Six Flags Great Adventure to Boast World's Tallest Drop Ride
Last week, Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey) announced that they will be building the World’s tallest drop ride in Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom. Zumanjaro will be attached to towering roller coaster Kingda Ka, much like sister park Magic Mountain attached Lex Luthor Drop of Doom to their Superman coaster a few years back. Zumanjaro will utilize the structure of the tallest roller co...[Read More]
Poll: Great Adventure Removes Rolling Thunder – Classic or Clunker?
Six Flags Great Adventure to Remove Rolling Thunder I’m still getting caught up with all of the Six Flags announcements. In the Zumanjaro Drop of Doom announcement, I noticed the mention of Rolling Thunder’s removal: To make room for the newest addition to Six Flags Great Adventure, we must bid farewell to a classic. Rolling Thunder, our classic wooden coaster, will close to the public...[Read More]
Six Flags Great Adventure Coaster Removal & Drop Tower Rumors
Last month, ScreamScape shared a rumor involving Rolling Thunder, a mega drop ride, and Kingda Ka. Rolling Thunder’s Demise & An East Coast Mega Drop Tower? Rolling Thunder is Great Adventure’s 1979 racing wooden roller coaster. It’s got to be in my top 20 roughest woodies. So, I’m not shocked to hear about it’s possible removal. Lance from ScreamScape has noted t...[Read More]
What’s the Worst Defunct Coaster You’ve Ridden?
Last week, I asked you about the best defunct roller coasters you’ve ridden. This time let’s take a look at the other side. Good Riddance! Kings Dominion’s air-powered launch coaster, Hypersonic XLC wasn’t egregiously bad, but it was overhyped, way too short, and often out of commission. For those reasons I wasn’t sad at all to see it go. Hypersonic was crammed into t...[Read More]
Bird Hits Boy While Riding Kingda Ka Roller Coaster
On Thursday, a bird hit a boy that was riding Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. The 456 foot tall ride is currently the tallest in the World. It begins with a blistering launch of 0 to 128 mph in only 3.5 seconds. While the roller coaster, dubbed a strata coaster, is incredibly tall, the boy was struck by the bird when the train was closer to the ground. Right away, I thought of a somewhat s...[Read More]
The Voyage vs. El Toro | Roller Coaster Showdowns
They’ve been battling it out on roller coaster polls and enthusiast’s top coaster lists for years. Now Holiday World’s The Voyage and El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure will go head-to-head in the latest installment of Roller Coaster Showdowns. Theme I like to include a ride’s theming in my showdowns because, at times, a ride’s theme can actually add a lot to the ov...[Read More]
Featured Photo #31 – The Rock Monster Makes The Difference
This is a photo of Skull Mountain at Six Flags Great Adventure. It illustrates just how much of an impact theming can make on a ride. Inside this rocky building you’ll find a pretty benign Intamin family coaster. It’s almost like an over-grown version of the neighboring Blackbeard’s Lost Treasure. RCDB calls Skull Mountain an Indoor Family Coaster, but there’s a least one c...[Read More]
Early Reviews & a POV Video – Green Lantern @ Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure’s Green Lantern-theme Stand Up Coaster Opens Last week, Great Adventure fans got their first rides on the Green Lantern. Replacing the aging and rough Great American Scream Machine, the B&M stand up was a remarkable ride in its former life as Chang at Kentucky Kingdom. During its transformation the ride received new trains and a fresh, mostly green, paint job. I...[Read More]
Featured Photo #16 – A Stand-Up Stand Out
This is a photo of one of the corkscrews towards the end of Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. I took it on my visit to the park back in 2006. A diamond in the rough, Chang was easily the highlight of my visit. It had everything you’d want in a steel looper: height, speed, smoothness, and cool looping elements like the inclined (bent over) loop. I’ve written a lot about Chang becaus...[Read More]
Top 10 New Roller Coasters of 2011 – Part 1
It’s time to preview my picks for the best new roller coasters opening in 2011. I wouldn’t call it a particularly strong year for new roller coasters, but there are a few potential show stoppers coming soon to a theme park near you. 10 Zippin Pippin – Bay Beach Amusement Park (Green Bay, Wisconsin) Make: Designed by John A. Miller, Built by The Gravity Group Type: Wooden Roller C...[Read More]
Top 3 Roller Coasters from My Birth Year
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I got the idea for this edition of Top 3 Thursdays from Jake at Coasterdom. Recently, he did a post listing his favorite roller coasters from the year he was born. He was working with a pretty strong year; 1991. My birth year was a bit more sparse, but the top pick is undeniable. Here’s my list of the best new coasters 1979 had to offer: 3 – Rolling Thunder...[Read More]
Green Lantern Roller Coaster Announced for Six Flags Great Adventure
Green Lantern Roller Coaster: Former Kentucky Kingdom Stand Up Coaster Goes ‘Green’ in 2011 Six Flags Great Adventure has announced that their new stand up roller coaster will be themed after the DC Comics super hero Green Lantern. Just as the park’s 2008 roller coaster Dark Knight coincided with the opening of the movie, a Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds (my wife can&...[Read More]