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Ninja

Steel Looper at Mid America Adventure, Eureka, Missouri. Opened 1989.

By Theme Park Spot · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Height
110 ft
Drop
80 ft
Top speed
55 mph
Length
2,430 ft
Inversions
4
Ride time
2 min
Designer
Vekoma

Ninja is a steel looping roller coaster in the Studio Backlot area of Mid America Adventure in Eureka, Missouri, the park called Six Flags St. Louis until 2026. Its 2,430 feet of track include four inversions, a vertical loop, a sidewinder and a double corkscrew, with a brake run partway through the course.

The coaster was built for Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, where it ran as Scream Machine from May to October 1986. Arrow Dynamics started the project but went bankrupt during construction, and Vekoma completed it. The ride opened in St. Louis as Ninja on April 8, 1989.

The park lists a height of 110 feet and a ride time of 2 minutes, and its description gives a top speed of 55 mph. The biggest drop is 80 feet. Each of its three trains has seven cars and carries 28 riders, and riders must be at least 48 inches tall.

Sources

  • midamericaadventure.enchantedparks.com/rides-and-experiences... (Park page: 'Slice through the air at 55 mph, flipping through 4 inversions and 2,430 feet'; stat block top speed 50 mph, length 2,430 ft, elevation 110 ft, duration 120 s; Studio Backlot; introduced 1989; Vekoma; minimum height 48 in.)
  • rcdb.com/124.htm (RCDB: operating since April 1989; Vekoma custom MK-1200; length 2,427.8 ft, height 108.3 ft, 54.7 mph, 4 inversions (loop, sidewinder, double corkscrew), duration 2:00; 3 trains of 7 cars, 28 riders; relocated from Expo '86 (Scream Machine); begun by Arrow, completed by Vekoma after Arrow's bankruptcy.)
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_(Six_Flags_St._Louis) (Wikipedia: opened April 8, 1989; ran as Scream Machine at Expo 86 in Vancouver, May to October 1986; Arrow began it, Vekoma finished it; drop 80 ft; mid-course brake run.)

Numbers are from the ride's manufacturer and park where published; "n/a" means we have not confirmed that number yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.