The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[rcroques]

I still believe that the 2010 coaster will rocket to the top of my coaster list.

 

I can't wait until they launch the PR campaign for their new 2010 coaster.

 

As you can tell, I'm thinking it is an obvious choice.

 

Sincerely,

R.C.

[Scream162]

^^Don't get your hopes up... hourly supervisors at SFMM are hardly in-the-know when it comes to future ride additions.

[themeparkman25]

^^B&M launch? It would be awesome if that was true.

 

^Even still, a senior supervisor is high enough up the food chain to know at least a little. If it was a regular ride op or just the standard employee I wouldn't consider it for much, but coming from the guy who is in charge of all the rides from X2 to Tatsu, I feel he knows what is going on. Regardless, I will try and get some video or something tomorrw.

[ghost007jas]

Not to be all "non-coaster enthusiasty" but how can they possibly justify three coasters in back to back years in not only their own financial difficulties, but the difficulties that our entire economy is facing right now?

 

Granted, I'm not putting much wait on what this "Jamal" guy says, but rumors are fun I suppose.

[Manic Monte]

I can't wait to ride TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE RIDE!!!

[matteocrepaldi]

Terminator is looking great! I wish I could get there and ride it soon after the opening!

[netdvn]

Not to be all "non-coaster enthusiasty" but how can they possibly justify three coasters in back to back years in not only their own financial difficulties, but the difficulties that our entire economy is facing right now?

 

GAdv built two huge coasters in 2005 and 2006. One was the tallest, fastest, coaster in the world and one was a huge investment. And even despite this, another coaster was built two years later. This Jamal character is a senior supervisor of SFMM so he should know his stuff.

 

SFStl also made a number of huge investments over the past three years with two major coasters and a brand new waterslide tower.

 

Does anybody see a pattern? Because I do!

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Not to be all "non-coaster enthusiasty" but how can they possibly justify three coasters in back to back years in not only their own financial difficulties, but the difficulties that our entire economy is facing right now?

 

Granted, I'm not putting much wait on what this "Jamal" guy says, but rumors are fun I suppose.

 

Because when the company has hit a financial floor is just about the best possible time to invest in it, major investments such as coasters aren't that hard of a sell, especially when the park has recently become "highly profitable."

 

Keep in mind unlike 2001, SFMM now actually gives a crap about things like upkeep, maintenance, and not sacrificing other areas of the park so these new investments can exist. The old days of robbing Peter to pay for Paul (X, Deja Vu, & Scream!), and then having zero cash to run them, and the rest of the park are thankfully history.

 

This time Magic Mountain is going to build coasters in consecutive years, and for a nice change of pace, they won't be doing it wrong.

[netdvn]

^ It's a pattern, the flagship parks get two major investments. Other parks will recieve smaller investments or upgrades to existing rides and will occaisionally recieve major coasters. The original three parks also recieve major upgrades as well. SFA doesn't get a major coaster investment at all, enthusiasts speculate the selling of the park.

[AllenA07]

Personally while there is always a chance that the park gets a huge record breaking B&M Auqatrax (yeah I know that isn't a B&M, but the B&M version) dive machine, I don't think I will be staying up at night in anticipation. While possible, I think adding something like that (making three coasters in three years) would go against what the park seems to be wanting to do at this point.

 

Logically with all things considered I think next year the park will be adding a more family friendly ride. I'm thinking along the lines of something like Jaguar at Knotts. I actually thought that this year a ride like Jaguar was the most likely thing to be put into the park, and I still believe that in the near future an addition like that will be made.

 

I also think at some point we'll begin to receive some new, non-coaster, attractions. the park is short on flat rides, and with the loss of Freefall could use a drop tower of some kind.

[netdvn]

The park could also build a major Terminator/Evel Knievel-style coaster where the whole family can enjoy it as well. Maybe a B&M family coaster

[Manic Monte]

It would be an interesting strategy for SFMM to attempt.

 

2009: Go after Ghostrider

2010: Go after Knotts "other" signature coaster.

 

This current management team seems to have the confidence to pull it off.

[ebl]

"2010: Go after Knotts "other" signature coaster." (Manic Monte)

 

So, what, SFMM will get a record breaking launched motorbike coaster themed with Harleys crusing through the hills?

 

Eric

[Manic Monte]

Or... the world's longest, tallest, fastest spinning coaster capable of inducing record amounts of vomit from 13 year olds.

[Goliath513]

I read somewhere that all Six Flags parks will be getting major new attractions in 2011 for Six Flags' 50th year anniversary, so the idea of new coasters for 2010 and 2011 is not out of the question. I'd guess a smaller family size coaster in 2010 (given how the economy is currently crap), and something bigger in 2011 (hopefully the economy will be on the recovery from rock bottom by then ). I'm sure one of the major Six Flags parks will receive a dive machine that year (GADV is rumored to get one soon too).

[netdvn]

^ I thought GAm was gonna recieve the DM. GAdv is much too spoiled.

 

I predict world's first B&M giga coaster.

[Jew]

^Even still, a senior supervisor is high enough up the food chain to know at least a little. If it was a regular ride op or just the standard employee I wouldn't consider it for much, but coming from the guy who is in charge of all the rides from X2 to Tatsu, I feel he knows what is going on. Regardless, I will try and get some video or something tomorrw.

 

Senior Supervisors are not nearly as high up on the food chain as you think they are. They hear the same rumors as you and I.

 

Regarding the 2010 coaster: my money is on one of the smaller coasters that have been cloned across other SF parks: either the dark knight mouse or the Tony Hawk spinner.

 

I can't claim to know anything about how coasters are paid for, but I do know this: Six Flags sure as hell isn't getting any new loans, so it is fair to question how the hell they plan on paying for everything. Especially if all the money is due up front.

 

Can anyone provide more insight into contracts for roller coasters?

[mcjaco]

^Even still, a senior supervisor is high enough up the food chain to know at least a little. If it was a regular ride op or just the standard employee I wouldn't consider it for much, but coming from the guy who is in charge of all the rides from X2 to Tatsu, I feel he knows what is going on. Regardless, I will try and get some video or something tomorrw.

 

Yeah. No.

 

I was told by a SFGAm sup last year that most of the time they have no idea what's going on until track shows up in the parking lot.

[AllenA07]

 

I can't claim to know anything about how coasters are paid for, but I do know this: Six Flags sure as hell isn't getting any new loans, so it is fair to question how the hell they plan on paying for everything. Especially if all the money is due up front.

 

Can anyone provide more insight into contracts for roller coasters?

 

This is a guess to some degree, but this is how I would assume it's done. Anybody with more insight please correct me. Once the ride is purchased I'm sure it is paid for through some type of a loan agreement. I highly doubt that there is going to be one lump sum payment. Again a disclaimer before I go on, I could be wrong here, this is just how I think it'd be most logically done.

 

So for the sake of guessing let's take B&M. SFMM decides that they want a new coaster, so at that point they make a request to Six Flags, who will either approve or deny their request. Assuming the request is approved Six Flags will head to their nifty B&M dealer and buy a brand new shinny red (major over simplification because I'm clueless to how this process works) B&M coaster.

 

Now I'm not sure if B&M has a financing department, but my guess is that they do not. So Six Flags then is going to go to the National Roller coaster Bank (and again not a real bank, just insert any bank here) and request a line of credit for 20 million dollars. The bank will approve (or deny) the request and purchase the ride outright from B&M for Six Flags. Six Flags and the bank are then going to have some kind of a detailed contract with the bank likely taking a security interest in some form from Six Flags. Not sure what form that interest will be in, could be in anything from stocks (which I doubt right now), property, to even the ride itself. Six Flags will then pay off the loan over a set period of years paying a specific amount of interest to the bank. Basically it's like buying a car, just on a much bigger scale.

 

With Six Flags talking bankruptcy, it is still possible that they can get loans. They're just going to have to offer up a much larger security interest (collateral) and the bank is going to have to make sure to prefect that interest to keep out of trouble. Basically if the park is going to want to get the loan, they'd have to offer up something more substantial than stock, likely they'd offer an interest in the ride or in property that the Six Flags corporation holds.

 

To get a good idea who who holds the security interest (does B&M or the bank hold the interest) a good way to try and guess would to be look at Hard Rock Park. Who is going after the rides there, is it B&M or is it a bank?

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

In most cases, if not all cases, the park president and GM are about the only employees to know of rides coming to parks ahead of time.

 

I'd like to see a full circuit launch as the park's next major ride.

[ebl]

"Regarding the 2010 coaster...either the dark knight mouse or the Tony Hawk spinner." (Jew)

 

The Dark Knight coaster was already rejected by SFMM for this year, but of course that doesn't mean it can't show up next year. To be honest, I don't think a Tony Hawk ride would be a bad choice. I have not ridden one, but it's certainly a family friendly kind of ride from what I've seen.

 

Jay Thomas himself told me that 2011 will bring a major attraction to all Six Flags parks in honor of the company's 50th anniversary. At the time, he didn't say "coaster," but we've seen a rumor or two about that. And it wouldn't be out of the question because it would be SFMM Coaster #18, fulfulling the promise made to retake the title for number of coasters.

 

Eric

[sixflagsmagicmountain]

"Regarding the 2010 coaster...either the dark knight mouse or the Tony Hawk spinner." (Jew)

To be honest, I don't think a Tony Hawk ride would be a bad choice. I have not ridden one, but it's certainly a family friendly kind of ride from what I've seen.

I agree. They could even find a way to work it in around the former Batman theater, since there is going to be a skating/biking stunt show there before long.

It seems like it would be a nice family friendly addition to the park.

[Jew]

^^Major attraction is quite open for interpretation.

[ebl]

^ Very true, and, honestly, I'd like to see something besides a coaster. There are too many other things that can entertain guests at a theme park besides a coaster.

 

Eric

[Sir Clinksalot]

There was a question about the "Dark Knight" coaster at the Q&A on Sunday, and I believe the answer was "not interested".

 

I also would think Tony Hawk would be a nice addition. There is still PLENTY of room back where Terminator is going, or near the show theatre.

 

How much more room would have to be cleared from the Swiss Twist area to build it there??? I'm sure quite a bit, but I don't know how big the foot print is for the Tony Hawk.