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 Review of Great American Scream Machine @ Six Flags Great Adventure
3 Rating Posted by: CoastrGlxy on 6/13/2007 3:01:00 PM
Great American Scream Machine is an aging, old steel coaster at the New Jersey Six Flags. Great Adventures GASM is a relic from Arrow mega looper era. In the 80s and early 90s parks wanted bragging rights to having the roller coasters with the most loops.

GASM is in the worst setting you could find. It looks like it was plopped down on an old portion of the parking lot and they did nothing to landscape or theme the grounds. At least the entrance and station are decorated with bars and stars in the requisite red, white, and blue. But the ride itself might as well be on the surface of the Moon. Im a HUGE fan of terrain coasters and GASM is the exact opposite.

After a long slow climb, youre treated to a nice swooping 155 drop. Its easily the highlight of the ride. Next, you rise up into the a large loop which is followed up by two smaller loops that are literally back-to-back. Riders experience the typical Arrow head banging. During bumpy loops riders heads bounce side to side off of the hard restraints. Headbanging is common on these type of coasters, but I found it rougher than normal. There was significant headbang during the vertical loops, not just during the transitions.

The three vertical loops are followed by a short brake run. Then the train immediately drops out of the run and into a batwing boomerang inversion thats two more inversions. They are the best two loops of the ride, which unfortunately isnt saying much. After the boomerang, the train putters its way through a rough set of double corkscrews. Luckily, after that the rides over.

After a spin on GASM, you want to thank God B&M is in the roller coaster making business. Medusa, also at Great Adventure, is a great answer to this rough relic. Before I get any angry comments, I have to say that Im not an Arrow looper hater. I enjoyed Tennessee Tornado (Dollywood) and loved both Demon (Six Flags Great America) and Loch Ness Monster (Busch Gardens Europe). Great American Scream Machine is just way too uninteresting, dated, and rough. Final Rating - 4.0 (Below Average)
 

Review Comments

hrrytraver on 6/15/2007 10:12:33 AM said:
yo! glxy...quit haten! man, your synopsis is weaker then you think the corkscrews on this ride are................no, galaxy, im kidding of course. i agree with many points of your review, though i think i could muster a 6 or so. GASM is kind of like a vintage ABBA song - really appealing, shiny and stunning the year it came out, but each subsequent year adds a new layer of cheese, corn, and clumsy awkwardness to it. i must admit im glad GASM is still there, though.
CoastrGlxy on 6/15/2007 11:19:10 AM said:
Maybe if it wasnt so bumpy and rough. If you abuse me in anyway youre starting off around a 5 (Average) unless you do some amazing things to make up for it. And GASM with its lame layout and barren setting does not. But hey, with some rehab, some trees, a tunnel and/or theming and then it could possibly be worth the space its taking up.
Hercules on 6/15/2007 12:20:36 PM said:
The setting is exacting what you say it is. But it is kind of what makes the ride for me.
hrrytraver on 6/15/2007 3:13:41 PM said:
another thing glxy, i should add that i think you would probably consider the moon to be an interesting setting for GASM. i mean, the moon seems like a VERY exotic setting for a coaster, like situated inside of a nice crater or defunct volcano. another reason why i think GASM would be amazing on the moon is the airtime. since merely walking on the moon gives "floater air", imagine what that huge first hill could do. lastly, the low gravity would reduce head banging by at least 65%, though the OTSRs would be uncomfortable in a space suit...
CoastrGlxy on 6/15/2007 3:33:29 PM said:
Herc, you actually like the setting?

hrry...I really thought about the moon reference after I wrote it. And how cool a crater could be, but didnt think anyone would actually call me out on it. Youre right about the low gravity reducing head banging. But thankfully the temperature and lack of oxygen would kill riders before they experienced that bumpy ride. It would be cool seeing a silent coaster as there would be no sound.
Hercules on 6/15/2007 4:11:59 PM said:
No. I think it is a horrible setting. Its just the fact that it makes me laugh every time I ride the ride.
ElTorobaby on 8/4/2007 8:52:25 PM said:
Yknow, i find it funny that people say your head bangs from side to side, but i only think they say that so the line stays short, because i experienced NO head banging from side to side. :o
Horizons12 on 8/4/2007 9:30:13 PM said:
Thats an incredible feat ElTorobaby. I always get tossed around on this bad boy, but I still love the coaster. As for the setting, its fine. GASM isnt there to be pretty, its just "here it is; ride it." A lot of older coasters use the loose stones motif actually.
Canobie Coaster on 8/5/2007 7:22:26 AM said:
ElTorobaby, Arrows and various other corkscrew/looping coasters like this do have head-banging that many people experience. Just some people are able to avoid it by the way they ride.
Timberman on 8/5/2007 3:23:24 PM said:
One day Im going to hear "Take a Chance on Me" in the queue sound system while waiting for the back seat on GASM, and Ill think Ive died and gone to . . . well, Purgatory, at least.
ginzo on 8/5/2007 6:23:39 PM said:
Speaking of ride queue music, Im tempted to give Rolling Thunder a 10 because it seems that "The Final Countdown" by Europe is the official theme song for the ride. Thats what they played when I was there anyway. This excites the Arrested Development fanboy inside me. Like maybe Im going to see GOB do his "illusions" on the ride.
CoastrGlxy on 8/6/2007 7:19:31 AM said:
ETbaby, Id be shocked if you could ride GASM w/o your head hitting the restraints. Is your neck like a foot long? It was even rough and bumpy during transitional sections. Ive ridden a number of Arrow loopers and GASMs easily one of the roughest.

Ginzo, I hope you resist the urge to give RT a 10. Ive never seen them even run both tracks on that old thing. Final Countdown was a great song though.
Horizons12 on 8/8/2007 4:39:33 PM said:
Once, and only once have I gotten an actual racing run on Rolling Thunder. It definately makes the ride better...if you can get past the awful roughness.
ElTorobaby on 8/8/2007 6:01:35 PM said:
King yoshi, ive been on other types of these rides such as the noreaster, and a bunch of boomerang roller coasters and i bang my head on em but not this one.

Maybe its because they changed it something this year idk cause the only time i rode it was this year and not in previous seasons, but meh, and my neck isnt a foot long lol, seriously, keep your head centered and you wont do any head banging.
Hercules on 8/8/2007 8:38:26 PM said:
To keep the lines short? No. The ride sucks compared other rides in the park. That is why the lines are short.
Horizons12 on 8/25/2007 9:13:00 PM said:
Haha, the Great Nor Easter, I was just on that a couple of days ago. I rode in the back and gut pretty well pummeled. Not as bad as other times but those double inline twists are just death. lol
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