Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster is a Rocky Mountain Construction single rail coaster
at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
This was RMC’s prototype raptor and while this coaster may only have 1800 feet or 550
meters of track, it packs a lot of intense elements into its compact layout.
So in this video, I will review Wonder Woman and explain why this coaster delivers a more
satisfying ride than coasters two or three times longer.
Most coasters have a dual track design.
But at the 2015 IAAPA tradeshow, Rocky Mountain Construction debuted two single rail coasters.
These coasters would utilize a thick spine, which eliminated ties and allowed the coaster
to span large distances in between supports.
This would allow these coasters to be erected quickly and also keep costs down.
The Raptor was the smaller, more budget friendly option.
This coaster would have one of the narrowest track gauges in the world, featuring one-across
seating.
RMC envisioned this product going to small parks, pressed for both budget and space.
The T-Rex was the larger option, envisioned for larger parks.
Utilizing the same building principles as the Raptor, RMC believed this coaster could
be an economical alternative to the giga coasters produced by Bolliger and Mabillard and Intamin.
However, things didn’t turn out quite as RMC planned.
Their original two Raptors went to two sizable chain parks in Six Flags Fiesta Texas and
California’s Great America.
Neither Six Flags nor Cedar Fair could resist purchasing a potentially elite ride for such
an affordable rate.
And Six Flags seems very happy with their purchase as they have another new Raptor opening
in 2021 in Six Flags Great Adventure’s Jersey Devil Coaster plus a heavily rumored one for
Six Flags Magic Mountain next year.
Meanwhile, RMC seems to have shelved the T-Rex track at this time.
The rumor is that it was not economically viable based on the expressed interest of
parks.
Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster was the first RMC Raptor to open in May 2018.
The ride was originally supposed to open in March, but the prototype coaster’s opening
was delayed two months.
Upon opening, Six Flags marketed the coaster as the world’s first single rail coaster,
but was that really true?
Sure, it was the first RMC Raptor, but Mack had actually built a single rail coaster way
back in the 1950s, but some of the suspended coasters produced by Caripro and Setpoint
in the late 1990s and early 2000s were also comprised of a single rail.
However, Wonder Woman was far more ambitious than the previous rides and it rekindled interest
in single rail coasters.
These single rail coasters look like something out of a dream.
Wonder Woman looks so different than other roller coasters that it almost looks fake.
The twisted mess of track looks like one continuous piece.
And it’s especially striking at Fiesta Texas because of the bright, golden track that Wonder
Woman features.
While the ride sort of looks cartoonish, the ride sure looks imposing.
The ride feels far taller than its official 113 foot or 34 meter height because of how
thin the track and supports are.
And it’s impossible to miss how unnaturally fast the trains glide through the layout.
Combine that with the booming soundtrack from the Wonder Woman film and you generate this
epic atmosphere.
In terms of theming, Wonder Woman doesn’t have much.
There’s nothing during the ride.
The ride’s entrance plaza has a great statue of Wonder Woman.
Then the queue line features some cardboard cutouts and most notably a Parthenon-like
structure housing the switchbacks, complete with some fire-lit gauntlets on the side.
But the best part about the queue line are the amazing views it provides of Wonder Woman.
And you better be prepared to spend a lot of time in this queue line.
As I mentioned earlier, the Raptor model was intended for small to medium sized parks.
Wonder Woman has an estimated hourly capacity of 600 riders per hour, which is putrid for
a signature coaster at a large park like Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Wonder Woman can operate with three trains and does feature a continuously moving load
platform to keep the line moving- and the crew working this ride usually loads the trains
like a well-oiled machine.
But there’s only so much you can do when each train seats just 8 riders.
Even when the ride runs three trains and avoids any downtime, the line still moves at a snail’s
pace.
But if this ride runs less than 3 trains, which will inevitably happen throughout the
year since Fiesta Texas is a yearround park, the line moves even slower.
And Wonder Woman seems to have several small bouts of downtime throughout the day.
This was the case when I visited Fiesta Texas for the ride’s opening weekend in 2018 and
during several of my 2020 visits.
Since Wonder Woman isn’t always available on the Flash Pass, I strongly recommend riding
it immediately after the park opens.
Since Wonder Woman is tucked in the back corner of the park, it’s possible to get a few
rides before crowds make their way back there.
If you can’t make it for opening, I recommend getting in line right before park close since
it’s not uncommon for this ride to have hour plus waits most days.
When you reach the end of the line, there is a grouper who will line 8 guests in a row,
assigning them a specific row.
Then when your train enters the station, you proceed towards the load platform in a single
file line loading front to back.
However, if you want a specific row, the crew working Wonder Woman is usually happy to accommodate
any requests.
And for Wonder Woman, I strongly recommend the back row.
While the visual of the shockingly thin track is neat up front, the power of the ride’s
drops in the back row needs to be experienced.
Along with its subpar capacity, Wonder Woman’s train design is also not the best.
The trains hug the single rail track, so you need to sit spread eagle.
It’s a weird to have to sit so widely on a coaster.
In fact, it’s sort of awkward.
And then you have the restraints, which are ratcheting over-the-shoulder restraints.
The bar that rests across your lap is fine, but the straps can be unforgiving on your
collarbone, especially considering the insane airtime this ride delivers.
While they don’t cause me pain, they do cause discomfort at points on the ride.
Once secured, Wonder Woman ascends the lift, bringing riders level with the top of the
quarry wall.
At the top, riders round a 180 degree turn.
But this turn dips down and up.
It was an interesting design choice from RMC.
While it does offer some laterals and sort of throw you into the first drop, it does
create a potential high valley point.
And interestingly, on Silverwood’s Stunt Pilot, this dip was replaced by a flat turn
so RMC may have realized the potential issue if a sudden gust of wind hit the train at
just the right angle.
But the extra little oomph you get into Wonder Woman’s drop is incredible.
Front row riders get a tiny pop of airtime into this drop, while those in the back are
violently whipped over the 100 foot or 30.5 meter tall drop.
And this is easily one of the best drops in the world.
This vertical plunge delivers some of the most powerful and sustained ejector airtime
of any coaster.
The whip and power of the airtime is comparable of that of El Toro’s first drop.
Although the funny part is that Wonder Woman’s first drop isn’t even the best drop in the
park, but that’s because Iron Rattler has THE best drop on any coaster.
That s-bend first drop over the quarry wall is breathtaking.
But back to Wonder Woman.
The pullout from the first drop is extremely tight, so it pummels riders with positive
Gs.
That is followed by one of the best inversions on any coaster, the dive loop.
Unlike most dive loops that start to invert as you ascend up the element, Wonder Woman’s
dive loop doesn’t invert riders until you reach the apex of the element.
This has two advantages.
First, you get some insane and sustained ejector airtime as you crest the element up front
and as you’re pulled to the ground in the back.
Second, you are abruptly twisted towards the ground, getting some intense laterals.
Getting sustained ejector airtime with viscous laterals is a combination you rarely find.
This element is an absolute blur and it caught me off-guard in the best way possible the
first time I rode Wonder Woman.
I didn’t realize a dive loop could deliver forces like that.
And interestingly, Stunt Pilot’s dive loop was reprofiled to start inverting sooner so
it’ll be interesting to see if it rides similarly to the one on Wonder Woman.
The pullout from the dive loop delivers another strong dose of positive Gs and that’s followed
by this ridiculous S-hill.
If you watch this element off-ride, the train whips over this hill comically fast.
And it’s every bit as insane on-ride.
I mentioned its rare getting otherworldly ejector airtime and laterals simultaneously
with the dive loop, but Wonder Woman does it all over again on this S-hill.
This hill tosses your body like a ragdoll to towards the sky and then to the side.
And you also have this frightening head-chopper with the lift hill at the same time.
Wonder Woman then rockets through this twisted turnaround.
The tight, spiraling ascent causes me to start greying out most rides, particularly if I’m
up front.
Wonder Woman then hurtles over another steep and sizable drop.
Up front, you get a tiny pop of air on this element, but if you’re in the back, you
get another insane moment of ejector airtime.
This is even crazier since the drop features not one, but two headchoppers with the S-hill’s
track and supports.
And you really feel like you’ll strike them because of how forcefully you’re lifted
off your seat.
To this point, Wonder Woman is one of the most relentless coasters in the world.
The coaster has absolutely hauled through the first half giving riders zero opportunities
to catch their breath.
At this point, Wonder Woman does let its foot of the gas.
The cutback is just ok.
You get whipped through it, but it offers no hangtime or positive Gs.
It sort of feels like a glorified overbanked turn that just transitions you to the next
part of the ride.
The next inversion is better.
It’s listed as a corkscrew, but it rides more like a zero-G roll.
It offers some decent hangtime throughout the element.
Then comes a very snappy and intense turn.
This turn pulls some strong Gs and honestly I prefer it to the cutback for that reason.
Then you sharply jump up into the brake run, giving all riders one last abrupt pop of airtime
before slowing down for the first time.
While Wonder Woman’s top speed is just 52 mph or 84 kph, it feels significantly faster.
The compactness of the elements combined with bevy of near-mises and the the open trains,
really accentuates this coaster’s sense of speed.
It also helps that you have no downtime in between elements.
Wonder Woman is front-loaded as the ride shoves its most intense elements in the first half,
but the second half’s elements are still ultimately good.
Last but not least, Wonder Woman is a very smooth coaster.
You can feel the occasional bump on a track joint here and there, but the ride is about
as smooth today as it was opening weekend.
I could ride this coaster all-day both from a smoothness and excitement perspective.
Really the only thing stopping me are the ride’s abysmal capacity and the fact I prefer
Iron Rattler on the other side of the park.
So what would I rate Wonder Woman?
I would give the prototype Raptor a 9.5 out of 10.
This is one of the smoothest and most intense coasters in the world.
This ride subjects your body to forces few rides can match.
The ejector airtime alone is top notch, but when paired with some strong laterals and
positive Gs, Wonder Woman is a tour de forces.
My issues with Wonder Woman as a ride are mostly nitpicks.
The awkward restraints are a bit uncomfortable, but they don’t ruin the ride for me.
And I wish Wonder Woman maintained the same intensity in the second half, but ultimately
this is an elite coaster and I look forward to riding RMC’s bigger and better Raptors.
Really the only major issue with this ride is the aforementioned capacity at a large
park like Fiesta Texas.
So those are my thoughts on Wonder Woman Golden Lasso coaster, the exciting single rail coaster
at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Have you been on this coaster?
Or have you been on any of the other RMC Raptors out there?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this ride down in the comments.
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