Batman: The Ride (S&S Free Spin)
Batman: The Ride is a 4D Free Spin roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, United States and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom amusement park in Vallejo, California, US. Manufactured by S&S - Sansei Technologies, the roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the first 4D Free Spin coaster in the world. It opened on May 23, 2015.[1] On August 30, 2018 it was announced that a new version of this ride is under construction and will open at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2019.[2]
| Batman: The Ride | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
| Park section | Rockville |
| Coordinates | 29.596607°N 98.609375°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 13, 2015 |
| Opening date | May 23, 2015 |
| Cost | US$7,000,000 |
| Replaced | Motorama Turnpike |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | |
| Park section | DC Universe |
| Coordinates | 38.13755°N 122.23111°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 25, 2019 |
| Cost | US$7,000,000 |
| Replaced | Thunder Road Speedway Go-Karts |
| Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at RCDB Pictures of Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at RCDB | |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – 4th Dimension – Wing Coaster |
| Manufacturer | S&S Worldwide |
| Model | 4D Free Spin |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Drop | 54 ft (16 m) |
| Length | 1,019 ft (311 m) |
| Speed | 38 mph (61 km/h) |
| Inversions | 6 (2 track inversions) |
| Capacity | 720 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 5 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 2 rows for a total of 8 riders per train. |
| Batman: The Ride at RCDB Pictures of Batman: The Ride at RCDB | |
Ride
Riders on Batman: The Ride will begin by climbing along a 120-foot vertical rise. Then zoom over hills while pivoting forward multiple times, before plummeting into a steep raven drop. Next, riders will subsequently change directions and get to enjoy a backwards flip, spinning backwards into another raven drop and then ending with a forward flip. The roller coaster uses an adjustable series of magnetic kickers to allow the cars to spin freely, based on factors such as gravity and rider weight in the cars. The park can adjust the degree of spin based on rider input, which will help them regulate the experience to average rider tolerance over time.[3][4]
As the name suggests, Batman: The Ride is themed to the DC Comics superhero, Batman.
The coaster is designed by S&S, while the track is manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction.[5]
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
At Fiesta Texas, the coaster is located in the '50s themed section, Rockville, that replaced the former Motorama Turnpike. Riders queue inside the Monarch Theater, which was the location of a pivotal moment in the Batman universe. Young Bruce Wayne was leaving the theater with his parents when they were killed right in front of him. The Batman theme is further explored inside while guests wait, with touches that include a Batmobile, Bat-Signal, and many other related artifacts.[4][5][6]
Teasing for Batman: The Ride started in mid-summer before the announcement, with for sale signs placed in many Rockville themed shops along with a balloon at Motorama Turnpike.[7] In August 2014, Fiesta Texas announced the closure of one of the parks original rides, Motorama Turnpike and the Golden Ticket Award winning show, Rockin' at Rockville High in effort for the theme section Rockville to receive an urban renewal according from the park.[8] Batman: The Ride was officially announced on August 28, 2014, along with new attractions at other Six Flags parks.[9]
Track for Batman: The Ride arrived in February 2015 with the construction of the site well underway to be ready to open in three months.[10] The roller coaster was completed near the end of March of the same year before opening on May 23, 2015 to the public. Batman: The Ride is open throughout the year including the park's Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park.
Reception
Batman: The Ride became one of the most anticipated roller coasters of 2015 due to the ride being the first of its kind in the world.[11] With some stating that the roller coaster may become the "most intense" ever built.[12] The coaster has generally been well received by the media and park goers. Tim Baldwin of RollerCoaster! Magazine who gave the ride more than a few "Bat-whirls" stated that "you really don’t know what to expect" and "it is just like summersaulting through the sky".[13] Albert Salazar from San Antonio Current, didn't know what to expect as the roller coaster didn't look like any other roller coaster at the theme park as Batman offers a "unique topsy-turvy experience." After he and his co-workers disembarked the ride in surprise they were all in shock, with one stating "What the hell just happened?" They then, "wondered when we could get on it again."[14]
With the success of Batman: The Ride and becoming "an immediate fan favorite", Six Flags has spawned another version of the ride the following year at Six Flags Great Adventure as The Joker. A new ride with similar theme and name Batman make will open in 2019 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.[15] The company has built five more similar rides throughout North America.[16]
After Batman: The Ride's debut year in 2015, the roller coaster didn't receive any votes of the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new ride or any for the coaster to be a part of the top fifty steel roller coasters in the world of that year.[17]
References
- Morton, Neil. "Six Flags Fiesta Texas unveils '4D' Batman roller coaster". MySanAntonio. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- "Free-Fly Coaster, Batman™: The Ride to Open at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2019". Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- Mortan, Neal (August 28, 2014). "Six Flags Fiesta Texas unveils '4D' Batman roller coaster". mySanAntonio.
- "Six Flags Introduces Batman: 4th-Dimension Roller Coaster". Entertainment Designer. January 19, 2015. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=(help) - McDonald, Brady (December 17, 2014). "Six Flags Fiesta Texas puts a new spin on fourth-dimension coasters". LATimes.
- Alton, Elizabeth (August 28, 2014). "New Batman, Justice League Rides Planned for Six Flags Theme Parks". Variety.
- "Six Flags Fiesta Texas Teasing 2015 Attraction". New Plus Notes. July 20, 2014.
- Bailey, Scott (August 19, 2014). "Six Flags Fiesta Texas to drop the curtain on long-running show".
- MacDonald, Brady (August 28, 2014). "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2015". Los Angeles Times.
- Reagan, Mark (February 20, 2015). "Fiesta Texas' Batman: The Ride Track Arrives At The Construction Site". San Antonio Current. Euclid Media Group. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- Levine, Arthur (March 25, 2015). "The most anticipated new roller coasters of 2015". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- "Batman: The Ride may be the most intense roller coaster ever built". SEMO Today. March 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- Guzman, René (May 14, 2015). "Batman: The Ride soars into Six Flags Fiesta Texas". San Antonio Express-News. Hearst. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- Salazar, Albert (May 27, 2015). "Holy Rollercoaster Batman! Fiesta Texas' Newest Ride Delivers Mayhem". San Antonio Current. Euclid Media Group. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- Biese, Alex (January 26, 2016). "WATCH: Joker coaster comes to Great Adventure". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (September 1, 2016). "Where do they get those wonderful toys? Six Flags Over Texas adds 'Joker' coaster". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- "Park and ride winners". Amusement Today. September 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.