Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom has finally opened to the public at Six Flags magic Mountain in Valencia, Ca (just north of Los Angeles). A ride that has been on the drawing board ever since 1997, Drop of doom is the world’s tallest drop tower ride.
Drop of Doom plummets down both sides of the 400ft Superman: Escape From Krypton tower at speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. A clever use of space and way to maximize an existing structure in the park. It’s a pretty wild ride, so let’s look at what you can expect when the ride officially opens today.
The entrance to the new attraction is just past Goliath, in the D.C. Universe area of the park. What was a scarcely popular arcade has been re-purposed and re-themed to look like the lobby of Lex Luthor Corp.
Bonnie Rabjohn, President of Six Flags Magic Mountain, welcomed guests to the opening ceremony of Drop of Doom.
Bonnie then introduced Michael Rosenbaum, the actor who played Lex Luthor on the T.V. show, Smallville.
Michael got the crowd pumped up to ride.
If all is timed properly, the Superman Krypton ride launches and reaches the top of the tower at the same time as the Drop of Doom seats.
Now, let’s enter the queue. Just inside the building is the “Lobby” for LexCorp where one of Luthor’s means of destruction is on display.
In the switchback Queue, the walls are decorated with LexCorp signage and info.
The line then makes its way out the back hallway and out to the exterior queue, though it is mostly covered.
We reach the base of the Superman tower and come to the loading area.
Yes, this is a very tall ride
The line then divides, and you must choose which side you will drop from.
Sinking back into the bucket seats, we buckle in and are raised up the side of the tower.
MiceChat had the pleasure to spend a few minutes with Six Flags Magic Mountain Director of Construction and Engineering, Tim Burkhart, to ask him some questions about Lex Luthor and the upcoming Fright Fest this Halloween:
SirClinksalot interviews Tim
MiceChat: As long time fans of the park, it seems that placing a drop tower on the sides of Superman has been a rumor since the original ride opened in 1997, what was it that finally got Drop of Doom off the ground?
Tim: When we re-introduced Superman: Escape from Krypton with the backwards launch, we saw that we had a lot of power to do some alterations and play with the DC Brand, so it kind of made sense to pursue the new ride one more time. When we went after it we found out that it could work into our long-term plans. It’s not a major coaster so it fit into our schedule easily.
MiceChat: Other than Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom, were there any other kinds of drop towers you considered over the years?
Tim: No, we never really thought about doing a different drop tower because we had talked about doing this very ride for years. The time finally got right and all the planets lined up to get the ride done.
MiceChat: What were the major issues in getting the ride up and running?
Tim: The biggest hurdle was delivery of components. Once we got all the components and started putting the ride together, we had a few little bumps along the way, but nothing that you wouldn’t expect in a major construction effort. Once we got the operating system up and running it went pretty smoothly.
MiceChat: Many of our readers are Halloween fans. Last year was a big advance for Fright Fest, the new maze in the old Batman Theater was amazing, any new surprises this year?
Tim: Yep. We’ve been working our twisted little minds and we are going to have some brand-new stuff for Fright Fest. We want Fright Fest to be the dominate player at Halloween, and that’s where we are headed.
MiceChat: We can’t wait to hear about all the new fun you have in store for this year.
The L.A. Kings Ice Crew says hi to MiceChat from Six Flags
The surrounding area has been dressed in the DC theme as well. There is a Lex Luthor slingshot game here that is deceptively hard.
DAILY PLANET GIFT SHOP
This is where you can pick up your Lex Luthor souvenirs. We never thorught we would find a smaller shop than DCA’s Embarcadero Gifts, but here it is!
OLD LOG JAMMER SITE
In other news, there is still nothing interesting to report from the old Log Jammer site. This huge expanse continues to sit idle while Six Flags prepares its plans for a new attraction.
It’s sad to see this space empty. Log Jammer was really an iconic attraction.
OLD METRO STATION
One of the old Metro Stations is still there, and easily seen by guests. While dormant buildings are a normal occurrence at any park, this one just looks shabby and a little spooky.
PERFECT 6
On a positive note, we had a chance to take in a performance of Perfect 6 on our most recent visit. The vocal talent of this musical group was pretty good. It was nice to see some atmosphere entertainment happening throughout the park.
And that is all that we have for today’s update. Check back tomorrow for the latest information on SeaWorld San Diego.
Will you be headed to Magic Mountain for Lex Luthor Drop of Doom this summer?