The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[verticalzero]

Was the ride that bad or was it a maintenance nightmare to be SBNO for many years.

 

Did it live up to it's name, give headaches n flashbacks.

[RIP Psyclone]

So those coasters were really Giovanola and not Intamin. I can dig that. I knew that from RCDB pretty much, but not every detail I guess. Anyway, it appears that that is the type of track that B & M use, both the company and the men themselves when they are working for another. I think that is it, pretty much.

 

^I personally thought Flashback was a fun lil ride.

 

This is the element they call a "Jr. Immelmann" on Black Mamba:

 

So, despite that it's a standard track and not inverted, each of the 6 elements on Flashback could best be described as "Jr. Dive Loop."

[Acero]

I've heard that B&M actually has to license that track style design from Giovanola. I believe Giovanola still fabricates the european B&M coasters as well.

Giovanola filed for bankruptcy a few years back.

Before that, Intamin and B&M got their track pieces from Gio., not sure where B&M gets their track now though.

[AllenA07]

^Exactly, Giovanola was a major producer of track during the 1990's. They didn't exactly do much in the way of their own design work, but ultimately did produce a few of their own coasters.

 

I believe that B&M now does all their track in house now.

 

I feel bad seeing Flashback go, it was a cool idea that just never was able to work. The ride was originally intended to be a ultra-portable, yet still thrilling, fair ride. However as we know that never did end up happening, instead it just bounced around the Six Flags parks during the ride exchange program. My guess is that it'll be scrapped, I doubt another park would but it, then again however I remember a park in Russia (I believe) was interested in Windjammer, so anything can happen.

 

Does anybody know the status (and by status I mean anything) of the other Space Diver model that is apparently sitting in a warehouse? I've had it pretty well confirmed that this ride does exist, but have never found more information then that.

[PURE]

^In all my years going to the park, reading about the park, and being on coaster sites I've never heard of it. As far as I know Flashback was the only space dive coaster ever made.

 

Flashback was a rough ride, hard to enjoy and quite an experience. It was also hard to get guests on after the advances of better coasters at MM. The concept was cool but the trains stunk (you couldn't see forward-even in the front seats!- because of the height of the trains), the restraints were worse (hard lap bars and over the shoulders), a rough ride (old track, constantly being re-located), and not well designed (there was a quick unexpected dip before the lift that always hurt, a forceful helix that clicked my restraints down so far I couldn't breath until they got released at the end of the ride, amongst other flaws).

 

I mean, the rides honestly a POS. But compared to some of the rides I've been on that are still open, it's not one that I think should be melted.

 

New B&M floorless trains and design fixes could make it a restored one of a kind ride. I mean, X is doing it, why couldn't Flashback?

 

But when it was open I never remember it having lines. It was in a bad location of the park, and I'm sure a lot of GP never even knew this ride existed.

[AllenA07]

^I can remember going to the park as a kid and Flashback have extremely long lines actually. However the lines did subside after only a few years of operation.

 

In regards to the other Space Diver out there, as far as I've always understood it, it was never installed. Intamin built two, Six Flags bought one, and the other one remained unsold. My personal guess is it was sold for scrap long ago, however there was a second model of the ride that apparently did exist.

[haiderodes]

^ I remember those lines. Back when Mystic Lake was still around they had an actual queue house. That would be full and then there would be overflow down the midway. They would hand out those "boarding passes" to make sure no one was cutting in line.

 

It was such a cool looking ride. I always thought the trains, albeit not the most comfortable, were pretty cool looking. Remember how they had all those flashing lights all over the structure?

 

One thing I never understood was why during loading they sometimes had to unlock and relock the restraints often multiple times manually.

[AllenA07]

I was seven or eight when I first saw Flashback and I remember thinking that ride looked really cool. Personally I always enjoyed the ride, it was rough and had its problems but it does get some points for being different.

[Manic Monte]

It's funny, before I became an enthusiast, I always assumed that being slightly rough was just part of the coaster experience. I rode Flashback, Viper or Windjammer (yes I liked WJ at one point) without ever complaining about roughness. I also thought I was the only one obsessed with coasters.

 

I look back on that time with fondness because now like everyone else, I'm much more critical of rough rides.

[rollercoasterbuff]

i remember when I was around 10 or 11,

 

SFMM had Flashback open. I was with my cousins and my brother and father. we got to ride that thing 6 times in a row. it was rough but it was a lot of fun. it really is too bad its closed and being taken out. =[

 

though it wasnt painful for me when we rode it, im sure it would be now becuase of my current height.

[sfmmrules!]

Hey check it out want to relive riding Flashback? Short ride but looked fun. I never got to go on it. It was always closed. I can see how high the seats were! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRT5Pee-x24

[downunder]

I rode Flashback when it was the "new" attraction at SFMM in 1992. My appreciation of coasters has always been relative, I used to think SFMM was awesome until I went to Cedar Point, and Iused to think the coasters at CP were the greatest until I rode SROS and El Toro. So Flashback wasn't bad until I rode better, I don't ever recall getting beat up on it, I just think it was blah.

[Bucket]

Was Flashback smooth when it first opened? Or has it always been extremely rough?

[downunder]

I don't recall it being bad but that was 1992, the nastiness came from the hairpin dives which really jolt you in another direction, it was just a bad design idea for a coaster.

[AllenA07]

Did anybody here (looking in Robb's direction) ride Flashback when it was Z-Force at Six Flags Great America? If so, how did it ride then, was it smooth at opening?

[sfmmrules!]

What are they doing with the pieces - are they recloating it or will that be the end of it once they tear it down?

[downunder]

I believe Flashback is going to Michigan's Adventure like most coasters that are being pulled down.

[ebl]

"I believe Flashback is going to the great scrap heap in the sky like most coasters that are being pulled down. (downunder)

 

Fixed for truth.

 

Eric

[downunder]

EBL, I was joking about Michigan's Adventure I thought that would have been rather obvious.

[ebl]

^ And so was I.

 

Eric

[USCoaster]

I will miss Flashback. It was always one of my favorite coasters at SFMM. It was rough, but most of the time, I was able to brace myself and get a pretty good ride. It always hoped they would try to retrofit it with lap bars and enclose it to try to improve the ride a bit. But we've been hoping that SFMM would do that to Revolution for years so I don't think Flashback had a chance.

 

Hopefully it doesn't get completely scrapped. I'm sure it could fit in somewhere with a little love. OK... so that was really cheesy.

[PURE]

Hey check it out want to relive riding Flashback? Short ride but looked fun. I never got to go on it. It was always closed. I can see how high the seats were! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRT5Pee-x24

 

Just looking at that video explains why this ride was so bad after it was open for a couple years. I'm sure it was popular when it opened in 92, but I was only 7 then and wasn't getting on rides. After a couple years rolled by and its "new ride" status wore off, so did the crowds.

 

I mean, that video is exactly how I remembered it.

 

Think Freefall pain, but after each of 5 hairpin drops. And it wasn't so much the drops that hurt, but the design of the track after the drop. It had this whip effect that pulled the train the opposite direction it was hairpinning, which I'm sure didn't help the train or the track. Just really, badly designed.

 

I think the last time I rode it was in 2003 which I believe is the last year they ran it. I don't think I'll miss it.

[cycamps]

It's too bad I won't get a chance to ride it. Hopefully it goes to another park...

[ebl]

^^ SFMM got Flashback in 1992, but remember that it opened at SFGAm in 1985 and ran for a few seasons, then was moved to SFOG for a few seasons, too. So by the time SFMM got it, it was well used.

 

Eric

[downunder]

Well used, but definitely not well loved. At least those lifegaurds at Hurricane Harbour can rest easy with the removal of something that could have potentially distracted them if it ran in summer - I don't know how they managed when it did run in summer.

 

If they moved Flashback to New Zealand it would be their number 1 coaster.