The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[XYZ]

Something that was a cross between a Mega-Lite and a Blitz Coaster I think would fit well at the mountain. I just don't see Six Flags forking over the $$$ for one if it was built by Intamin. If say Premier or Chance gave it a go, then maybe they'd be up for it since the cost would be much lower.

 

Keep dreaming. Everyone hoped that Full Throttle would be a 6000' long terrain multi-launch coaster before it was announced and instead we got a short gimmicky coaster (at least the ride itself is really good). It's pretty apparent that SFMM and the Six Flags chain is building big, gimmicky rides without a large investment. There are a few exceptions to this, though it would be very unlikely that a long airtime-filled Mega Lite Blitz coaster would be built in the near future at SFMM.

 

I'm pretty sure the higher ups already have an idea of what's going to be built in the next 5 years or so...

 

Oh really?

[Superbatboy]

Keep dreaming. Everyone hoped that YOLOcoaster would be a 6000' long terrain multi-launch coaster before it was announced and instead we got a short gimmicky coaster (at least the ride itself is really good). It's pretty apparent that SFMM and the Six Flags chain is building big, gimmicky rides without a large investment. There are a few exceptions to this, though it would be very unlikely that a long airtime-filled Mega Lite Blitz coaster would be built in the near future at SFMM.

Everyone makes reference to this so-called Six Flags trend of building cheap gimmicky coasters, bur other than Yolo and S:UF where are the rest of these so-called gimmicks? I don't consider NTAG, Goliath, iRat, Steel Medusa, X-Flight, and the prospect of Iron Colossus cheap and/or gimmicky.

 

 

 

Oh really?

 

Your cynicism is appreciated but why wouldn't a business have a 5-10 year plan?

[singemfrc]

^ I consider all wing riders gimmicky, but that's my opinion. I enjoyed GateKeeper, but I still think it's a gimmick.

 

Some might agree that the hybrids and remakes are kind of gimmicky even though at the same time they're completely awesome.

[Superbatboy]

^ I consider all wing riders gimmicky, but that's my opinion. I enjoyed GateKeeper, but I still think it's a gimmick.

I was expecting a reply like this which is why I said "cheap and/or gimmicky". The 16-18 million Six Flags spent on X-Flight is far from frugal

[GigaG]

Something that was a cross between a Mega-Lite and a Blitz Coaster I think would fit well at the mountain. I just don't see Six Flags forking over the $$$ for one if it was built by Intamin. If say Premier or Chance gave it a go, then maybe they'd be up for it since the cost would be much lower.

 

Keep dreaming. Everyone hoped that YOLOcoaster would be a 6000' long terrain multi-launch coaster before it was announced and instead we got a short gimmicky coaster (at least the ride itself is really good). It's pretty apparent that SFMM and the Six Flags chain is building big, gimmicky rides without a large investment. There are a few exceptions to this, though it would be very unlikely that a long airtime-filled Mega Lite Blitz coaster would be built in the near future at SFMM.

 

I'm pretty sure the higher ups already have an idea of what's going to be built in the next 5 years or so...

 

Oh really?

 

Maverick is fairly gimmicky to a GP, but awesome gimmicky - double launch, 95 degree drop, inversions, the "dueling" as you return... the heartline roll would have been cool, but we all know what happened there. Still too steep of a price tag for Six Flags, as Superbatboy said.

 

YOLO is way too short, but considering everything, I think they got a good deal for 6 million dollars. I can't believe that YOLOCoaster costs the same as a Windseeker... Imagine what Premier could build given some good terrain, lots of room, and 15-20 million dollars... awesomeness. Although, one must note that YOLOCoaster only has 2 high points, and they are on the same structure, reducing costs. The next highest point is the flying snake dive (I consider that element a flying snake dive a la Storm Runner) and the approach to the "top hat." The rest of the ride (which is short in itself) is either hugging the ground or built through the old monorail tunnel.

 

About the "6000' terrain coaster" concept, where did people think that would go? Over by Ninja? Or were people thinking more of a "twsity" concept?

[Superbatboy]

Something that was a cross between a Mega-Lite and a Blitz Coaster I think would fit well at the mountain. I just don't see Six Flags forking over the $$$ for one if it was built by Intamin. If say Premier or Chance gave it a go, then maybe they'd be up for it since the cost would be much lower.

 

Keep dreaming. Everyone hoped that YOLOcoaster would be a 6000' long terrain multi-launch coaster before it was announced and instead we got a short gimmicky coaster (at least the ride itself is really good). It's pretty apparent that SFMM and the Six Flags chain is building big, gimmicky rides without a large investment. There are a few exceptions to this, though it would be very unlikely that a long airtime-filled Mega Lite Blitz coaster would be built in the near future at SFMM.

 

I'm pretty sure the higher ups already have an idea of what's going to be built in the next 5 years or so...

 

Oh really?

 

Maverick is fairly gimmicky to a GP, but awesome gimmicky - double launch, 95 degree drop, inversions, the "dueling" as you return... the heartline roll would have been cool, but we all know what happened there. Still too steep of a price tag for Six Flags, as Superbatboy said.

 

YOLO is way too short, but considering everything, I think they got a good deal for 6 million dollars. I can't believe that YOLOCoaster costs the same as a Windseeker... Imagine what Premier could build given some good terrain, lots of room, and 15-20 million dollars... awesomeness. Although, one must note that YOLOCoaster only has 2 high points, and they are on the same structure, reducing costs. The next highest point is the flying snake dive (I consider that element a flying snake dive a la Storm Runner) and the approach to the "top hat." The rest of the ride (which is short in itself) is either hugging the ground or built through the old monorail tunnel.

 

About the "6000' terrain coaster" concept, where did people think that would go? Over by Ninja? Or were people thinking more of a "twsity" concept?

Yolo was an incredible deal, $6 million for a full circuit coaster that helped boost attendance and revamp a pretty lack luster area of the park. I really hope MM works with Premier again!!

[Superbatboy]

 

Maverick is fairly gimmicky to a GP, but awesome gimmicky - double launch, 95 degree drop, inversions, the "dueling" as you return... the heartline roll would have been cool, but we all know what happened there. Still too steep of a price tag for Six Flags, as Superbatboy said.

I wouldn't consider Maverick gimmicky at all, it really is a true world class ride I was absolutely blown away by it and really wish MM would get something similar.

 

To me a gimmicky ride is something that doesn't really offer the rider a new experience but rather a slightly altered experience (ie Floorless, Wing Coasters, Giant Inverted Boomerang) and is either a one or two trick pony. Maverick has TOO many tricks and is an incredible unique experience to be a gimmick.

[Jew]

Someone who might know what they're talking about told me that at one point YOLOCoaster was intended to cross the midway and use some of the real estate freed up from Flashback's demise.

[Tmcdllr]

EVERY coaster has a gimmick in one form or another therefore every coaster is gimmicky.

 

That's fine, as long as it's fun.

[GigaG]

 

Maverick is fairly gimmicky to a GP, but awesome gimmicky - double launch, 95 degree drop, inversions, the "dueling" as you return... the heartline roll would have been cool, but we all know what happened there. Still too steep of a price tag for Six Flags, as Superbatboy said.

I wouldn't consider Maverick gimmicky at all, it really is a true world class ride I was absolutely blown away by it and really wish MM would get something similar.

 

To me a gimmicky ride is something that doesn't really offer the rider a new experience but rather a slightly altered experience (ie Floorless, Wing Coasters, Giant Inverted Boomerang) and is either a one or two trick pony. Maverick has TOO many tricks and is an incredible unique experience to be a gimmick.

 

To me, "gimmicky" is pretty much anything unusual that can attract the GP, which may or may not be an unnecessary component. I guess you could define it in a lot of ways. Maverick just has so much uniqueness in it, including weird elements that draw the GP in towards a relatively small coaster. And I'm not insulting Maverick - it is almost certainly my #1 steel and might be my #1 overall (of course, I do live 1.5 hours from CP, so yeah.)

[Jew]

YOLOCoaster is by far the best coaster in the park, so I don't really care if it's a gimmick. It's fun.

[Rosarito19]

Officially checked in and ready to start the marathon. Let's hope I'm ready

[josephcissell]

Despite the fact that we would love to see Six Flags drop lots of money on massive coasters like the supposed "6000' terrain coaster" that YOLOCoaster could have been, I just see this as Six Flags doing business. If I'm not mistaken, a huge part of what drove them into bankruptcy before was debt from building massive rides that proved lethal when market conditions went south. As an enthusiast, of course I would love to see the next I305 built in a Six Flags park, but realistically they're trying to move their bottom line meaningfully with a minimal amount of investment. I tend to think that the Six Flags board doesn't sit around thinking, "How can we screw the enthusiasts out of their dream ride? More YOLO!" If they can invest $6 million in a ride like YC and get the return on investment that they're looking for (which I don't doubt they have), they'll keep doing that until the chain is financially more comfortable dropping $20 million on a B&m or Intamin. Just my two cents.

[singemfrc]

^ I consider all wing riders gimmicky, but that's my opinion. I enjoyed GateKeeper, but I still think it's a gimmick.

I was expecting a reply like this which is why I said "cheap and/or gimmicky". The 16-18 million Six Flags spent on X-Flight is far from frugal

Then maybe you should have said "cheap and gimmicky" instead of "cheap and/or gimmicky"

 

YOLOCoaster is by far the best coaster in the park, so I don't really care if it's a gimmick. It's fun.

Not my favorite in the park, but I agree the gimmick doesn't take away from it, it's fun. Moreso in the back row.

[JeromyL]

YOLOCoaster is by far the best coaster in the park, so I don't really care if it's a gimmick. It's fun.

 

Agreed. It's my favorite one there

[Superbatboy]

Then maybe you should have said "cheap and gimmicky" instead of "cheap and/or gimmicky"

Nope, I said exactly what I meant because I don't consider X-Flight a cheap ride and why I listed it among the RMC coasters as rides by Six Flags I dont feel are cheap AND/OR gimmicky.

[coasterlvr]

Officially checked in and ready to start the marathon. Let's hope I'm ready

 

good luck! i don't think i could do it now. 10 years ago, easily. my body doesn't take as much as it used to. the heat today would be the hardest part to overcome though honestly. stay hydrated!

[Swornenemy]

Officially checked in and ready to start the marathon. Let's hope I'm ready

 

 

Is the ride also open to the public? I know the marathon is only one train but I was curious if I am goin to get a chance to ride when I'm at the park tomorrow.

[scottiemon]

Yes, they are running two trains, one for the marathon, and one for the GP. Will probably be quite the wait.

[Swornenemy]

Yes, they are running two trains, one for the marathon, and one for the GP. Will probably be quite the wait.

 

 

Thank you.

[singemfrc]

Yes, they are running two trains, one for the marathon, and one for the GP. Will probably be quite the wait.

Surprisingly I heard despite the essentially one train operation (for the public anyway) that waits for the GP have been minimal today.

[chickenbowl]

So I've been thinking about Colossus for next year; I have high hopes and wanted to post my prediction before the announcement!

 

First off, my bet is completely on steel track RMC (along with SFNE for 2015). I have a feeling it will be single station, double lift to take the record for length. It will be timed to race/duel and could feature a Dauling Dragons style high five element (but more intense I imagine). I also hope they go for the record of most airtime on a coaster! Six Flags is all about records, so why not two records that are both hard to beat?!

 

What do you guys think? I know a lot of that has been posted to Screamscape, but I wanted to post something before the end of the month.

[GigaG]

So I've been thinking about Colossus for next year; I have high hopes and wanted to post my prediction before the announcement!

 

First off, my bet is completely on steel track RMC (along with SFNE for 2015). I have a feeling it will be single station, double lift to take the record for length. It will be timed to race/duel and could feature a Dauling Dragons style high five element (but more intense I imagine). I also hope they go for the record of most airtime on a coaster! Six Flags is all about records, so why not two records that are both hard to beat?!

 

What do you guys think? I know a lot of that has been posted to Screamscape, but I wanted to post something before the end of the month.

 

A variant of this has been done before. Maverick. If you time the launches right, the trains "duel" as the 2 stretches of track cross over each other. However, timing really varies. And if Cedar Point can't get perfect dueling, I imagine that SFMM can't either.

 

By the way, with a "one-station Möbius" circuit, how many trains would you use? The ride could handle even or odd numbers of trains - just send one out as the next climbs the lift, and you will duel either way. Would you have a long final brake, or stack on the MCBR and lift? The ride would have plenty of blocks, but at a certain number of blocks, you will just have trains stacking on the MCBR and lift. Along with instilling fear in the GP, lift and block brake stacking also means ride ops cannot see what is going on when the train dispatches. It also requires the ride to be designed to be able to regularly stop without having to do a special "set up" procedure. This all assumes that they keep the MCBR.

[singemfrc]

^ Lets remember what park we're dealing with here. Half of Colossus has gone unused for years, Tatsu's second station only gets used a handful of times per year, X2's unloading station isn't used at all anymore. They rarely launch Superman trains with Lex gondolas, which would be pretty simple if they wanted to. They're not big on making the most of what they have even when they have it. I wouldn't hang any hopes on any kind of dueling, racing, or high capacity configuration.

 

I'll just hope for something fun (which if it's RMC I have no doubt it will be no matter what it is) and I look forward to the possibility of YOLO being added to the general flash passes when this new ride opens and becomes a reservation upcharge. I don't think X2 will ever come off of the reservation system unless it's popularity declines significantly at some point, but after 12 years I just can't imagine that happening any time soon.

[GigaG]

^ Lets remember what park we're dealing with here. Half of Colossus has gone unused for years, Tatsu's second station only gets used a handful of times per year, X2's unloading station isn't used at all anymore. They rarely launch Superman trains with Lex gondolas, which would be pretty simple if they wanted to. They're not big on making the most of what they have even when they have it. I wouldn't hang any hopes on any kind of dueling, racing, or high capacity configuration.

 

I'll just hope for something fun (which if it's RMC I have no doubt it will be no matter what it is) and I look forward to the possibility of YOLO being added to the general flash passes when this new ride opens and becomes a reservation upcharge. I don't think X2 will ever come off of the reservation system unless it's popularity declines significantly at some point, but after 12 years I just can't imagine that happening any time soon.

 

If they do one long track, they can't really run 2 trains without having horrible capacity. Beast can get away with 3 large trains, 36 people each, and I don't think that its capacity is terribly high. RMC trains tend to have a capacity more like 24 people per train. Two trains combined with a very long ride would be torture.