirkcaldy, so the North Sea wind really blew the tower.

Andrew Masterton

James Mellors has been one of the UKs top fair operators for some years now, mainly because he has been one of the few showmen willing to go beyond the usual array of dreary Waltzers and Miamis and present a range of rides unique in the UK. His Frisbee and Crazy Shake are both great rides, but Big Ben is simply awful. No Gs, no airtime, no anything. It obviously tries to beat the Huss tower at its own game but doesn't deliver a tenth of the impact of its Bremen-based brother

John Phillips

I recently rode the Big Ben at IAAPA and felt it was fun, but have heard both the Moser & Fabbri rides are better (I will try the Fabbri ride at Gibtown this February). As for the restraints, all of the Soriani-designed rides like Z-Force (aka Big Ben), Turbo Force and Energy Storm use them. The overall design did not bother me too much, but I would like some more padding before being thrown into them as on Turbo Force. As for the wait at the top, if you listen you will hear that the air tank does not start filling until the magnetic spike above the rig is locked into its slot. That is the reason for the delay in the drop.

Adam Sandy

I agree entirely - I rode Big Ben on it's first appearance in the UK - and was disappointed with it then - I then had the opportunity to ride the same one again a year later - It had improved slightly, and there was a moment of airtime after the eternity spent at the top - but it was hardly the climax to the ride that others (Fabbri, S&S, Huss, Intamin) have achieved with their drops

Tom Marshall

I don't think I have ever been so under-whelmed. The only moment of interest was the alarming bang mid way up the tower. If the ride had broken in half, at least we would have been properly excited.

Les Hughes

I have to disagree with your comments. I rode the Big Ben ride at the Cardiff Festival on the 3rd of August and I thought it was quite good. It wasn't the best freefall tower I've ever been on but I thought it was OK.

Benji

From a distance this ride looks great - it makes a change (at least for me) to see a free-fall tower at a fair and seeing it in action with empty seats looks intimidating. However the experience itself pales in comparison to rides like Detonator, and even the Ice Blast at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. In short, the catapult up the tower is exhilarating but not fantastic, the wait at the top is too long and makes you overly anxious in anticipation of one of the worst drop experiences on any ride of this type... the initial drop is sudden and fast... but smoothly starts braking almost straight away bringing you to a much-too-graceful halt. I left the ride feeling disappointed and unimpressed.

Andy Roberts