PURE Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 ^^Besides the reason EBL mentioned above, it might be possible. You'd have to re-arrange the proxy sensors and brake fin. But the wheel bogies and placement of the car could turn around with no problem. It'd actually be sweet to have both sides running, facing opposite directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterking2981 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Would it be feasible to turn one of the cars around on Superman? It might bring a new interest to the ride and you could actually appreciate the height of the ride when you're at the top. Great idea! It would certainly increase Superman's thrill factor as people going up will actually see how high they are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefox89 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Is it me or does the Aquaman look like Knight Rider's David Hasselhoff? At least in the pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayPark Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think they could need a hotel. There are so many tourists in San Diego or Las Vegas who avoid the long drive. Even the traffic from LA is very bad. A nice dark ride would be a nice addition to the park and perhaps a 4D- Cinema. As for Superman, I wouldn´t waste a tear for this ride, that would be the perfect location for a Strata Coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefox89 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think they need to get a dive coaster to really complete their B&M collection. But they also need to get back into the record books to beat out Cedar Point again. That was awesome when they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 ^That's exactly the opposite of what they are going for. I honestly would love to see this park (and most other parks for that matter) stop worrying about records all together and just build awesome, quality rides. Look at some of the highest ranked coasters in the world... SROS (SFNE), Expedition GeForce, Balder, El Toro, Nemesis; with the exception of the degree of El Toro's drop, none of those rides broke any records, but they are considered the best rides in the world. I could care less about records anymore. Just give me quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'm no expert by any means, but I would guess removing S:TE would cost as much as a small coaster. Not to mention the logistics would be a huge pain in the ass because of it stretching across half the park and over rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiderodes Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 ^ I agree. There is a lot of infrastructure they put up in order to build Superman in the first place. I just don't think the park is at the place where it can do the work it needs to get rid of the ride. Additionally, the ride still has a name for itself. People still talk about it even though its seen better days. Its big and loud, a big attention getter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think a Resort, hotel and second hotel with waterpark may be a great way to go. If they can keep people there for a couple days with overnight bookings and a marketing plan with another park chain, perhaps Busche, they can keep people for a couple more. Of course, as I said before, it will take more than coasters to lure guests, so if they can continue to have more known-brands in the park, they can continue to lure more sponsors as well. To be competitive in their market they need to consider: Significant nightime shows Major Theatre show (iceskating maybe) Higher season pass cost Stunt/diving/skateboard show (perhaps tony hawk coaster and show) 4d theatre High capacity Dark ride (Spiderman-ish) Laser Dark Ride (Men in Black-ish) Continuing indoor/outdoor family/kid offerings Another sit-down restuarant New in-park off-ground transportation/outside shuttle And as I mentioned earlier, a giant wheel, a boardwalk and DCA's drop tower and some new other flats with shelters (teacups with roof) Most of the ideas would be weather-proof and wouldnt cause people to leave in masses if the weather gets bad. These ideas allow for the population and would not work in all park cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 ^I disagree with that. SFMM is not a destination park. It never has been, and it never will be. It would be a huge mistake to try and compete for tourist dollars with Disney and USH. Most of those attractions have already been done by Disney and/or Universal, and I highly doubt SFMM has the resources to do one better. I think they just need to continue with the plan they have now: make it a great place for locals. Keep upgrading the family ride offerings, build a new coaster every couple years, and keep pushing forward with improving the operations and infrastructure in the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiderodes Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Those of us from Southern Nevada visit the park because it isnt what the other SoCal parks are. Its an alternative to the Disney experience. When we want Disney we visit Disney. When we just want to ride some rides, its SFMM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURE Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ^And that's exactly what Magic Mountain can stay like. But I think its an extreme to say it "never will be" a destination park. Yes it would need solid investments from the higher ups in the company, but if they really wanted to upscale the park, they could definitely invest in an on the resort hotel so people could stay for a day or two on a summer weekend. It may not be capable with exactly what it has now, but the formula's there. That's of course if they'd think it was worth it. But hey, if you're really serious about making some money, you gotta start somewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiderodes Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ^I just don't think there are enough people willing to spend more than a day and a half at the park to warrant a hotel. I think the hotels in the general area suffice. It could hurt both sides really... Say they build a hotel and people are just so tempted to stay there, that could possibly cannibalize the other hotel's occupancies. In retaliation these smaller hotels could make rates so low that people choose to stay off property which would defeat the purpose of the hotel. Just my two cents. The success of other amusement parks with hotels seems to come from the fact that there's more to do than just the park itself. Disney, aside from the parks and waterparks, also has shopping and recreation all over the place in Florida. Hersheypark has the factory and historical aspect of the hotel itself and a famous spa. Cedar Point also has the historical aspect of the hotel being there first along with the beach and marina. There's nothing in the immediate and convenient vicinity of SFMM other than Hurricane Harbor. Castaic Lake is a bit of a drive and there's nothing that special about the shopping in Valencia/Santa Clarita. I just don't think its worth the hassle for the park to get into that. Again, just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 At one time, I think they were trying to make SFMM into a "destination thrill park," if you consider nothing but coasters to be the "thrill" they were after. If somehow, the entire complex of SFMM and SFHH were to add a decent shopping district---a la Downtown Disney---and a premium on-site hotel or two, then the property could be considered a "destination." For a long time, many of us dreamed that the land between the toll plaza, Magic Mountain Parkway, and The Old Road would somehow tie into Six Flags California, but that doesn't appear to be the case as far as I can tell. And even though the big sign next to I-5 still says "Six Flags California," I find it interesting that they removed the word "California" from the sign right over the entrance to SFMM. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURE Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Yeah does anyone know why they did that? I hate how the company on occasion just has the words "Six Flags" around the park without the Magic Mountain, or California. Dunno why, but to me it just seems tacky. It'd be like buying a cup from Disneyland and it just said "Disney" on it instead of "Disneyland." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiderodes Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 ^Next time you visit a US Disney park, take a look at the sheer amount of "corporate" merchandise they have. Meaning, stuff that is either non-descript to which park it is or has both DLR and WDW logos. They are doing that more and more so they can just order a mass of a particular product versus location specific merchandise. I thought it was wierd how they continued to have signage that said Six Flags California after they aquired Marine World and gave it the "flags treatment". Maybe we'll be getting back a sign that says Magic Mountain over the ticket booths? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBJ Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Nice to see the park turning around. Very glad to read that they took notice of the bathrooms! I'm not a toilet enthusiast, but man, all the facilities need remodeling. I know how they are a big fan of sponsorships, so they should pursue Kohler or similar companie to do showcase restrooms. To turn the park into the "destination", they should contact the Great Wolf Lodge and surrender part of their land or stake a claim in the neighboring development. The one thing socal doesn't have is an indoor waterpark and this would be unique in our area. Imo, they still need to look at what the local competition offers, and target those experiences. They completely lack a 3D film attraction (T2/Tough to Be a Bug, etc.), any kind of motion sim attraction (Simpsons, Star Tours), and no dark rides. There are companies that offer these kinds of attractions without busting the budget. Thomas Town is a great start in that direction, and X2's canopys could be useful on other rides. Imagine Batman enclosed Dark Knight- fastest "indoor" coaster in the west, Goliath's helix enclosed (maybe like you are passing through ruins of a temple) etc. All in all, it's really good to see the park in hands of management that sees the potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenA07 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 If somehow, the entire complex of SFMM and SFHH were to add a decent shopping district---a la Downtown Disney---and a premium on-site hotel or two, then the property could be considered a "destination." For a long time, many of us dreamed that the land between the toll plaza, Magic Mountain Parkway, and The Old Road would somehow tie into Six Flags California, but that doesn't appear to be the case as far as I can tell.Eric I recall that for a long time towards the late 90's and early part of this decade the park had wanted to build a large shopping area. At the time, as it was before downtown disney, they had been saying it was going to rival Citywalk. It included a major expansion for the park. The plans were serious enough that I have seen a handful to drawings of what the area was going to have looked like. However as we all know those ended up being plans that simply never got off the drawing board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 ^ I think the park spent too much money on roller coasters. What a shame that a big theme park/shopping/entertainment complex didn't come about there. It would have been beyond a gold mine. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PURE Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 ^But with the condition of the company during those 5-10 years of coaster explosion going on at MM, I don't think they would have been prepared for that type of enormous project. I think it would have been disastrous. I think the company would be capable of handling those types of things now, but with the spending cuts and the company focusing on slimming down property, I think its the last thing on their mind. Maybe in another 5 years when this "new" era is in its teen years. Because something like that definitely has the potential to make tons of dough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenA07 Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Had the park pulled it off I think it could have been great. However I do agree with Pure that with all things considered I don't think that SFMM would be able to maintain itself as a destination park. I think it would have been too much too fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Wood Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Magic Mt. is a local park and that's it but that's not a bad thing. I was there on Saturday from 3pm to 8pm and the strange thing that I found was we only saw 5 strollers. FIVE? SFMM tried something years ago and it's now coming back to haunt them. Now I will give them this they tried to be different. Disneyland is the apple and way too many other parks try to be "that same apple" Magic Mt. said "never mind that let's be an orange"and they took a big chance. I think they can get it back to being a family park. Hell I even got passes. Now if you all read my posts you know I'm new to the whole coaster thing because flat out I'm just scared. Well My son and I road Scream and Riddlers. What have I gotten myself into? I had a blast on them and after 45 years of fear I'm finally getting brave enough to enjoy some great B&M coasters. If SFMM is looking to add another thrill / family type ride a Mack themed water coaster would be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Fact of the matter right now, is SFMM just has not been able to get their ROI after building huge, high maintenance coasters. And now as these coasters age, the cost of repairs are digging to heavilly into the parks budget. Its time to remove the older high-cost attractions of 10 years ago and start replacing them with a handful of relitively high capacity lower-cost rides, and be able to get around with having less staff to operate it. Frankly, I would love to compare the annual cost of running Kindra Ka/Dragster vs Superman Whether or not some of you agree with me on my thoughts of attracting more overnight guests or getting the park closer to the family atmosphere of Knotts or Disney, doesn't really bug me, but the park and surrounding community will do better financially if they can offer an incentive to keep visitors in town for more than a day or two. Even those HS and College kids traveling from as far as Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBJ Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 To me, SFMM has taken on incredible risks over the years with regards to their coaster installs. On one hand, I love the fact that they did do it and took on the challenge of X, Deja, Superman, Psyclone (going a bit back) in their recent history. I think the park would be turned out to be extremely dull if they had stayed with established designs. The practical side wonders though if the risk did outweigh the rewards? I respect them for what they attempted to do, but at the same time, was dissapointed with how the park declined over those same years. As it is, the new management looks like they are doing the best possible job with the cards they have been dealt and are well on their way to reversing the decline. I just hope that the locals here can appreciate the more subtle improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAWKIN_coaster38 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 ^I agree. I apologize if this has been already asked... but... Is Deja Vu going to be taken out at SFMM? Because apparently the SFGA Deja Vu is being taken out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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