Escape from Dr Eggman and his plot to capture Sonic the Hedgehog...
Escape from Dr Eggman and his plot to capture Sonic the Hedgehog...
| Theme Park | Sega Republic |
|---|---|
| Park Area | Adventure Zone |
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 21 August 2009 |
| Closed | 1 June 2017 |
| Manufacturer | Gerstlauer |
| Model | Spinning Coaster |
| Height | 44 ft |
| Length | 1247 ft |
| Inversions | 0 |
Spinning out over Sega Republic
Spin Gear was a custom layout Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster which operated at Sega Republic from the park's opening in August 2009 until Sega Republic closed to the public in June 2017.
As well as being indoors inside the Mall-based amusement park, the rollercoaster was also mainly enclosed within a darkened room which made it very difficult for park-goers to see much of the ride. It briefly burst out over the heads of visitors in order to navigate some wild mouse style switchback curves near the ceiling of the Mall, but aside from that most of the layout took place in the dark with just the occasional lighting effect.
The ride used Gerstlauer's inward-facing spinning cars which seated up to four people. These were capable of spinning a great deal, especially where two riders sat on one side to unbalance the car.
The storyline was based around Sonic the Hedgehog's arch enemy Dr Eggman who had developed Spin Gear as a new weapon to capture Sonic, and was out to use visitors as test subjects. Their only way out was to ride the rollercoaster to escape his clutches.
Perhaps Spin Gear's biggest problem was in its "in the dark" gimmick: the public at large didn't know what to expect from the rollercoaster because they only saw it for a fleeting moment high above, and riders themselves never really knew what they had experienced save for a few drops and the feeling of spinning around in the dark.
