Thunderbolt is the oldest of Six Flags New England’s coasters, and despite this, it’s actually one of their better ones and exponentially better than the much larger and rougher Cyclone. This is a perfect example of how a coaster small on size can be big on fun, as the Thunderbolt simply is a highly enjoyable coaster that has definitely stood the test of time.
First off, I must say that I love the ride's location in the center of the park. There's just something majestic about a classic wooden coaster in the center of a park. Also, I'm in love with the vertical neon sign that is a true gem and a rarity nowadays at amusement parks. However, the coaster itself however looks far from stellar, as it is badly in need of a new paint job in the next few years since most of the paint has rotted away or is in the process of rotting away. If you can give Mind Eraser a fresh coat of paint, there definitely must be money in the budget for some much-needed love for this woodie.
Unfortunately Thunderbolt utilizes a one-train operation. If two trains were run this almost always would be a walk-on. Instead it's usually a 10-20 minute wait, which is certainly worth the wait but the line just would move so much quicker, as with the Cyclone as well. Due to the small station, you can't wait for a particular seat so you just have to get lucky if you get the seat you want, but from my experiences, any seat essentially provides an equally fun ride. Though, I do like the seats towards the front of the train because of the copious air available at the apexes of Thunderbolt’s numerous hills.
Technically Six Flags did give the Thunderbolt some love for the 2009 season. Not only did they give the train a fresh new coat of paint, they unfortunately stripped this classic of its beloved buzz bars and replaced them with the typical individual, ratcheting lap bars, which is truly a shame. Sure Thunderbolt still gives a great ride, but the air isn’t as bountiful and stapling has become a SFNE staple (no pun intended).
The ride may be small, but as I've stated before, it's just a fun ride from start to finish. What it lacks in the thrills category, it makes up for with pure fun. The whole layout is a figure eight scattered a few notable drops such as the first one, which actually gives some decent air in the back, and the rare double down is a really unique and excellent element that I wish more coasters featured. But my favorite element is that last bunny hill. It looked so innocent and weak, but boy that gave some serious ejector hill like a hill on the Phoenix! What a perfect finale! And not to be outdone as well are the numerous other hills scattered throughout that give gentle pops of air throughout the train.
Well, the Thunderbolt is remarkably better than the Cyclone in my opinion thanks to the readability and decent air sprinkled throughout, highlighted by that last bunny hill I mentioned that is heavenly to say the least. Classic woodies are always a treat and this one is no exception. Generally I ride this multiple times each time I visit SFNE and I strongly recommend that wooden coaster fans give this classic a shot since it won’t disappoint you one bit.
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