The New Revolution (roller coaster)
| Revolution | |
|---|---|
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
| Park section | Baja Ridge |
| Coordinates | 34°25′22″N 118°35′47″W / 34.42278°N 118.59639°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 8, 1976 |
| Cost | $2,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Looping roller coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Duration | 2:12 |
| Max vertical angle | 45° |
| Capacity | 1400 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.9 |
| Revolution at RCDB | |
The Revolution, formerly known as Great American Revolution and La Revolución, is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf of Germany and designed by Werner Stengel. The coaster is located in the Baja Ridge area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It opened on May 8, 1976 and was the world's first modern roller coaster to feature a vertical loop. It is an ACE Coaster Landmark.[1]
The coaster was named after the American Revolution, which began in 1776, 200 years before the ride opened. Unlike almost all of the previous attempts to create looping roller coasters in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Revolution's loop was clothoid loop-shaped instead of a completely circular. Eight days later, Corkscrew opened at Cedar Point on May 15, 1976 with a vertical loop and two corkscrews for a total of three inversions.
Even though passing the height placement, Revolution is not considered a major roller coaster in the park, since it's lack of thrill elements and it's simple layout. However, its considered a minor coaster along with Apocalypse and Ninja . Major coasters include Scream! , Déjà Vu , Colossus , Batman: The Ride, Goliath, Green Lantern: First Flight , Viper, Tatsu, X² , Superman: Escape from Krypton, and Riddler's Revenge (roller coaster).
History
Magic Mountain developed the loop coaster with amusement ride manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf to be the first true loop coaster since the Loop the Loop at the Coney Island amusements. Before the ride opened, it took a week of testing to just get the train to complete one circuit because of wheels being too tight. When the ride opened, the ride staff were outfitted with Continental Army style uniforms to match the American Revolutionary War of 1776 theme. The ride was later changed to a Mexican Revolution theme and called La Revolución when Six Flags purchased Magic Mountain in 1979. Later, in 1988, the ride's name was changed to Revolution. In June 2002, a plaque was erected in front of the ride, marking it as one of the American Coaster Enthusiasts "Coaster Landmarks", for being the first steel looping roller coaster.
During the construction of Six Flags Magic Mountain's roller coaster Tatsu in 2005, parts of Revolution had to be dismantled to make way for the new ride; it reopened along with Tatsu on Tatsu Media Day on May 11, 2006.
Pop culture
Revolution was prominently featured in the climax of the 1977 suspense thriller Rollercoaster. It was also featured in the film National Lampoon's Vacation. Dubbed the “Whipper Snapper,” the Griswold family and kidnapped security guard Russ Lasky (John Candy) rode this coaster in the final scenes of the film. It was also featured in the episode "Phantom of the Roller Coaster" in season three of Wonder Woman.