While Superman: Escape from Krypton is still a very short ride, it packs a lot of excitement into its limited running time. Superman: Escape from Krypton's entrance is a major landmark. A "weightless" sensation takes riders' breath away as they prepare to plummet back down to the surface - making this a rare Six Flags attraction that really fits with its theme. Now, the ride offers an amazing "birds eye view" of Six Flags Magic Mountain - at least for a couple of seconds. Previously, riders would only see an expanse of sky on their way up to the top of Superman: The Escape's tower. Swapping the direction of the trains also makes a major difference to the start of the ride: "Having the ride backwards gives you so much more 'feeling' than the old Superman: The Escape! Taking off at an astonishing speed right out of the station and up the 41-storey tower gives you that tingly feeling in your stomach." Freefall With its incredible top speed, Superman: Escape from Krypton frequently hits the brakes at the very top of the 415-feet-tall tower. In Superman Escape From Krypton, it takes 3-4." Mason was impressed: "The old Superman took 7-9 seconds just to get to the tower. Superman: Escape from Krypton's initial launch sees riders rocketed up to speeds of 104 miles per hour, accelerating even faster than previously after new Linear Synchronous Motors were installed as part of the update. It just fits right in with the ride." Taking to the skies Mason says of the new paint scheme: "The paint is what caught my eye as soon as I saw it. The coaster's track is now painted in classic Superman colors, with the top third being painted red, the bottom two-thirds in blue and the rails in yellow. In addition to the updated ride experience, cosmetic changes have also been made to Superman: Escape from Krypton. Superman: Escape from Krypton has a gleaming new paint job. They are then fired backwards up to the top of the tower, meaning that they get a clear view of the ground as it rushes towards them during the descent. Rather than being launched in a forwards direction, riders instead start facing a wall in the station. The most significant change in the newly-renamed Superman: Escape from Krypton is the switch in the direction of the ride's trains. Eventually, the LA Times was able to confirm that Six Flags would make the same changes to its ride and reopen it during the park's 40th anniversary season. These intensified the following month, when it was announced that Dreamworld would update its version, switching the trains to run backwards and renaming it as Tower of Terror II. Superman: The Escape closed suddenly in July 2010, sparking rumors of a major upgrade. At the top of the tower, riders experienced weightlessness before plummeting back down into the station below. Riders were propelled up to speeds of 100 miles per hour in approximately 7 seconds, with the train rocketing up a 90 degree vertical section. In its original configuration, Superman: The Escape featured two parallel tracks. Image: Konrad Summers, Wikimedia Commons ( license) Riders fell in a backwards direction on Superman: The Escape. The first was Tower of Terror, a virtually identical ride at Australia's Dreamworld that opened two months earlier. Manufactured by Intamin, it is a launched steel shuttle coaster that was the second in the world to utilize Linear Synchronous Motors to blast its vehicles along the track. The revamped rollercoaster was originally known as Superman: The Escape, and was a major addition to Six Flags Magic Mountain when it opened in March 1997. Thankfully, YouTube user Mason (aka RollercoastersRule1) kindly stepped in to share his views on whether the changes were for better or worse. TPT's reporter Jennifer headed down to Six Flags Magic Mountain to try out the revamped coaster - but, alas, the ride was closed due to the impact of recent storms. Nevertheless, the return of what was once the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the world has been highly anticipated - particularly as it features a significantly-altered ride experience. Was it worth the wait following the attraction's extended closure?Įxcitement levels around the reopening of Superman: Escape from Krypton were probably slightly lower than they will be for the debut of the all-new Green Lantern later this summer. The updated coaster, Superman: Escape from Krypton, returned to action on March 19. Six Flags Magic Mountain will reclaim the "coaster capital of the world" crown from rival Cedar Point in 2011, with the park opening two new rollercoasters and overhauling an existing ride.
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