XM Keeper

Alright. Every August I throw my predictions for SFFT's new ride. So here goes. I have been looking at the Six Flags Fiesta Texas map and been speculating on what we could possible be getting for 2020. Unfortunately, Jeffrey has been a little more quiet this year and there is also less prototype coasters in development, which Fiesta Texas seems to get a lot of. So my guesses are pretty vague. Option 1: Removal of Sundance theater and the addition of a new ride. This goes along with the rumors that the new ride is coming to CrackAxle Canyon. Removing the theater would free up a bit of space, not enough for a big roller coaster or anything, but maybe one or two flats. The likely option. Option 2: Removal of Boomerang and the theater close to it. A complete overhaul of the surrounding area. Replacing Boomerang would be a roller coaster that travels around the area, moving over the pathways. Don't have an exact idea on what kind of coaster type it would be, but probably something smaller. Something like this would really make a great entrance when guests move to the rest of the park (and yes, I know goliath gets most of the attention already). Unlikely, but I could still see it happening. Secretly, I'm just hoping for a 199ft psuedo-hyper.

I think they're going to be converting the area that spans from the entrance of Superman to the basketball courts into a new DC themed area, with its own assortment of new flat rides and possibly a small coaster. A long time ago, that Jonny Rockets used to be a DC Superhero themed grill, wouldn't be surprised if they expanded upon the old concept. DCgrill

I enjoy reading the Golden Ticket Awards, it's fun to see how most people view the current state of amusements parks. It's also intriguing to examine changes in the what people are liking each year. Most interesting thing to me is Iron Rattler placing as 4th best steel coaster and Fiesta Texas winning best new water ride. While I have never personally never ridden Thunder Rapids, it perplexes me how such a lesser-known Six Flags park won best new water ride at all. It seems that Fiesta Texas is attracting a lot of attention from a lot of people. Good for it.

Ok. It's this time of year again. I'm throwing my guesses for the new addition to the park. I think Fiesta Texas is getting an RMC Raptor prototype. Where? I'm not as sure. I saw a previous poster here upload a picture of some footers being built by the awning going in to Spassburg. That could definitely be an option. Other option I think is that they remove Power Surge and put it in that area. It's close to Rockville, which can coincide with potential renovation rumors we have been hearing about and Power Surge has been on the kill list for a while. Just my .02

If that spine is hollow steel, which it probably is, this roller coasters are going to roar louder than a B&M.

Anybody heard about Apocalypse The Ride becoming Shadows of Evil The Ride?

Call me crazy, but I am really not buying this. . . Until it comes straight from Six Flags then I am not going to believe it. For some reason I don't believe this "Tammy Duffy" really knows anything more than anyone else. If you watch this video, and the it is damn near the same video. Same shots of the coaster, except maybe mirrored, and same music... It just looks like someone had some fun with some video editing software. While yes Six Flags could use similar promo videos for the two coasters I highly doubt the two videos would be this similar. Maybe I'm on my own here, but I really don't think this is the real deal. If it is I will be surprised, but for now I am not holding my breath. I know a thing or two about video editing and I can definitely say that that this video was not made from the SFFT Batman video. The background rides fit in too well with the video for it to be a person having fun with video editing software. What this most likely is was the animation company doing a copy and paste of the Batman ride model and animation in to the Great Adventure park model. The reason some of the animations and music are identical is probably because they were just placeholders until they could come up with new ones for the final video we may see tomorrow. This probably an unfinished trailer for the ride that got leaked.

I don't get it. In the video, he clearly says that top thrill dragster is 400ft tall. But yet he says Wicked Twister is the tallest in the world......... At 215ft. There is not having your facts your facts right, which is common with the GP. But this takes everything to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF DUMB.

^This. Times a hundred.

Random Park Review! So...... Knott's Berry Farm. I really liked it. I liked it a lot. The park (not the rides) kind of has the feel and charm of a Disney park, but without having a third of the world population being there. I thought the scenery was good, I liked the cool little spots that specialized spots that did certain things, like the split-a-rock-in-half-thing, that making metal in a forge building, the real steam engine, it was cool. So...Here are my reviews of the rides. Silver Bullet: Some people on TPR don't seem to like this, they think it ruined the area it was in, or that it is boring. Well, it isn't boring for sure, but it isn't BTR intense. I liked how it was different from most B&M inverts, it kind of seemed tame. It looks and sounds nice, and it is fun. Though I don't know why it has nearly 20 cameras for the on-ride photo. Xcelerator: "It goes like a bazillion miles an hour dudes!" I can definitely see why some people say it is the best ride at the park, and even best in California. I don't know what else to say that hasn't been said before about this awesome ride. Boomerang: Didn't ride. You know why. Coast Rider: Eh....One of the most boring wild mouse type coasters I have ever ridden. Why did they get rid of Perilous Plunge? But hey, it's funny because it sounds like GhostRider, right? GhostRider: I am not going to say too much. Some people think this the roughest wooden coaster ever. Yeah, sure. However, I will admit that the turn after the mid-course brake run is really brutal, especially in back row. On a different note, I hung around in the ride photo area just to see other peoples pictures. And in nearly every group of riders, someone tried to snap a picture of their on-ride photo with their smartphone, even if they were told not to by the employees. However, the employees were always fast enough to put the lock on the screen before they could take the picture. Though at Disneyland, the employees didn't seem to care if people took pics of their on ride photo. Sierra Sidewinder: It was a fun small spinning coaster, that could stand to be a bit longer. The stacking was pretty bad because the ride is so short. Pony Express: Why are so many coasters at Knott's short? Other than that, it was fun riding a coaster with those weird sit down saddle things. Montezooma's Revenge: Please save the Schwarzkopfs! Last of it's kind in the US? They are so much better than any other Arrow coasters from the same time period. It always blows my mind that something so old can be so fun, and more impressively, smooth Jaguar: This is coaster is weird. It is one of the few roller coasters at the park that lasts for more than a minute. However, it kind of looks.....a bit old and pretty dirty. One perfect example is the seat i was sitting in, had a bunch of hair in it. And it also broke down a few times that day. Timber Mountain Log Ride: Boy, was I in for a shock when I rode this. I had no idea how much was inside the mountain and that there would be so many animatronics. I really enjoyed it, it was just so fun. Supreme Scream: I didn't ride this, but I want to talk about it. My two local parks have triple tower S&S rides. But this seems to be the other kind, with the different numbers of seats on different sides, but more importantly, the different operating mode. For this, it looked like one tower will launch riders up, then proceed to bounced up and down until it ends. The other tower goes all the way to the top, then drop, then bounce, then it would be over. However, the ones I live close to, seem to do what is like the two combined, on all the towers. Why is it like this? Why don't all the towers do the same thing? I would like it a lot more if all the towers did the launch AND the drop. I don't get it. Does anyone know why it is like this? Anyway, sorry for this being so long. I really liked Knott's. It just seems better (as a park, not the coasters) than other Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks I have been to.

We weren't talking about lap bars or OTSRs. We were talking about headrests, which Mr. Freeze does have.

Do you know "who" says they need headrests to run backwards? I don't doubt you since our PTCs gained headrests when we started running backwards during haunt, I'm just curious why that is. Sorry to say, but I don't exactly know who. I have just heard it many discussions and articles discussing the history of Colossus. And I kind of assumed it true because I have never seen a roller coaster run backwards without headrests.

Well, I have heard (not saying this is guaranteed) that in order to run coasters backwards, you need proper headrests on the cars, which I don't think the RMC trains (or even the Gerstlaur trains) have. That is why when original colossus ran one side backwards, they had to use the B&M trains from Psyclone, because they had headrests. And that is why they could run it backwards in the 80s when they had the PTC trains that headrests. So the answer you are looking for is no, unfortunately.

Interesting... I felt the complete opposite about these two coasters. Having rode NTAG hundreds of times by the time I got a chance to ride Iron Rattler... I found Iron Rattler to be not nearly as impressive as NTAG. That's just my experience though. Sad to hear you only got to ride 3 things on your visit. Hope you still managed to have fun! Well, Iron Rattler is much faster and taller. The drop on New Texas Giant isn't quite as good as the drop on Iron Rattler and it doesn't have a zero g roll. However, New Texas Giant is way longer, which I don't really care for. I really love the drop and the roll on Iron Rattler. I don't really mind how short it is. But that is just my opinion.

Hello! Just got back from a short day at SFOT on the 30th. I didn't ride many rides because the of the lines, and I wasn't there very long. But here is my review. Titan - First ride of the day. Always had a short line. Ride ops were OK. I am probably not the first to notice this, but they put seatbelts on it (Gee, I wonder why?), and I was informed that you cannot ride in the back row by yourself. My guess is that in case something were to happen to someone, they want to have a witness and that's why this rule is in place. Also, backrow on Titan is awesome! However, I have a question that I wish some one could answer. Who makes replacement parts for Titan (and Goliath at SFMM)? Giovanola isn't around anymore. My guess would be B&M. Also, I wish that more of those 2x3 cars were made. I really like them. I also wish the drop wasn't so straight so people in the front could get more airtime on it. New Texas Giant - Long line, kind of slow moving. Really fun. But after riding Iron Rattler, it is not as impressive as it used to be. Runaway Mountain - Really enjoyed it. It was indoors, so it didn't freeze you face off like the other coasters. So that was what I rode at SFOT. Like I said, I wasn't there very long. Just wanted to get some rides in.

Not many people know about what ZDT's is, so I feel like I should explain what it is, as I have been there many times. ZDT's is a tiny amusement park (very tiny) that is made up of two small arcades, a kids ball pit, a bungee jumping ride, A roller coaster simulator, a small restaurant, a tiny Frisbee ride, A small drop tower, rock climbing, a 2 story go kart track, and a few water slides. It seems to be built where a grain distribution plant once was, given that the rock climbing is built on some no-longer-used storage towers and the go karts are in an industrial building that was clearly used for something else. Honestly, I have no idea where they will fit this roller coaster.

OMG!!!!! There is some paint on Riddler's track. Forget Twisted Colossus. This is really important! In all seriousness, is that paint new? And I wonder what they are digging for by the supports? Perhaps they are doing a very thorough inspection? I don't know. Also, SFMM should have Twizlers sponsor TC.

Recently, Six Flags Fiesta Texas has had okay to good operations. The ride ops move at a normal-quickish pace on most rides. I mostly go on dead days where most rides don't have full stations, so I understand why they aren't sprinting through restraint checks. However, the ops on Iron Rattler are always fast. But there is one exception. Goliath. I was eating lunch in front of Goliath (outside the park) and there seemed to be a train rumbling by every 10 minutes. It was unbelievable. I check my phone time and none of the dispatches were under 5 minutes.

Shockwave SFOT I know nobody loves this ride, but it always gets in like the top 30 in the golden ticket awards, which is enough of a reason to say people like it. I don't really like. But I want to like it. It's a Schwarzkopf coaster! It's supposed to be at least somewhat smooth. But it isn't. It jerks around corners and the airtime hills. It looks like it was designed in RCT. I appreciate that it has only lapbars, but still! How did Schwarzkopf build Revolution before this and make that smoother(before OTSRs) and create Colossus the Fire dragon a few years later? I don't get it. It's rough. The design is bland. And it is a disgrace to Anton Schwarzkopf. I haven't rode Mindbender, but I assume it is the same case due to the similar track style and such.

I hope you are joking. That ride has a pretty short line path. Goliath, IRat, bugs bunny, Gully Washer(that one is real bad) have way worse lines. Heck, the line is set up so you can get back in much faster just after riding.

I think Anton Schwarzkopf is the most successful roller coaster manufacturer, especially for their time. Unlike Arrows, his coasters stay smooth and well built even now. I have never rode a Schwarzkopf or Arrow coaster back when they first came out in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. But after getting to ride Colossus the Fire Dragon at Lagoon (which is was made in 1981), I was stunned with how smooth and fun it was. Meanwhile with other Arrow loopers like Viper at SFMM, they have become quite rough(could be Six Flags's fault, but it is newer and I have rode other rough Arrows at Cedar Fair parks). Anton understood the benefit of having lap bar restraints. He knew how to make the track flow smoothly and the coasters seemed well thought out (with the exception of Shockwave at SFOT), unlike Arrow's Ron Toomer coasters that have awkward turns and just seem to go all over the place, with the exception of some of their suspended coasters. Arrow finally got it right when Alan Schilke began making rides, like Tennessee Tornado. As for today, I say B&M is best for rides that last forever and don't ever have major problems. They don't take as many risks as Intamin does, and thus don't have many mistakes, which may be a contributing factor to why I seem to be seeing less Intamins because in this economy, parks don't want to take the risk of paying +10 million on a coaster that may not turn out so well. I respect Morgan/Chance whatever its called. They saved Steel Phantom, made Steel Eel (which is actually quite fun) and made lightning run. I wish more of their coasters were made. I hate Vekoma coasters. I don't know how their rides are nearly as rough as 30 year old Arrows. It's the 21st century. Can we please create some smooth coasters using the same style track as Arrow? Morgan can do it, why can't you? RMC is the new guys that have been kicking butt recently. All of their rides so far have been awesome(which makes sense, they have Alan Schilke). I see good things from this company. Like an all steel hyper/giga coaster with insane airtime and twists! That would be so awesome. Yeah I know there are other companies, but I can't talk about them all.

Hey guys! Random park review post! I have recently got back from a trip Cedar Point and riding the roller coaster was so much fun! So, here is my review for each coaster. Raptor: Pretty cool coaster. It was nice to ride a B&M inverted coaster that wasn't a BTR clone. However, I say it is just as good a batman clone. It was smooth and unique, but the I wish the break run wasn't there, I didn't enjoy the cobra roll, and it battered my head once or twice. Mantis: Despite what everybody says about this, I thought it wasn't that bad. It wasn't super smooth, but it was still enjoyable. Gemini: I didn't like it so much. Every ditch after a drop had a tendency to jerk the cars around, like they were loose on the track. I say Colossus at SFMM is (or was) the superior racing coaster. Meanstreak: Boring. I heard that this was one of the roughest coasters around. I disagree. The old Rattler at SFFT was so much rougher than this. I found the ride boring. Nothing happened except for some typical jerking and bumping. Nothing interesting about it. Corkscrew: WORST ROLLER COASTER EVER. The tiny restraints made be hunch my back the entire ride, which was uncomfortable. I battered my head around. And the ride was very rough. I hated riding this. It sure is cool to look at, but that's it. Magnum XL200: Okay. It was a bit rough, but mainly at the end. I could feel the cars actually hop on the track because the cars sit loosely. But other than that, it was a decent ride. Top Thrill Dragster: Wicked cool launch. Really fast. Great view from the top. Love the twist down the hill. Very good coaster. Millennium Force: Also a lot of fun. But definitely not the best coaster in the world, or even in the park. It is really fast, which is cool. However, it seems really dated. It is just a bunch of big over bank turns, banked curves, and a bit of airtime. It isn't creative. Nothing really sticks out aside from "big and fast". Speed isn't everything. Nothing takes you by surprise. You see everything coming and it slowly changes elements. Unlike other rides like Maverick and New Texas Giant(as well as the other RMC coasters). MF is fast, but it isn't fast paced. Don't get me wrong, it is a lot of fun. But I like other rides a lot more. Maverick: Best ride at the park. I love the fast pace of this coaster. I really love the 2nd launch in the tunnel. I really like the quick bank turn transitions. Maverick is just plain awesome. Gatekeeper: Most overrated roller coaster ever. First of all, I hate the restraints. I hate the extra rubber thing that is super tight on your shoulders and chest. The ride itself is okay. Yeah, the wing riding aspect is a bit cool at first. But isn't like it's a whole new experience. It kind of feels like a flying coaster mixed with a floorless coaster. Also, the cars or seats seemed to vibrate or shake, which didn't feel good, especially with the tight restraints. I feel bad for CP, because it looked like it cost a lot. Wicked Twister: A fun slingshot coaster. I thought it was pretty fun. Cedar Creek Mine: Did not enjoy it. I think Goldrusher at SFMM and (especially)Runaway Mine Train at SFOT are way better than it. It was rough, even more the other two I mentioned, but it had nothing fun on it. RMT at SFOT has some cool airtime on its final drop(especially if you sit in the back), which makes it so much better than this bland ride. Bluestreak: Meh. It's an out and back generic little wooden coaster. Don't really care for it. Iron Dragon: Boring and a bit rough. Ninja at SFMM is faster, more fun, taller, longer, and even smoother than Iron Dragon. Not really worth my time. But it does look cool over the water and mist. So, that is my review of Cedar Point. I say it is a very good park. I would like to visit again if wasn't so far from me, but that is the way it is. Thanks for reading.

No. Mr. Freeze has a faster launch. I believe it has a top speed in the 70s, while Poltergeist is in the 60s However, I don't like reverse launches so I prefer Poltergeist.

"Wood you believe this area is going to change? Or do you steel think it will look the same in #SFFT2015 ?" Uuuuhhhhhhhggggg! Why do you torment us Six Flags? Please just tell us!