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Medusa (Great Adventure)
Encyclopedia
For the roller coaster of the same name at Six Flags New England
, see Bizarro (Six Flags New England). For the former name in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
see Medusa (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
.
Bizarro (formerly known as Medusa) is a steel
roller coaster
located at Six Flags Great Adventure
in Jackson, NJ
. It was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard
. The ride debuted as Medusa in 1999 as the world's first floorless roller coaster
. The ride contains the most inversions in the park since the removal of the Great American Scream Machine.
On October 23, 2008, Six Flags announced that Medusa would be re-designed for the 2009 operating season. The modification is similar to that of the re-design of X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
. Additions to the ride include a complete re-theming of the ride, pyrotechnics
, fog machines, water effects, and audio. On April 1, 2009, the roller coaster title "Medusa" was changed to "Bizarro" and it opened to the public on May 23, 2009.
Medusa's 2009 transformation sports a new theme resembling Bizarro
, an evil clone of Superman
. The track was repainted blue with dark purple supports. Special effects were added including building structures, open-air Superman-shield tunnels, fiery flame effects, mist machines, a new entrance sign and extensive LED
lighting that turns on at night. The trains were also repainted and received on-board audio (to the loss of two seats in the last car of each train). There are several sound clips from popular movies and actors along the ride, including clips of The Joker saying, "Let's put a smile on that face," and "here we go," quotes from Will Ferrell, such as "shake and bake" from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and, "Doesn't anyone notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" from Zoolander, and multiple quotes from Superman movies, such as "you have great power," and "kneel before Zod!"
s, which as of the 2008 season have all been in use full-time. Each train has 8 cars, 7 with a single row of 4 seats and the last with a row of 2, for a total of 30 riders per train. The last row was originally 4 seats, but the centre pair was removed on each train to install a computer and power module for the sound system. Each seat on every train has a speaker to the left and right of the rider. A recording of Bizarro
, the character, fighting and talking is played for the duration of the ride. Frequently, while the train is braked, waiting to enter the station platform, riders hear Bizarro
chanting his name and "Bizarro #1".
The roller coaster track is royal blue and its supports are purple. The track was originally painted in a lime green.
Bizarro's track (not counting pre-lift hill track) comes closer to the queue paths than that of any other coaster in the park. Kingda Ka
's queue formerly passed under its launch track, but this section was later closed off for safety reasons. Bizarro's entrance is directly underneath the Cobra Roll, so the train comes within a few feet of the path as it enters and exits the Cobra Roll. It also comes very close to the queue between the Diving Loop and Zero-G Roll. There is a tree here that almost touches the track and is brushed by each passing train.
Bizarro offers one of the most bizarre views in the park during the ride. While going around the Diving Loop, Kingda Ka's tower is visible directly ahead upside down. This is most noticeable from the far right seat of the front row. Bizarro's On-ride camera
is located between the Zero-G roll and Cobra Roll. It is mounted to the rear of the entrance sign.
In 2003, the floorless coaster Scream!
debuted at Six Flags Magic Mountain
. Its layout is a mirror image
of Bizarro.
While in the station, and loading, riders can hear the following quotes:
Trains pull out of the station, and make a left hand turn before climbing the lift hill. While climbing up the lift hill, the following quotes can be heard:
On the last quote, the trains crest the lift hill, and drop down a left hand swooping drop, passing through an open-air Superman-shield tunnel, and entering the vertical loop. After leaving the vertical loop, riders cross under the final brake run and enter the Diving loop, passing a flamethrower, before rising into the Zero-G roll. Following the Zero-G roll comes the Cobra roll, taking riders over the coaster's entrance. Trains then rise into the midcourse brake run
.
The following quotes are heard from when the train leaves the lift hill to when riders reach the midcourse brake run.
While in the midcourse brake run is the quote:
Bizarro riders then enter the second half, diving down towards the left and around a tight turn, passing by several buildings, before rising up through the lift hill supports. Trains then make a slight right, pass under a mist machine, and enter the interlocking corkscrews. After the second corkscrew, riders descend a small drop, rise up and make a sharp left turn, and hit the final brake run. From the midcourse brake run to the final brake run, the following quotes are heard:
After hitting the final brake run, trains make another left turn, and reenter the station, during which these quotes can be heard:
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...
, see Bizarro (Six Flags New England). For the former name in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, formerly Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA, is an animal theme park located in Vallejo, California. The park includes a variety of roller coasters and other amusement rides, along with a collection of...
see Medusa (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
Medusa (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
For the Six Flags Great Adventure ride formerly known as Medusa, see Bizarro .Medusa is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California....
.
Bizarro (formerly known as Medusa) is a steel
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
located at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
in Jackson, NJ
Jackson Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,816 people, 14,176 households, and 11,269 families residing in the township. The population density was 427.9 people per square mile . There were 14,640 housing units at an average density of 146.3 per square mile...
. It was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
. The ride debuted as Medusa in 1999 as the world's first floorless roller coaster
Floorless roller coaster
A floorless roller coaster is a roller coaster with trains that ride above the track and allow the passenger's legs to dangle. It is a fairly new concept in roller coaster design brought forth by manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard. The first ever floorless coaster debuted in 1999 at Six Flags Great...
. The ride contains the most inversions in the park since the removal of the Great American Scream Machine.
History
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
. Additions to the ride include a complete re-theming of the ride, pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
, fog machines, water effects, and audio. On April 1, 2009, the roller coaster title "Medusa" was changed to "Bizarro" and it opened to the public on May 23, 2009.
Medusa's 2009 transformation sports a new theme resembling Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
, an evil clone of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. The track was repainted blue with dark purple supports. Special effects were added including building structures, open-air Superman-shield tunnels, fiery flame effects, mist machines, a new entrance sign and extensive LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
lighting that turns on at night. The trains were also repainted and received on-board audio (to the loss of two seats in the last car of each train). There are several sound clips from popular movies and actors along the ride, including clips of The Joker saying, "Let's put a smile on that face," and "here we go," quotes from Will Ferrell, such as "shake and bake" from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and, "Doesn't anyone notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" from Zoolander, and multiple quotes from Superman movies, such as "you have great power," and "kneel before Zod!"
Trains
Bizarro has three trainTrain (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
s, which as of the 2008 season have all been in use full-time. Each train has 8 cars, 7 with a single row of 4 seats and the last with a row of 2, for a total of 30 riders per train. The last row was originally 4 seats, but the centre pair was removed on each train to install a computer and power module for the sound system. Each seat on every train has a speaker to the left and right of the rider. A recording of Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
, the character, fighting and talking is played for the duration of the ride. Frequently, while the train is braked, waiting to enter the station platform, riders hear Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
chanting his name and "Bizarro #1".
Track
The ride features seven inversions:- 119-foot Vertical loopLoop (roller coaster)The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. Specifically, the loop refers to a continuously upward-sloping section of track that eventually results in a complete 360 degree circle. At the top-most piece of the loop, riders are completely inverted.-...
- 95-foot Diving loop
- Zero G roll
- 75-foot Cobra roll (one element containing two inversions in one)
- Interlocking corkscrews after the mid-course brake runBrake runA brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
The roller coaster track is royal blue and its supports are purple. The track was originally painted in a lime green.
Bizarro's track (not counting pre-lift hill track) comes closer to the queue paths than that of any other coaster in the park. Kingda Ka
Kingda Ka
Kingda Ka is a roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. It is the world's tallest roller coaster, and was the world's fastest until Formula Rossa opened in November 2010. The train is launched by a hydraulic launch mechanism to in 3.5 seconds. At the end of...
's queue formerly passed under its launch track, but this section was later closed off for safety reasons. Bizarro's entrance is directly underneath the Cobra Roll, so the train comes within a few feet of the path as it enters and exits the Cobra Roll. It also comes very close to the queue between the Diving Loop and Zero-G Roll. There is a tree here that almost touches the track and is brushed by each passing train.
Bizarro offers one of the most bizarre views in the park during the ride. While going around the Diving Loop, Kingda Ka's tower is visible directly ahead upside down. This is most noticeable from the far right seat of the front row. Bizarro's On-ride camera
On-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
is located between the Zero-G roll and Cobra Roll. It is mounted to the rear of the entrance sign.
In 2003, the floorless coaster Scream!
Scream! (roller coaster)
Scream! is a steel floorless roller coaster made by Bolliger & Mabillard of Switzerland. The coaster is located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, and was the park's 16th roller coaster....
debuted at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
. Its layout is a mirror image
Mirror image
A mirror image is a reflected duplication of an object that appears identical but reversed. As an optical effect it results from reflection off of substances such as a mirror or water. It is also a concept in geometry and can be used as a conceptualization process for 3-D structures...
of Bizarro.
Ride Experience
Quotes below that are in quotation marks are from movies. Quotes not in quotation marks were specially recorded for the ride. Some quotes can be heard in this on-ride video.While in the station, and loading, riders can hear the following quotes:
- Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind on Earth
- The Metropolis train system is now boarding.
- What are your coordinates?
- 017757, Sir!
- Perimeter blocked?
- Yes, no one is allowed in.
- We're standing on the edge.
- "Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." - All About Eve
- "He chose... poorly." - Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeIndiana Jones and the Last CrusadeIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
Trains pull out of the station, and make a left hand turn before climbing the lift hill. While climbing up the lift hill, the following quotes can be heard:
- "I think he's coming Mr. Luthor" - Superman: The Movie
- Let's move out...(footsteps)
- Keep moving
- "You have great power" - Superman Returns
- What's your status?
- It seems to be a wormhole sir.
- "We're on a mission from God" - The Blues Brothers
- "We're sitting on top of the story of the century here!" - Superman: The Movie
- "The decision of the council will now be heard" - Superman: The Movie
- There goes a reporter from the Daily Planet
- What is she doing?
- "See anything familiar?" - Superman Returns
- Get back! Get back!
- Ahhhhhhhh (girl screams)
- She's fallen in!
- "Doesn't anyone notice this? It feels like I'm taking crazy pills!" - Will Ferrell, Zoolander
- Rawrrr (Bizarro growl)
- What was that?
- You can hear something coming from the inside!
- Hold up
- LOOK OUT! (during this, you can hear the transition clock ticking sound from 24)
- "This ain't reality TV!" - Jack Nicholson, The Departed
- "Didn't your dad ever teach you to LOOK! BEFORE! YOU LEAP!" - Superman Returns
On the last quote, the trains crest the lift hill, and drop down a left hand swooping drop, passing through an open-air Superman-shield tunnel, and entering the vertical loop. After leaving the vertical loop, riders cross under the final brake run and enter the Diving loop, passing a flamethrower, before rising into the Zero-G roll. Following the Zero-G roll comes the Cobra roll, taking riders over the coaster's entrance. Trains then rise into the midcourse brake run
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
.
The following quotes are heard from when the train leaves the lift hill to when riders reach the midcourse brake run.
- "You shall not pass!"--Gandalf
- Watch out!
- (Engine revving sound)
- What are you here for
- What are we gonna do?!
- TAKE COVER!!
- "You diseased maniac!"
- First we have fun
- "Hey Ma! The meatloaf!"--Will Ferrell, Wedding Crashers
- "I lay my vengeance upon thee"--Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction
- "Why,Why!"--Nancy KerriganNancy KerriganNancy Ann Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion.-Early life and skating career:...
- Pull my finger
- What's in the fog!
- "How you doin?"
While in the midcourse brake run is the quote:
- You are now free to move about the cabin
Bizarro riders then enter the second half, diving down towards the left and around a tight turn, passing by several buildings, before rising up through the lift hill supports. Trains then make a slight right, pass under a mist machine, and enter the interlocking corkscrews. After the second corkscrew, riders descend a small drop, rise up and make a sharp left turn, and hit the final brake run. From the midcourse brake run to the final brake run, the following quotes are heard:
- "Walley World"
- "WHERE ARE YOU?!"--Batman Begins
- "HERE!!"--Batman Begins
- "You can do it!"--Rob Schneider, The Water Boy
- BIZARRO SMASH!!
- (Wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round)
- "Game over, man, game over!"--Hudson, Aliens
- "Come to me, son of Jor-El!"--Superman
- "Hey, batter batter batter!"--Ferris Bueller's Day Off
- "Kneel before Zod!"--Superman
- "Say hello to my little friend!"--Al Pacino, Scarface
- We're trapped!
- FREEDOM!!!!
After hitting the final brake run, trains make another left turn, and reenter the station, during which these quotes can be heard:
- "That just happened."--Will Ferrell, Talladega Nights
- Bizarro #1!
- (Bizarro hip hop song)
- "Did I tell you that we must evacuate this planet immediately?"--Superman: The Movie