The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

[SoCalCoasters]

Sorry, I mis-interpreted the setup for the Flash Pass...I was under the impression that they are supposed to stay with the people who purchase them, much like how Universal uses the room keys as Xpress Passes at IOA and USF. My mistake.

[Freestyle23]

Few pictures from Friday...

[WFChris]

I wonder if the Log Jammer station will be repurposed into the new attraction.

[LaMapa]

^Probably. They would have already demolished it if they weren't repurposing it. Or they are just using it to block off the construction. Think about how strange the area would look without it.

 

Also, they need to start on vertical LL:DOD construction SOON. They are running late. If they weren't actually going to do anything to Superman, then why did they close it in February?

[coasternut]

^ The other point on LL construction is the park is open daily now. Earlier in the year when they closed Sup., they were only open weekends. The construction guys had the park to themselves to work. Now they've got to work around the G.P. Again great planning...

[FeelTheFORCE]

There is more to building a new ride than just visual vertical construction. Just because you don't see any activity, doesn't mean there isn't any...

[LaMapa]

^Yes, but that should have been done late 2011-January 2012. They need to get a move on it. Look at GL last year. Enough said. But I was amazed when they got Superman running a month early last year! That was amazing!

[Manic Monte]

^ Well that depends on when they plan on opening it. Most parks shoot for late May/early June to open new attractions now for maximum guest spikes around that time. They still have plenty of time to make that time period.

 

I agree that an earlier start allows for unforseen problems, but my guess is the Lex construction sounds more complicated than it's actually going to be. It may be going on the side of Superman, but it's still just a drop tower/flat ride.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Manic Monte

[LaMapa]

^MAYBE June. Maybe. We would have to be seeing visible construction on the tower within the next week or so for them to even be thinking about a May opening. They would still have to hurry for June. So I think they are running behind schedule.

[rcdude]

I think they've still got plenty of time to make a Memorial Day opening. This is a drop tower, not a roller coaster. It will probably only take two weeks or so to put all the pieces on Superman's tower. I'm not sure how much testing is required for this type of ride versus a roller coaster, but I would imagine it is probably less since the ride is a much simpler system.

[dylanreich]

Hopefully the fact that both sides of the drop tower have to go up at the same time will not affect daily operation much. What happens when one side is in maintenance? Do both sides shut down?

[LaMapa]

Either that or they run one side empty. But it should be fine. Hopefully they will go fast because this will have GL or worse capacity.

[Wes]

I feel like the same "It won't take that long to put in!" argument was occuring when the Mr Six (now Road Runner) kiddie coaster was supposed to go back by Deja Vu. We all know how that turned out.

[coasterfreak101]

Hopefully the fact that both sides of the drop tower have to go up at the same time will not affect daily operation much. What happens when one side is in maintenance? Do both sides shut down?

 

Why do they both have to go up at the same time? Unless I missed something, the two sides should be independent of each other...

[Reuschini]

^In the video the two were independent but if I remember correctly there was an article or promo from the park that mentioned both are going to operate at the same time. I believe it has something to do with the mechanism that's going to be installed at the top of the tower to lift the cars.

 

I'm sure there's a way they can disengage the car from the cable if need be for maintenance and to keep one side open, but operations and maintenance with this park are always a mystery so who knows.

[coasterfreak101]

^I mean, if they do operate together, then I would think it would run the same way as a single-car drop tower runs, even though the two carriages aren't physically attached. For example, the Drop Zones at KD and KI. They can close seats if they don't need them open, but if one side has to undergo maintenance then the whole ride closes. Weird to think of LL:DOD like that because they aren't actually attached, but I guess that's how they're running it?

[MrSum1_55]

I would just think of it like how every cabin-based Intamin drop tower works. All the cabins are controlled by one motor, but you can choose not to operate some of them.

 

However, I can see SFMM running two on most days, so I wouldn't worry about them running only one during, say, spring break. However, it will most certainly present capacity issues. In Pitfall's last season, I waited in line for it when it only had 3 cabins running (only 12 riders per load). Despite the excellent staff and quick dispatches, the line still completely crawled. For a large park like SFMM to have a 16 cabin drop tower, I would hope it ascends to the top very quickly.

Edited April 1, 2012 by MrSum1_55

[dylanreich]

Hopefully the fact that both sides of the drop tower have to go up at the same time will not affect daily operation much. What happens when one side is in maintenance? Do both sides shut down?

 

Why do they both have to go up at the same time? Unless I missed something, the two sides should be independent of each other...

I ask this because they told us at West Coast Bash during their presentation on it that with they way the lift mechanism works, both sides have to go up at the same time, but can drop independently of each other.

[Mechanic]

I would just think of it like how every cabin-based Intamin drop tower works. All the cabins are controlled by one wench, but you can choose not to operate some of them

 

So this ride is only going to be operated by females?

[LaMapa]

Then I'm guessing they can send the side under maintenance up empty or they will be able to just leave one side on the ground. maybe it is When they are running two sides,they must go up together.

[bostonlva]

You guys do realize that in the new SFMM commercials it says its opening in June NOT april/may

[Manic Monte]

^ Tim did tell a group of us at WCB that the ride would most likely open late spring, which I took to mean early June. There's really no rush here IMO. Unlike most parks, SFMM seems to open up major new attractions almost every year.

[MrSum1_55]

I would just think of it like how every cabin-based Intamin drop tower works. All the cabins are controlled by one wench, but you can choose not to operate some of them

 

So this ride is only going to be operated by females?

 

Fixed .

[coasterfreak101]

I would just think of it like how every cabin-based Intamin drop tower works. All the cabins are controlled by one motor, but you can choose not to operate some of them.

 

Yeah, that was dumb on my part. For some reason I was thinking that the normal Intamin drop towers all ran separate, even though I have one at my home park and know that they are all lifted together. Total blank on my part!

[Tmcdllr]

^Yes, but that should have been done late 2011-January 2012. They need to get a move on it. Look at GL last year. Enough said. But I was amazed when they got Superman running a month early last year! That was amazing!

 

Are YOU building this ride...no? How do you know what's really going on? Maybe they are working on some part of it right now. It's not a huge ride, it's a drop tower mounted on an existing structure, not going to take long at all to build.

And, is it June yet....no? Oh, ok.