The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Lately, the hidden gem in the park has been Batman.

 

This is true of basically every Six Flags park that has a Batman clone. They're incredibly underrated rides.

 

People tend to think less of it because it's been cloned quite a bit. But it's still a good ride and I'd be fine with it being cloned some more at parks lacking a B&M invert.

Only enthusiasts think less of it because it's a clone. Really, only enthusiasts are even aware that it's a clone. Normal people know it's a kickass ride.

[coasterbill]

For sure, but I think in this case we're sort of referring to the enthusiast community.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ Fair point.

[joelwee]

Did it ever receive a major refurb (ie., new trains, track rehab, etc.)? For a 23-year-old coaster, it's still incredibly smooth; I would venture to say it's the smoothest B&M in the park.

[RaceBoarder]

Did it ever receive a major refurb (ie., new trains, track rehab, etc.)? For a 23-year-old coaster, it's still incredibly smooth; I would venture to say it's the smoothest B&M in the park.

. I believe most Batman's are original... Don't believe I've heard mention of any major refurbs being done on any. The only change to the original here at SFGAm has been the wheel covers being removed...

[thrillseeker4552]

Did it ever receive a major refurb (ie., new trains, track rehab, etc.)? For a 23-year-old coaster, it's still incredibly smooth; I would venture to say it's the smoothest B&M in the park.

 

I personally find Tatsu to be smoother than Batman, but Batman is not rough by any means. Something about B&M Inverts make them stay smooth for a really long time and I have no idea why. It definitely is the hidden gem of the park that gets easily overshadowed by much more prominent rides. But like coasterbill said, that applies to every park with a Batman clone!

[JT325]

I always thought the hidden gem was the Schwarzkopf... now that it's running shoulder bar free again. I guess the VR has not helped.

 

Hidden gem as in something very rare, unique and special. Revolution, Whizzer, Monte, Shockwave, Mind Bender, etc.

 

The Batmen are excellent intensity, power packed mini machines that always deliver a great ride.

[DILinator]

I guess I'm that "guilty party", that simply doesn't "appreciate" the Batman clones like I'm apparently supposed to...

 

I think they're fun, intense rides, that place solidly in the upper middle class of my coaster rankings. However, nothing about them makes them stand out as exemplary, or particularly exciting or notable, in comparison with other B&M Inverts I've been on. I prefer even Silver Bullet, for instance, due to its location in the park. Nothing against the Batman rides, and frankly, nothing to do with me being an "enthusiast"... Just personal preference really, and what types of things make one coaster experience more interesting, thrilling, or exciting than another for me personally. To each their own though! They are super intense, which is why I think a lot of people may love them, but they actually get marked down for that by me. The B&M Inverts with the most extreme forces, tend to be the ones further down on my personal list. Banshee, Alpengeist, and Montu are my personal top 3, and while Montu has some really strong forces, most people would classify the first two on that list as more "meandering" in nature. Raptor, while I enjoy it, is at its best during the first half in my opinion, while many love its intense finale the best, which I think is its worst (with that being a relative term - since the whole coaster is great still) part. Again, it's all about personal preference, really...

[joelwee]

I always thought the hidden gem was the Schwarzkopf... now that it's running shoulder bar free again. I guess the VR has not helped.

Revolution with lap bars definitely is a hidden gem. For about a month following the end of HITP, Revolution ran without VR. Even on crowded days, it was a station wait, at most. I used these opportunities to ride it, and I really enjoyed it.

 

The new restraints are much more pleasant than OTSRs. It's surrounded by old pine trees, giving the feeling of driving through the forest. It would be much more pleasant if they'd do away with some of the trim brakes (such as the stomach-punching, hard trim brake as you exit the tunnel), but overall, I thought it was a great ride.

 

Sadly, the VR means 5-minute dispatches, and hour+ waits, even on relatively slow days. I wish SFMM would take a note from Cedar Point's playbook, and only run the VR during certain parts of the day.

[ZeroG001]

Speaking of B&M's, when did Scream get so freakin' rough? I rode it on Thursday and the rattle at the bottom of the first drop was so bad it ruined the rest of the ride for me. And the worst part is it isn't head banging that's the problem, but that the whole train seems to vibrate. I'd almost rather have head banging since at least you can try and brace yourself for that.

[coasterbill]

[thrillseeker4552]

Speaking of B&M's, when did Scream get so freakin' rough? I rode it on Thursday and the rattle at the bottom of the first drop was so bad it ruined the rest of the ride for me. And the worst part is it isn't head banging that's the problem, but that the whole train seems to vibrate. I'd almost rather have head banging since at least you can try and brace yourself for that.

 

Since... forever. I first rode it in 2010 and it is still just as rattly today as it was back then... even on the "refurbished" blue and orange train. If you get a full train of riders and sit in the front row on a nice warm day, it can be alright. But the number of bad rides I've had far outweigh the number of good rides. Even though they have the exact same layout, I MUCH prefer Bizarro at SFGAdv.

[coasterbill]

I really don't get the complaints about Scream (except for the ones about the aesthetics... those I get, lol). Even the "roughest" B&M floorless / sit down is still a ridiculously smooth and enjoyable coaster.

[thrillseeker4552]

I really don't get the complaints about Scream (except for the ones about the aesthetics... those I get, lol). Even the "roughest" B&M floorless / sit down is still a ridiculously smooth and enjoyable coaster.

 

To each his own, I guess. I actually like Viper quite a bit more than Scream, oddly enough.

[sirloindude]

That's probably because Viper is amazing.

[Superbatboy]

Speaking of B&M's, when did Scream get so freakin' rough? I rode it on Thursday and the rattle at the bottom of the first drop was so bad it ruined the rest of the ride for me. And the worst part is it isn't head banging that's the problem, but that the whole train seems to vibrate. I'd almost rather have head banging since at least you can try and brace yourself for that.

It's been garbage since the beginning, though it has gotten worse over the years. I just flat out refuse to ride it anymore. The crazy part is, the one at Gradv is butter smooth. Not sure where they went wrong...

[Canobie Coaster]

I haven't found Bizarro any rougher than Scream. Both had a few spots of vibrations when I last rode them. Bizarro is a better ride though because of the location.

[jonskinny12]

I used to enjoy Scream when it was smooth, even as recent as 2014. But on my last couple trips it has been surprisingly pretty brutal and I don't really care to ride it on future trips.

[CedarFlags]

I used to enjoy Scream when it was smooth, even as recent as 2014. But on my last couple trips it has been surprisingly pretty brutal and I don't really care to ride it on future trips.

 

Same! I don't know what could have caused this, but the comfort and fun level has dropped a LOT.

[laqueefa]

Last WCB was my official last time riding it until something is done. It was brutal.

[sxexaxn]

I ride Scream every single visit and I have yet to deal with what I'd consider a bad ride on Scream. Maybe because I exclusively ride in the front row only? I think it's a good coaster and better than a handful of other coasters in the park, including Riddler's Revenge. Not the smoothest coaster but I've found the vibrations and headbanging to be pretty minimal.

[Superbatboy]

I think it's a good coaster and better than a handful of other coasters in the park, including Riddler's Revenge.

[coasterbill]

I ride Scream every single visit and I have yet to deal with what I'd consider a bad ride on Scream. Maybe because I exclusively ride in the front row only? I think it's a good coaster and better than a handful of other coasters in the park, including Riddler's Revenge.

 

Agreed. And you probably don't find it rough because it isn't.

[coasterlvr]

I ride Scream every single visit and I have yet to deal with what I'd consider a bad ride on Scream. Maybe because I exclusively ride in the front row only? I think it's a good coaster and better than a handful of other coasters in the park, including Riddler's Revenge. Not the smoothest coaster but I've found the vibrations and headbanging to be pretty minimal.

 

i need to give it a ride next time i'm there. last time i remember thinking, is that the rattle everyone's talking about? lol i usually skip it because i'd rather do another lap on TC instead.

[jonskinny12]

I ride Scream every single visit and I have yet to deal with what I'd consider a bad ride on Scream. Maybe because I exclusively ride in the front row only? I think it's a good coaster and better than a handful of other coasters in the park, including Riddler's Revenge.

 

Agreed. And you probably don't find it rough because it isn't.

 

When's the last time you made it out this way and rode it? I ask because usually I agree with you on these things but I've found Scream to be pretty rough on my last two visits over then past 14 months when I never thought it was rough in the past.