singemfrc

Keeping in mind experiences are subjective, the early reviews I've heard have been positive, so I'm optimistic about my upcoming visit.

Robb's rule, if you mention that person or their website you'll be banned from TPR. That's all I know.

It's most definitely not. There was and it is (or was as of January 2013). I'm guessing goatdan might be saying that because the source of the information is one that is not allowed to be mentioned. The original post on page 2849 was edited by Robb so I gather (since it was edited and not deleted entirely) that despite the source, the information is ok as long as the source isn't mentioned. Goes to show that enthusiasts are not the majority of their business, and that catering to the YOLO crowd may seem silly but seems to be paying off financially. I'd be interested to see the 2013 numbers compared to 2012.

I'm mostly the Coaster Rider, the ride is the most important thing to me and I will as the OP states "reride subpar coasters hoping to find one seat with a good experience" as long as that coaster's name isn't Mean Streak. I do whore credits on full size coasters, but I have no urge at all to pick up credits on kiddie coasters. Not 100% however because if an otherwise great ride is ruined by a complete lack of either theming or maintenance, it definitely detracts from the ride experience, I'm not blind to it. I can't enjoy Scream at SFMM because it lacks both. Crystal Wings in China is a relatively mediocre B&M flyer but it's still on my bucket list because of the theming. There are tons of Disney rides that if they were in a parking lot I wouldn't bother with but I love them because of Disney's unmatched theming experience. Coasters with great scenery such as at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Cedar Point, and Ocean Park in Hong Kong count big time too. Wild West Mine Train would be a 5 or 6 to me otherwise but in that setting it's damn near a 10. Again compare that to SFMM where the scenery for most coasters is either dirt or parking lots. I probably wouldn't enjoy Tatsu, Ninja, and Gold Rusher as much they it weren't on the hill. So, maybe 70/30 Rider/Designer?

I wouldn't guess that should be too much of a problem since the off months would likely be weekend/holiday only.

I often skip Scream for the same reason. It's practically the same ride except its rougher and the view is crappier. I don't mind skipping Scream to save time since I can just ride Medusa later.

That was fast, the park has announced that S:UF will reopen next weekend.

Maybe I'm dreaming but I'd like to see both sides converted equally and raced once again.

I don't think capacity will be an issue. The prototype only has half of a car because thats all it needs, but I would think that the production model will probably have something similar to the 28 person capacity of a 4-D coaster. Not a people eater, but not terrible. I would assume it would be more reliable than the complex 4-D cars as well.

In all seriousness I would love if a park named their coaster "Inverted Coaster 01" or whatever would be appropriate for the type. My kind of humor. I wouldn't even really be opposed to it on Flight Deck, I just don't think the park would want the cost and hassle of changing all the theming.

Yeah I got the membership too. Even though I end up paying more I enjoy the convenience, and I think SF season passes are a bargain anyway. The park just posted there will be SP ERT on X2 Friday Feb 1st. 1000-1030.

Shouldn't it technically be "Inverted Coaster 2"? It should be "Remaining Inverted Coaster". I was referring to the fact that Flight Deck was the second B&M invert ever built..

I'd like to give it a Prudential tie-in name too, but it'd probably just bring further law suits from Prudential.

Shouldn't it technically be "Inverted Coaster 2"?

I think I mentioned this earlier but I don't think they're going to rename the coaster something that doesn't fit the Flight Deck theme because then they'd have to redo all the theming around the attraction. Props, building paint, none of it would make sense if they renamed it something football related. "Touchdown" could refer both to football and to an airplane touching down, but that would be pretty cheesy, I really hope they don't do that.

How would you define "a hit"? It's still the off season, so it's not going to be busy, but it's tough to tell whether they're profitable which is ultimately the goal.

That Coaster Campout is a fantastic idea, would love to do that.

I think they just did. While its usually tough to say what the reliability of a coaster will be when its a prototype, I think the lack of classic 4D gear components will make this more reliable simply because it has less parts that could fail, but that's my guess. Similarly, I think capacity on these will probably be similar to X2/Eejanaika/Dinoconda potential capacities, perhaps slightly higher. You know since you bring it up, perhaps that would be an interesting idea - kind of a "spin off" (no pun intended) for smaller parks that can't fit or pay for a full size coaster. Some other kind of potential energy generation would certainly have to be designed obviously, it'd be tough to sell "You'll need to lift the cars with a forklift"

Sounds like Eejanaika had the older trains to begin with so I don't think those trains will be much different, if it all, from X2's current trains. The trains Eejanaika has right now are much closer to the original X trains and Robb said the new ones will be similar to the X2's, but it's possible there could be differences. Given that they've had a little more than 5 years since X2 opened, it's possible that they may make improvements based on what they've seen on X2 and Dinoconda.

Testing is definitely underway! The Dome put a :15 teaser pov on their facebook showing the train go up the lift hill (FAST!) but fades out as the train crests the hill. Can't wait to see more!!

Looks like it. Also take into consideration that this is the main ride that will be visible from the direction of the new stadium. No harm in trying to attract some 49er fans and help boost the parks business. Smart move if you ask me. Here's a question to those that read this thread... If you had to rename/theme Flight Deck to go along with a 49er/Gold-miner theme, what would it be? That's exactly why that occurred to me, if you look at the stadium from CGA or at CGA from the stadium, Flight Deck is the coaster that jumps out at you. I don't think they'll go as far as renaming the ride unless it still keeps with the fighter jet theme, otherwise they'd have a whole bunch of queue theming that would made no sense. I think the color tie-in with the 49ers, if any, is meant to be a subtle or subconscious one. While new color is almost always a good thing, I really liked the previous paint job and thought it fit the theme of the coaster very well. This red is going to take a while to get used to for me.

I really wish these cars had an ankle restraint like Tatsu so your calves wouldn't get slammed like that. In Robb's tour of the S&S facility the other day it was revealed that they are currently manufacturing new trains for Eejanaika, I'll be interested to see what improvements, if any, have been added to the X2 train design.

Remember this was just a prototype, a small piece of track section used to show proof of concept, a production model would be huge. With those large cars and I-box track I would think this coaster would be massive in size. I love that this actually looks like more fun than a classic 4D coaster, yet will surely cost significantly less to build and maintain due to the simplified mechanics.

Neither. It's not the track condition (although it could be the third rail, I think it's more likely to be the gear mechanism on the trains) The pain is because of the jerky seat rotations, which on the last raven turn causes your feet to get thrown out in front of you and then slammed back into the seat bruising the hell out of your calves. Everyone I've heard from who has ridden it since the down time however has said it has been painless, so I'm hopeful that they did some rehab work while the ride was down. I'm cautiously optimistic until I read more reviews or read one of them that specifically says "I rode on the outside with no one on the inside" (which has been worst case for roughness).

Based on their IAAPA interviews, I doubt that B&M would dare, but I think this is great advertising for S&S and I wouldn't be surprised if other companies let Robb show off their prototype to help get the word out to parks about what they're pitching. I really hope it's successful for S&S, I would love to see these get built, or even another classic 4D.