Green Lantern Coaster
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Green Lantern Coaster | |
---|---|
![]() |
|
![]() Green Lantern Coaster from just inside Warner Bros. Movie World's main gate
|
|
Warner Bros. Movie World | |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Status | Operating |
Soft opening date | 16 December 2011[1] |
Opening date | 23 December 2011[2] |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | S&S Worldwide |
Model | El Loco |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 33 m (108 ft) |
Length | 488 m (1,601 ft) |
Speed | 66 km/h (41 mph) |
Inversions | 2 |
Duration | 67 seconds[3] |
Max vertical angle | 120.5[4]° |
G-force | 3.5 |
Height restriction | 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) |
Trains | 7 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 8 riders per train. |
![]() |
|
Green Lantern Coaster at RCDB Pictures of Green Lantern Coaster at RCDB |
Green Lantern Coaster is a steel roller coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.[5] The ride is themed after DC Comics' Green Lantern and is located within the park's DC Comics superhero hub. The ride is an El Loco roller coaster manufactured by S&S Worldwide, characterised by a tight circuit featuring a beyond-vertical drop and an outward banked turn. It holds the record for the steepest drop of any roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere, and the second steepest in the world.[6][7] Green Lantern Coaster officially opened on 23 December 2011.[2][8]
Contents
History
In May 2011, preliminary groundwork began on a plot of land in front of Warner Bros. Movie World.[9] On 31 July 2011, the firm announced a multimillion-dollar attraction coming before Christmas 2011.[10] In early September, pieces of S&S Worldwide roller coaster track began appearing in the car park.[11] On 13 September 2011, Warner Bros. Movie World began releasing cropped images of the ride's concept art.[12] On 17 September 2011, the final clues were released before the official announcement that evening.[13][14] It was announced that the Green Lantern Coaster would feature the steepest drop in the Southern Hemisphere.[8] Also on 17 September 2011, the DC Super Heroes Store opened adjacent to Batman Adventure: The Ride 2, Batwing Spaceshot and Green Lantern Coaster.[15] By early October, most of the support structure and the lift hill were complete.[16] By the end of October, the ride's construction was complete and work had begun on the entrance pathway.[17] In early November, six trains arrived on site. Another was showcased by S&S Worldwide at the 2011 IAAPA Attractions Expo.[18][19] Kevin Rohwer, an S&S Worldwide spokesman, stated that the ride would be ready on 15 December 2011.[20] On 28 November 2011, testing began.[21] The ride entered a soft opening phase on 16 December 2011, before its official opening on 23 December 2011.[1][2][22]
Drop angle
When the Green Lantern Coaster was announced, few details were released about the ride's drop angle other than it would be the Southern Hemisphere's steepest.[8] On 2 November, Warner Bros. Movie World announced via Facebook that the ride would have a drop angle of 120°.[23] On 27 November, Warner Bros. Movie World released the television commercial, which promoted that the ride would have the steepest drop in the world.[24] Later that day they confirmed the drop would be 122.4° instead of the originally announced 120°.[23][24] Following the soft opening television commercials began advertising the ride. On 20 December, Warner Bros. Movie World revised the angle yet again to 120.5°; this was the final measurement given.[4] Only Takabisha exceeded it with a drop of 121°.[7]
Characteristics
Green Lantern Coaster is an El Loco roller coaster manufactured by S&S Worldwide.[5] Warner Bros. Movie World collaborated with S&S Worldwide to develop an coaster that was unlike the previous models (Mumbo Jumbo, Steel Hawg and Timber Drop).[18][20][25][26][27]
Trains
The coaster's seven trains double the capacity of the traditional El Loco ride from 4 seats per train to 8 seats per train.[26][28] The trains are articulated in such a way that the first row of four riders moves independently from the second row.[29] Each seat features a pair of stereo speakers in the head rest.[30] These speakers are capable of playing multiple tracks for up to 9 minutes on a single charge.[18] Riders are harnessed to the ride through the use of lap bars.[28] The front of each car features a pulsing LED Green Lantern logo while the back of each car features the Green Lantern oath.[31] All of these operational and thematic characteristics are new for this type of ride and were developed specifically for this coaster.[18][20]
Statistics
Green Lantern Coaster features 488 metres (1,601 ft) of track on which riders reach speeds of up to 66 kilometres per hour (41 mph) and experience 3.5 Gs.[32] The 33-metre-tall (108 ft) ride[33] features a first drop with an angle of 120.5° ranking it the steepest drop in the Southern Hemisphere and the second steepest in the world.[23][34] The track and structure, which weigh approximately 300 tonnes (330 tons), were shipped to Australia from Italy and China, respectively, in twenty-five 40-foot (12 m) shipping containers.[35][36]
Theme
The Green Lantern Coaster is themed around the Green Lantern series of comic books that originated in 1940.[37][38] This theme is showcased throughout the ride's queue and the station.[39] The ride's theming was developed by Sculpt Studios.[40]
Experience
Queue
The queue begins adjacent to the DC Super Heroes Store, opposite Batwing Spaceshot.[41] The queue weaves its way alongside the park's original boundary wall.[42] Along this route several billboards inform guests of the story behind the Green Lantern.[43] Riders turn left and enter a courtyard featuring 2D cutouts of villains as well as a 3D model of the Green Lantern.[44] The queue turns left again and follows an upwards path to the station.[45][46]
Ride
Green Lantern Coaster begins with a u-turn out of the station. It ascends a chain lift hill before going down a small dip and into an s-bend followed by a u-turn. After a slight ascent, the car enters a 120.5° drop – the steepest in the southern hemisphere.[47] The track then returns to approximately two thirds of its original height before entering the first set of block brakes. These brakes lead into a left turn with reverse or outward banking. It then drops under the block brakes and into the first inversion – a Dive Loop. The inversion begins with half of an inline twist which transitions into half of a vertical loop. Upon exiting the inversion the track inclines into a second set of block brakes. The train then goes around a right u-turn and into the second inversion – a downwards inline twist. This leads into a cutback-style turnaround before entering the final brake run and returning to the station.[5][17][48][49]
Exit
Upon the completion of the ride, guests exit via a path that runs under the lift hill and alongside the park's boundary before returning to the DC Super Heroes Store.[41][50] Inside guests can purchase a variety of merchandise related to Green Lantern, Batman and Superman.[41][51]
Reception
Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the owners of Warner Bros. Movie World attributed a rise in attendance to the opening of the Green Lantern Coaster.[52] The company labelled the launch of the ride as a success.[53] The attraction's downtime has been reported several times by local media, however, this behaviour is not unusual for amusement rides.[33][54][55][56] Green Lantern Coaster, along with other El Loco roller coasters, ranked 182 out of the 365 steel roller coasters in the worldwide Best Roller Coaster Poll for 2012.[57]
Incidents
On 15 March 2015, one car of a train became detached from rails when a wheel mechanism broke.[58] A Queensland Fire Service Inspector described it as "a fairly catastrophic failure of the carriage" that was the "first time we'd ever seen the actual failure of the machinery".[58] An investigation revealed that there was a design flaw in the wheel assembly dealing with a bolted joint, and that there was "really nothing that Movie World could have done to prevent it.[59] S&S Worldwide redesigned the flawed components, and tested the ride, before it reopened to the public on 16 December 2015.[28][60]
See also
- 2011 in amusement parks
- Mumbo Jumbo, another S&S El Loco
- Steel Hawg, another S&S El Loco
- Green Lantern (Six Flags Great Adventure), a stand-up roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure
- Green Lantern: First Flight (Six Flags Magic Mountain), a 4th Dimension roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.}
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.}
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.}
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Official website
- Green Lantern Coaster at the Roller Coaster DataBase
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
- Good articles
- Use dmy dates from January 2012
- Use Australian English from January 2012
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Roller coasters by name
- Roller coasters introduced in 2011
- Steel roller coasters
- Roller coasters manufactured by S&S Worldwide
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Comics navigational boxes purge
- Warner Bros. Movie World
- DC Comics in amusement parks
- Roller coasters in Australia
- Roller coasters operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks
- Green Lantern in other media