The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[The Bebes]

The Bebes are going on Thursday, with Lady Bebes Dad and JustinJJ!

[ZeroG001]

I was there today and had a great time, Terminator was a literal walk on all day, the longest I waited for any coaster whose name doesnt start with X and end with 2 was probably about 3 trains.

 

Photo TR in a bit

 

You have no idea how excited that post made me! I'm visiting on Monday and am REALLY excited, hearing that there were no crowds the past two days!

[some sort of coaster dude]

^ I don't get it. Sure, Magnum and Phantom's Revenge have tons more airtime than Goliath. Goliath only has one hill, really, how much airtime could it have??

 

A LOT (just on that one hill of course). That 3rd hill has some of the best airtime ever (imo)...and that's what keeps me coming back to Goliath, that's what makes Goliath awesome, that's what makes Goliath the 2nd best coaster at SFMM and that's what makes Goliath my #4 coaster.

 

I love that 3rd hill! It is truly amazing.

 

really , how do you get air on the hill? i only ever felt it once,

 

do you leave your lapbar loose ? where do you sit?

^^I've been on El Toro, Nitro, Steel Force, Steel Eel, Millienium Force, and hell, even Titan (which mind you is pretty much the same damn ride) and every single oe of these coasters make Goliath feel like Canyon Blaster to me. Don't get me wrong, Goliath is a fun ride, but I normally skip it on most of my visits. Nice negative G's on the airtime hill, nice positive G's on the helix...and that's it.

 

hmmm,

Goliath is a great ride even with relatively little or no airtime, and i love the helix.

 

*tries to compare* , I've been on el toro, nitro, steel eel, millienium force, and titan also

 

and MF didn't seem to have any air at all? maybe on first drop.

 

and responding to someone else, Titan was interesting because in the front seat i got a LOT of airtime cresting the 2nd hill, right before it turns,

i have not felt that on Goliath but i'm not sure if i've been on Goliath's front seat.

 

i don't find Titan's first helix very interesting, though.

 

for my airtime experiences -

1. el toro - ghostrider

[Manic Monte]

Goliath wasn't designed for airtime no? Quite the opposite actually. It reminds me of The Beast in that it's all about speed and a powerful helix. That certainly isn't going to be a lot of enthusiasts cup of tea, but never the less, airtime was not a goal of SFMM or the designers of this ride.

 

I enjoy the ride for what it is, but ever since the Colosuss incident, SFMM seems to have steered clear of airtime. They seem scared of it.

[bhslhs]

As impressive as the roller coaster collection at Magic Mountain, there certainly aren't any rides there that are known for airtime. I heard about how Superman was supposed to have good airtime at the peak but that was a disappointment. Goliath had its part. But there really weren't any rides that stood out to me for having great airtime. Hopefully that will change within the next few years.

[coasterking2981]

Well, remember, Superman: The Escape IS one of the oldest launched coasters (to my understanding), so its airtime is exactly like all the other coasters at SFMM, an occasional small pop of airtime, but not as much as it used to be.

 

On a side note (and in my ever continous quest to look for even the slightest of hints for SFMM's new coaster/ride) I came upon this:

 

http://www.3dvip.com/Portfolio/Portfolio2005.htm

 

Scroll down to where it says Bobcoaster & Sphere Coaster. How about one of those for their next thrill ride?

[some sort of coaster dude]

how in the world does it work?

 

has intamin considered making a rocket coaster of sorts that has a hyper coaster layout, is about 150 or so feet, tons of airtime, LAPBARS? launch instead of a lifthill?

 

is that what these "mega-lites" are ?

 

if not, this would be a wonderful experience.

[TPDave]

^ The megalites are what you described but with OTSR's and a lift.

[NYTrojan]

Regarding the ad's on Viper, some of us like them, some of us hate them, but man; they sure have us all talking about hair glue!!!!!

 

Sounds like a win for both the advertising agent and sfmm if you ask me.

 

Chris.

 

1. I'm Curious as to who likes them

2. You fall into the trap of "Negative talk is still talk, which is still good" which isn't really true. Negative word of mouth is a very powerful thing. Just ask SFMM who is STILL trying to convince people that the park isn't filled with gang bangers or is closing. A better example are the weird starburst 'enjoyment poses'. Sure they were strange, but they weren't offensive and were a little quirky. That got people talking, posting pictures online, and not in a negative way. "Hey guys, look at this weird thing" is good. "Hey guys, look at how they ruined viper" isn't.

3. It's not a win for SFMM if it leaves people with a bad taste in their mouth. I get that a significant part of the new business plan is to bring in advertisements for their 'captive' audience... but there is something to be said for subtlety. Viper's new ads take subtlety and stab it in the throat.

[CreditCrazy]

^ I don't get it. Sure, Magnum and Phantom's Revenge have tons more airtime than Goliath. Goliath only has one hill, really, how much airtime could it have??

 

A LOT (just on that one hill of course). That 3rd hill has some of the best airtime ever (imo)...and that's what keeps me coming back to Goliath, that's what makes Goliath awesome, that's what makes Goliath the 2nd best coaster at SFMM and that's what makes Goliath my #4 coaster.

 

I love that 3rd hill! It is truly amazing.

 

really , how do you get air on the hill? i only ever felt it once,

 

do you leave your lapbar loose ? where do you sit?

hmmm,

 

 

Of course I leave my lap bar a little loose (doesn't every coaster enthusiast?) and you can get airtime anywhere on the train but I find it stronger in the back.

 

Out of my ride list, I have to give rides like Phantom's Revenge, Magnum, Voyage, Maverick and Blue Streak the credit for the most air, but Goliath is definitely up there and while these rides do have better airtime than Goliath, Goliath's one hill is one of my favorite moments of airtime.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

My favorite moment of airtime-though not a coaster, is the bounce in the shaft on Hollywood Tower of Terror...it seems to last for ages.

[CorkscrewFoley]

My favorite moment of airtime-though not a coaster, is the bounce in the shaft on Hollywood Tower of Terror...it seems to last for ages.

 

Yeah, that was simply fantastic! That was the only ride other than Phantom's revenge where my feet left the floor...it was heavenly.

[coasterking2981]

how in the world does it work?

 

I have no idea but I imagine it'd work like a top spin

[X2coasterfreak]

The Bebes are going on Thursday, with Lady Bebes Dad and JustinJJ!

Aww I will miss you guys by one day. I am going Friday. It would be cool to meet you. Any way have an awesome time!

[socalMAN123]

So I did the best thing I could possibly do at Magic Mountain last Saturday...I went and saw The Aquabats!

---Brent

[stuartnz]

So I did the best thing I could possibly do at Magic Mountain last Saturday...I went and saw The Aquabats!

---Brent

Awww, man! I saw that on Facebook and wished I could have been there. Pretty sweet combination

[brand4d2]

I was there today and had a great time, Terminator was a literal walk on all day, the longest I waited for any coaster whose name doesnt start with X and end with 2 was probably about 3 trains.

 

Photo TR in a bit

 

Thanks for the info! I had been planning on going next Wednesday and it seems likely that I can get at least 20 rides in that day.

[The Bebes]

The Bebes are going on Thursday, with Lady Bebes Dad and JustinJJ!

Aww I will miss you guys by one day. I am going Friday. It would be cool to meet you. Any way have an awesome time!

 

 

Perhaps we'll meet at WCB 2010.....

[FitchCoaster]

So I did the best thing I could possibly do at Magic Mountain last Saturday...I went and saw The Aquabats!

---Brent

I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't jealous in one bit! Aquabats + SFMM = awesome combination.

[atem122]

In case you didnt see my PTR, what are your thoughts on this?

The new SFMM Ad-O-Tron

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I'm not quite sure I understand all this hatred of the advertising.

 

Yes, ads on coaster trains are a bit distracting, but we should keep in mind that the additional advertising is bringing Six Flags the additional revenue that it sorely needs to maintain its financial future, keep the gates open, and keep prices relatively low for its guests.

 

That is what we all want isn't it? A financially viable Six Flags that has the funding to keep its gates open, its coasters running, its operations efficient, and its future bright? It takes a good sum of money to make that happen, and I'm sure you wouldn't want it to come from giant hikes in prices of admission, food, merchandise or whereever else. So next time you see that Viper train with the hair gel ads, or the big video screen, or whatever else, think about how those are helping ensure your good times for years to come, and maybe you'll hate them a little bit less.

[atem122]

^Very true, it's very sad however to see that Six Flags couldnt manage their money properly in the past and now have to make up their revenue loss with these extreme ads.

 

But I definitely will not protest anything that keeps the park open, no matter how tacky.

[ZeroG001]

I'm fine with advertisements, as long as the park stays open. Now I don't know how much advertising is really going on in the park, but I don't think it would make anyone want to not come back to the park ever again. They just seem like small annoyances, which really shouldn't have you worried if you go to the park to ride coasters. Which I'm guessing is why most people go to SFMM in the first place.

[WFChris]

Brent, I heard it was the Aquabats and Everlast. What a weird combination. Is that true?

 

Chris.

[GivenOneChance]

I'm not quite sure I understand all this hatred of the advertising.

 

Yes, ads on coaster trains are a bit distracting, but we should keep in mind that the additional advertising is bringing Six Flags the additional revenue that it sorely needs to maintain its financial future, keep the gates open, and keep prices relatively low for its guests.

 

That is what we all want isn't it? A financially viable Six Flags that has the funding to keep its gates open, its coasters running, its operations efficient, and its future bright? It takes a good sum of money to make that happen, and I'm sure you wouldn't want it to come from giant hikes in prices of admission, food, merchandise or whereever else. So next time you see that Viper train with the hair gel ads, or the big video screen, or whatever else, think about how those are helping ensure your good times for years to come, and maybe you'll hate them a little bit less.

 

I really don't care for the ads. I don't even notice them when I'm riding; only when I'm in the line for X2.

 

Anyways, it's kind of moot for you to say that making decisions as said is one of the alternatives Six Flags has instead of rising prices of admission, food, etc....it's not even an alternative to those things.

 

I think it would be pretty stupid for Six Flags to raise those prices as that won't get them the revenue that they need. It would probably decrease revenue and hurt them even more if they decide on doing that plan. For one though, it depends on the elasticity of their demand for people to visit the park or willingness to buy the food at the prices as they are.

 

Chances are, in opposition of what you said, I don't think it would come from a price admission hike or food hike, as explained above, even if they didn't do what they're doing now with this intrusive advertisement campaign.