Status Operating Height 33 m Opened December 1995 Capacity 1,010 people/hour | Cost A$16,000.000 Max speed 80 km/h Height restriction 1.3 m | |
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Opening date 26 December 1995 (1995-12-26) (as Lethal Weapon)7 April 2012 (2012-04-07) (as Arkham Asylum) Closing date 27 January 2012 (2012-01-27) (as Lethal Weapon) Similar Road Runner Rollercoaster, Batwing Spaceshot, Scooby‑Doo Spooky Coaster, Superman Escape, Green Lantern Coaster | ||
Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy is a Vekoma SLC roller coaster located at Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. When the ride was introduced in 1995, it was themed to the Lethal Weapon film series and was named Lethal Weapon – The Ride. In 2012, the ride was rethemed to Batman: Arkham Asylum and renamed Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy. The ride was the first steel inverted roller coaster at an Australian theme park.
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Lethal Weapon – The Ride (1995–2012)
On 26 December 1995, Lethal Weapon – The Ride officially opened to the public. It was the first Suspended Looping Coaster to feature an extended layout with a helix before the brake run. This helix was referred to as a "bayern kurve" by Vekoma.
Riders would originally join in the queue by entering an area of the theme park made up like Chinatown, complete with a variety of facades such as "Lee's Martial Arts School" and various restaurants and sundry shops. The queue started outdoors, before moving into a movie-theatre like hall where riders watched sequences of the film while waiting to ride.
Before finally riding, riders would progress into an area made up like an auto yard, with cars plied up atop each other and graffiti all over the walls, with the sound of barking Dobermans as well as a seemingly abandoned Shell auto station. After hearing an audio presentation and removing any loose items, riders are strapped in and the ride is dispatched.
The ride's current queue bypasses most of this theming. It is located in the pathway between the original Lethal Weapon – The Ride entrance and Superman Escape. This results in a considerably shorter queue which originally made up just the last portion of the queue.
Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy (2012–present)
In September 2011, parts of new trains were spotted in a maintenance area of the ride. The new trains were designed by Kumbak, the company responsible for 2009 installation of new trains on Sea World's Sea Viper roller coaster. At around the same time, the ride's entrance was moved to a new location in the pathway between the original Lethal Weapon – The Ride entrance and Superman Escape.
On 27 January 2012, Lethal Weapon – The Ride closed for an extended maintenance period until 1 April. On 30 January 2012, Warner Bros. Movie World announced via Facebook that a new experience would replace Lethal Weapon – The Ride in time for Easter. Images released hinted at the ride being rethemed to Arkham Asylum with the addition of new coaster trains. On 10 March 2012, Warner Bros. Movie World announced via their Facebook page that the ride would be rethemed into Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy featuring a new train with on-board audio and modified restraints. On 7 April 2012, Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy officially opened to the public. Theming for the relaunched attraction was developed by Sculpt Studios.
Ride
The train climbs the 33.3-metre (109 ft) lift hill, before dropping down a steep, curved drop to the right. The train then enters the roll over, followed by a hill with a banked turn to the left. At the bottom of the hill comes a sidewinder (similar to an Immelman loop), followed by a 270-degree turn to the right. Next comes two inline twists. Upon exiting this element riders experience a download 180-degree turn to the right. Unlike most Vekoma Suspended Looping Roller Coasters, Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy features an additional helix just before the brake run. This element was referred to as the "bayern kurve" by Vekoma and was the first to be installed in any Suspended Looping Roller Coaster.
After the ride, guests proceed past an observation deck for the ride and past the ride's former gift shop where they arrive back in Chinatown.
Trains
When the ride was known as Lethal Weapon – The Ride, it had 2 Vekoma trains with 10 cars per train. Riders were arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 20 riders per train. The two trains are very similar in colour although one features some red elements while the other features blue elements.
As part of the Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy retheme, the ride features a new train with modified restraints which increase upper body movement during the ride. The train was manufactured by Kumbak and was originally set to feature on-board audio.