RandallDuell

Surely there must be a fancy title for a dude that not-so-ironically takes time out of the "boring" conversation to ONLY point out how boring a discussion is, yes? WAIT, then what does this post make ME?!?!?! Anyway, I guess I've been spoiled by the site admin's detailed photo trip reports/park updates.....where are they? I suppose there's not a whole lot to worry about until the new ride's media day, but I always enjoy all of the rest of the park's update(s) too! On a completely unrelated note, was Free Fall completely scrapped - or did some of the ride's parts/vehicles find their way to a park still running a first gen?

Awesome photos! Nice work. I wonder if the manufacturer was fully aware of the possibility of photos like this being taken (when they designed the lighting structure/sequence etc)? Not that it matters, but I'd be curious to know if the designers/engineers imagined photos like this being possible? They're just so unique. I'm not completely up to date on all of these star flyer VS whatever-Six-Flags'-version is called.....other than being totally confused how both chains randomly chose to buy a bunch of these the SAME year.....does Six Flags' version have any sort of simliar lighting package? I guess (from what's been said here) that they probably don't, as the other version has chains (making lighting a bit more challenging), right? Anyway, COOL STUFF!!!

That's a lot of words. Needz picz!!!11!!! Appears, at least to this veteran observer, that you need your own forum/website to post all of your Dallas-centric history. That said, I do wonder what the ratio of failed:succesful parks would be? I guess you'd have to first determine what would be deemed succesful, but there have to be dozens/hundreds of stories like this park, right?

Totally agree, if parks could operate better, there would be less incentive to have to buy fast passes and the like. unfortunate If only there were a really large, and obvious, way to get FREE TICKETS TO SIX FLAGS. That would ease MY pain.

Looks neat. But I'm confused, do they have a 14 year old working as their PR guy? Or was that a copy/paste from an email reply to the 14 year old member?

Interesting replies, guess coasters aren't really as big of a "gateway drug" as I had thought! I do wonder, however, if some thrill junkies had never gotten a chance to ride a coaster (early on) if they wouldn't have realized they had that itch to scratch? For me, the safety and security that rollercoasters offer absolutely helped me handle skydiving. That's undoubtedly a scary thing, but somehow in my mind I was able to rationalize it as some sort of thril ride....where I knew it'd be scary, but ultimately I'd be safe so just enjoy it! Obviously the percentages are probably a bit more in favor of the true safety of amusement park rides.....but that mindset is what helped me to not freakout.

A true classic. What a place!

I'm curious if anyone here can point at their obsession/love of theme parks (rollercoasters, thrill rides etc) as a sort of "gateway drug" to other adrenaline-filled hobbies? Obviously there are rides designed with little kids in mind....so the gene that one might have the requires "thrill" could be tripped early on. If it weren't for these kiddie rides, many might never feel the "need for speed" that they ultimately need to satisfy. The graduation into bigger thrills is mostly controlled by your height (at least in the US) .... but once you've hit 54" (or whatever the typical highest height requirement might be) the theme/amusement park world is your oyster. So, all that said, does anyone have any stories about how their love of rollercoasters/rides etc has ended up leading them into other high energy things (like, say, skydiving or bungee jumping or mountain climbing etc)?

Eh, I don't think it's as big of a "everyone thinks this way" when it comes to having 1-2 "kiddie" areas vs. spreading them around a given park. I get both sides of the debate, but I think a LOT of it has to do if you're going to the park with a "mixed" group or just with little kids. Mixed group, well I get why you'd want them spread out. But if you're going with a (either small or big) group of little kids I'm not so sure that you'd "absolutely 100% love" having the kiddie rides spread out around the park. I guess what I'm saying is that there isn't really a clear cut answer to the question....which is probably why some parks do cluster, and some don't. As far as one of Riddler's trains heading out east, has there been any talk about ordering a new one eventually? Also, still curious if there is any word "where" the Metro's trains ended up going to?

Did the Bulls win on 5/22? QUICK, I need to know soon time traveller! Actually, just let me know who won both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals while you're at it! On a serious note, anyone else feel all of the computer aided graphics and photoshop stuff almost takes away from the "surprise" of what a new attraction actually looks like once built? I know there have always been renderings, but it's funny how the REAL pictures of Green Lantern seem like we've already seen it there before.... Also, did we ever figure out where the monorail cars went to?

Right, I totally get what you're saying - no matter how many operating days, and operating coasters, they have they COULD choose to schedule their "scheduled maintenance" a bit better. Or more efficiently. Or to get done faster. I just don't read about any other year-round/almost year-round park that consistently has so many "big" coasters running at 1 train (or in the case of DejaVu, down completely due to the nature of the ride). And in regards to DejaVu, who'd have guessed that Magic Mountain's maintenance department would be the last Six Flags crew working on that type of ride!?! Thanks for the answers, by the way - that's quite a unique setup you have (living in FL, but getting to work in SoCal where your fav park just happens to be located)! Very cool. On another topic, do we know where the old monorail vehicle are being stored? Are they up on the track somewhere, or have they been disposed of? It would have been a nice legacy of the Shapiro era if they had gotten that thing working again...I think the park needs it (or something like it).

Kind of an odd question, but can I ask what you do that you drop-in (and hangout) in SoCal as much as you do (considering you live in FL)? I've long wondered about the one guy who always posts about "possibly going there this weekend" all the time -- but you I find especially interesting. Obviously I have no right to expect an answer, I was just curious! I have to say that the constant down time of multiple rollercoaster trains at the park is an amazingly consistent criticism of this park - and it's interesting that I don't read about this at any other "year-round/almost year-round" park (or at least not nearly as much). I know a lot gets said about the friendliness/speed of the employees, but is anyone else surprised that the whole "rehab" issue is such a big complaint, EVERY year? I agree that it seems inexcusable...just wondering if this is something ever brought up at any of the enthusiast-type events? On another completely unrelated note, can anyone give me a rough estimate of where Magic Mountain's waterpark ranks amongst other SoCal waterparks? I know there is no defined list, just curious how it generally received in the area.

You COULD care less? I know this isn't Magic Mountain-specific, but seeing as it's in this thread, is there a specific reason for the hatred of ACE? I'm neither a member of ACE nor Club TPR (just a keen observer of the passing scene), but the vitriol towards that group is something else. Have they attacked this site? I get that they gush about every ride/park to be recognized, and that's off-putting to some, but have there been any direct attacks on this site by them? Are they, as a group, substantially more out of shape/love gravy that much more/dress way worse/uglier than, say, this group? Guessing the answer is yes - I'm just surprised at the unapologetic attacks from one group to the other (and vice versa?). I'll take a stab at this from my perspective as a Club TPR member. We poke fun at ACE'rs and that is what it is - poking fun at them. If you look around this site - we poke even more fun at ourselves . Conversely - ACErs poke fun at us. I've been to events that had both TPR and ACE members and the majority of us hung out together and had a blast! There are some "hard core" ACE folks that don't like us, and that's fine with me. With any group of enthusiasts (of any sort) there are the majority of the folks there for enjoyment - then there are the "hard core" people. TPR as a whole is more light-hearted and more involved with theme parks as a whole than just Roller Coasters. From what I've heard from some of our newer members - we are more welcoming to younger folks as well. What you see as vitriol, is primarily the huge streak of "smartass" that finds its home here on TPR. We poke fun at everything and are oftentimes irreverent while doing it. Hope this helps. To stay on topic - I really, really like the new look. I didn't get the opportunity to ride Supes in it's old configuration, but it never really interested me that much. It seemed like a cool idea - but just didn't wow me. Reversing the cars would never have occurred to me, but it seems like it would be much more thrilling facing the ground - watching it fall away, then watching yourself fall towards it. d Hey, thanks. I appreciate that. Really didn't know what the backstory was. Looking forward to the usual stellar photo updates from this upcoming event.

Hard to fathom a group of investors wanting to do this when a giant city, sitting just a few hours south, sits with barely one amusement/theme/state fair-type park. Right? Interesting concept, it's just amazing to me that a town (however crappy it may be) like Houston still doesn't have a full blown park. Guessing that might be different if the economy hadn't taken a dump. Wonder if this will go anywhere.

Wow. Did anyone at the Superman event address this? That's pretty crazy, I'm guessing a lot of the resources got diverted to getting Superman up and running, consistently?

You COULD care less? I know this isn't Magic Mountain-specific, but seeing as it's in this thread, is there a specific reason for the hatred of ACE? I'm neither a member of ACE nor Club TPR (just a keen observer of the passing scene), but the vitriol towards that group is something else. Have they attacked this site? I get that they gush about every ride/park to be recognized, and that's off-putting to some, but have there been any direct attacks on this site by them? Are they, as a group, substantially more out of shape/love gravy that much more/dress way worse/uglier than, say, this group? Guessing the answer is yes - I'm just surprised at the unapologetic attacks from one group to the other (and vice versa?). Back to the park, unfortunate to hear that the new GM wasn't too worried about schmoozing with the fanatics/public. I also wondered if anyone was allowed over by the "new" kiddie coaster or how the Green Lantern patch 'o land was looking these days? Superman looks great, gotta give them a lot of credit for reinventing the ride....and, apparently, doing it pretty well! Also, thanks for all of the old stories about the park - that story about the sky ride, and the cabin falling, was brutal. I've always loved those sky rides, and the one at Magic Mountain was pretty cool (always enjoyed that station up on the hill).

I find it interesting that the new GM has decided to not take as obvious a public image as other mgt. Maybe she's decided to do her dirty work behind the scenes, but it seems (at least from what I have read here) that the "out in the park" approach of prior mgt teams was well appreciated by the park's customers. On another park note, I find it interesting that Magic Mountain has neither a ferris wheel nor a drop tower. Seems like they'd be given a pass from a "big" coaster if they were to install something like that. I agree with the person that posted, however, that the eventual removal of Deja Vu will end up making room for yet another coaster down the road (can't see them burning that area for anything but another coaster. ADMIN EDIT: Keep your posts on topic, please.

Mocking someone's death is never "too soon". And it's always the right time to sling around the term "retarded" to insult someone. In classier news, has it been confirmed that Superman will re-open with one car forward/one car backward? Or will they both be backward (until the novelty wears off)? I know it was discussed at length, I'm just not sure if it was ever really settled. Also wondering if anyone has run into the new GM of the park since she took over?

Touche'. Point taken! Have you ever shot any footage FOR Magic Mountain and/or Six Flags in general? From reading this board, seems like you live close so it'd be easy for them to give you a shout.

What a fun game! Thanks for the link. How do they control how many times you are logged in at one time (places in line)? Is there a limit to prizes won? Guessing they must track IPs or something, right? I've won three times, out of about 7 attempts! Two big blue balls (ouch!) and a little pink one. Don't think any of them had anything in them, and I think I'll only get the first blue ball (as it said you can continue to play, but only win once).

What do you figure the real impact on "insider" footage of the ride testing really is? Does it impact enough people that they really need to worry about how it looks etc? For me, the video was fine and cool. I don't need super HD, ultra stable, perfectly framed footage ... but, apparently, some here think everyone does? I just don't get the stabs at whomever took/posted the footage to the Six Flags website/Facebook. I think it served it's purpose, and the amount of people that might care about the quality of it is pretty small. I get that part of the argument is that it'd be "so easy" just to call the self-glossed Zen Master of rollercoaster footage, and have him wander over, but I think the vast majority of people wouldn't really care either way. WIll be interesting to see what they do to dress up the vehicle. The track looks great, so I imagine they'll do an equally good job on the ride's vehicle. I will also be interested to see what the Forward line looks like in comparison to the Backwards like (say, in a year). Are any parts on site for the new ZacSpin yet?

Why? Anyway, it is certainly a generational thing (it seems) that so many people find it necessary to ALWAYS be lugging around a backpack. I'm sure the parks have had to deal with many people, over the years, claiming that their stuff was stolen from the ride-ajacent bins...and I'm guessing that some even tried to hold the park liable. The whole pay-for-a secure compartment thing does seem like overkill, but I always thought that it might end up providing motivation to people to stop bringing so much crap with them. Guess it hasn't.

Thanks for that video, definitely cool "seeing" it via video, rather than just looking at pictures! This thing really does look like a pipe dream from some coaster nerd somewhere, incredible that it's actually being done....and will be opening in the next several months! Certainly hope it goes smoothly, as (as has been stated here many times) it would be nice to breath life into many OTHER "worn out" wood coasters around the country/globe!

This thing is looking like something out of a rollercoaster-loving teenager's notebook doodles. Crazy that it's actually happening - way crazier than a loop on a "wooden" coaster etc. On a side note, tex, don't mean to be player-hatin' but I am amazed at how rude you come across in your posts. Not sure if it's the know-it-all style or just the pure condescension you post with...but I can't be the first to note it. There are much nicer ways to "educate" people. Have they announced any raffles or contests to line up the first public riders etc?

Interesting that the guy shot his video DURING an "approved" shoot for a movie at the park! Other than pub, he's not making any money off of it so I guess it was a good idea....and one that the city won't be much more than annoyed about (it's not like he was selling it, therefore forcing the city to try to get their cut etc). Wonder what, if any, money the city collected for allowing the crew to shoot there?