There were two parts to the Green Lantern: First Flight Media Preview Day on Thursday. The first involved the introduction of the newly revamped DC Universe area. With a curtain drawn, and people anxoiusly waiting, Six Flags opened the area with a boom and an amazing transformation. Check out our photo tour of the new theming of DC Universe. Tune in later on our YouTube Channel for the video of the launch.
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Planet SIX was invited to the Green Lantern Media Preview Day for the opening of both revamped DC Universe and the all-new Green Lantern. This article in particular features the GREEN LANTERN portion of the photos, so stay tuned and check back later for the DC Universe pics. We also have onride footage of me taking on Green Lantern. The ride itself was incredible, certainly exceeding my original expectations. The only flip I got was the hill of the brake run into the station. The drops were short, but rocked you around in your seat. Check back for our full review later. See all the green lantern photos here >>Video Footage of Ryan from Planet SIX riding the new Green Lantern with Martin Palicki from inparkmagazine.com Video Courtesy: Six Flags Magic Mountain There's only two days left until Green Lantern: First Flight launches to the general public on Friday, July 1st. The coaster has been testing for a few days now, and a few things have been revealed about the ride just before the opening day. Joining Superman: Escape From Krypton in the armguard category, armguards have been added to the cars to protect rider's arms from the surrounding structure; similar to the case of Superman and the tunnel. Rumors have it that Magic Mountain will open earlier than usual on Friday specifically for Green Lantern, however the park says that this is only for exclusive V.I.P.S. Whichever case is true, if you're planning on visiting on Friday, arrive earlier than normal so then you can either be in line first, or enter the park early. A video clip of Green Lantern testing is below from YouTube for you to check out. We'll be covering the exclusive Green Lantern Media Preview Day tomorrow, so check back tomorrow for videos, reviews, and of course the pics. When we were last at the park on Friday, we happened to run into the film crew for the new rollercoaster game-show: Scream If You Know The Answer. The upcoming show was filmed entirely at Magic Mountain, even needing to close down the Whistlestop Park gift store to make way for a make-shift production office. They wouldn't let us inside for a peek at their office, but we can tell you that they made themselves at home if you know what I mean. The total show's episodes spanned only a 10-day period at the park ending on Friday when we were there. The production company 'hired' guests on the show by advertising that any guest over 18 who registered could be a part of the game show. The concept of it is similar to BrainRush where riders must answer questions while on a coaster for cash. The host is Bert Kreischer who we also saw prior to his next filming session on Samurai Summit. The only rides they shot on Friday were Tatsu in which only one side was running to the public while the other was closed for the show, and supposedly Superman which a crew worker said would also be filmed on that day. We were unable to confirm whether they did film on Superman, but the area was closed off with the usual blue barriers temporarily. The show will aire sometime this summer on the Travel Channel. (click for captions + to enlarge)
We've been following the DC Universe transformation unfold since the beginning, and honestly this area is really coming along well. As it finishes, new changes are always turning up- Major changes too. To summarize crew's work in the area, they have added the official flat ride entrances for both Wonder Woman and The Flash that include large cutouts of the characters. Green Lantern also features one of these, but Batman is unconfirmed. Wonder Woman had once again another name change to- Wonder Woman: Lasso Of Truth as indicated on the sign in front. The Flash is now fit with the tag line: SPEED FORCE. In addition, the DC Universe archway certainly has surprised us all, now displaying various DC characters in each of it's squares.
The archway is still yet to be completely filled with characters as it is seen in Picture #3. The Lemonade venue by Batman has been re-themed to SmallVille Soft Frozen Lemonade (Smallville is Superman's hometown by the way). The corn cart still remains and was not actually replaced, a mistake on our part. Overall, the area is really showing it's brighter side than it was with the Gotham City theme. It looks as if the park has changed their mind on various Green Lantern policies, nearing the newly announced opening date of July 1st. One of the most notable changes is that of the height restrictions. If you can recall, the ride used to accommodate guests of 48'' and above. But just recently, did they raise the minimum height to 52'' and even a MAXIMUM height of 77''. This would make two coasters (along with Deja Vu) that have maximum height restrictions in the park. Most people are linking this to the design error of the station which caused the coaster to be delayed to July 1. And the other modification involves the Flash Pass policy. It went from accepting the Gold Flash Pass, to ONLY accepting the Platinum Pass- The highest and most expensive Flash Pass available. We have unconfirmed why the pass changed. And to leave you all with a progress update on Green Lantern, one of our fans- Alberto Solano took this excellent shot below of the ride's station as of now.. Courtesy: Alberto SolanoA mechanic who was working on Tatsu last night was reportedly cut on his arm according to the LA Times. The man who was on duty during Grad Nite late Friday night, was injured and then treated in the park's First Aid station before being taken to the local hospital. According to guests in line at the time, he was in the middle of fixing something when the train allegedly ''backed up'' into his arm. This disappointed several grads in line when the ride was temporarily closed down. Magic Mountain has not made a comment as to the cause or the incident itself at this time.
Since it's getting into the busy summer season for Six Flags, promotions and contests are starting to pop up including the newest involving Polly-O String Cheese. Not only do fans have a chance to win 20 tickets for them and friends they select upon registration, but it also includes Exclusive Ride Time on a designated ride for that day.. Assuming that all you have to do is enter yourself in a form, this looks like a pretty cool sweepstakes. And even better is that you're allowed one submission per day till' June 30! Along with the contest is a promotion put on by Polly-O String Cheese, where specially marked products of theirs come with a free kids ticket. Unfortunately, Magic Mountain cannot accept the free kids tickets. However, everyone can receive $15 off a General Admission at any Six Flags (theme) park including Magic Mountain. So whether or not you're a string cheese consumer, or your in it just for the 20 Friend ERT day, it's a pretty good promo.
Many park-goers poke fun at the fact that Panda Express is found in Baja Ridge- the park’s latin themed area. Many enthusiasts suggest that the Chinese food restaurant should move up to Samurai Summit, possibly in the vacant Laughing Dragon Pizza Co. building while a Mexican food venue operate at Baja Ridge. However, a few issues are preventing this to actually happen. What most people don’t know is that unlike Johnny Rockets where Six Flags is a franchisee, Panda Express actually operates and owns their location at Six Flags. In fact, the chain chose the current lot/space years back since it met their needs the most out of all the other locations at Magic Mountain; and the fact that the area attracted a lot of traffic. So, this is why Magic Mountain cannot simply relocate the restaurant somewhere else unless Panda Express agrees to do so all of this according to the Manager of Food Service at the park. We asked about the possibility of Laughing Dragon ever re-opening in the future, but the answer is no simply because the area doesn’t get enough traffic, even with the newly revamped Superman which helps with by-passers a little.
To follow-up briefly on Green Lantern's delay, it is because of a design change in the station of the coaster as the LA Times reports earlier this evening. There were rumors that it was error or flaw, but according to the article, this was not the case, or Magic Mountain covered something up. LA Times Report Here >
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