The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[necoastergp]

^^^^That would be fantastic, haha.

[coasterfreak101]

Boy: "Hey, why'd we stop?"

Girl: "It's time to go [actual name of the coaster]." [pitch black is cut by strobe-light lightning, robotic voice booms "REVERSE THE BEAT"]

Boy: "Wait, we're going backwards?!"

Girl: "YOOOOOLLLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!"

 

Just bursted out laughing at work. If this doesn't happen (along with the Polarbearcoaster in Vegas) I'm going to be so overly disappointed.

[ernierocker]

The last couple pages of this thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than the other 4 billion pages altogether.

Edited June 18, 2013 by ernierocker

[TyRush]

^

 

I think if we,TPR, were the management of SFMM, it would be incredible.

[rclay2003]

^

 

I think if we,TPR, were the management of SFMM, it would be incredible.

 

I concur!

[Sir Clinksalot]

To be fair, if the members of TPR ran SFMM the park most likely wouldn't make any $$. All the stuff we'd like to see at the park wouldn't bring in the crowds that go to the park now. They wouldn't care about new trains for Revolution, Topper Track for Colossus, Paint and themeing for Scream, etc.

[Arkhamar]

Thought I'd sign up instead of just coming on here everyday to see if any progress was posted.

 

I just bought tickets for the Midnight Opening of YOLOcoaster - Hopefully it isn't to crowded (You wouldn't think it would be, but who knows.) Glad that it comes with a lovely YOLOshirt and YOLOmeal. Can't wait!

 

Man, I wish I could go. Riding it at night when you can hardly see anything has got to be awesome. Look forward to your review.

[Wes]

Can't wait for the "Opening Delayed" press release to come out in a day or two.

[MrSum1_55]

I do have a sad confession to make, being that I am actually kind of hoping this ride sucks, just so I can bash SFMM more. I am crossing my fingers that is goes as slow over that hill as the tests show.

[Jew]

To be fair, if the members of TPR ran SFMM the park most likely wouldn't make any $$. All the stuff we'd like to see at the park wouldn't bring in the crowds that go to the park now. They wouldn't care about new trains for Revolution, Topper Track for Colossus, Paint and themeing for Scream, etc.

 

I disagree. An emphasis on upkeep, maintenance, and service to compliment new rides would most certainly make a profit in this market.

[rclay2003]

To be fair, if the members of TPR ran SFMM the park most likely wouldn't make any $$. All the stuff we'd like to see at the park wouldn't bring in the crowds that go to the park now. They wouldn't care about new trains for Revolution, Topper Track for Colossus, Paint and themeing for Scream, etc.

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. I believe that while it is true that the GP doesn't care about the more un-noticeable changes an enthusiast would make, they would respond to the more full family experience that I believe TPR members would bring to the park; more so, there would be a positive shift because we are also committed to the full park experience for all park visitors which means that all areas would be improved: more diverse rides/ride categories, cleaner park, better trained staff and more theming. All of these combined would bring more profit to the park with a larger demographic and make SFMM a more viable competitor with the other large SoCal theme parks.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ and ^^ ... I really hope that I'd be wrong. Sadly we'll never find out.

[AllenA07]

I do have a sad confession to make, being that I am actually kind of hoping this ride sucks, just so I can bash SFMM more. I am crossing my fingers that is goes as slow over that hill as the tests show.

 

I don't get why people want a ride to suck. Maybe it's just me, but I would always rather have a good ride that doesn't need to get bashed then a crappy one.

[Wingwright]

I do have a sad confession to make, being that I am actually kind of hoping this ride sucks, just so I can bash SFMM more. I am crossing my fingers that is goes as slow over that hill as the tests show.

 

This is the dumbest thing. Why even post something like this?

I hope this is a sarcastic post and I'm just missing the joke.

[MrSum1_55]

^^/^^^ But we did find out. I believe that was the list of things Jay Thomas tried to do. I think the problem was that they simply never marketed the family atmosphere, and instead chose to invest in near constant advertising for X2. They tried the family atmosphere, and it did not work. Granted, I do think there were a few problems in the way it was presented, but the bottom line is that, because that strategy failed, they are probably never going back to that strategy.

 

However, it might be possible that they could go back to the old way of waiting a few years and investing in a major attraction, instead of making these small, gimmicky investments. I would like to see that, but not before seeing a better maintained park.

 

^Yes. It is sarcastic, but it still was stupid, on my part.

[gisco]

If I ran the park I would invest in infrastructure and small rides like flats for a few years before adding another big coaster. Probably not the thing that would draw crowds in the short run but pay for itself in the long run making a better park experience for all.

[AllenA07]

Oh hell I'll just be honest here. If I was running the park in a world where I had unlimited money, then I might go ahead and turn SFMM into my dream RCT park. However in a world where my job depended on the park turning a profit, I would place my focus on what ride was going to give me the highest return on my investment. Super awesome launched looping aquatrax is going to make more money then is family rides or theming for Scream!

 

If the park is ever going to make a serious push to become more family friendly I think the more likely thing to see happen would be a setup where the park adds a coaster, then a few family/flat rides the following year, followed by a coaster in year three. I think it's unlikely that we see the park going long distances between coasters, as they are what brings the crowds.

[Koasterking48]

^^ Think if they held off on building Yolocoaster for another two or three years and focused on smaller investments and necessary improvements. I think that Yolocoaster would have a larger, more expansive layout and not be short and (dare I say) gimmicky. Unfortunately, they've pretty much scared off many families and are going to have to really try hard if they want to win them back in the future. While I do not know much about the Jay Thomas era, from what I heard he was a great GM and knew what the park needed. Who is the new guy anyway?

EDIT: Sorry, didn't know their gender

Edited June 20, 2013 by Koasterking48

[Jew]

If I ran the park I would invest in infrastructure and small rides like flats for a few years before adding another big coaster. Probably not the thing that would draw crowds in the short run but pay for itself in the long run making a better park experience for all.

 

Exactly. Not to mention the cost of ignoring infrastructure is a lot more in the long run as well. As an example, remember Jay Thomas talking about how they had to completely overhaul their IT infrastructure a few years ago? Trying to squeeze every last dollar out of something ended up costing SFMM a few million bucks to modernize it.

[DBJ]

SFMM had a pretty good year after Lex opened. I am hoping that gives the upper management the encouragement to pursue other non-coaster attractions for the future. If SFNE loses Twister, SFMM certainly can use that. Generally though, I don't think the park needs traditional flat rides. What has been killing it in the local market have been the dark rides like RSR and Transformers. If they could tap into part of that trend, I think it would help overall. Part of Full Throttle's expense is the improvements to the infrastructure, with the new supposed high energy area around the coaster installation. Hope after Full Throttle opens, they still keep working towards improving the area. I was encouraged a few years back with the work done around Batman, and hope to see that push continue.

[GigaG]

Here is my rating of all the coasters at SFMM that I rode. Ratings may be somewhat relative to the type of coaster - a 5/10 kiddie coaster is different than a 5/10 hyper coaster.

 

Apocalypse - 7.5/10 - A good ride with some pops of airtime and great scenery in the queue.

 

Batman - 7/10 - This cloned inverted coaster can give an intense ride, but sounds horrible on the lift hill. Seriously, it bangs and squeaks during dispatch and the lift.

 

Canyon Blaster - Didn't ride

 

Colossus - 5 or 6/10 - This would be a good ride, but it is neutered and has some poor design. The train slows to a near-stop upon reaching the top of the lift hill. In the back, you are slammed to the side on the kinked first drop. If you sit in front, you may get some airtime going into the first turnaround. The speed hill and double up has no airtime, and the block brake (the point of most neutering) slowed the ride down, if memory serves. This caused the ride to crawl through the final big turn. The ride doesn't need topper track or Iron Horse because it is rough - it seemed very smooth to me - but it really needs the RMC treatment to de-neuter it.

 

FT/YOLO - Won't get to ride it for a while, but I got to see quite a few test runs.

 

Gold Rusher - 6 or 7/10 for the type - A fun mine train that serves its purpose nicely. That is all.

 

Goliath - 7/10, maybe 6 - I honestly didn't really like this as much as one would think. The lift hill slowing sucks, and it probably contributes to the airtime hill's unusual sensation - despite throwing you into the lap bar, it doesn't seem that intense to me. Then is the second neuter point - the MCBR, which is somewhat necessary. The helix is intense, but in my opinion, wasn't intense as I thought it was hyped up to be. Maybe it is just me. Plus, the park seems to only own two trains despite this being a quite popular ride. Overall, another neutered coaster, although the neutering here makes a bit of sense.

 

Green Lantern - 5.5-7/10 - I don't know if I should like this or hate it. It is uncomfortable and throws you back and forth, along with having sudden trims and block brakes. It is balanced to not flip, and you are lucky to get one full flip in my opinion. But you might as well ride it - it is a unique ride and can be pretty fun, even if it is painful.

 

Magic Flyer - Didn't ride.

 

Ninja - 6.5/10, maybe 7 - A decent suspended coaster, and a fairly long ride compared to its other "megasuspended" cousins such as Flight Deck and Vortex. Not super swingy, however.

 

Revolution - 4.5-5/10, maybe a 6 at the highest - A mediocre ride. First of all, it is slow over its first few hills, although I would imagine it started off that way due to a lack of trims before these. It bangs your head a little due to the mutant variant of Schwarzkopf restraints. The restraints suck, but the headbanging is not constant throughout the ride. The worst part is the trims - the ride is trimmed to death right before the loop and while "threading" the loop.

 

Riddler - 6.5-7/10 - A good standup coaster, much smoother than Mantis. The trains (according to the ride op, a newer model) have seats that are harder to push down, but the coaster itself is good.

 

Road Runner Express - Didn't ride

 

Scream! - 6-7/10 maximum - I don't know why, but this ride struck me as mediocre. I just didn't really enjoy it. Maybe it was the cookie-cutter series of B&M elements, the single-train operation (warned about on a sign out front), or even the parking lot, but I just disliked it.

 

Superman - 6.75-7.75/10, depending on how you ride it - A unique and fun ride. Just follow my tips - fasten the restraint loosely, tell the op not to staple you, and hold it up until you are flying up the tower. Then you will experience zero-g at its finest.

 

Tatsu - 7-8/10 - A fine coaster. The lift hill gives a great view of the paths below and the pretzel loop is forceful, if not "confusing" somehow. 8 is an absolute maximum rating, because I thought the corkscrews were a bit repetitive.

 

Viper - 4-5.75/10 - The last of the mega-loopers is a headbanger. If memory serves, the second to front seat sucks up until the block brake. The second to back sucks in the batwing, but is fine everywhere else. I would imagine the middle is a better balance. Either way, it is sometimes hard to enjoy, but 4 is the absolute minimum.

 

X2 - 6-8/10 - I gave this a wide range. Why? The rocking as you rotate is uncomfortable and painful. However, the ride is unique and fun, and the fire effects can really freak you out (Why did it just get twice as hot here?) The ride would be amazing if they could fix the rocking.

[Magic Alumni]

I don't know who made it but here is a fun history video with some cool old pictures...

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

[Guy T. Koepp]

I don't know who made it but here is a fun history video with some cool old pictures...

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be]

 

Very nice. I have such fond memories of all those lost rides. I think I welled up a tear in my eye. No, wait. Sorry, allergies. Still very nice to look at.

[Sir Clinksalot]

For those who will be at the park on Friday. Not sure what rides will have ERT but worth checking out.

 

http://www.sixflags.com/national/footernav/TakisHSN.aspx?fb_action_ids=557075121002398&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22557075121002398%22%3A621260461226895%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22557075121002398%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

 

Takis® invites you to join us for a HOT SUMMER NIGHT at Six Flags! July 21 is the first day of

summer - the longest day of the year - so Takis is cranking up the intensity to make your day

at Six Flags EVEN LONGER with 2 hours of exclusive ride time AFTER the park closes!

Present this voucher at the designated Event Table inside a participating Six Flags

Theme Park on June 21, 2013 to receive your Event Wristband. Wristbands will be

available beginning two (2) hours before parks’ scheduled close.*

Voucher does not include price of park admission. Wristbands available while supplies

last. Valid theme park admission ticket AND event wristband are required to participate

in the Exclusive Ride Time event.

Not valid at non-participating theme parks, separate gate water parks, Six Flags Mexico or La

Ronde. Redeemable on June 21, 2013 only. Participating Six Flags rides and locations vary by

park. Additional details will be available inside the park on the event date.

 

Please visit sixflags.com for a list of Six Flags parks, operating schedules and to pruchase

tickets.

 

Participating Parks:

Six Flags Over Texas

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Over Georgia

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

[BigBomer]

^ I'll be at the Fiesta Texas one