The Fifty Coasters That Doomed Six Flags — 46
V2: Vertical Velocity — Six Flags Marine World
50 — The Boss — Six Flags St. Louis
49 — Superman: Ride of Steel — Six Flags New England
47 — Titan — Six Flags Over Texas
1998 proved a seminal year for two goliaths of the amusement industry whose futures couldn’t have turned out more antipodal. Not only did Premier Parks complete their purchase of Six Flags (as well as their first roller coasters at the park we’ll be discussing today), but Intamin introduced two new products to its arsenal.
It’d work out better for the latter than the former, so we’ll talk about them first.
Intamin found its first success with large scale steel coasters subcontracting designs for a box-spine track that could support trains with four-across seating, which they primarily used to build stand-up coasters. However, within a few years of the appearance of this track design, the two Giovanola designers responsible, Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, would take it to form their own company which proved an immediate success.
After watching Bolliger & Mabillard slip between their fingers, Intamin and Giovanola managed to only build a couple more of the familiar stand-up coasters. Through the mid-nineties the company continued to search for a track design they could use, and own, for large scale steel projects of their own.
There were other options, however. Acting in various roles for various manufacturers over the years Intamin had made a number of contacts in the industry, including Schwarzkopf. Schwazkopf was already a legendary name in the industry, having produced the first modern vertical loops. Intamin had sold at least one of those very rides- Sooperdooperlooper at Hersheypark.
In 1995, Intamin worked with Schwarzkopf and a litany of others to open Euro-Star, a traveling German invert in the guise of the new B&Ms taking the world by storm- but constructed by their old pals at Giovanola.
Schwarkopf must have gotten close enough for Intamin to either work with them or stab them in the back, because when Intamin finally debuted its own proprietary track design for large-scale steel coasters the style bore a striking resemblance to such Schwarzkopf creations as Mindbender at Six Flags Over Georgia. The track would also hang above the trains, marking Intamin’s first foray for itself into the inverted coaster craze.
There would be more first for the company in 1998. The year before, Intamin had utilized Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) technology on two launch coasters on opposite ends of the planet to make dubious claims on the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the world.
However these were shuttle coasters, as in the tracks did not make a complete circuit but went in one direction, and then backwards along the same route back to the station. Many people didn’t consider their records legitimate and described them as glorified flat rides. LSM technology would not become the more popular method of launch for years to come.
The new track, trains and launch technology would come together in Doswell, Virginia at Kings Dominion to form Volcano: The Blast Coaster, and they project would utilize the Linear Induction Motor (LIM) launch method that Premier Rides had struck gold with in 1996 by building Flight of Fear.
Kings Dominion’s Volcano: The Blast Coaster drew a number of television crew to Doswell, Virginia, the ride a darling of late-nineties cable rollercoaster shows. They understandably adored shots of the train erupting from the park’s iconic volcano.
That same year but to a bit less fanfare, Linear Gale opened at Tokyo Dome City. Linear Gale also utilized the same track design of criss-crossing ties in either square, triangular or flat sections depending on the forces, and both relied on LIMs to supply their kinetic energy.
Already having demonstrated its desire to try new things, Six Flags jumped right on the bandwagon. The new track design would first appear in Six Flags on Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags Darien Lake, but the year after would see the Impulse model come to the chain as well.
Six Flags had only just become ‘Six Flags,’ having paid out well over a billion dollars to be able to call themselves as such, and were in the process of rebranding their roster of parks purchased during the nineties.
Although in more cases than not this simply meant prefixing the existing name with ‘Six Flags,’ the transition inevitably came with a year or two or three or four of flashy investments. New entrances were often on the menu, and installing new coasters wherever they could afford and fit them was a key part of the plan for success as well. Having made their name on relocations and clones, quantity over quality wasn’t an issue.
The first Six Flags Intamin Impulse opened for the 2000 season at Six Flags Ohio (its first under the Six Flags marque and its only as Six Flags Ohio). It was called Superman: Ultimate Escape, a brand we’ll see the company make efforts to cement in other rides.
We’ll get to talk more about this one later, but for now suffice to say the ride proved popular. When the 2000 Golden Ticket awards were announced, Superman: Ultimate Escape was already recognized among the Best Steel Coasters in the World. Kings Dominion’s Volcano: The Blast Coaster (in Doswell, Virginia) was not.
In the moment, it looked like an extremely shrewd move. A competitor had forked over gobs of money to install a custom Intamin LIM launch, prototyping the technology, then Six Flags took a slight variation on one already in Japan and by all appearances got better value out of it and more immediately. It would have been strange if Six Flags hadn’t built more.
Two more would come for 2001, which is where V2 at Marine World in Vallejo, California enters the story.
The Gurnee Impulse will get its own article another time, but for now, let’s talk about what had brought Marine World up to that point, as Vertical Velocity would be the last new major coaster to be installed (and remain, sorry Zonga) at the park until Superman: Ultimate Flight in 2012. This Ultimate Superman would be a Premier Rides Sky Rocket utilizing a similar volley launch as the Impulse coasters, where the train is swung back and forth over a single set of LIM motors.
This is speculation, but the volley may have been a cost-savings measure. Premier’s launches, which shot the trains out the station and immediately to their top speed, caused major electrical issues with local power grids. But again, and you’ll be noticing a theme here, I don’t want to get too much into something that’s going to be a larger focus later in this series.
Anyway, you could think of Vertical Velocity as the cherry on top of the cake that was the investment blitz Premier put into Marine World after acquiring operating rights from the city of Vallejo, the culmination of the dramatic change from marine life park to a Six Flags thrill capital.
That change was dramatic but not as sudden as might first appear. At one time, Marine World was a thriving park and hot commodity. It didn’t have enough space to fit all the people that wanted to come, and they came not for rides and thrills but for marine life and shows.
And it was in Redwood City, not Vallejo.
So far as amusement parks existed and exist to raise land values, Marine World had done its job- the land it sat on was ripe for proper development and the only question was where to move the operation next.
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the city of Vallejo spent over two years negotiating to have the park relocated into the city limits. In an alternate reality, Marine World is in Oakland, or Mountain View.
In this reality, though, Vallejo guaranteed $30m of their taxpayers’ money and Marine World signed on the dotted line. As the Napa Valley Register told it in 1985, the city declared a tract of land on a golf course as “blighted” and took it by eminent domain for Marine World’s new home.
Golf snobs complaining that their precious course was taken by eminent domain for economic development and not poor people’s homes like they expected. You hate to see it.
In the same article, it is revealed that should the non-profit-run park fail, Vallejo would be on the hook for as much as $3m per year until a new operator could be found.
It would only take until 1996 for trouble to arise, with reports coming late in the summer from the San Francisco Examiner that dwindling attendance may prohibit the park from covering its upcoming offseason expenses.
Marine World had until October 31 to pay $8m. In early September the park received a setback when the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported the park had been robbed of $100,000.
The struggling park wouldn’t get until Halloween. Weeks before the deadline, the city council of Vallejo voted unanimously to take on the park and millions in debt, as recounted in the Napa Valley Register. In particular, inability to pay for new attractions is singled out as the cause of the park’s decline in attendance and subsequent failure. Vallejo took on $56m of the park’s debt and total ownership responsibility.
Vallejo quickly found a suitor willing to build the desperately needed attractions. The San Francisco Examiner reported in February of 1985 that by March operational control of the park would be transferred to Premier.
Employees were notified of sweeping layoffs by their current employer and invited to reapply for work once Premier took over.
The Sacramento Bee reported on the progress about a month later, providing firmer figures: $9m in capital improvement, more than Premier had originally budgeted.
Heading into the winter of its first season, Premier cut back hours and staff. In addition, this article also gives a little insight into the four primary goals Premier had at the park: Closing for the offseason, building new attractions, increased advertising and firing a lot of people.
Six months after it announced its intentions to resuscitate Vallejo’s struggling Marine World/Africa USA, a troubleshooting theme park company has slashed the employee roster by almost half and decreed that the park will close for five months as of Monday.
The sweeping cutbacks come as Marine World’s focus has changed to emphasize amusement park attractions over animal acts, all moves that Premier Parks Inc. says are necessary to prevent the marine park from going belly-up.
“These steps are all needed to make the park profitable,” said Dan Aylward, general manager of Marine World. “After we came here, we realized we had to do four things — close the park during the off season, get some popular new attractions, improve marketing and reorganize the structure.”
So far as Premier wanted to invest in attention-grabbing attractions for Marine World, they got right to it. For 1998, Premier relocated Hangman, Opryland’s Vekoma SLC to Marine World under the name Kong.
Marine World also received a Vekoma Boomerang that season, but we’re not talking about SLCs and Boomerangs, so we’re not talking about Kong and Boomerang: Coast-to-Coaster. Sorry, Kong. Sorry, Boomerang: Coast-to-Coaster.
1999 brought Roar, a copy of the version at Six Flags America but featuring GCI’s brand new Millenniums Flyer trains. But that ride will get its own article another time, as will Medusa, which came next in 2000. Be patient, Roar. Be patient, Medusa.
But that does, finally, I’m sure you’re relieved, bring us to the coaster in the title, the ride this entire thing is supposed to be about: V2: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Marine World. We’re only a couple thousand words in but finally we’re going to talk about the roller coaster you all came here for.
Wait, hold on, after we talk about some animals.
Sure Marine World introduced four major roller coasters in three years, but the park still was looking for good news. While the park spent 2000 marketing Medusa it mostly made the news for questionable care of its animals. Although Marine World had previously been run by a non-profit, Six Flags cared very much about the bottom line, and animals don’t organize their labor well. The entire season was marked by protests and deaths.
In May, the Los Angeles Times among others ran a snydicated story about activist groups protesting the park’s planned acquisition of Kala, a baby elephant, from a Missouri zoo.
The activists primarily objected that the move would separate the young elephant from his mother despite his tender age.
All year the park dealt with negative publicity as animals in their care died. In June, a baby dolphin stopped swimming and didn’t respond to attempts at resuscitation.
In August, the park’s most popular marine attraction and only orca, Vigga, died of heart problems.
In November, Kala, the controversial baby elephant acquisition that had brought national attention to the park in the form of PETA protests, also died.
They probably shouldn’t have been allowed to have animals. Honestly? Theme parks shouldn’t be allowed to have animals. Shouldn’t somebody have taken away Six Flags’ animals? Can somebody please take Six Flags’ animals?
Ethics aside, Marine World was in dire need of good publicity despite the massive investments from 1997 through 2000. With the park’s smaller footprint of about 138 acres (as per SEC filings in 2001 which also show the park retaining a right to purchase Marine World through 2007), Six Flags had already bent over backwards to squeeze in a full-scale twister woodie and the longest steel coaster in California. If they weren’t going to develop themselves into a corner they’d want something more compact.
As Marine World was touting Medusa, Six Flags Ohio in Aurora was introducing North America to what Tokyo had seen two years prior: the Intamin Impulse.
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illionois and Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, California would receive identical models of the Intamin Impulse for 2001. All three would stretch 185 feet into the sky and build on their forebear in Tokyo with a forward spike that twisted as you ascended into the air and then fell back to the Earth.
It’s not an uncommon practice now, and Six Flags did help pioneer it, but they kept design costs low by simply buying in bulk and installing the same ride in multiple locations. They bought three of the exact same rides to install at three parks, understanding that their regional appeal meant not too many people from the Vallejo area would find themselves in Gurnee to be disappointed by seeing a rerun. Enthusiasts maybe, but who cares? They’ll just complain while they fork their money over anyway.
Superman: Ultimate Escape was advertised as 185 feet tall, and it was.
V2 in Gurnee Illinois would be advertised as 185 feet tall, and it was.
V2 in Vallejo, California would be advertised as 150 feet tall, and it most certainly was not. We already talked about this. It was 185 feet tall.
And yet, in each and every fact sheet in every paper, there you go:
Strangely, while many articles discussing the ride’s debut in 2000 take care to point out that a similar ride was opening across the country, nobody either notices or points out the differences in the stats.
Local ordinance in Vallejo, California prohibited building over 150'. But Six Flags wanted to build a ride that was thirty-five feet taller than that. So what did Six Flags do? Six Flags said, Hey. That’s one hundred fifty feet. Not one inch more. Trust us.
They weren’t trusted.
V2 reopened in 2002 with its spikes modified: the rear trimmed to a neat vertical 150', the forward now angled at 45 degrees until it reached the same mark. It would give Marine World a unique version of what would come to be a popular attraction.
Strangely enough, it’s hard for me to find any public knowledge of the reason for the modification, at least in the time immediately after. I simply couldn’t find it. Surely there were letters to the editor somewhere, but they weren’t archived in any search engine I know of. And articles that did run talking about the modification don’t mention it either because they didn’t know or were instructed not to care.
For instance, this article in the Arizona Republic treats the modification like an upgrade, as if the attraction were being plussed.
Discovery Kingdom’s Intamin Impulse wouldn’t have the cache to make the Golden Tickets, but it would continue to exist when in the first place it had no right to. We as enthusiasts see that as a laughable scandal, or a sign of gross incompetence. A height restriction is a pretty concrete thing. There’s a number, and you don’t go over it. Enthusiasts today see it as another example of Premier-era incompetence.
There has been some confusion, and I can only blame myself. I called this series “The Fifty Coasters That Doomed Six Flags,” but I seem to say all these coasters were pretty good. And so far, the one’s we’ve gotten to talk about have been. But that’s because I cast a wide net to talk about as many rides as possible, nearly every major ride built by Six Flags in that time. They weren’t all failures. After all, there must have been some success happening to bring the investors in.
I think an investor would see the whole thing as a power move. As ever, I wish I could give people more credit, but considering the company’s relationship with the city council, and the recent negative local press, I honestly don’t even think it’s wrong. Wantonly breaking local regulation is something just rude and dumb enough to make money that companies do it all the time.
Yeah, they might have had to modify the design, but the TV specials had long and been filmed by then. Flags fly forever but footage runs awhile too.
And in light of the previous year’s Medusa, a standard model splitting design costs with another park is probably the kind of investment investors would more prefer to have seen at Marine World. We get to put our fingers in the eye of the city council, and make money doing it? Hey, cool.
Those reasons neatly summarize why this is the first Intamin Impulse and first Marine World roller coasters we’re discussing. From the POV of an investor, I believe this would be the kind of ride appropriate for Marine World- Roar and Medusa may have been popular, but both took up huge tracts of land within the park, potentially limiting future development. They also came with expensive price tags. Exact figures aren’t always available, but SFA’s Roar was reported to cost $10m. Has B&M ever sold a roller coaster under $10m? Ever?
An Intamin Impulse was a perfect fit for the budget and space so Six Flags squeezed it in no matter what the local regulations said. Good enough to keep it from floating higher up this list, and a good demonstration that things enthusiasts find scandalous might not always be as bad as they seem.
Ultimately, in 2007, Red Zone’s Six Flags would change the park’s name to “Six Flags Discovery Kingdom” and exercise the purchase option to take total ownership. However, the park wouldn’t receive a new major coaster until after the company’s bankruptcy and reorganization.