DoubleDown

A menu hung by zip-ties?!? LOL! Leave it to Six Flags... I'm sure they'll go ahead and attach them eventually, but I just chuckled to myself a bit when I saw it. By the way, were the prices when Panda was there that expensive? I thought it was more in the $12 range, but I might be mistaken. I'm sorry, but $15 for a plate of Chinese food is really pretty absurd. One thing that bugs me the most about SF is the nickel and diming inside the park. I'd rather they increase the price of admission and keep the merchandise and food inside the park at-least kinda sorta reasonable. I have found that across the board they are significantly more expensive than the food at the Disneyland Resort, and the food is nowhere near as good quality. That being said thanks for the photos of the Revolution train! Looks AWESOME! Can't wait to get my first ride on this puppy, and try out the VR.

If it's testing, that means they have exactly a week right? I would guess, if Dollywood is as stringent as folks on here are saying they are, with their reputation for opening rides on opening day, they are probably working and testing this thing 24 hours a day and tweeking and adjusting anything that is problematic. I know that at some of the bigger parks like Disney, SF, and CF, there is pretty much never a time where there is not SOMEONE at the park working. When it comes to new rides, that is even more true. If what Screamscape is saying is indeed true, I don't see why the ride couldn't open in a week. That's going to make for some VERY happy opening day visitors if that is the case.

^The trims on Revolution aren't going to be softened at all. They're still on the track, and the trim mechanisms are still on the train. I'll be the first to say, I'm a big fan of Tim Burkhart. He's a wealth of information and has been in the business for decades. He does his best to answer questions honestly, but let's be real, he's going to say what the park/company wants him to say. Whiplash? Injuries? TTD does 120 MPH with lapbars only...wha? IMO, there's no reason with 2 train operation, lighter trains, and new technology, that the ride needs to be "coddled" with trims in any way. With only two trains and a block brake before the loop, perhaps another emergency block brake (that shouldn't have to even tap the train) before needling through the loop, all other trims and brakes should be gone. Let the the thing run hog wild! As I've said before, this could have been an entirely NEW Revolution. But instead the park has decided to make this more of a refurb with new trains, instead of updating the coaster as it should have been done. Please don't confuse this as "I'm not glad they're doing this." In fact I'll admit these are all bulls*it nitpicks by me. But damn! With a little more forethought, they really could have made this an update of the decade! Shame they didn't take advantage of it.

Wow! How interesting. Perhaps they decided to make the Intamin water coaster part of the attractions in the water park because it gets people so soaked? That being said, if this was started in 2011, maybe they made a contract in 2011 for Intamin to eventually install this in 2016? Unfortunately at that point, it wasn't known that this ride would be a maintenance nightmare, but since we've seen at least 1 continue to operate (Divertical), perhaps Intamin has convinced them that they can work out all the kinks. The waterpark they're going to be opening up looks fairly large, with some interesting unique slides to say the least. At this point I would guess they're hoping Intamin has fixed the problems with their water coasters and can get this one up and running consistently. Which it still really amazes me that Holiday Park was just so quick to say "Welp, we're done with this puppy!" and just close it without trying to find some way to get it up and running consistently.

I gotta say, the addition of the seatbelt is a big bummer, but hey, even Montezuma's has one, and if that's what it takes to rid of those horrendous awkward OTSR's that did nothing but push on people nipples and create a headbanging experience, then I'm fine with it! Interesting. I never noticed that square tube before. Why is it called a flag, what is it for, and why does it appear to only be on the very last car of the train? My first guess would be it's an old school sensor to let the computer know the train has cleared a block. Agreed. And it would really make the ride feel not only new in appearance, but new as in using modern technology. I'll be honest, I'll hold judgement until I actually ride, but I have a feeling this ride is just going to feel "refurbished" with only lapbars as it was meant to be, instead of feeling "new & improved" which I really feel like they had an opportunity to do with this upgrade.

Gotta be honest, I'm starting to lean the way of "I don't give a crap how it looks if it delivers forces and airtime RMC is KNOWN for giving!" Make it as ugly as you want, I don't care about aesthetics when I'm riding!

I think the biggest difference in that POV is not only the brakes, but that the lift hill does not slow down at the top. Thanks for sharing! If THEY legitimately said to get the link because anyone can purchase the offer, then it sounds like they wouldn't have a problem with us sharing. If anyone who has it would rather PM me the link instead of posting on the site, I would be grateful, that's for sure!

I typically get emails from Magic Mountain about stuff like this, and I didn't get anything about a $30 dining pass. I posted about a month ago about a $50 dining pass I think, but I didn't go for it. So I think this might have just been sent out to a a randomly selected group. If it was $30 I would definitely get in on the deal though. Also, what's this app you guys are talking about? Is there a Six Flags app or something? Maybe it's only for folks that have the app?

I also thought the trains would have updated lapbar technology, one that wouldn't require a seatbelt. Ugh! Seatbelts! Whyyyyy? I'm not sure I'm seeing the "flag mounted on the tread plate" that you're talking about. If its what I think you're talking about, then it's under the train, and won't be seen by anyone but mechanics anyway. I am also surprised they didn't mount magnetic brakes as well, atleast to initially slow the train down as it goes into the final brake run, to cut down on wear and tear on the train brake plates and track mechanisms. Maybe there wasn't enough angle on the track to make sure the train would make it through depending on the varying weights of the train, and weather environments. Of course moving magnetic brakes would be a solution to that, but probably would have cost vastly more, so they just went with something that was basic and known to work. Good post, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Much like the tires, to me Luigi's looks super boring! Good for the youngin's, but I'd never wait to ride. Hope it gets popular and sees many new guests! BOOBIESSSSS!!!!

Drunk posts are best posts. Cashew chicken? Sounds terrible anywhere you'd go. Burger King? Also terrible beyond belief. Probably haven't been there in a decade. From visiting several different states around the globe, the standards of quality fast food grub are no doubt much different than out here in Southern California. Nobody was claiming it's the best Chinese food place ever made in the entire world/universe/galaxy, but atleast when I've gone it's clean, it doesn't stink, the food is freshly made, consistently quality, and very good for less than ten bucks. I am considering making this quote my signature. Please accept my thanks in advance.

Darn! As expected, but still a bummer. You know I watched this footage the other day, and I was absolutely blown away with how fast the train navigated the track before all the trims. I mean, it FLIES through the loop and the last helix. Really too bad it wont ever run that way again. You can skip to :24 seconds to watch the train footage.

LOL, what a coincidence. Panda Express is a privately owned company which was started, and is still owned and operated by...can you guess? A CHINESE GUY NAMED ANDREW CHERNG!!! *sound Price is Right losing horn* Credibility, gone! Nobodies comparing it to authentic Chinese food, I referred to the "$10 a plate" style Americanized version we see at strip malls and in food courts. Speaking of which, is there any other chain mall chinese food restaurants? No. And it's because most of them are independently owned and the food is pretty crappy. As far as consistency and quality, Panda ranks up there among the best. And the rest of the country agrees, as they've opened over 1,700 locations in the US and are the biggest Chinese food restaurant chain in America. NO I DO NOT WORK FOR PANDA EXPRESS LOL We will see how "extremely popular" this Chop Six joint place will be! Oh, and as for Revolution, does anyone think the headrests are a little tall and odd looking? Probably the only thing that bugs me about these new trains. BTW I loved the coaster porn pics of under the revolution train, and getting up close and personal with those bogie and restraint locking pics! Sexy!

What? If you like chinese food, how can you not like Panda Express? I don't know how it was inside the the park, but compared to other similar independent Chinese food places outside the park, under the "$10 for a plate of food" price range, Panda is simply one of the best. They cook it fresh out in the open, right in front of you! They use quality meat and veggies with unique flavors, their noodles are nice and light and thin. Flavor was much better? Panda is like the king of flavor when it comes to Chinese food! Those other places have the food just sitting out under a heat lamp all day. Then you bite into a piece of chicken or meat and it's either chewy or gross. And this places food definitely looks different from Panda, first sign is those thicker gross soggy orange chow mein noodles, which is a staple across cheap-o chinese foid places across the nation. Whenever I see those, is a reason to walk away backwards, and get the hell outta there. The entres look a bit different as well, and while I'm sure it was good at the event, I wonder if it will stay that way after being open for 6 months.

The ride looks great! My only nitpick is after the brake run where the train returns back into areas of the park where it's visible to guests. I wish they would have put a little more thought into it, because the ride before the brake run is really good, the part after just seems uninspired. You know with Mantis how it really has that presence in the park after the brake run? With the water, and the interactive element that really wows people when they walk by? To me it seems like they overlooked that kind of element with this ride. I know there are two close parts near the paths that interact inside the park, but they seem to come short of the type of attraction I'm used to seeing at this park. Even a low 270 degree helix above the water right there where the guests get to look at for more than a split second really would have added the wow factor that Mantis and Kraken have. Other than that, I'm sure Sea World will do a great job and this ride is going to be popular.

I don't think it will be that bad. It's obvious they've been testing it with people (who I would assume are NOT experienced enthusiasts), and they probably would have just tossed the idea in the trash if that many people were getting motion sick and puking for 1 out of every 5-10 riders. Wouldn't you think? I think the ground -and possibly the track- might be stationary and visible while wearing the headset, and also while viewing the surroundings. Meaning, your senses of riding on the track, seeing the ground, and seeing the direction of movement is not going to change. Even if there is no track, being able to know up from down, is a big part of avoiding motion sickness. I think all they're going to do is screw with the sky, environment, and surroundings around the track. For example, making it seem like night time with a UFO in the sky and an epic battle going on, with alien creatures attacking on the ground below, while you're up on the track above. Which, I actually think would be pretty freakin cool! While this go around might not work entirely perfect, it is something I'd be willing to give a chance. It's also something that over time might be fine tuned to be even better. Imagine if every ride had a virtual reality option, and if there were 5 different virtual reality experiences for each ride? And you can decide, I'm just going to ride this normal, OR, I'm gonna pop on the attached headset and do this one in VR? Think about it. It's essentially combining a short film with riding a coaster. When's the last time you kept your eyes completely closed for the entirety of a ride? I'm sure if you ever have, you'll realize the sensations you feel, and the timing is all going to be quite different from when you kept your eyes open. Same goes for covering your eyes with goggles, and screwing with not only the forces you feel, but the timing, and feeling different parts of the ride in ways you never have before. Look I'm not trying to say this is going to be an unprecedented success, and will spread across the coaster nation, but I do find it rather hypocritical within the coaster community when people are crapping on this immediately, before they even go and give it a shot. It's the same kind of bologna people spew when they judge a ride by the animated POV before the rides even built, or before they even actually get on and ride it. If Disney decided to do something like this on, oh say California Screamin', I wonder if there'd be this much backlash? Six Flags sucks and so does everything they do so lets crap on it immediately before we read an article on how it works, or before we even try it out for ourselves.

Lol, no. Who came to who with the idea of doing this is irrelevent. I'm saying Samsung designed these things, and Samsung isnt dumb. Not only did they already address the immediate knee jerk concerns that were brought up in this thread "these are gonna fly off peoples heads!" (which were explained on the SF site), I'm sure there's dozens of other issues they thought of (that we as GP havent) and came up with solutions to those as well.

Yeah, because six flags never makes bad decisions Oh I'm sorry, I forgot these were headsets designed by Six Flags! I wonder what that billion dollar electronics brand Samsung name is doing on them?

If you read the article on the Six Flags site you would know. It also explains how the goggles wont be able to fly off your head or the train. Who woulda thunk, Samsung addressed many of the concerns expressed in this thread before dumping a bunch of money into their product "It's raining headsets!!!" The Revolution trains look AWESOME! It looks like they basically removed the OTSR's, but didnt update the lapbars at all which I am very excited about! I don't know how I feel about the VR, but I'll try it once. It just sucks that it's going to definitely slow down lines (as if the SF rides ops need yet another excuse to move slow and stack trains...).

Did anyone else notice how the magnetic brakes dropped down into the track at the end of the ride? Im guessing its to control the speed of the train on the brake run. Either way its a very cool idea, I have never seen that before.

What. The hell. Are you talking about? This reads like something Charlie from It's Always Sunny would post. Moving on: As far as Revolution...why do they have to keep the trims? This day and age there's Twisted Colossus. Revolutions days are numbered even after this refurb. Sure I get block brakes, but let it run hog wild as it was meant to! Schwarzkopf would be TURNING IN HIS GRAAAAAAVE!!!!

Never been to SFGAdv but I will say, not only are the Batman clones one of the greatest inverts (Not to mention B&M rides) ever made, but when I rode the one at SFMM backwards it literally screwed my equilibrium the hell up, and created sensations in my body on a roller coaster that I never ever felt before. We sat in the last seat facing backward, and after we got off that lift chain, it was insane for the entire ride for me. For the first time in my life, I actually refused to get on it consecutively, because as I walked down the exit ramp, I was still trying to figure out what the hell had happened to me, and why those 45 seconds screwed my body up so much.

Best advice is to go there and get on the rides you think you'd like. X2, Tats, TC, Bat, Sup, Rid, Gol pretty much have you covered for the good ones. Got an extra $100? Once you see the lines are huge spend the $$ and get a Flashpass. If this is you're first visit and you're never going to be back ever again paying to get on everything is worth it. I don't get this whole "how should I plan a trip" or "what I should ride" or "what's the best way to get around the park" post every other page. If you go back in this thread, somewhere around every 5-10 pages provides advice that has been posted countless times before. Even as a seasoned veteran visitor of the park, every day is different. Some days you think it will be light and rides should be walk on, then the parking is to the dirt road and they're running 1 train on almost everything. Some days you think it will be busy then it's a walk on day and there are multiple trains running. There's always a possibility of some event going on, there's always a possibility of it being a day off for schools, there's pass-holder coupon days that pop up. June is summer. Expect to wait in lines and for the park to be busy. Best thing to do is get there as early as possible, get on what you can before crowds pour in, then decide from there.

Just wondering how more wood could cause problems? Logical reasoning would suggest more wood would cause less problems because it's built well beyond what is necessary. I think what caused Ghost Rider the most problems was the elaborate track configuration, insane airtime with positive lateral and vertical G-force movements, and super clunky heavy trains. Which to be honest after 15 years, with old technology from 1999, you have to expect over time it's just going to get rough. I remember riding during the early days and wondering, "How can this ride possibly continue to run this way as the years go on without doing some serious wear and tear?" The track just wasn't designed to do RMC-esque elements, with pre-2000 technology. As far as Magic Mountains wood coasters, I think it comes down to maintenance. It requires a lot of money to maintain a wood coaster, and they just aren't willing to do it. They're more of a "put it in and let it run" type of company, so a lot of their wood coasters have taken the brunt of that approach.

Just curious, have you ridden a dive machine? Yes, I've ridden 2. Chimelong Paradise in China on a business trip which --not surprisingly-- provided much better themeing for their coaster than anything Cedar Point/Magic Mountain has come up with in the past decade, and Sheikra at Busch Gardens, which also did the same. My issue with them is after the initial drop, it's a cookie cutter "dive loop" into the brake run, and experience wise, they are all practically the same. Year 2000+ B&M mediocrity followed by boring meandering through the course to the final brake run. Hey the first drop is great, but I'd rather have a well rounded RMC over an over-designed B&M any day of the week.