The New Revolution (formerly known as Revolution, Great American Revolution and La Revolución) is a
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. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...
located at
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newha ...
in
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Manufactured by
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs ...
and designed by
Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel (born 22 August 1936, in Bochum) is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH (or Ingenieurbuero Stengel GmbH).
Stengel first worked on a ...
, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 8, 1976. The New Revolution is the world's first modern roller coaster to feature a
vertical loop
The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.
History
The vertical ...
and has been recognized for that accomplishment by
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 ...
(ACE), who awarded the roller coaster its Coaster Landmark status. However, there were earlier examples of roller coasters with a full vertical loop, such as the steel roller coaster called "
Looping the Loop
''Looping the Loop'' (German: ''Die Todesschleife'') is a 1928 German silent thriller film directed by Arthur Robison and starring Werner Krauss, Jenny Jugo and Warwick Ward.Bock & Bergfelder p.228 The film was produced by UFA. It was shot at t ...
" in
Parque Japonés in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, which operated from 1911 to 1930.
The coaster was named after the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
in celebration of the country's
Bicentennial __NOTOC__
A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to:
Europe
*French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
. Unlike many of the previous looping roller coasters in the 19th and early-20th centuries which attempted circular loops, Revolution's success was dependent on a
clothoid
An Euler spiral is a curve whose curvature changes linearly with its curve length (the curvature of a circular curve is equal to the reciprocal of the radius). Euler spirals are also commonly referred to as spiros, clothoids, or Cornu spirals.
Eu ...
-shaped vertical loop – a first in the industry.
In 2016, the coaster received a makeover for its 40th anniversary that included new trains with lap bars and an optional virtual reality experience for riders. The New Revolution soft-launched to season pass holders on March 26, 2016, and opened to the general public on April 21, 2016.
History
Great American Revolution
In the mid-1970s, Magic Mountain enlisted ride manufacturer
Anton Schwarzkopf
Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs ...
and legendary designer
Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel (born 22 August 1936, in Bochum) is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH (or Ingenieurbuero Stengel GmbH).
Stengel first worked on a ...
to design and build the first looping roller coaster in modern times. The last known existence of one was
Loop the Loop
The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.
History
The vertical ...
at
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
during the early 1900s. Prior to Great American Revolution's opening, a week of testing was needed to properly calibrate the tightness of the wheels, in order to get the train to complete one full circuit. At the ride's opening, staff operating the ride were outfitted with
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
-style uniforms to match the time period of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, which the country was celebrating for its
Bicentennial __NOTOC__
A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to:
Europe
*French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
.
La Revolución, Revolution
In 1979 following the purchase of the park by Six Flags, the ride's name was changed to La Revolución in honor of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
. In 1988, the ride's name was changed once more to simply Revolution. In 1992, over-the-shoulder restraints were added to the trains, alongside the existing lapbars, to prevent guests from standing up. The addition was heavily criticized, as it led to a rough ride and numerous complaints of discomfort and headbanging.
In June 2002, a
Coaster Landmark
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 ...
plaque awarded by
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 ...
(ACE) was placed near the line queue in front of the ride. The award was presented in recognition of its accomplishment as the world's first modern vertical-looping roller coaster. In 2005, parts of Revolution had to be dismantled to make way for the park's new
Tatsu
Tatsu is a flying roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park located in Valencia, California, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened as the tallest, fastest, and longe ...
roller coaster that was being constructed. Revolution reopened with Tatsu on the new coaster's media day on May 11, 2006.
The New Revolution
Revolution was refurbished for the 2016 season in celebration of the roller coaster's 40th anniversary. The ride received new red and white trains, with each train's lead car featuring a silver eagle ornament mounted on the front, and the track was painted white and blue. The new trains were also fitted with lap and calf bar restraints, replacing the unpopular over-the-shoulder design, which Six Flags claimed would provide additional airtime and a more comfortable ride experience.
The ride reopened as The New Revolution.
The New Revolution was among several rides at various parks that received an on-ride
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
(VR) feature. Riders were given the option to wear
Samsung Gear VR
The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on November 27, 2015.
When in use, a compatible Samsung Galaxy device acts ...
headsets, powered by
Oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following
Architecture
* Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...
, to experience a 3D virtual world themed to a fighter jet, where riders flew through a futuristic city as co-pilots battling alien invaders. The feature debuted with the coaster when it emerged from refurbishment and reopened to season pass holders on March 26, 2016.
It reopened to the general public on April 21, 2016.
On February 8, 2017, Six Flags announced that The New Revolution would offer a new VR experience known as The New Revolution Galactic Attack. It was billed as the world's first mixed Virtual Reality Experience powered by Oculus VR. The experience was centered around an alien invasion in space. As riders crest the lift hill, the setting changed into an intergalactic battle seen from the cockpit of a fighter spaceship. It became available to the public on February 25.
Beginning on November 18, 2017, Six Flags debuted a new VR experience to match the "Holiday in the Park" theme. Dubbed "Santa's Wild Sleigh Ride," it placed riders in Santa's sleigh as he delivered presents to a snowy town.
The VR option was extremely popular, causing 2-3 hour lines. The headsets would overheat and make the lines even longer. Therefore, the headsets were moved to
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom in 2018. With the VR feature removed, the ride now operates in "Classic Revolution" mode.
In November 2018, The New Revolution was renamed Red Sox Revolution temporarily after the park lost a
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
bet to
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...
.
Incidents
On May 31, 1996, a park employee was hit and killed instantly while attempting to cross the tracks in the boarding station as a train was returning. The investigation determined she slipped and fell into a pit below, crossing from the side where passengers exit over to the opposite side.
On June 12, 2015, a 10-year-old girl riding the roller coaster was found breathing but unconscious after returning to the station. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and died the following day. According to the local coroner's office, she died of natural causes unrelated to the ride. An autopsy wasn't performed to determine the exact cause, at the request of the girl's family.
References
External links
Revolution at the official Six Flags Magic Mountain website*
ttp://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/141890/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revolution (Roller Coaster)
Roller coasters in California
Roller coasters introduced in 1976
Roller coasters operated by Six Flags
Six Flags Magic Mountain