PTR: The Dark Knight Coaster Media Event

[FlyerACE1]

Today I was fortunate enough to attend the media event for the opening of The Dark Knight Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. I was pretty excited for this as I really enjoy dark rides and coasters and this promised to be a combo of both. Well, I feel like the park delivered in a nice way. While not the most incredible indoor coaster experience ever, they really put forth a nice effort with some cool theming and effects throughout the ride. The best comparision would be Exterminator at Kennywood although it's just a standard Mack Wild Mouse system with non-spinning cars. The trains themselves are incredibly themed as beat up subway cars complete with shattered windows on the sides and bullet holes in the bodies. There are plenty of scenes throughout the ride although bare and just dark in some areas. I'm also questioning whether or not all effects were working. Mist? Smoke? Nothing yet so maybe it'll be added. It also seemed some stunts were not timed perfectly yet. There is one very cool scene that uses hologram technology where the clown goons seemingly move in the direction of your train when you pass it. The only small downfall is that the trains travel rather fast so the scenes are hard to take-in but for Mouse fans, you'll be happy to know that there's little or no braking throughout the ride. Ok, well, on to the photos.

The last train photo. Thanks to Angel, Jenn, Mark and everyone at SFGAd for a really fun media event!

Train photo #2.

Here is the first of three somewhat lousy photos of the trains. It was very difficult to take photos of a dark ride coaster so I did my best.

Here we are up in the station and G4 is here!! Kick ass! Look for some clips from the event on some program about The Dark Knight movie.

This screen is a lot of fun. Look at the screen and you may find yourself with a clown mask. Very neat!

Bret, Jill and Ellen in the station area.

Quickly, the interview video is interrupted, the room gets darker and this Joker graffiti appears. The craziness that happens is pretty cool.

Yup, some more theming.

More pre-show room theming.

Everyone watches this screen where this lady and Harvey Dent tell us about the Joker and his mob infiltrating Gotham City.

Some theming in the pre-show room.

Ok, we're inside the pre-show room. They only let so many people in here (maybe 50-70 or so) but I like how it's still a queue and not just a wide open room.

The Jersey Guys (Opie and Anthony wanna-be's) from Jersey 101.5 are in line with the media crowd.

Here come Joel Styer and Mark Davidson ready for their ride.

Some coaster fans (Dan and some other dude) walk the winding queue.

The very first riders.

Streamers signify...we're open for business!

Angel, Mark, the mayor of Jackson and others cut the ribbon. Time to ride!

Angel Aristone, park public relations director, (I know she has some fans on here) gives some insight into what we're about to experience.

Look at all the media! Pretty impressive.

Mark Kane, park president, welcomes the media and guests. There was a great media turn out for this!

Media Gold! These kids (almost *all* kids) were very excited to ride but also very well behaved! They didn't have to wait long, just about 45 minutes before the chain dropped.

The media event was to commence before the public were let in but due to a short delay, the mad rush was on but the public was stopped at the yellow plastic chain of doom!

Bret and Wade chat while patiently waiting for the ride to open.

The anticipation is killing me!!

The queue, entrance and podium for the welcome speech.

A shot of the completed facade from around the Batman The Ride plaza. No other sides of the building are painted.

Ellen is ready to go with her red TDK shirt. These were given to all enthusiasts in attendance who were planned to be the first riders with the Boys and Girls Club.

Here is the schedule of events taking place today.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Looks like a great ride with great theming! Great pictures! I can't wait to ride it in about 2 weeks!

[cedarpointfangirl]

I really love the Theming. I like the color of the outside of the DK building, it's perty. I am heading to the Media Day for SFoT's Tony Hawk tommarow, I am excited to the see what they have planned. Six Flags just keeps getting better and better with what they are doing.

[Big Mike]

Thanks Adam!

 

I am going tomorrow, do you think it will open with the park or have a delayed opening?

 

 

Peace, Big Mike

[sfgadviperboi]

The ride seemed to run flawlessly while I was there today.

Everything being posted so far seems true also...

1) Full queue is about 45 mins

2) Preshow is amazing and close to one of the best I have ever seen

3) Loading and unloading is seemless

4) The ride has very little braking

5) Due to lack of braking the ride theming is very frantic and also missed. The ride moves very very fast.

6) You will get off thinking it was one of the best mice out there BUT go WTF just happened due to the blur of scenery.

[nomorefloor]

are their new train restraints...they look different

[sfgadviperboi]

Yes they are very fitting and comfortable restraints on the train. I am 6'4 and sometimes these mice rides can hurt my knees and I am forced to crunch my body into some odd position to ride. These trains were so sweet. I did not have to sit oddly and I came off bruise free!!!

[alpengeist04]

Thanks for the great TR. ...Minimal braking plus good theming equals a winner in my book.

[lissa1986]

very nice trip report i especially like the thing where you look at the camera and might have a jokers mask on. thats awesome. i wish we had something like that at six flags st louis.

[nagro5]

Great TR! It's too bad that you can't see the themeing because of the speed. I wonder if they can apply the breaks slightly to slow the pace down but not notice that them. It's great that the ride has a preshow. I wonder if they will maintain it.

 

Is there any part of the queue that's inside besides the preshow?

[sfgadviperboi]

The preshow starts the indoor portion but basically at that point you are right before the platform where you load within minutes.

[coasterking2981]

Wow. If only SFMM had such well themed rides like that!

 

If the rumors of a new coaster at SFMM are true, fingers crossed for a dark ride coaster like The Dark Knight!

[SLUSHIE]

Looks like SF is bringing back the crappy themeing their attractions used to have.

 

This steps it up a bit because of the effects, but it still looks cheap and horrible.

[sfgadviperboi]

Little do you know then about the ride since it has one of the best pre-shows to be found on an attraction.

[ETapley0687]

I'm very happy for Six Flags. This is a big step up in themeing from what they normally do.

[Guy T. Koepp]

I am very impressed by how they have progressed with this ride. I usually have lower expectations when it comes to 6F. But this ride realy looks well done. I now may have 3 reasons to return to GAdv.

[the ghost]

SHAPIRO IS OUR SAVIOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dino]

This coaster seems like a pretty good addition for six flags. The pre-show sounds really cool, and I like the mirror effect with the clown face. I was wondering though if there were any "open" rooms on the ride. One where you can see other trains and track, or is it completely enclosed around you?

[FlyerACE1]

This coaster seems like a pretty good addition for six flags. The pre-show sounds really cool, and I like the mirror effect with the clown face. I was wondering though if there were any "open" rooms on the ride. One where you can see other trains and track, or is it completely enclosed around you?

 

Dino, there are "walls" in some portions of the track where you only see what's going on in that length of track however a good portion of the ride is where you can see track and potentially other trains. The building is quite dark, not pitch black but definitely dark. I like the environment, kind of creepy where you hear noises from other stunts and things around you. At the exit ramp, you can even see a portion of the ride and a couple stunts. That reminded me a bit of Space Mountain where you can see the trains but there's still that air of mystery. The ride is totally shielded from you in the entrance queue and loading station, however. Aside from the fact that you know it's a Mouse, everything else is a mystery.

[coasterking2981]

^Or the Anti-Christ. Only time will tell.

 

True that, but he seems to be taking Six Flags in a whole new direction for the benefit of all of the parks owned by Six Flags. There are at least 3 to 4 (or more) parks that have just received a new coaster, getting a new coaster (like EvelKnieval at Six Flags St. Louis), reopening an improved coaster (X, now X2 at SFMM) and/or getting some attractions for the little ones, like Tomas the Tank Engine. And cant forget the other recent additions within the past few years, like Kingda Ka and El Toro at SFGAdv.

[twisterbret]

Just wanted to add that the lift hill is insanely fast for a mouse. It also sports some great lightning effects as you go up.

I kept my expectations low since it's a "mouse in a box" but they really did a nice job. Makes me wish they would give Skull Mountain a work over.

It's certainly a coaster you want to head to first since the throughput isn't going to be all that great. With that said, the platform moves like Hershey's mouse which helps things move a long.

It's a great addition for park with lots of B&M's that you need 54" to ride.

Conner who's only 3 can make the height.

[PKI Jizzman]

The theming looks really great! Though it's too bad to hear the themeing and preshow is liked more than the ride.

 

I think the ultimate indoor wildmouse will always be Scooby Doo's Spooky Coaster in Movie World, AU!!!

 

I'm so thankful to have ridden that ride.

 

-JZ

[uwgbdork]

As someone who is looking forward to the one opening up at SFGAm, is sounds if they did a pretty good job, honeslty i did have reservations when i was down there and saw the construction of ours so far.

 

However, it looks like they did a good job,

 

Do my eyes and ears deceive me? Are people complaining that it is too fast? All i ever hear about is asking why people hate trim brakes! Just teasing yall.

[Hercules]

^Or the Anti-Christ. Only time will tell.

 

Tomas the Tank Engine. And cant forget the other recent additions within the past few years, like Kingda Ka and El Toro at SFGAdv.

 

They are starting to add Spanish kiddie lands!

 

And Kingda Ka and El Toro were products of the old regime. El Toro was so far into the planning stages that it was hard for Snyder and Shapiro to get rid of it.

[VivaLaVibora]

Kingda Ka was a way too expensive ride for a Six Flags park. I think Top Thrill Dragster is awesome, but that ride costs so much money, and Kingda Ka was so much more money.

 

I don't think Six Flags should be the innovator anymore. It's pointless. Look at the rides they bought that have had problems: X, Deja Vu, Superman the Escape, Batman and Robin, Kingda Ka, and the Vekoma Dutchman.

 

Let another park buy roller coasters first, and see what's happening with them over at that place. Check out all of these Euro Fighter coasters before you buy one.

 

The Mack standard mouse is a good buy because it's done so many times before.