Jet was originally a prop from The Right Stuff and sat in the hangar doors where Slingshot is now. I would also like for it to stick around in the park somewhere else if they can figure out a way to do so.
News Green Lantern Removal
- Thread starter GAcoaster
- Start date
Jet was originally a prop from The Right Stuff and sat in the hangar doors where Slingshot is now. I would also like for it to stick around in the park somewhere else if they can figure out a way to do so.
Just like with Rip Ride Rocket at UO, Green Lantern was always hit or miss for riders since it opened at GA. One ride would be great, and another would beat the crap out of you. My understand was it was simply that the third train came from Riddler at MM and got completely reconditioned while the other two were more or less simply repainted. It has a great layout and pacing.
There's a difference in weight between the Lantern trains and the Riddler trains, the Riddler ones were slightly heavier but as far as I know it didn't affect the rider experience much besides some small differences in cycle times under the right conditions. The funnier thing to me is that Great Adventure still has the Riddler train and they sent back one of the Lantern trains to SFMM.
For an amateur like me, how do you tell the difference between a Riddler train and a Green Lantern train? Can you as a guest? When did the Riddler train show up? Do we know why they moved one over?
I've read a lot of theories about the Riddler train delivering better rides, but I have no clue which I've ridden.
I've read a lot of theories about the Riddler train delivering better rides, but I have no clue which I've ridden.
It's been a while since I've seen the trains but I'm 99% sure the Riddler train is the Z train and the remaining Chang train is the X train. When the ride first opened at Great Adventure they had X, Y, and Z trains where X and Y were the Chang trains. Chang originally opened with only 2 trains and they wanted to buy a 3rd later when demand increased, which never happened. So when it came to Great Adventure they anticipated crowds requiring a 3rd train to run and borrowed a train from Riddler at SFMM to account for that since Riddler at SFMM ran 2 trains permanently for like a decade at that point. After the second season of operation it became unnecessary for the third train to be used so Great Adventure sent the Y train back instead of the Z train and that's how Green Lantern still has a Riddler train.
Other fun facts about Green Lantern:
- It was originally intended to be relocated to Six Flags Great America and operate as a Stand-up alongside Iron Wolf.
- When the plan was changed and it was sent to Great Adventure instead
- They originally planned for Green Lantern to be plopped on top of the Looney Tunes Seaport in the general area of where Jersey Devil now is. There weren't plans to remove or relocate rides from the Seaport, either.
- Great Adventure tested Lantern to operate with 8 rows of seats like Riddler's Revenge but ultimately decided to run with 7 like it did in Kentucky Kingdom.
- The original plan for the Parallax section of the ride was in the second half of the ride where the track wraps around the dive loop and goes into the 2nd corkscrew. They also wanted to enclose the second corkscrew. It was decided with less than 2 months before opening to change the Parralax section to the first loop instead of the second corkscrew and there are a few photos showing prior to the ride's opening.
credit: coaster-net.com
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All stand-ups can rot.
That is all.
That is all.
Went to Great Adventure for my first time this past weekend, but I was with my (<54") child, so didn't ride anything that he couldn't. Seems like I may have missed my chance to ride.
Though... my last stand up coaster was ages ago (Shockwave), and I don't exactly have fond memories of that...
Though... my last stand up coaster was ages ago (Shockwave), and I don't exactly have fond memories of that...
I have mixed feelings on GL. It is an impressive show of +Gs and I really enjoyed one ride only to find the reride beyond my stamina. Mostly I'll only ride it with a hoodie to avoid ear burn though. The zero airtime even on the straight drop is definitely not a good layout. True airtime is amazing on a standup and you're not going to get it just from magic seats.
I’ve been on several standups (Shockwave SFGAdv, Shockwave KD, Mantis, Riddler, Green Lantern, GA Scorcher)— I’ve always felt as though most tried to do too much. I felt like the Togo Shockwave, the Intamin Shockwave, and the Georgia Scorcher were the best of the bunch. They are smaller, single vertical loops straight out of the drop, then just a simple layout with a couple of “tricks”. All the other loops and corkscrews just felt like too many things that become really uncomfortable. I could ride most once, but had little desire to ride again. The smaller ones could be ridden multiple times— especially GA Scorcher when it was new.
Sucks to see Green Lantern go, I'd honestly love to see it moved to a smaller SF park but I know that's unlikely. I hope SFGA can replace it with something worthy. Maybe under CF management it'll even be themed
Yeah, I wondered if that was the same plane. I only rode The Right Stuff once in 1996 or 1997, making my memory very hazy. Interesting.
They should replace it with the tallest and longest launched wing coaster.
What do we think about the possibility of Green Lantern getting relocated elsewhere in the chain? It *is* sitting on a flat plot, and there's a few parks that could use a ride like this (albeit likely with the trains swapped out for new floorless trains).
I'd say it's too old and the economics don't support the idea. For the price of safely disassembling GL (as opposed to scrapping), relocating it, reassembling it, getting those new trains, and likely refurbishing a few pieces here/there to extend its life, you could buy any number of brand-new coasters.
(Ryan the ride mechanic on youtube stated Medusa at SFDK was $26 million. $16M to have the coaster fabricated and delivered, and $10M for construction. And those prices are now several years outdated with inflation.)
Valleyfair could also use a GL floorless conversion. (Or Michigan's Adventure, but who are we kidding)
Nah too close to a major airport.
CONTEXT EDIT: I am sarcastically stating I want it to be less “accessible” nothing in relation to the height restrictions that are tied to airport proximity.
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Hmm, how did they get the approval for Wild Thing?
Not what I meant 
I’m also in favor of sending it to New Zealand.
Edit: guess who just got a travel advertisement for New Zealand on YouTube.
I’m also in favor of sending it to New Zealand.
Edit: guess who just got a travel advertisement for New Zealand on YouTube.
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