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The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread


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I'm guessing the 20 that signed the petition are that type of roller coaster dork where other roller coaster dorks point at them and say, "Now that's one hell of a roller coaster dork!"

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If they only re-do one side, wouldn't the other "normal" side (topper track or not) be very neglected? I think the majority of SFMM's audience would want the crazy new thrill machine rather than the "classic". It seems that over time the normal side would just become empty while the new side has a crazy line. Just my thoughts

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I rode Colossus once during my only visit in 2002. I found it boring due to the pacing and lack of airtime. I wouldn't mind if RMC just restored Colossus back to it's original layout with topper track. On the other hand I am curious to see what crazy changes RMC could make. I don't have any personal attachment to Colossus so I don't care what changes are made. I'm sure the end result will be exciting.

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How about a fully green rollercoaster. The train full of people have to get out and manually push/pull the train up the lift hill. Save money and work off those theme park calories.

 

You know that such thing DOES exist?

People climb the hill by foot a first time, go into a funicular cabin, make it going down with their weight, that makes the empty train climb the "lift"on the other side, then they climb the hill a second time to get into the coaster.

 

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Again, I would like to point out this ride will be at SFMM, which means the following: poor operations and maintenance. Plus, it will probably just be a slightly above average ride (like everything else at SFMM) that everyone will rank as their #1 coaster because it will still likely end up being the best coaster in so cal by default.

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I just thought of something.

 

 

If they keep Colossus 2 separate coasters, Would RMC trains be able to go backwards? Imagine New Texas Giant/Iron Rattler backwards?

I doubt it, but I was wondering yesterday about the fate of the B&M Psyclone trains. I wonder if they could use them on Apocalypse, and if not I hope someone preserves some of them since they are the first and only wooden coaster trains ever built by B&M.

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I just thought of something.

 

 

If they keep Colossus 2 separate coasters, Would RMC trains be able to go backwards? Imagine New Texas Giant/Iron Rattler backwards?

I'm liking that more and more each time I read that comment. Backwards....Backwards

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Again, I would like to point out this ride will be at SFMM, which means the following: poor operations and maintenance. Plus, it will probably just be a slightly above average ride (like everything else at SFMM) that everyone will rank as their #1 coaster because it will still likely end up being the best coaster in so cal by default.

 

This has to get old for you, right? At some point don't you tire of coming in this thread and crapping on whatever the latest news might be? I know you're a moderator here, and you have a history with the park, but I just don't see the point of the incessant negativity.

 

Colossus is almost universally maligned by enthusiasts, at least, and the park is clearly going to now do something about it -- I know the ongoing meme here is "better than nothing", but even if there are the "predictable" issues with operations etc....isn't it good that they're doing something about an aging ride that is oft times criticized?

 

Just my 2 cents...............and I am excited about the upcoming reveal on Colossus, and whatever it is will get me (and I'm guessing, you) back to the park.

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Again, I would like to point out this ride will be at SFMM, which means the following: poor operations and maintenance. Plus, it will probably just be a slightly above average ride (like everything else at SFMM) that everyone will rank as their #1 coaster because it will still likely end up being the best coaster in so cal by default.

 

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Actually asking this for an acquaintance from another forum....

 

They would like to attend the SFMM (coming from New Zealand) to ride the coasters on a Saturday in September, but will be toting around a baby, a 2 year old and a 4 year old. They were wondering if there were any sort of rider swap or any way to have one ride while the other waits, how many rides there were to entertain the kids, etc...

 

I've only been to SFMM once but I recommended that it would quite a pain to try that, perhaps giving KBF a try instead.

 

Any advice those that frequent SFMM would have?

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Actually asking this for an acquaintance from another forum....

 

They would like to attend the SFMM (coming from New Zealand) to ride the coasters on a Saturday in September, but will be toting around a baby, a 2 year old and a 4 year old. They were wondering if there were any sort of rider swap or any way to have one ride while the other waits, how many rides there were to entertain the kids, etc...

 

I've only been to SFMM once but I recommended that it would quite a pain to try that, perhaps giving KBF a try instead.

 

Any advice those that frequent SFMM would have?

Unless your friends are serious coaster enthusiasts (For regulars in this thread I just mean they really want to ride roller coasters more than anything else, not necessarily the usual definition of the term) and thrill coasters are their main interest, SFMM is not the most convenient place to take small children. The children will enjoy KBF way way more, and KBF still has a couple really solid coasters in Xcelerator and Silver Bullet. (Sierra Sidewinder is a pretty fun spinner too)

 

I'm not aware of any official ride-swap program like Disney has, but there are a handful of rides (Viper, Revolution, Green Lantern, Riddler's Revenge, and Lex Luthor) that have single riders lines that you could effectively use as a ride-swap. They have a separate line where a single rider can que to ride alone at a significantly reduced wait time (On most busy days you will walk-on to Viper, Revolution, and Riddlers, you may get a 10 min wait on GL and 15-20 on Lex) so you could have one person watch the children while the other uses the single rider line. With the short waits it wouldn't be that bad, but it's only available on these specific rides. Interestingly on busier days the wait can often be shorter for Green Lantern and Lex Luthor because there's a higher probability of a large group with an odd number of riders.

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Again, I would like to point out this ride will be at SFMM, which means the following: poor operations and maintenance. Plus, it will probably just be a slightly above average ride (like everything else at SFMM) that everyone will rank as their #1 coaster because it will still likely end up being the best coaster in so cal by default.

 

This has to get old for you, right? At some point don't you tire of coming in this thread and crapping on whatever the latest news might be? I know you're a moderator here, and you have a history with the park, but I just don't see the point of the incessant negativity.

 

Colossus is almost universally maligned by enthusiasts, at least, and the park is clearly going to now do something about it -- I know the ongoing meme here is "better than nothing", but even if there are the "predictable" issues with operations etc....isn't it good that they're doing something about an aging ride that is oft times criticized?

 

Just my 2 cents...............and I am excited about the upcoming reveal on Colossus, and whatever it is will get me (and I'm guessing, you) back to the park.

 

I am with Randall on this one, it must get boring to always post the same negative comment about the park. Well, at least it gets boring to read the same response every time after a person dares to post something positive in regards of SFMM.

 

They would like to attend the SFMM (coming from New Zealand) to ride the coasters on a Saturday in September, but will be toting around a baby, a 2 year old and a 4 year old. They were wondering if there were any sort of rider swap or any way to have one ride while the other waits, how many rides there were to entertain the kids, etc...

 

SFMM offers a rider swap program,the same way Disney does and I think especially with the Bugs Bunny refurb and 4 coasters just for kids, the park has plenty to offer to keep kids entertained

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Here's the thing that's great about message boards: opinions are entirely subjective. If you were to read through the entire thread, you will see that I gave credit where credit is due during the beginning of the Jay Thomas era when things were getting better, and I also praised YOLOCoaster as really fun (best ride in the park IMO).

 

If SFMM proves me wrong, I will be the first one to say so. But until we actually know anything about the ride, I have nothing to base my opinion besides SFMM's history of adding average/above average rides (YOLOCoaster is fun, but nowhere near my top 10) and poor operations/maintenance issues.

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Again, I would like to point out this ride will be at SFMM, which means the following: poor operations and maintenance. Plus, it will probably just be a slightly above average ride (like everything else at SFMM) that everyone will rank as their #1 coaster because it will still likely end up being the best coaster in so cal by default.

 

This has to get old for you, right? At some point don't you tire of coming in this thread and crapping on whatever the latest news might be? I know you're a moderator here, and you have a history with the park, but I just don't see the point of the incessant negativity.

The dude's just being honest. He's not crapping on the latest news, he's giving a reality check. Joey, like myself, would love more than anything to see the park operating like it was back in the Time Warner days and the Jay Thomas days. Rides being maintained better than they are now, running multiple trains on a regular basis and a focus on the guest experience.

 

I liked Full Throttle a lot more than I thought I would, but even still, it debuted at #74 on the Mitch Hawker poll and I didn't see it mentioned in the Golden Tickets either. Green Lantern was ranked #263, and Apocalypse has been on a steady decline since it opened. That tells me the parks latest coaster additions aren't "WOWing" people like the "Coaster Capital of the World" should be.

 

I like the park. I grew up with the park. But it's certainly a shadow of it's former self.

 

I'm hopeful that whatever they replace Colossus with will be the stand-out coaster that the park desperately needs, but I for one can certainly understand Joey's skepticism. I refuse to believe others on this forum don't see it as well.

 

--Robb

Edited by robbalvey
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Thanks for the replies - I guess the board just has a collective hard-on for the park that I just don't get (I started visiting there in the mid 80's, so I think experienced at least a portion of the "golden era" that so many seem to wax nostalgic about). It's a different park now, and it's had it's issues/missteps along the way, but it's still a cool park and their collection of coasters (and I know that HAS come at the cost of other things a park of it's size/attendance/location should be delivering) is solid and the sheer number make it a place that most casual coaster fans/enthusiasts "need" to visit.

 

I know there's a lot of history and backstory that I'm probably unaware of, but the continued word filter for the name of their latest rollercoaster is one of the other things that continue to confuse me (along with the continued bashing). Admittedly it's (at least) a decent or surprisingly good ride - while I get the joke, it seems a bit insulting to continue to not be able to actually type the name....annnnnnnnnnd, I guess, that's the point (always nice when your own question as you type a post ).

 

Anyway, I honestly appreciate the replies and have probably pushed this discussion as far as it can go.

 

I'd be interested, if anyone happens to head out, to see a recent photo trip report - I've seen that the new kiddie coaster is finally coming along.

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I don't think its that anybody actually hates SFMM, as in nobody would rather the park not exist. My opinion (I figure it's most enthusiast's too) is that compared to other parks of that size I've been to, SFGAdv, Cedar Point, King's Island, etc. SFMM seems much more run down and broken. There's countless things I can clearly see need improvement, refurbishment, to be removed. It's just hard to get behind a park that you have seen go downhill in the past few years. I want the best for the park, and getting a world-class makeover of Colossus will surely help remedy my opinion.

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I don't think anybody 'hates' SFMM. I personally also think we give it a little too much crap here, however, it very much is, our red-headed step-child.

 

That being said, I have been impressed with the past few years at the park. I like the amount of foliage around the park and honestly think they create a nice environment with that alone. More Trees, More Fun.

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I think people have unrealiatic standards for MM. People don't take into account how high MM's taxes probably are being located in LA county, the costly overhead of operating and maintaining 19 roller coasters, not pulling in the same guest numbers as the other big so cal parks, the cost of insuring rides over 150 feet in earthquake land, being part of a parent company with conservative ways after exiting a bankruptcy etc;

 

Quality control costs money, and I don't think MM necessarily has a surplus of capital to bring it up to the standards of say a Cedar Fair park. Perhaps if they bulldoze half the rides and turn it into more of a family park then it'd be different. But that's not what MM is about, the locals love the park so they'll continue to do what works.

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^I don't think anyone is questioning whether or not the business model SFMM uses is profitable for them. It's always reported SFMM does well for the chain.

 

However, we are theme park nerds. Many of us have worked (or still do work) in the industry. We have a lot more to compare SFMM to, so discussions like these will be never ending.

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