The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[RollingCoasting]

+Mack Family Multi-Launcher replacing Gold Striker (Gold Striker is located at California's Great America)

 

I think he meant Gold Rusher

[laqueefa]

+Mack Family Multi-Launcher replacing Gold Striker (Gold Striker is located at California's Great America)

 

I think he meant Gold Rusher

 

Hence the correction.

[Wisco Woody]

am1500, that is probably the best coaster revamp idea I have heard yet. If Chance/Morgan redo Viper it would put Goliath and any potential dive coaster to shame, especially if they kept and retracked one or more inversions, hopefully the large first loop and the batwing. I haven't been to California and Magic Mountain since 2012, but with TC and YOLO already new there, a smooth extended Viper would force me to instantly book a flight.

[singemfrc]

I've been to this park many times, and I can say, its defenitly quanity over quality. Cedar Point has 4/5 outstanding rides: Millie, Maverick, Top Thrill, (Magnum), and Gatekeeper. And we have 4, maybe 5, so we have a good chance at beating them lineup wise in the future quite honestly.

 

Here's my wish list:

+Mack Family Multi-Launcher replacing Gold Striker (Gold Striker is located at California's Great America)

+Ghostrider style redo of Apocolypse (Apocalypse has recently been retracked, and runs more like Gold Striker at California's Great America)

I dont think the park is in any rush to remove Gold Rusher.

There's no way Apocalypse feels like Gold Striker, Gold Striker is miles smoother than Apocalypse. The retracking helped, but it just took it from being unbearably painful to being moderately uncomfortable...it's still not smooth by any means. Nowhere near the miracle that was performed on Ghostrider.

[rba13]

How about free tshirt day as a promotion?

 

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[schoup]

I've been to this park many times, and I can say, its defenitly quanity over quality. Cedar Point has 4/5 outstanding rides: Millie, Maverick, Top Thrill, (Magnum), and Gatekeeper. And we have 4, maybe 5, so we have a good chance at beating them lineup wise in the future quite honestly.

 

Here's my wish list:

+Dive Replacing Viper (sorry)

+Mack Family Multi-Launcher replacing Gold Striker

+Ghostrider style redo of Apocolypse

+Remove Scream (maybe send it to SFstL, or SFA) and put in a Sally Corp Steampunk themed dark ride

+Retheme Samuri Summit

+RMC Hyper or Giga

+Bugs Bunny Boomtown

+New Shows

+Cannibal Style Coaster

+Refresh in the food department

 

 

The notion you think CP only has 4 or 5 outstanding rides is pure bias and lunacy. CP has 6 steel coasters ranked in the top 50 by Golden Ticket and 1 Wooden...that's 7 total. That doesn't exclude Valravn, the tallest, fastest dive in the world. CP has 9 to 10 outstanding coasters. MM has 2 Golden ticket ranked coaster...X2, and Twisted Colossus. MM is a good park but is not challenging CP on coasters.

[coasterbill]

Why are we comparing Cedar Point to Magic Mountain? What year is it?

 

But if I had to offer my opinion I'd say that Cedar Point is utterly destroying them in every possible way. They're destroying them coaster-wise but when you bring up atmosphere, non coaster offerings and operations there's no contest.

[rba13]

New coaster idea? Two words: Chucky Doll

 

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[rba13]

SFMM needs more coasters themed around clowns.

[JGuy]

SFMM needs more coasters themed around clowns.

 

Joker themed Super Loop confirmed!

[coasterkid124]

I would hate to see Viper removed for a nostalgic factor, but I cannot say that I would be too excited to see a dive coaster be the park's big 20th addition. If Cedar Point didn't add Valravn this year, I think a dive coaster is much less likely. Six Flags is just riding off their coattails again.

 

Granted that I was excited going into this season for Valravn, but wasn't too impressed when I got off of it. (Of course getting grouped in the middle row was a big reason for that too, but I'll give it another shot). I guess what I'm getting at is I'm okay with the park replacing Viper just to prevent a dive from becoming number 20.

 

Even Six Flags could do better than that for a milestone coaster.

[coasterbill]

The park doesn't care what type of coaster ends up being their 20th. Trust me.

 

Anyway if they went out and got a dive coaster I would consider that really exciting simply because it would be the first time since 2012 that they dropped that type of money on a coaster. Sure they've built a lot of great rides since then (by all accounts getting amazing RMC's at very reasonable prices and I'm actually a big fan of S&S free spins too) but it would be a big move for the chain as a whole if they invested in a big B&M coaster again, especially if that were a sign of things to come at other parks.

 

Plus, I'm a big fan of Dive Coasters. It won't be the best ride in the park but it'll be a ton of fun and a welcome addition to any park.

[coasterkid124]

For some reason I like the old Arrows. But even Viper for me was one of the "meh" ones. I think a dive coaster would already be a huge upgrade.

 

As for number 20, I have no idea what to expect. I would love for them to put in a used Boomerang or a Free Spin for the fun of it to give everyone a stroke. And yes, I know that they already have Green Lantern lol.

[VegasBaby]

The park doesn't care what type of coaster ends up being their 20th. Trust me.

 

Anyway if they went out and got a dive coaster I would consider that really exciting simply because it would be the first time since 2012 that they dropped that type of money on a coaster. Sure they've built a lot of great rides since then (by all accounts getting amazing RMC's at very reasonable prices and I'm actually a big fan of S&S free spins too) but it would be a big move for the chain as a whole if they invested in a big B&M coaster again, especially if that were a sign of things to come at other parks.

 

Plus, I'm a big fan of Dive Coasters. It won't be the best ride in the park but it'll be a ton of fun and a welcome addition to any park.

 

I'm also a big fan of Dive Coasters and think it would be a great addition to the park. The GP would eat it up for sure as most of SFMM's patrons probably haven't ridden one. I thought Valravn was a great ride and when I was visited CP in July, it had the longest wait in the park. I'm sure part of that was due to it being the new hotness. But in a park like CP with a ton of great coaster options, people were opting to ride Valravn in large numbers.

 

The bottom line is that a Dive Coaster or a Giga like Fury would be an enormous hit for SFMM and I hope we see one in 2018 or 2019.

Edited September 15, 2016 by VegasBaby

[Eaanderson10]

 

+Refresh in the food department

 

 

I like what they've been doing recently with food, or at least some of the ideas, but I definitely would love to see a refresh... and a restaurant back where Laughing Dragon was. haha that was my spot.

[Cj1990]

I may be alone here, but I keep thinking... What would a terrain hugging coaster like Maverick be like there?

I didn't think I cared much for dive coasters after riding Shiekra, but once I rode Valravn, that all changed. So I would love to see them get a Dive machine as much as the next guy.

I'm just thinking out loud here.

A launched coaster like maverick could be really fun there and offer a longer ride time. I do think the throughput of both would be good enough to handle a park like SFMM. they could do a dual load station on a launched coaster or do a double load station on the dive. There are a few different options that could make great additions.

I guess though, with SFMM, they let things go to sh** so on second thought... maybe a B&M would be a better option lol. Less attention to maintenance lol

[josephcissell]

The park doesn't care what type of coaster ends up being their 20th. Trust me.

 

Anyway if they went out and got a dive coaster I would consider that really exciting simply because it would be the first time since 2012 that they dropped that type of money on a coaster. Sure they've built a lot of great rides since then (by all accounts getting amazing RMC's at very reasonable prices and I'm actually a big fan of S&S free spins too) but it would be a big move for the chain as a whole if they invested in a big B&M coaster again, especially if that were a sign of things to come at other parks.

 

Plus, I'm a big fan of Dive Coasters. It won't be the best ride in the park but it'll be a ton of fun and a welcome addition to any park.

 

As usual, I totally agree with what Coasterbill said. I have no special information other than a background in finance and economics, but it’s my personal opinion that it’s really only a matter of time before some larger $15+ million additions are put into SF parks again. As I see it, what they’ve done over the last several years post-bankrupty is run things lean and try to grow as much as possible on that lean spending. That has meant adding a bunch of smaller investments in an effort to round out many parks that are/were really lacking in flats and kiddie rides/areas. That has also meant cloning a bunch of things like Sky Screamers and Super Loops, probably to get bulk discounts.

 

From our perspective, that’s often not what we want. But at some point, there’s likely a declining marginal attendance/income bump from numerous successive smaller additions. If the strategy is successful, hopefully those smaller capital additions round out parks so that when larger investments do come, the park can fully capitalize on the investment. The question for me is simply when the next large capital addition will occur and which park will get it. I’d guess it will be a flagship park, like SFMM, SFGAdv, or SFGAm because those parks would be considered the safer place to invest, but who knows. The unpublished minimum capital investment standards for SFOG and SFOT could come into play also.

[Superbatboy]

I thought Griffon was kinda meh, but the GP will eat this ride up I'm sure.

[coasterbill]

I do think the throughput of both would be good enough to handle a park like SFMM

 

Maverick has really long wait times because it's capacity sucks despite running 6 trains and having highly motivated Cedar Point ride ops with a dual loading station. Magic Mountain would never properly staff a dual load station after the first few months so it would probably go down to 1 dispatch station with 1 seat checker per side and a maximum of 12 riders per train with about half of the ride units running and the rest cannibalized for parts. Throw in Platinum Flash Pass re-rides and operators who don't care and try to visualize that awful line.

 

And if you don't believe me, take a look at Kingda Ka. It has 4 load stations and hasn't used more than 1 in years. It has 5 trains and they only run between 1 and 3 regardless of crowds (generally 2 or 3) and Great Adventure's staff is generally better than Magic Mountain's. I've seen worse (La Ronde), but Magic Mountain's staff isn't known for their efficiency.

[VegasBaby]

Maverick has really long wait times because it's capacity sucks despite running 6 trains and having highly motivated Cedar Point ride ops with a dual loading station. Magic Mountain would never properly staff a dual load station after the first few months so it would probably go down to 1 dispatch station with 1 seat checker per side and a maximum of 12 riders per train with about half of the ride units running and the rest cannibalized for parts. Throw in Platinum Flash Pass re-rides and operators who don't care and try to visualize that awful line.

 

And if you don't believe me, take a look at Kingda Ka. It has 4 load stations and hasn't used more than 1 in years. It has 5 trains and they only run between 1 and 3 regardless of crowds (generally 2 or 3) and Great Adventure's staff is generally better than Magic Mountain's. I've seen worse (La Ronde), but Magic Mountain's staff isn't known for their efficiency.

 

Yea, a Maverick-type coaster would be a disaster at SFMM. The wait times would be horrendous due to poor operations and running a minimal number of trains. Besides, the park already has a multiple-launch coaster in Fu11 Throttle and it always has at least a 45-60 min wait. Note that I'm not saying that FT is anywhere as good as Maverick, but I would like to see the park get something it doesn't already have. A dive coaster or a giga would be unique for the park and the only one of its kind in the Western U.S.

[coasterlvr]

I do think the throughput of both would be good enough to handle a park like SFMM

 

Maverick has really long wait times because it's capacity sucks despite running 6 trains and having highly motivated Cedar Point ride ops with a dual loading station. Magic Mountain would never properly staff a dual load station after the first few months so it would probably go down to 1 dispatch station with 1 seat checker per side and a maximum of 12 riders per train with about half of the ride units running and the rest cannibalized for parts. Throw in Platinum Flash Pass re-rides and operators who don't care and try to visualize that awful line.

 

And if you don't believe me, take a look at Kingda Ka. It has 4 load stations and hasn't used more than 1 in years. It has 5 trains and they only run between 1 and 3 regardless of crowds (generally 2 or 3) and Great Adventure's staff is generally better than Magic Mountain's. I've seen worse (La Ronde), but Magic Mountain's staff isn't known for their efficiency.

 

so sad and true.

[schoup]

I do think the throughput of both would be good enough to handle a park like SFMM

 

Maverick has really long wait times because it's capacity sucks despite running 6 trains and having highly motivated Cedar Point ride ops with a dual loading station. Magic Mountain would never properly staff a dual load station after the first few months so it would probably go down to 1 dispatch station with 1 seat checker per side and a maximum of 12 riders per train with about half of the ride units running and the rest cannibalized for parts. Throw in Platinum Flash Pass re-rides and operators who don't care and try to visualize that awful line.

 

And if you don't believe me, take a look at Kingda Ka. It has 4 load stations and hasn't used more than 1 in years. It has 5 trains and they only run between 1 and 3 regardless of crowds (generally 2 or 3) and Great Adventure's staff is generally better than Magic Mountain's. I've seen worse (La Ronde), but Magic Mountain's staff isn't known for their efficiency.

 

 

Kinda Ka running more than 1 station for a reason. The trains would be backed up and just people sitting in trains, Also, they would be needing more staff without actually speeding things up. The operational launch intervals would not be quicker b/c with the addition of Zuminjaro they have to coordinate launches with it. I was there over the summer and they were running 3 trains and they were loading efficiently and most of the time waiting for Zuminjaro pre-launch. They often had 2 trains loaded, 1 in launch, 1 in the station loaded and 1 finished and waiting to enter the station. There is no need for multiple load stations, though they built 4 with the Zuminjaro drop coordination as a factor. The reliability of the ride is another thing.

[SFMMGeek27]

I think a Maverick-style coaster would be good at SFMM. You have to realize that it's capacity is low compared to CP's other coasters, pretty much all of which have much better capacity than anything at Magic Mountain. Maverick would be one of Six Flags Magic Mountain'a higher capacity coasters. The only coaster that would be higher is probably Twisted Colossus, and that isn't even that great but the waits stay pretty short.

 

And they've been really good at keeping their newer rides with the max number of trains they can run. TC has been running 3 trains since it opened and maintenance has been great. So as long as SFMM could keep 4 or maybe 5 trains (which is fewer seats and wheels than 3 TC trains) running then it's quite plausible.

 

I bet a dive would be a top 4 coaster at the park as well, especially with B&M's new heavenly vest restraints.

[coasterbill]

Kinda Ka running more than 1 station for a reason. The trains would be backed up and just people sitting in trains, Also, they would be needing more staff without actually speeding things up. The operational launch intervals would not be quicker b/c with the addition of Zuminjaro they have to coordinate launches with it. I was there over the summer and they were running 3 trains and they were loading efficiently and most of the time waiting for Zuminjaro pre-launch. They often had 2 trains loaded, 1 in launch, 1 in the station loaded and 1 finished and waiting to enter the station. There is no need for multiple load stations, though they built 4 with the Zuminjaro drop coordination as a factor. The reliability of the ride is another thing.

 

They were using 1 station for years before Zumanjaro was ever a thing. Even back then if you compared Dragster's launch interval to Kingda Ka's it was laughable.

 

Maverick would be one of Six Flags Magic Mountain'a higher capacity coasters.

 

I don't think you understand how low Maverick's capacity is. Each train holds an ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM of 12 people. In no way, shape or form would that ever be one of Magic Mountain's higher capacity coasters. Especially because we all know they wouldn't use both load stations after the first few months the ride was open.

[thrillseeker4552]

I would definitely be disappointed if the park removed Viper; it's easily one of my favorite Arrows out there. I don't have any major issues with roughness on the ride, and it's a classic.

 

That being said, if removing Viper means we can get another huge new awesome coaster like Valravn or Maverick or what have you, then I get it. Gotta take a few steps back in order to move forwards sometimes.