John Knotts Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ Agreed. Also, there is no rule book that says you have to run your park the way everyone else runs theirs. Maybe they just don't like flats, and want to almost exclusively cater to coaster fans. There is no theme park "law" that says you can't do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Of course there isn't, but they already tried that strategy 10 years ago when the economy was much stronger, and they went bankrupt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knotts Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ Not really. 10 years ago they were buying parks left and right, and then adding 18 million dollar coasters to them. Adding coasters to their core parks never put them in any danger. Besides, the approach now is different. $10 milion for Terminator, $ 7 million for Green Lantern, and them re-marketing former troubled coasters, is miles more efficient than what they were doing before. Â Â The last $20 million dollar coaster the company built was back in 2006 (Tatsu). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I just think it's funny that a huge criticism of basically every park without any quality flats is that they need more flats, but the SFMM fanboys are foaming at the mouth now that I suggested they buy something other than cloned and used coasters, and also stop wasting money by repainting and adding semi-effective sound/visual effects to existing rides (no more sound on Apocalypse and X2 effects work what, half the time?). That's what makes SFMM fanboys so entertaining, though. Â I guess the park can always fall back on putting Double Mint wraps on the Green Lantern trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knotts Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 What are you going on about? lol  No one has suggested the park couldn't use more flats, and not a single person is "foaming" as you call it. What you or I think is best for the park is one thing. what the park thinks is their best business model is something else. That was all I was suggesting. Baiting internet terms like "fanboy" really have no place in this discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^^I am about as FAR from an SFMM "fanboy" as you can get. I'm just smart enough to realize it makes business sense to do what SFMM is currently doing. Â That "used" coaster they installed actually fills a niche they desperately needed: another family ride! From my point of view, Green Lantern is essentially a flat ride disguised as a credit, so it's a win-win situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeoplemoverMatt Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I wasn't aware that repainting & adding effects to existing rides constituted a waste of money. Â X/X2 is running great everyday, as is Superman, Batman now a shiny blue instead of a faded grey, Viper/Goliath looking great, etc is all just a waste of money I guess. You're right, SFMM would be a much better place if none of those projects had ever taken place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paiging_jen Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ The argument was coming from should SFMM add more flats or continue to just spend money on coasters. I think flats at some point need to be considered so the non-coaster folks have something to do at the park. But apparently many don't think so. And hell, I live in Florida and probably won't go back to SFMM any time soon so what the hell do I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I wasn't aware that repainting & adding effects to existing rides constituted a waste of money. X/X2 is running great everyday, as is Superman, Batman now a shiny blue instead of a faded grey, Viper/Goliath looking great, etc is all just a waste of money I guess. You're right, SFMM would be a much better place if none of those projects had ever taken place.  When the effects stop working less than 3 years after installing them? Yeah, that's a colossal waste of money. Repainting them different colors and spending all the money to market them as "new" rides? Even more of a waste of money. Sure, paint them new colors, I'm all for the rides looking nice. But seriously, as a company, how much money do you think SF flushed down the drain trying to re-market the Bizarros and X2, especially now that the effects scarcely ever work on any of those rides anymore?  I will say that the new trains for X2 and the refurb that came with Superman's transformation were much needed, so at least they got lucky with those. The used roller skater taking two years to build was a nice touch, though. I'm glad they wisely chose to plop that ride down with the rest of their kiddie rides so parents have no choice but to spend an entire day in one corner of the park with their kids.  Maybe they should invest some of that money into their operations department, that way they can afford to staff their rides with more than the bare minimum. Or maybe they could spend that money on an extra train for some of the coasters, that way they won't be running one train on several major attractions on Memorial Day weekend. I think if you asked most sane people if they would rather wait half the time or have special effects on a coaster, they would take the shorter wait. And let's be honest, it's not like the special effects actually add anything to the ride experience as it is, unless you think random, inaudible, deafening movie quotes enhances a ride experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ Somebody needs a hug! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^Possibly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSum1_55 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 One question, though. How come this one-train rehab never seemed to happen around the Jay Thomas management? How was he able to do this so at least two trains can run? Are there plans to get a ride such as Tatsu back up to three train operation? This seems to be reasonable excuse, although I can find little apparent excuses for the extended rehab of Apoc and Deja Vu. Â Also, why the hell did many of these rehab schedules go into Spring Break? Was that by accident? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckaroo234 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 One question, though. How come this one-train rehab never seemed to happen around the Jay Thomas management? How was he able to do this so at least two trains can run? Are there plans to get a ride such as Tatsu back up to three train operation? This seems to be reasonable excuse, although I can find little apparent excuses for the extended rehab of Apoc and Deja Vu. Also, why the hell did many of these rehab schedules go into Spring Break? Was that by accident?  the Apoc one i cant say, but ive heard alot of the long rehab on Deja Vu, Tatsu, riddlers and others has been deffered maintaince, aka maintaince that never happened. Also heard a rumor they are trying to get Deja Vu to work like the spanish Deja Vu and actually run a full day without breaking down. Again, this is just birdies flying around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeoplemoverMatt Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Steve, all anyone has to do to understand the real reason why both X and Superman have gone through transformations is to remember how they were running in 2003-2007. Compare that to now, and tell me if you don't see any improvements. Was doing & marketing X2's transformation a waste of money? Of course not. Where do the people run to at park opening? Â About Road Runner Express...I thought they did a pretty good job with that, especially given the box they had to work in. You know who's going to care that it sat in pieces backstage for over a year now that it's finished, open, and looking great? Nobody. Certainly not the families who'll come and have a great time riding it. Â SFMM has its flaws to be sure, but there's also been a lot of positive going on. Just think about all that's been improved in the past few years all the while dealing with the bankruptcy. Edited June 1, 2011 by PeoplemoverMatt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewelap Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Quick off-topic question: I'm heading to SFMM for the FIRST TIME on Thursday and I was planning on purchasing my tickets online ($36 holla!). I know with some parks, if you want to buy your tickets online, you have to do so at least two days before your intended visit for some reason or another. I was just wondering if that's the case with SFMM? If I buy my tickets online the day before my visit, should I be fine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) ^ Somebody needs a hug! Â Nah...just say something negative about Cedar Fair and he'll have nothing but positive things to say! Â I'm not really sure how this discussion ended up so far off topic: the fact of the matter is that what they said at WCB is true. Flats would be great, but there is more money to be made investing in similarly priced coasters. I can only speak for myself, but instead of ignoring SFMM like I typically would...two new credits has made me want to give the park a courtesy visit this year. So they sold me. A flat ride certainly wouldn't do that! Edited June 1, 2011 by Jew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ Somebody needs a hug! Â Nah...just say something negative about Cedar Fair and he'll have nothing but positive things to say! That's mainly because ignorance runs rampant when it comes to people talking about CF. They hear one or two common misconceptions from everyone on the board and then they run with it, whether they know the actual truth or not. Either that or they spend a day or two at KBF and think they know everything about CF. I'm usually there to set the misconception straight. Prime example is someone who thought CF was the only company that didn't allow head-on collisions for their bumper cars, when TONS of parks have that policy. I mean hell, I worked for them for four years, and they aren't anywhere near as bad as anyone makes them out to be. It's the Cedar Point effect, just like the rankings. If all things were the same with that chain, but Cedar Point or Dick Kinzel weren't a part of it, then nobody would have even half as many negative things to say about it. What's really funny is when someone starts bashing on CF and has never even been to one of their parks. Â I know Cedar Fair isn't all good (better food please?), just like I know Six Flags isn't all bad (Flash Passes are amazing!), but when I see something that SFMM management said about how they'll basically build nothing but coasters, and then people defend it? Especially when the last thing that park needs is more coasters? That's just laughable. Just like every time CF management tries to justify cutting down more trees at one of their parks. You wonder what on Earth could they be thinking? Â I guess I just don't get the SF love on this board. I'm the kinda guy who could have a good time doing literally nothing, and yet, I've rarely ever had a good time at a SF park. Those parks just suck the life right out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasternut Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 One question, though. How come this one-train rehab never seemed to happen around the Jay Thomas management? How was he able to do this so at least two trains can run? Are there plans to get a ride such as Tatsu back up to three train operation? This seems to be reasonable excuse, although I can find little apparent excuses for the extended rehab of Apoc and Deja Vu. Also, why the hell did many of these rehab schedules go into Spring Break? Was that by accident?  I've always been a BIG Jay Thomas fan. Just watching and listening to Bonnie (current park president) speaks volumes (negative) of what is and isn't going on. The president sets the bar for everyone in management and operations.  I've visited the park extensively (22 days including Superman media day) this past year, and it's significantly different (worse) under her rein. Jay is a great guy and definitely a people person. In my opinion he's severely missed. Just my 2 cents on this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CloneCaptain38 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) I thought I would like to share with everyone four videos I recently uploaded to YouTube of my 1997 Six Flags Magic Mountain experience, with my nieces, sister and her husband. Back in 1997, most ride operators didn't care too much if you took your video camera on the ride to film, such as Jet Stream, Log Jammer, Goldrusher, Tidal Wave, Granny Gran Prix, Buccanneer. The day of filming begun at 10:22 a.m. and my camera battery died at 4:27 p.m., however we did stay a couple more hours. Â In Part 1, the attractions I rode and filmed on were Jet Stream and Goldrusher. The attractions you'll see glimpses of are Viper, Psyclone (including the station area), Dive Devil, and a One Plane Air Show above the area making a lot of noise. Â Â In Part 2, the attractions I rode and filmed on are Tidal Wave, Granny Gran Prix, and Buccaneer. The attractions you'll see glimpses of and footage of are Freefall, which I ride..you'll see me, wearing a hat and blue alien shirt, and Superman: The Escape. Â Â In Part 3, the attraction I rode was Log Jammer, which concludes in Part 4. The attractions you'll see glimpses of and footage of are: Junior Coaster, which my nieces ride 6 times, because the first time, their lapbar wasn't secured and in place, so they got several more rides becuse of that. My nieces also enjoyed fun on the Tweety Bird Cages, Caterpillar and some Turbo Cars that spin in a circle. Anybody know the name of that ride? They also meet Bugs Bunny himself at the beginning of the video. Â Â In Part 4, the attractions I rode were Log Jammer and the Monorail. The attractions seen glimpses of and footage of are Viper, Flashback, Spinout, and the full show of the Looney Tunes Stage Show. I am not sure if this show is still going on, probably not after 14 years, but my nieces enjoyed it. After this, my battery died on my camera. Â The videos were edited, removed a lot of boring stuff, and some audio which I didn't like. I do have other videos of my experiences and fun at the park on my YouTube Channel of more recent visists, and other home video footage from years back that I haven't dubbed to DVD yet. I thought these videos would be fun for everybody here at TPR to go back in time, and enjoy checking out the park before most rides today didn't exist, such as Deja Vu, Riddler's Revenge, and to see rides that have been removed since 1997, such as Spinout, Freefall, Monorail, Flashback, Psyclone, Granny Gran Prix. I hope you all enjoy the four videos, and I will see what else I can find. Â July 4th, 1988 Six Flags Video This is footage from my 1988 Six Flags Magic Mountain visit with my parents, brother, and his friend. The attractions I took the camera on were Gold Rusher and Jet Stream. The attractions seen glimpses of, or footage are: Colossus, Sandblasters Bumper Cars, Ninja, Shockwave, Z-Force (great footage), Subway, and Dolphin Show. Some footage was edited, such as the fireworks display show I filmed from the parking lot, not all that interesting. I had to get this video under 15 min. I hope you enjoy this video, especially watching footage of Z-Force, and Shockwave, two coasters no longer at the park. Â Â Tim Edited June 2, 2011 by CloneCaptain38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knotts Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) . ^ Somebody needs a hug! Â Nah...just say something negative about Cedar Fair and he'll have nothing but positive things to say! That's mainly because ignorance runs rampant when it comes to people talking about CF. They hear one or two common misconceptions from everyone on the board and then they run with it, whether they know the actual truth or not. Either that or they spend a day or two at KBF and think they know everything about CF. I'm usually there to set the misconception straight. Prime example is someone who thought CF was the only company that didn't allow head-on collisions for their bumper cars, when TONS of parks have that policy. I mean hell, I worked for them for four years, and they aren't anywhere near as bad as anyone makes them out to be. It's the Cedar Point effect, just like the rankings. If all things were the same with that chain, but Cedar Point or Dick Kinzel weren't a part of it, then nobody would have even half as many negative things to say about it. What's really funny is when someone starts bashing on CF and has never even been to one of their parks. Â I know Cedar Fair isn't all good (better food please?), just like I know Six Flags isn't all bad (Flash Passes are amazing!), but when I see something that SFMM management said about how they'll basically build nothing but coasters, and then people defend it? Especially when the last thing that park needs is more coasters? That's just laughable. Just like every time CF management tries to justify cutting down more trees at one of their parks. You wonder what on Earth could they be thinking? Â I guess I just don't get the SF love on this board. I'm the kinda guy who could have a good time doing literally nothing, and yet, I've rarely ever had a good time at a SF park. Those parks just suck the life right out of me. Â What's to get though? People like what they like, because its what they like, just like you. Like you said, no cooperate company is perfectly run, so you find things you do like, or move on,to something else,that's more your scene. But asking people in a SFMM thread to justify why they like SF is a waste of time and energy imo. It's like wondering why people chose their cell phone provider because you chose something else. Obviously they find value in it you don't, and there is nothing wrong with that. Â I don't think you'll find a single person on this board who doesn't find fault with Six Flags. Not one. So stop it with the extremes. Some of us don't like to dwell on negativity 24/7. Especially when this company does crazy things like making their older coasters ridable again, and making stride towards better customet service. Â SFMM still has plenty of improvements to make before I'm happy with the park, heck I'm not happy with my Atlanta Braves either, but as long as they continue putting a team on the field I enjoy watching, I always stick with them. But I hate when people try to make me feel guilty for liking something imperfect, when everything is imperfect, just because they don't. Â And for the record, no one is saying all coasters and very little else is ok. But that is the reality, and has been for years. Edited June 1, 2011 by John Knotts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooksta77 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Magic Mountain posted this to their Facebook page.....any guesses on what's inside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^ My guess is the GL trains. Or maybe the GL himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooksta77 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^But didn't the GL trains already arrive? Or is my avatar inaccurate? -Cookie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ^^^It's definitely the old Tilt-a-Whirl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigalyte Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Yeah I was going to say the trains have been on site for a while now, my bet is on a giant lantern for the Green lantern plaza packed in with a Tilt- a- Whirl Edited June 1, 2011 by Gigalyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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