The TMNT Shellraiser is a steel

indoor roller coaster An indoor roller coaster or enclosed roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure. The structure may be unrelated to the ride, or it may be intended solely or primarily for the ride. Many indoor coasters are custom made and place ...

Nickelodeon Universe Nickelodeon Universe is the name of two indoor amusement parks located at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota and American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a third location under construction at the Mall of China in Chongqing, ...

amusement park, within the

American Dream Meadowlands American Dream is a retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The first and second of four opening stages occurred on October 25, 2019, and on December 5, 2019. The remainin ...

shopping and entertainment complex, at the

Meadowlands Sports Complex The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). The complex currently consi ...

East Rutherford East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. The roller coaster is a

Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of ...

model manufactured by

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. History In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf-o ...

, and themed to the

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

(TMNT). It is the steepest roller coaster in the world with a vertical drop of 121.5 degrees. The TMNT Shellraiser has the exact same layout as

Takabisha is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter steel roller coaster located at the Fuji-Q Highland theme park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. It is famous for having a drop angle of 121° – the former steepest coaster in the world before being replaced ...

Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko Co. it was opened on 2 March 1968. The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as two haun ...

in Japan, the previous record holder for world's steepest roller coaster.

History

In September 2016, officials at the long-delayed

shopping mall announced that the

theme park would be built inside the mall. Details about the park's coasters, including a

Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of E ...

with the world's steepest drop, were revealed in December 2017. According to the mall's attractions director, Jeff Davis, the Euro-Fighter design was chosen because it would "break a world record ..to claim the steepest coaster in the world", and that he "anticipate up to 50 percent" of residents in the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

to ride the coaster. Vertical construction of the attraction officially began in early 2018. The names for the TMNT Shellraiser and three other coasters were first announced by Nickelodeon Universe representatives at

American Coaster Enthusiasts American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization focusing on the enjoyment, knowledge, and preservation of roller coasters as well as recognition of some as architectural and engineering landmarks. Dues-paying members receive the ...

' February 2019 "EastCoaster" summit. At that point, construction on the coaster was well underway. Ride testing began in April 2019. The TMNT Shellraiser soft-opened October 25, 2019, as part of the opening of the first attractions at Nickelodeon Universe in American Dream Meadowlands. The ride was temporarily closed after its soft opening because it did not have a permit to operate.

Ride experience

TMNT Shellraiser is located entirely inside the structure of American Dream Meadowlands. The train leaves the station and then immediately enters a slow

heartline roll Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Com ...

. Afterward, it is propelled by

linear motor A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled", thus, instead of producing a torque (rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. However, linear motors are not necessarily straight. Characteristicall ...

s from a standstill to in two seconds. The train ascends from the launched track section into a tall

corkscrew A corkscrew is a tool for drawing corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks. In its traditional form, a corkscrew simply consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attached to a hand ...

. Immediately afterward, the coaster enters a banana roll inversion, a second

, and an

airtime hill This list of roller coaster elements contains the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation. Introduction Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a Track (rail transport), tra ...

. The train ascends onto a set of block brakes, slowing the train down before it makes a U-turn to the right and ascends the vertical

chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...

. Once at the top, the car is held by a brake before entering the 121.5°, beyond-vertical drop. Once the car is released from the top of the hill, it enters a

dive loop Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Comm ...

, an inline loop, and an

Immelmann loop Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Com ...

, before hitting the final brake run and returning to the station.

Characteristics

TMNT Shellraiser has green track with purple and light-blue supports, and has a total of seven inversions. At the top of the lift hill, the train is held by the brake for 14 seconds before being released into the drop. Riders are positioned so that they have a view of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

skyline in the distance. A section of the building's ceiling is raised slightly to accommodate the lift hill, as well as the windows facing New York City. The drop, at an angle of 121.5 degrees, is the steepest in the world, beating the previous record-holder

by half a degree. There are six trains, each with a single car. Each car has two rows of seating, with four seats per row. The trains were given a custom paint design by "a local auto body artist." The ride is themed around the

fighting the supervillain Shredder in New York City's streets.

Reception

A writer for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' said, "Shellraiser was a tad rough, but a load of fun." ''

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc. and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation ownershi ...

'' magazine said that "thrill seekers will love the scream-inducing Shellraiser."

Notes

References

{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2019 establishments in New Jersey Roller coasters in New Jersey Shellraiser Nickelodeon Universe Nickelodeon in amusement parks Indoor roller coasters East Rutherford, New Jersey