@EOpruduction I'm probably beating a dead horse here but Superman= Hot garbage compared to Shockwave, yes I have ridden both and imo Batman is better, and Raging Bull is wayyyyy better.
This ride was just about the prettiest steel to look at, and was one hell of a rush. But how many rides will skin your elbow and leave you feeling like someone's just used your head as a punching bag? Maybe if she had had lap bars...
@EOpruduction Superman is cool, I admit.. but Shockwave was just plain nuts.. I mean it was a TOTAL adrenaline rush. I never wanted to just stand up and give out an animal yell when it was over.. On Shockwave you did. It was THAT intense, and yeah, sometimes, it kicked your ass.
This reminds me of the Vortex at Kings Island. This looks like it was an awesome coaster, it should be recreated. But Arrow Dynamics went bankrupt. -_-
I like superman but I cant say its better than shockwave but rides come and go the only ride i can think of that still I think is awesome is american eagle for it still has the same qeaue line. it even had its own like big house (now wiggles world)
@taledarkside I have a friend that works at Six Flags Great America and he told me that they still have all of the old pieces for the ride, they are all in storage. Nice knowing that Wikipedia is now a reliable source
ShockWave kicks supermans ass. One of the worst mistakes they ever made was taking out shockwave instead of the shitty whizzer. There is enough for kids to do. There is only a couple good coaster. I dont want to ride Raging Bull all day. No wonder 6flags is bankrupt. Make it more like Cedar Point then we will talk!
FINALLY!!! Somebody that feels the way I do...BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER!!!! During the time when I had heard that they were putting up a Superman ride I knew something was coming down but I never thought it would have been Shockwave. Six flags G.A. has been pissing me off for years with their ass-backwards decisions. Hopefully we'll gain more real thrill ride coasters in the near future, but nothing will top Shockwave!!! It was a real classic...and they scrapped it like it was nothing!!! Just stupid.
@mskinner847 i agree with you, Shockwavce was far better than any, boring, drole, B&M clone will ever be. but you have to think about the park's position. Arrow went bankrupt when this was taken down. and this was wayy faster than the whizzer and it causes more wear on the rails, and with Arrow gone, they no longer had a place to get spare parts. i do wish they kept this, it really was a big piece of coaster history
Having a loop that stands at 130 feet in the air is nothing. Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, as far as I know, currently holds the world's record for having the world's tallest loop at 140 feet.
I have been on Superman more times than I can remember. It was fun the first time but afterward it grew boring very quick. To put it simple, I won't wait in line for it.
I Agree With You, ShockWave Was A Much Better Coaster Than Superman. Don't Get Me Wrong, Superman Is Ok, But I Would Have Much Rather Seen It Go Somewhere Else In The Park.
They Should Have Done It Like Great Adventure Did, Put Superman Next To The Mega Looper, Not Tear The Mega Looper Down For A Small Flyer, Dumb Move.
They Were Also Complete Morons For Tearing Down Sky Whirl! Wasn't V2 Good Enough? Did We Even Need DeJa Vu, It Just Turned Out To Be A Huge Head Ache.
Actually Scream Machine is technically a ripoff of ShockWave, as it came one year after ShockWave in 1989.
However, Shockwave was originally headed for GAdv as Ninja. This was reportedly canceled due to the Lightnin Loops accident and at the last-minute moved to Great America.
Rip off? They were both made by arrow, lol. Thats like saying one SLC is a rip off of any of the other many SLCs out there when they are all production models by vekoma, some with slight variations. Most of the aorrow mega loopers have similarities in layout and inversions.
Never went on the Shockwave but man, I with they didnt replace that ride with Superman. Don't get me wrong, Superman is still fun, but they could've replaced a different ride.
Also, this video mentions that in 1988, Shockwave was the talllest rollercoaster in the world. Wasn't Magnum XL built the next year?
the track layout was the same but the great american scream machine was bigger and faster but all the loops and everything were in teh same p[lace but everything was bigger on screm machine
Shockwave was actually en-route for SFGAdv to be called "Ninja", however due to the Lightnin' Loops incident they made a last second decision to send it to Great America as "ShockWave". This is why Shockwave was built on the parking lot, and why GAdv built the Scream Machine for 1989. GASM has the same layout as ShockWave but is only slightly taller and faster.
superman can't touch shockwave. shockwave opened as the tallest and most inversions of any roller coaster. superman opened as a copy of what was already in a bunch of other parks.
That have an exact copy (the only difference is that it is red) of the shockwave at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ called The Great American Scream Machine. It is still opened and is right next to the superman ride. Kinda ironic don't you think?
Great America just isn't the same without Deja Vu and ShockWave. I only rode it once and It was the last ride of the night (at 9:57!) And I went back 3 years later and it's not there anymore! Now there is some shitty excuse for a new roller coaster : The Dark Knight
A: The original plan was to remove Whizzer, a Shwarzkopf model, however, Shockwave was less popular so it was decided to remove it instead.
B: A mechanical fault appeared in the first loop (the track started to fracture), requiring constant maintenance to ensure the ride didn't fall apart. This ride is the reason the other Arrow Megas had their loops re-designed with reinforced track on top.
If you want to ride shockwave again, it still exists in SFGAdv as the Scream Machine.
I miss this ride so much. I remember waiting years to finally get on this ride. My memories in my child hood include driving into the parking lot at great america and hearing the people scream as they went down the first dive on this ride. Although superman is a fun ride, I wish it wouldn't have replaced this one.
Damn.. Now when I think about it. My sister would drive me to the park at the pick up area , and let me watch that ride go over and over and over again. I must have been about 7 at that time. Fun times haha
UGH I MISS IT! That ride was great! A real coaster! Then they put in that bs ride Superman. But yeah, Shockwave, you had to know where to put your head at certain times.. especially front row.
shock wave was fun, but there was one specific turn you had to prepare for. it just turned so fast and your head would bash against the side if you weren't ready. haha. i miss this :(
shock wave was fun, but there was one specific turn you had to prepare for. it just turned so fast and your head would bash against the side if you weren't ready. haha. i miss this :(
yeah i always had a severe headache after riding this cause your head would bang between the safety shoulder things. but still...they should have torn down a different one to build superman.
I STILL remember the headache I got from this ride... Only time I remember every being "hurt" or "sick" from a ride. Still thrilling, but I could've done without the headache first thing in the morning! LOL Ah... Memories! ;)
I wish they kept this. It is better than Superman on my opinion. I never got a chance to ride it but i have enough images in my memories. Where did you get the video????
oh wow. dang i feel old! and wait, he said "tosseled hair" and "shaking, jolting". yeah, he got that right!!
char0226 5 months ago
@EOpruduction I'm probably beating a dead horse here but Superman= Hot garbage compared to Shockwave, yes I have ridden both and imo Batman is better, and Raging Bull is wayyyyy better.
rockstar5t 5 months ago
@EOpruduction superman was exciting at first, and then after wards just boring. shockwave seems much better
ixwishxixhadxaxfish 5 months ago
better then superman
SFGAdude 6 months ago
"a shaking, jolting assault on the senses"
Truth in advertising, folks! Am I right?
This ride was just about the prettiest steel to look at, and was one hell of a rush. But how many rides will skin your elbow and leave you feeling like someone's just used your head as a punching bag? Maybe if she had had lap bars...
DAOzz83 6 months ago
@EOpruduction Superman is cool, I admit.. but Shockwave was just plain nuts.. I mean it was a TOTAL adrenaline rush. I never wanted to just stand up and give out an animal yell when it was over.. On Shockwave you did. It was THAT intense, and yeah, sometimes, it kicked your ass.
ProfessorIgor 8 months ago
This reminds me of the Vortex at Kings Island. This looks like it was an awesome coaster, it should be recreated. But Arrow Dynamics went bankrupt. -_-
tre2e 8 months ago
i miss this i wish it was there instead of superman! arrow should build more of these but improve them
pinkhott29 8 months ago
this looks amazing! it looks better than superman.....
xCOASTERFREAKx 9 months ago
I like superman but I cant say its better than shockwave but rides come and go the only ride i can think of that still I think is awesome is american eagle for it still has the same qeaue line. it even had its own like big house (now wiggles world)
ieatmeat4u 1 year ago
not really i was built far off the ground but the first drop did go all the way to the ground
poofy917 1 year ago
read on wikipedia they scrapped the coaster after the 2nd park.
awesome coaster
taledarkside 2 years ago
@taledarkside I have a friend that works at Six Flags Great America and he told me that they still have all of the old pieces for the ride, they are all in storage. Nice knowing that Wikipedia is now a reliable source
Chrispy1990 1 year ago
ShockWave kicks supermans ass. One of the worst mistakes they ever made was taking out shockwave instead of the shitty whizzer. There is enough for kids to do. There is only a couple good coaster. I dont want to ride Raging Bull all day. No wonder 6flags is bankrupt. Make it more like Cedar Point then we will talk!
mskinner847 2 years ago
FINALLY!!! Somebody that feels the way I do...BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER!!!! During the time when I had heard that they were putting up a Superman ride I knew something was coming down but I never thought it would have been Shockwave. Six flags G.A. has been pissing me off for years with their ass-backwards decisions. Hopefully we'll gain more real thrill ride coasters in the near future, but nothing will top Shockwave!!! It was a real classic...and they scrapped it like it was nothing!!! Just stupid.
slhone 2 years ago
@mskinner847 i agree with you, Shockwavce was far better than any, boring, drole, B&M clone will ever be. but you have to think about the park's position. Arrow went bankrupt when this was taken down. and this was wayy faster than the whizzer and it causes more wear on the rails, and with Arrow gone, they no longer had a place to get spare parts. i do wish they kept this, it really was a big piece of coaster history
cannibalonXthedead 1 year ago
Having a loop that stands at 130 feet in the air is nothing. Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, as far as I know, currently holds the world's record for having the world's tallest loop at 140 feet.
ThePirateprincess23 2 years ago
But you seem to forget...Shockwave was first so.... and really whats a difference of 10 feet?! I mean come on...
slhone 2 years ago
I have been on Superman more times than I can remember. It was fun the first time but afterward it grew boring very quick. To put it simple, I won't wait in line for it.
jonrev 2 years ago 7
yeah i rode it.
it was almost as boring as the go-karts they have.
FishlegsJones 2 years ago
Did you ride Shockwave? Your opinion would probably be different if you did.
jonrev 2 years ago 9
I Agree With You, ShockWave Was A Much Better Coaster Than Superman. Don't Get Me Wrong, Superman Is Ok, But I Would Have Much Rather Seen It Go Somewhere Else In The Park.
They Should Have Done It Like Great Adventure Did, Put Superman Next To The Mega Looper, Not Tear The Mega Looper Down For A Small Flyer, Dumb Move.
They Were Also Complete Morons For Tearing Down Sky Whirl! Wasn't V2 Good Enough? Did We Even Need DeJa Vu, It Just Turned Out To Be A Huge Head Ache.
LarrySpanks 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this was gayer than Ryan Seacrest.
yeah it was HUGE cuz they built it way up off the ground, but it was just a normal roller coaster on stilts
FishlegsJones 2 years ago
Glad I wasted your time then.
jonrev 2 years ago
@FishlegsJones The first drop does all the way down to the ground....
Kumba117 1 year ago
@FishlegsJones then how the fuck did it go down to ground level dumbfuck
AsItNeverSeems 1 year ago
thats a ripoff of great american scream machine at great adventure
acm1995 2 years ago
Actually Scream Machine is technically a ripoff of ShockWave, as it came one year after ShockWave in 1989.
However, Shockwave was originally headed for GAdv as Ninja. This was reportedly canceled due to the Lightnin Loops accident and at the last-minute moved to Great America.
jonrev 2 years ago
dude Shockwave was made before scream machine
scarter1192 2 years ago
Rip off? They were both made by arrow, lol. Thats like saying one SLC is a rip off of any of the other many SLCs out there when they are all production models by vekoma, some with slight variations. Most of the aorrow mega loopers have similarities in layout and inversions.
Primogen18 2 years ago
GASM is bigger and faster than this one, but has the same layout.
RCT3man761 2 years ago
Never went on the Shockwave but man, I with they didnt replace that ride with Superman. Don't get me wrong, Superman is still fun, but they could've replaced a different ride.
Also, this video mentions that in 1988, Shockwave was the talllest rollercoaster in the world. Wasn't Magnum XL built the next year?
PPKDude852 2 years ago
Thanks for clearing that up. A friend of mine that used to work at Great Adventure told me that the 2 were the same coaster. Guess he was wrong :)
rfgstl 2 years ago
the track layout was the same but the great american scream machine was bigger and faster but all the loops and everything were in teh same p[lace but everything was bigger on screm machine
philhaus87 2 years ago
this seems like the GASM
FUTTAHSIKK 2 years ago
Shockwave was actually en-route for SFGAdv to be called "Ninja", however due to the Lightnin' Loops incident they made a last second decision to send it to Great America as "ShockWave". This is why Shockwave was built on the parking lot, and why GAdv built the Scream Machine for 1989. GASM has the same layout as ShockWave but is only slightly taller and faster.
jonrev 2 years ago
wow! thats really helpful, thanks man! bw i happen to hate the scream machine lol
FUTTAHSIKK 2 years ago
hahaha aww <3
LuckyPineapple 2 years ago
I miss this one, superman isn't bad, but I think this is much better.
mago515 3 years ago
I totally agree... ahh childhood memories. I'd run to this ride first thing in the morning to ride it over and over until the lines got too long!
squirrelcage83 3 years ago
superman can't touch shockwave. shockwave opened as the tallest and most inversions of any roller coaster. superman opened as a copy of what was already in a bunch of other parks.
OhSweetOz 3 years ago
That have an exact copy (the only difference is that it is red) of the shockwave at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ called The Great American Scream Machine. It is still opened and is right next to the superman ride. Kinda ironic don't you think?
jonnoj2222 2 years ago
GASM Is actually slightly taller by 3 feet.
BenDempster 2 years ago
It's an exact copy b/c GASM is the original Shockwave. It wasn't scrapped, it just moved parks and was renamed.
rfgstl 2 years ago
Shock and Scream Machine are two completely different rides that have a similar layout.
Shockwave was scrapped, but mechanical parts are used on Magic Mountain's Viper and on GAdv's Scream Machine.
jonrev 2 years ago
GASM Was built for SFGA in 1989 it is not the shockwave
jonnoj2222 2 years ago
Do you have the Vortex video?...message me back if you can
TOPGUN1993 3 years ago
Great America just isn't the same without Deja Vu and ShockWave. I only rode it once and It was the last ride of the night (at 9:57!) And I went back 3 years later and it's not there anymore! Now there is some shitty excuse for a new roller coaster : The Dark Knight
flytallerkin 3 years ago
Wow! I'm a big Arrow fan. They did so much for the industry its ridiculous. Thanks for posting this.
tk0173 3 years ago
is there a reason why shockwave got put out for superman?
DaSoulSlasher 3 years ago
A: The original plan was to remove Whizzer, a Shwarzkopf model, however, Shockwave was less popular so it was decided to remove it instead.
B: A mechanical fault appeared in the first loop (the track started to fracture), requiring constant maintenance to ensure the ride didn't fall apart. This ride is the reason the other Arrow Megas had their loops re-designed with reinforced track on top.
If you want to ride shockwave again, it still exists in SFGAdv as the Scream Machine.
ThomasKaira 2 years ago
I miss this ride so much. I remember waiting years to finally get on this ride. My memories in my child hood include driving into the parking lot at great america and hearing the people scream as they went down the first dive on this ride. Although superman is a fun ride, I wish it wouldn't have replaced this one.
JoseVargas666123 3 years ago
Damn.. Now when I think about it. My sister would drive me to the park at the pick up area , and let me watch that ride go over and over and over again. I must have been about 7 at that time. Fun times haha
Subbie26 3 years ago
UGH I MISS IT! That ride was great! A real coaster! Then they put in that bs ride Superman. But yeah, Shockwave, you had to know where to put your head at certain times.. especially front row.
Subbie26 3 years ago
shock wave was fun, but there was one specific turn you had to prepare for. it just turned so fast and your head would bash against the side if you weren't ready. haha. i miss this :(
cathy652 3 years ago
shock wave was fun, but there was one specific turn you had to prepare for. it just turned so fast and your head would bash against the side if you weren't ready. haha. i miss this :(
cathy652 3 years ago
yeah i always had a severe headache after riding this cause your head would bang between the safety shoulder things. but still...they should have torn down a different one to build superman.
musclemoose 3 years ago
even though this ride was brutal on your head i would rather have this than superman.
ebe2023 4 years ago 18
I STILL remember the headache I got from this ride... Only time I remember every being "hurt" or "sick" from a ride. Still thrilling, but I could've done without the headache first thing in the morning! LOL Ah... Memories! ;)
LibertyRocks 3 years ago
*every should be "ever"
LibertyRocks 3 years ago
excuse the Y at the end lol get a grip dude
blueterrior 3 years ago
it looks really fun but so is superman. i just wish i could have riden it before they tore it down. oh well.
emokid422 4 years ago
Ride Great American Scream Machine at Great Adventure for the exact same ride or Viper at Magic Mountain for a slightly altered layout.
vedved82491 4 years ago
nice
samt1225 4 years ago
I love how Arrow is admitting th roughness.
"After riders endure 3,900 feet of a shaking, julting assault on the senses."
tvnewsguy42 4 years ago
haha this is kinda funny to see this because back then the record speed was only 65mph
now its 128!!!
(kingda ka six flags great adventure)
bigb7965 4 years ago
I wish they kept this. It is better than Superman on my opinion. I never got a chance to ride it but i have enough images in my memories. Where did you get the video????
Egypt2112 4 years ago 3
Arrow Promo provided by ThemeParkReview member SupermanFanOnline.
jonrev 4 years ago
You can't say something is better than something else if you haven't experienced it. That's a biased conclusion.
vedved82491 4 years ago
i dont give a damn i love shacky coasters that hurt, ,thats the fun part
Egypt2112 4 years ago
Best Attendance Ever!
holydumb26 4 years ago
that was awesome video
jmfoxfire 4 years ago