Six Flags Fiesta Texas (SFFT) Discussion Thread

[Dan the Coaster Man]

1 minute ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

But it is interesting to think that if the NTG accident never happened, if RMC still would've put their trains on the IBox rides or if we'd still be seeing the Gerstlauer ones to this day.

I don't think this is the case. When I toured the factory it seemed like they had a strong desire to make their own trains and they just didn't have the capability to do so for those first projects.

[Bamwa]

Glad we are back on track now.  Thanks for the Diabolical update Bert. Can't wait to try the new and improved Poltergeist launch run soon. It is awesome to start your day here with a good launch.

[teacherkim]

When my husband, Steve, rode steve he thought it was rough and that the RMC trains were uncomfortable. However, he is not an enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, so what does he know. There that statement is grammatically correct, on topic and factual 

On a serious note I have a huge soft spot for dive coasters, so guess we will just have to come back down to SFFT to try out DDC (is that the abbreviation we are using?) even though we were there earlier this year. Darn.

[VegasBaby]

On 9/27/2021 at 7:42 PM, thrillseeker4552 said:

I will admit that I am also not too fond of Steel Vengeance's (and Twisted Timbers) trains. They do fit slightly differently than the standard 1st gen RMC trains. The Gerstlauer ones are much more comfortable than both! Iron Rattler and NTG have some of my favorite trains out there.

Obviously nobody is replacing trains though. But it is interesting to think that if the NTG accident never happened, if RMC still would've put their trains on the IBox rides or if we'd still be seeing the Gerstlauer ones to this day.

Agreed, I love the Gerstlauer trains and wish they were on all of the RMCs.  It's great to see IR get another train, the wait is absolutely brutal when it has one train ops.  I will definitely be making another Texas trip once Aquaman and Cliffhanger are open! 

[bert425]

so I was at the park on Sunday, and tho I hadn't planned on riding anything (expecting huge halloween crowds), in the morning the park was EMPTY with everything pretty much walk on.

i'll have lots of pics of Poltergeist's new queue in my Trip Report when I get to SFFT. . but one thing I did notice when I rode Wonder Woman (as a walk on) was that it seemed to have gotten a little bit rattle-y in the back - I always ride in the back.

and then I heard it was suddenly closed for some sort of refurb until later this month.

 

well. . park president Jeffrey Siebert just posted this online:

 

[Superbatboy]

A three year old ride needing trackwork?? Odd...

[xVicesAndVirtues]

I wonder if they're just doing something to get rid of all the little squeaks, metallic noise, etc you hear/feel throughout the ride. There seems to be a little less of that on Jersey Devil but not by much. At the same time, I feel like the janki-ness of it all kind of makes it more terrifying since it all the noise and vibrations make it feel as though you're riding something slapped together in someone's backyard using their Home Depot gift card for parts.

[bert425]

keep in mind. . it was the 1st of it's kind.

so yeah. . I'm sure they've improved on certain things in later iterations.

 

and as noted . . it had gotten a little rattley in places.

all in all tho, it's a quick rehab timeframe, so yeah, no major work is being done regardless.

[bert425]

updated my TR with Halloween Sunday at SFFT. . lots of pics of the Poltergeist refurb/new queue:

https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47423-bert-spends-hallowee-kend-in-san-antonio-at-seaworld-fiesta-tx-a-photo-trip-report/#comment-1906628

[bert425]

Spent the weekend in San Antonio at SW, SFFT, and the zoo, and I'll be getting a trip report up in the next few days.

but. . . a number of the track pieces for Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger have arrived at SFFT and are in the staging area in the parking lot - including what looks like the 1st and 2nd drop pieces (where the Dive Coaster holds before releasing). . so wanted to go ahead and share.

as well as some "fresh" pics of the space where the coaster is going.

enjoy!

 

[Arthur_Seaton]

I'd be curious to know what the Wonder Woman rehab was all about. I rode it today a few times and noticed a pretty hefty "clunk" right as it passes the ride camera — multiple trains, different seats, so I assume there's something up with the track there. Probably hitting a bolt  Everything else about it felt pretty okay to me.

Crowds were light today, and I just went for a few hours to grab my gold pass (glad the park came around on that). Ops were so-so with lots of rides going up and down all day or rides opening super late. The new Poltergeist additions look really solid, and the more-enclosed station works well. I can't imagine the budget was super high, but they used it well. The ride also felt a bit smoother to me. New wheels?

^ I think this may do something? Not sure. 

^ The station is much more enclosed now, and you enter through a different side. 

[Dan the Coaster Man]

I love how cliffhanger track looks. Love the poltergeist pictures - I will take this from Six Flags any day!

[bert425]

^^ they refurbed the trains . .not just new wraps, but also new seats (so much cushion again!), and I do believe new wheels too.

I commented in my trip report from Halloween how smoothly it was running - the best it has in years.

(that picture is one of those "changing" portraits, that moves as you move.  Did it not "work" for you? (it looks like it's mid-transformation in your pic).

 

 

as to Wonder Woman -  LOL. . .I actually forgot to ride it when I was there last weekend (got distracted by the tree-lighting/Jingle Belles show, and just never continued on to it. . .whoops!!!).
I'll have that portion of my TR (in my "bert visits Texas Theme Parks" thread in the next few days - currently, it's only got the SeaWorld day up).

So I can't compare how it's running, tho it had developed quite the rattle towards the back of the train. . . so I think they were trying to smooth portions of track out to address that.
Still a clunk by the camera?  hmmm. . you probably are right that it's hitting something.

Glad you caught it on a quiet day tho!
 

[Kanakoonthecoasters]

I hope we get to see Dr. Diabolical without her mask. I assume she has a scar like Dr. Blight from Captain Planet.

[bert425]

spent yesterday at an event at SFFT, and got to meet Dr. Diabolical, got an up close tour of the arrived track (only ~33% of it is on site already- the rest is coming soon), the Demolition in process of the interior of the "lab" area that the queue will go thru (that used to be backstage of the Sundance Theater), AND  got to try Dr. Diabolical's youth elixir

lots more stuff told / shown to us in regards to train design/track design - including the tidbit as to why B&M designed the first of it's kind 7 across coaster trains for SFFT.

oh. . and park President Jeffrey Siebert also shared with us how the coaster name was decided, and what the least favorite naming option was in the poll they sent out and why they didn't go with it.
Yup. . if the poll results were different?  this coaster really could have been named:   "Hell Horse"

really.

might do more of a full report over on the "bert goes to Texas Theme Park" thread. . but still, wanted to share the upclose pics of the Construction from yesterday.

Note: the supports that are gold color, will get an aged/rusting patina applied before the ride starts to go vertical.. . so the color will be slightly different on the supports.

enjoy:

hard to describe, but very sweet fruit based drink. . tasked kind of like Pineapple/Papaya to me:

[bert425]

oh. . one additional thing worth noting.

Skyscreamer has been adjusted with two sets of seats removed, and weird "harness" contraptions installed.

while talking to a member of the Mgmt team, I asked about the two weird spots. . and was told that they are adding two "flying" options to the ride (!)

I have to assume this will be an upcharge option. . but i also have to say. . um. . . HELL NO.
(not for me). . .but cool for those who wanna ride Skyscreamer hanging only from a harness.

 

[bert425]

to add. . I queried on FB that I didn't know if the "harness seats" are an upcharge, but assume they are going to be.

 

and here is the Park President's response:

 

[Bamwa]

thanks for the down low Bert we're lucky to have you. flying seats on skyscreamer?. how did they keep that under wraps?! also can you share the 7 across reasoning on Cliffy? 

[bert425]

28 minutes ago, Bamwa said:

thanks for the down low Bert we're lucky to have you. flying seats on skyscreamer?. how did they keep that under wraps?! also can you share the 7 across reasoning on Cliffy? 

certainly.

tho 8 across is the "standard" for the big Dive Coasters, in meeting with B&M - SFFT and B&M realized that they could greatly reduce the cost of the coaster by sticking with the "standard" B&M track size (as opposed to the standard B&M Dive Coaster track, that is larger & wider than the standard B&M track).

to stick with the standard track tho, they would have to completely redesign the trains - and B&M was up to the challenge.   Not only does the 7-across seating mean that there will be 1 seat that rides dead center on the track (a 1st for a dive coaster), but the 7 across seating also has a little bit of "give" that will allow the row of seats to flex as it hits the forces on the track.

I'm sure it won't be enough to really be noticeable (that "flex"), but really cool that SFFT is getting the first of it's kind dive coaster:

"standard track width"
1st 7 across seating

*and*

steepest drop on a Dive Coaster.



i'm guessing this is the first of many that will get cloned - because the cheaper cost for a B&M Dive Machine?    yeah. .that's gonna be attractive to many other parks, I'd guess.

[bert425]

so this just came out in the SFFT newsletter:

 

[Garet]

I can't seem to find any evidence of it online, and I want to say Paris quite a few years ago, but I feel like I have definitely seen a similar sized Starflyer with flying harnesses on them. 

[bert425]

^ I believe Fun Spot America has a "laydown" version on their starflyer.  but they are still attached to the arms, not a harness type thing.

[bert425]

 

my Friend Zach was at SFFT today, and rode the "suspended" seats on the park's Skyscreamer (filmed by Park President Jeffrey Siebert for him).

(I have his permission to share here at TPR )

for me it's a "no, nope, HELL no". . . . but this is what it looks like.

 

 

I've shared the video over at the TPR Facebook group - here's the link to get to it:

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/themeparkreview/posts/1575666672787957/?__cft__[0]=AZVCnUpslt8So1FSWEGc4NRBqTL4QijcVUd9dovB4xVCuY4p3kytEqWx_R3JU2lSytyG0LBQ6CocSJE7xSimNnwNW_-zxbkoEEBT-Eiz0n9mPAV6xCZYlKCh6vuTyGvPCA-8kbS5baI7Yy6ANTQSzZT43sKFfhUXqG6kNVsaC5YOcA&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

 

[Nrthwnd]

^ Ah .....   nope.

Does it cost 'extra' to get that spot? Or is it just a separate queue, and you have to wait, etc.?

[bert425]

Free.

not sure on queue (tho assuming they are using Flash Pass queue for it).

I'm going Monday, will check out loading.