American Thunder opened at Six Flags St. Louis in June 2008. When it first made its debut, it was under the different name of Evil Knievel. This is Six Flags and the coaster wasn’t named after a DC superhero. Naturally, it got rebranded to American Thunder. Designed by Great Coasters International (GCI) by Jeff Pike on a budget of Seven Million Dollars.
American Thunder at Six Flags was an odd choice for the park
Six Flags St. Louis already had two other wooden roller coasters when this one was built. It seemed like an odd choice for this park. The first being The Screaming Eagle, which is the park’s oldest wooden roller is a bonafide classic. The second is The Boss which is a massive terrain coaster. So what does American Thunder offer new to this park that its paying customers weren’t already getting?
American Thunder at Six Flags is somehow unique
I believe American Thunder to be a truly great roller coaster. Instead of offering huge hills or MPH like Screamin’ Eagle and The Boss, it stays a little bit lower to the ground. It crosses itself 17 times throughout its short run. The very definition of a compact coaster. While the 48 mph top speed doesn’t sound fast, I can assure you that when this coaster goes down its first hill and banks to the left, it is a fast-paced fun ride! It feels much faster than mph that low would suggest. American Thunder somehow pulls off being unique in this park with two other wooden coasters.
The floater airtime on this roller coaster almost never stops! That is actually what American Thunder sets out to do. Sharp banked turns and floater airtime come fast and Thunderous! This is one of the rare wooden roller coasters that I recommend you sit in the front instead of the back. The floater air time is strong no matter where you sit but, it is stronger up in the front.
Temperamental Coaster
This is a roller coaster that I consider to be temperamental. Some coasters, it doesn’t matter when you ride them. They pretty much run the same way. I would consider a good example of that to be Batman: The Ride. Whenever I ride Batman I don’t really notice elements popping more or the sense of speed being different on any day. Not so with American Thunder. If you catch it early in the day, and not a lot of people weighing it down, then it is possible that you would come off thinking that it is not quite what you were hoping for.
GCI coasters seem to often have this issue. As the day warms up, and as more people weigh the train down it seems to get better and better. If you can get a night ride sitting in the front, with a full train, on a warm night, this will be one of the best experiences to be had at Six Flags, St. Louis!
A well Balanced Coaster
Usually, I like like to say what is my favorite element of a ride. However, American Thunder really doesn’t seem to have a stand-out element. Unquestionably it all works really well without really having a moment that sticks out. Yet, on the flip side of that, this does not actually have a weak moment.
Sometimes wooden roller coasters can be very rough. Leading the general public to dislike them. American Thunder has aged extremely well. I can’t say it’s as butter smooth as the day it opened, but it is really not that far from it. The maintenance crew at Six Flags St. Louis takes very good care of this ride. American Thunder does seem to please most people that ride it. When those Millennium Flyer trains finally slow down on the final brake run, it is claps and people saying how much fun they had I hear, instead of complaining about the roughness.
Final Verdict
American Thunder pleases enthusiasts and Coaster novices alike. It’s a solid addition to the coaster collection that Six Flags St. Louis has. While it may not be as tall or fast as Screaming Eagle or Boss, still it distinguishes itself as a great Roller Coaster. On a scale of one to ten. I would give American Thunder an eight.
Pros: Floater Airtime, no mid-course break run, comfortable trains and restraints, great history of roller Coaster posters in the queue line.
Cons: smaller and slower then the other wooden coaster in the park, Uneven experiences
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