Six Flags Fiesta Texas (SFFT) Discussion Thread

[disneyfan1313]

^ I think at this point its honestly too early. Quite a bit of the engineering is probably still being tweaked and the CGI video is really just for PR more than anything else.

[UrbanLegend]

^ I think at this point its honestly too early. Quite a bit of the engineering is probably still being tweaked and the CGI video is really just for PR more than anything else.

 

Let's at least hope they keep the Toaster Oven Tunnel.

[theonetheonlyJT]

The train should stop in the tunnel then launch backwards going halfway up the hill then back into the tunnel launching into the brake run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(just kidding)

[Wes]

Maybe the ride ends in the tunnel and everyone dies.

[Fooz]

I'm guessing that there's a 99% chance it hits the brakes after the tunnel. Maybe some people like setting themselves up for disappointment?

[ArizonaGuy]

Eh....I think it's gonna keep the same layout after the tunnel. I guess we'll just have to wait to see what happends.

[cstrfrk67]

went by the park and "stole" some pix..............everyone say "bye-bye" to the wretched helix of beatings and boredom. There was only about 10-12 guys workin on it today, but with the impending rain storms here, they wouldnt get much done. Maybe I should go apply for a job w/ RMC. That'd be a cool job, yes?

[cstrfrk67]

^ 63 ft lower, if I recall correctly. It was a massive change to the one part of that ride that was seriously the best on earth at the time.

 

Of course, having such a good first drop just enhanced and showcased the mediocrity of the stuff that followed.

 

actually it was lessened from 166' to 124' @ 1st drop...........iRat however, will go beyond the original to 171'

[ArizonaGuy]

^^

Thanks for the photo updates!! Good Riddance to the triple helix. Hopefully once the rain is over with they can start moving in fast forward and start dismantling more of the coaster.

[coastercrutchfield]

[ArizonaGuy]

^^Tourette's post??? Goliath video just out of nowhere. LOL

 

Anyways......a pic of helix demo was posted to SFFT's facebook page.

[coastercrutchfield]

^^Tourette's post??? Goliath video just out of nowhere. LOL

 

Whenever I upload new videos I usually post them here

[LBIJim]

Thanks for posting the photos from opening day. My only visit to Fiesta Texas was in July of 1992 and I remember how awesome Rattler looked. Wish I could say the ride was awesome too, but after the first drop and that turnaround, the rest of the course was almost unrideable. Still, I rode it 4 or 5 times since I think it was the only coaster at the park at the time.

 

Even though I was younger and more daring back then, many of the large wooden coasters of the era (Texas Giant, Mean Streak, Hercules at Dorney, etc.) were too rough for my taste, even during their initial seasons.

[jzoole]

^^Coastercrutchfield, that's some nice footage! I appreciate your sporadic non-iRat-related video uploads

[ben.hearn]

I'm new here and just wanted to say hi!

 

On to the main event! I went out to the park this past weekend to get my 2013 season pass and I checked on the Rattler while I was there. I can say that they have begun on removing track from the beginning of the station up to the transfer-track.

 

I went out today to take a look and saw some good things going on! They have started to add the steel cross ties for mounting the new track in the old helix. It's right after the barrel roll spot. So it's one of the first hills up there! I have pics below! Thanks!

 

WP_000029 by motozunez9, on Flickr

 

WP_000028 by motozunez9, on Flickr

 

WP_000027 by motozunez9, on Flickr

 

WP_000026 by motozunez9, on Flickr

 

I hope this are good pictures. I took them with my Nokia Lumia 900 fully zoomed in.

[Wes]

^ Thanks for the update. Looks promising!

[ArizonaGuy]

^^

Thanks for the photo update Ben. I'm still wondering why they haven't gonna rid of that one part of the helix closest to the cliff edge. Any thoughts, anyone? Unless that's the left side of the helix if looking at it from inside the park. Kinda hard to tell from the pics.

[Mrlittle]

^^

Thanks for the photo update Ben. I'm still wondering why they haven't gonna rid of that one part of the helix closest to the cliff edge. Any thoughts, anyone? Unless that's the left side of the helix if looking at it from inside the park. Kinda hard to tell from the pics.

 

It could be the only wood structure of the helix that was good enough to reuse for later

 

On a different note, I'm hoping they redo part of the queue line. It's unlikely but I dislike the small section leading up to the station.

[Jakizle]

Maybe they will leave that part of the helix there inside the cliff section as a memorial for the original ride.

 

Only kidding!!!

[texcoaster]

^^ are you talking about the part of the queue that winds between the boulders between the entrance sign and the zig-zag ramp?

 

That's the only part of the queue I like. The zig-zag ramp isn't too bad, but those switchbacks in the station are terrible. Claustrophobic, hot, and they're in the way of allowing enough room for people to queue for the seat they'd like.

[Mrlittle]

The zig-zag ramp isn't too bad

 

That's the part I wish they could redo. On a hot day, I always hate waiting on that ramp. But its doubtful they will do anything.

[Jakizle]

With the new ride having much higher capacity (no more 5 minute helix of death) I really do hope they touch up the queue a little bit. I also hate those ramps up to the top, they are way too cramped! The station is huge so I definitely think they should be able to make it more roomy

[texcoaster]

In general, I like ramps better than stairs, but I agree that the ramp there is very narrow.

 

The station is very roomy, but they've filled it with switchbacks and created a situation that plagues a LOT of coaster stations: the feed into the area where the individual seat queues are comes in at the end. In Rattler's case, it enters at the back seat queue, but I've seen a lot that enter at the front seat end.

 

This creates a big problem when the folks waiting for the front or back seat stack up and block the main queue. Astroworld's Viper was the worst offender I've ever seen of this, as there were stairs leading right up to the station at the front seat queue. When the front seat line backed up, other people in line were a couple of steps down and couldn't see that the people in front of them were waiting for the front seat, so they stayed put rather than maneuvering around them. This led to many instances where the queue would come to a screeching halt and multiple trains would dispatch with empty cars in the middle of the train, despite having a long queue for the ride.

 

In Rattler's case, SFFT has "solved" this issue by putting an employee at the end of the main queue and funneling people into the individual queues with assigned seating. Whether or not you'll be able to wait for a specific seat is entirely up to the person staffing that spot in the queue. I don't mind having assigned seating on a coaster (it makes the queue go faster), as long as I understand from the beginning that it will be that way. I hate being able to choose a seat in the morning, then waiting for an hour later the same day with the intention of riding in the opposite end of the train from my earlier ride, only to be told that now I don't get to choose. Pick a policy, state it clearly at the entrance to the ride (ala Blue Fire) and stick to it.

[biker7766]

^ El Toro at SFGAdv has that as well... It's very annoying even though I know to go around people, but for those who don't, it just makes the line longer.

[narkitty]

I actually really like the ramps in the Rattler queue. I do agree about the switchbacks at the top being way too crowded and claustrophobic, though. Even though the ramps are narrow, I've always taken it as a "if you're too fat to get up to the station, you're too fat to ride" type of thing. The trains on Rattler weren't very roomy, especially with the divider in the middle of the seats. Still, I was always amazed at people who would have to walk SIDEWAYS all the way up the ramps, and then get upset/offended when they couldn't fit into the seats.

 

I'd really hate to see them do too much renovating to the queue just because I think it's a neat design. I love the way that they have the on-ride photo uh....room? set up.