Insane is the Intamin ZacSpin at Grona Lund.
This is a fourth dimension coaster that has a lot of similarities to the S&S Free Spins.
But there are also some key differences that make them wilder in some aspects.
I will explain why in this review.
Arrow Dynamics built the first fourth dimension coaster with X at Six Flags Magic Mountain
in 2001.
This coaster was unique because the seats could rotate throughout the layout.
While the flipping was wild, it was controlled.
There was a mechanical rack and pinion system to dictate the rotation of the seats throughout
the ride.
Intamin debuted their take on the 4th dimension coaster in the mid-2000s with the ZacSpin.
Well, some may debate it being a 4th dimension coaster since the vehicle never turns right
or left, but I’m going with 4D coaster since the seats do flip.
This was a much smaller and more compact layout, but it was notable for being the first coaster
with freely rotating seats.
When and how often you flipped came down to weight distribution and physics.
The first two ZacSpins were built in 2007.
The first was Kirnu at Linnanmaki and a few months later, Inferno at Terra Mitica opened.
Both of these were the 25 meter or 82 foot tall model.
Grona Lund got a larger ZacSpin in 2009 with Insane.
This was a 32 meter or 108 foot tall model.
The second half was identical to the first two ZacSpins, but there was an extra pass
on the upper level.
The most famous ZacSpin opened in 2011.
This was the much maligned Green Lantern: First Flight at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
This was an exact clone of Insane, and it is widely considered to be one of the worst
coasters of all time.
Thankfully Insane, as well as the other 2 ZacSpins currently operating in Europe, offers
a far better ride experience.
Why is that?
The original ZacSpins had a flaw.
It was possible for the vehicles to return to the station upside-down.
In Europe, the operators will run over and flip the vehicle themselves.
The operators at Six Flags were not allowed to do this.
So they would have to call maintenance to do it.
This would cause discomfort for those on-ride as well as an operational delay for those
in the queue.
To mitigate this issue, Green Lantern’s vehicles were modified.
Additional weight was added to significantly dampen the rotation.
As the park wanted, this improved the coaster’s uptime and prevented vehicles from returning
to the station inverted.
But this had an unintended side effect.
This effectively neutered the main selling point of the coaster, the free rotation.
This made it much harder to get flips.
But even worse, it resulted in an uncomfortable ride experience.
Rather than rotating with the track, the vehicles had unnatural and jerky movements.
And there were situations where you would invert and get stuck upside-down for much
of the layout.
This was very unpleasant.
Fortunately, the three ZacSpins in Europe, including Insane still allow the vehicles
to rock as originally designed.
Some still find this motion a bit too violent.
This is because of how the vehicles rotate.
On the original ZacSpins, the center of rotation is placed around the center of the vehicle,
not the riders.
This causes more forceful flips, but it can lead to discomfort.
Compare that to the S&S Free Spins.
This was a 4D coaster that debuted in 2015.
This coaster looked visually similar to the ZacSpins, but the center of rotation was instead
placed around the rider.
So even if you’re flipping during a pullout, the forces are much more comfortable and less
likely to send blood rushing to your head.
Intamin recently relaunched the ZacSpin.
And interestingly in the newest renderings, the center of rotation appears to have been
placed around the riders, much like the free spins.
But back to Insane.
This ride has a super small footprint, which was perfect for a space-starved park like
Grona Land.
The narrow layout is placed towards the front of the park and this looks great on the skyline.
The white track pops on a clear day.
And the ride’s unique appearance and flipping vehicles are captivating to watch.
When you enter the ride’s queue, you immediately need to decide if you want to head towards
the right or left platform.
From a force perspective, it doesn’t matter.
The only on-ride impact is the visuals being slightly different depending which side of
the track you’re situated on.
So I would recommend going on whichever side is shorter.
In my visits, Insane has never been more than a one train wait.
This ride doesn’t hold too many people at once.
Each car holds just 8 riders.
You have pairs of riders sitting back-to-back on each side.
The park loads two vehicles at a time and typically has four on the track, so it does
move at a steady rate at least.
If the ride does generate a wait, it is included on the park’s Jetpass skip-the-line system.
This is an upcharge, costing roughly 100 Krona or $9 US Dollars per ride.
If you buy your wristband online, you get two complementary Jetpasses valid for any
ride.
As I’ve said in my other Grona Land reviews, I’m not sure if you get these if you buy
your wristband in person.
I don’t have a preference if I’m facing forwards or backwards, but the staff may have
a preference where you ride.
They do their best to balance the vehicles.
So they may move kids and/or solo riders around as needed.
If there’s an odd numbered group, they sometimes will ask someone getting off if they’re
able and willing to ride again to not hold up a dispatch.
This ride has over-the-shoulder restraints.
You have a thick bar across your lap and soft straps over your shoulder.
This is identical to what you find on some other Intamins like Storm Runner at Hersheypark.
I prefer the vest restraints on the S&S free spins for 4D coasters like this since they
limit the movement of your body, making the flips more comfortable.
Once dispatched, you roll out of the station and are pulled up the chain lift, quite literally.
Those who dispatched forwards will soon find themselves traveling backwards, and vice versa.
The visuals on the lift are particularly sweet if you’re dispatched backwards since you’ll
be staring at the water and city skyline.
Insane starts with a small dip.
This will slightly rock your vehicles, getting you introduced to the motion.
Then you have a section of straight-track giving you a few more seconds to take in that
awesome view.
Then you hit the first raven turn and the madness begins.
This is a 180 degree drop bringing you down a level.
It also reverses your direction of travel.
And the vehicle is absolutely yanked through the element.
You get this freefall sensation while also being pushed outwards.
It’s really wild.
Some may find this a bit too abrupt as you will be tossed into your restraint.
It is worth noting that you probably won’t rotate much here.
Then comes a little bunny hill.
No airtime, but your vehicle will rock a bit.
This makes the next element even wilder.
You have an even larger raven turn than before.
While it’s unlikely you will flip here, there is a good chance you’ll find yourself
staring at the ground or sky depending on the weight distribution.
And that is combined with the force of the raven turn ripping the train through it.
Your body will be ragdolled here.
You then hop upwards and hit a mid-course brake run.
This slows the train mightily and gives you a chance to catch your breath.
Now you enter the same layout as Inferno and Kirnu.
You have two raven turns back-to-back.
The first is much milder than the others on the ride, but the fourth can be very crazy.
If your vehicle is a bit off balanced, you will rotate on this one.
So you get that crazy yanking sensation like the first two raven turns.
And you may even get stuck upside-down on the pullout.
This results in some absurd positive Gs as all the blood rushes to your head.
But don’t worry, you won’t stay like this for long.
You then pull upwards and have this ultra tight bunny hill.
You get a strong pop of negative Gs.
But that’s not all.
Your vehicle is almost always guaranteed to flip here.
Getting ejector airtime and a flip simultaneously is truly insane.
Especially if you enter the element backwards and cannot see it coming.
You then hit a series of brakes.
You may find yourself inverted for an extra second or two as you are slowly lowered.
You then glide back into the station and some bars above the track will stabilize your vehicle,
hopefully returning it to the upright position.
You then disembark, ending the 810 foot or 247 meter long coaster.
The ride experience is very short, but it is fast-paced.
You have two action-packed 8 second long sequences, broken up by a brake run.
But that part is very welcome by most riders because of the intensity.
In terms of smoothness, Insane is excellent.
All of the ZacSpins track very well.
The discomfort people experience are related to the way the vehicles move, not any imperfections
with the tracking.
So what would I rate Insane?
I would give this coaster a 7 out of 10.
This is a delightfully wild ride.
I love the tenacity of the raven turns and the violence of that final bunny hill.
That airtime and flip combination is truly special.
And there is some unpredictability because of the rocking, which gives it a lot of reride
value.
The two cons with this ride are the short length and the comfort.
While I don’t find this ride unbearable, I do wish the restraints were more snug on
your body to make the raven turns more comfortable.
So how does this compare to the free spins?
Insane flips much less.
You will most likely get just 1-2 flips on this ride.
Meanwhile, many free spins flip at least 3-4 times.
Free spins also have much smoother and gradual raven turns.
Compare that to the Zacspins where they feel like they’re ripping you to the ground.
I prefer the free spins that offer a high amount of flips over Insane, but I will take
Insane over most free spins.
I prefer the more unhinged nature and added intensity.
But I know that isn’t for everyone.
And as I noted earlier, if you had bad experiences on Green Lantern, do not let this deter you
from riding Insane.
This one is actually allowed to flip, so it doesn’t feel like the train is fighting
the ride’s forces.
So those are my thoughts on Insane at Grona Lund.
What are your thoughts on this ZacSpin?
Do you prefer this to the free spins?
Let me know down in the comments.
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