Six Flags Magic Mountain Terminator Salvation: The Ride

[Sir Clinksalot]

How is the airtime on this ride? I watched the video shot on-ride (facing backwards) and it looked like there were some good pops of air, particularly on the exit from the deadman turn.

 

Eric

 

Eric, there are some definate pops. I think the biggest one is probably the first drop going under the lift and you get it from all seats. It's not ejector air or anything, but it's there.

 

You also get some floater air when you go under the exit. Here.

[NYTrojan]

What does it say about me that even though I saw the Terminator Movie and wasn't terribly impressed (I'd give it a B-) I still want it to do really well because of the work Magic Mountain has put in here?

[CreditCrazy]

I enjoyed the ride. There was some nice air-time on the bunnyhop right after the first drop, and definitely some exiting the deadman's turn. The fire exploding out of the car (or truck? Jeep?) was cool, and so was flying into the second tunnel right after the station fly-by. I liked the theming around the pre-show rooms, but the pre-shows got old after a couple rides. It was cool waiting in line/boarding/exiting and hearing the train rush over you through the station. The ride is very smooth, and exciting (great pacing). I got 4 rides on it (rows 5, 8, 9, and 10) and I think row 5 was the best (can't wait to sometime try it in the front). My last ride on it at night was definitely the best with the bright fire and quick turns. Overall, a great ride. I'd give it an 8/10 and it is definitely my favorite woodie, beating Roar (SFDK).

[shepp]

The ride looks great, the movie a lot less so. It got a pretty miserable 31% on the Tomatometer, and the San Francisco paper called it "unsalvageable." While it sounds like it's full of the kind of amped-up CGI sure to appeal to the coaster's core ridership, I'm wondering if bad word-of-mouth will make the movie a box office disappointment, leaving SFMM with their equivalent of Disneyland's Howard the Duck Mountain.

 

I guess it shows the perils of closely theming a ride to a yet-to-be-released sequel in an aging franchise. Maybe they should have just added a Drew Barrymore animatron to Scream?

[robbalvey]

^ OMG! I would *love* a Howard the Duck ride!!!

 

In other news, I do want to let everyone know that we WILL be limiting tickets to the Termination Day on June 28th in an effort to keep ERT lines short. So please REGISTER NOW so you can guarantee your spot!

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?categoryID=12

 

--Robb

[SharkTums]

I'll throw in my review as well.

 

I liked the ride a lot more than I thought I would. It feels like a standard GCI, but a lot faster. The only bummer about the ride itself is it is REALLY short. Now I know that track length wise it's not the shortest GCI, but because of the speed it keeps up it feels even shorter. I didn't notice ANY of the 'GCI Pops of Airtime', like you'll find on OzCat or Rumbler. Lots of direction changes and speed. For the record I rode multiple times in the front, back, middle, and at night.

 

Now, for the theming elements...

 

The preshows are very interesting, and feel like the park is REALLY trying. But I am VERY concerned for how these will hold up over time. There was so much nice stuff that could easily be destroyed by the general public. Also, the flow of the line and preshows needs to be worked on as several times we would pull back into the half full station and they would have to wait for more people to get through the show. We even got a few half full trains which was a bummer as I feel the ride runs better with a full train. Throughout the day, some preshow effects already broke.

 

The station is also TINY, and you basically have to be lucky to see the station fly by. Most of the time you'll be sitting in the train while the train goes over you and you won't even see it.

 

The fire is really nice and works. Reminds me of the fire (when it's on!) on the Italian Job rides.

 

Mist in the tunnel was nice, and I hear they are working on lighting effects in the tunnels as well. The tunnels were a really nice addition though.

 

Audio. Ugh, here's where it all goes terribly wrong. The audio was so deafening loud that it left us with headaches after every ride. On one ride we got stuck on the lift hill while the audio just kept going and it was torture. We had our hands over our ears and it was just unbearable. Also seems like a safety issue cause there is no way you could hear any sort of announcements going on the lift. Also, compared to X the 'music' didn't seem to flow at all. Most of us couldn't even make out that there was music...it just sounded like noise. We all really liked the random things that the audio yelled at us (TAKE THE TUNNEL), but it was just way too loud and noise filled to be considered a good audio track. Also, the speakers are going to get destroyed by the GP. They're not protected at all, and we saw some people trying to grab on to them!

 

Overall, I think it's a step in the right direction for SFMM and I hope they can keep it up!

[robbalvey]

^ On a side note, I'm told that the station is the same size as Troy and Thunderhead, but just seems smaller because it's more enclosed than those others.

 

I too felt the station seemed really cramped and they'll need a grouper position full time because there is realy no room to line up for the front seat.

 

Also I was told that they will continue to tweak how the crowd goes through the line and I would expect that things could be different even by the end of this weekend.

 

I agree with the audio track. I loved the "sound FX" and the random sound bytes - Gunshots, "TAKE THE TUNNEL!!!" etc, and I liked the station sound FX, but the rest of it just sounded like noise to me.

 

And I too saw someone grabing onto the speaker as though it was a 'grab bar.' I really thought this chick was going to totally rip the speaker out of the seat!!!

 

--Robb

[mcjaco]

^ OMG! I would *love* a Howard the Duck ride!!!

 

I'll echo this sentiment. Howard the Duck rules!

[hyyyper]

^ On a side note, I'm told that the station is the same size as Troy and Thunderhead, but just seems smaller because it's more enclosed than those others.

--Robb

 

If Troy's is bigger, it would on be a foot or two wider, certainly not more.

 

I can't wait untill August to how this baby rides.

[ethans_dad06]

Well the GP destroying the speaker problem is an easy fix, they just need to put some decent grills over them, let's hope that SFMM sees this and fixes the issue before it becomes a problem.

[BeemerBoy]

I'll just say this. Although SF has taken a fair amount of bashing over the years for not theming stuff, this was a nice change of pace. While several elements of TS may not be perfect, and receive minor criticism (small station, pre-show that may wear thin, etc.) I'll admit that the overall effort here is pretty impressive for SF....at least from what I've seen.

 

Kudos to SFMM's management team for taking the time to read the boards, listen to the fans, and try to provide a complete ride. Whoever was mostly responsible for saying "this is the direction we should go in," congrats.

 

I hope this trend continues.

[vacoaster]

Maybe someone of you can voice your concerns to them. I'm sure feedback would be appreciated especially when it pertains to maintaining the appearance and look of the ride. I think the speaker issue is a key concern that needs to be at least voiced. I know they may be aware but they may not as of yet.

[gotdane]

Had a blast at the KROQ event last night! The park was empty and X2, Tatsu, Deja Vu, Terminator, Riddler's, Batman, and Goliath were all open with NO lines.

 

I almost want to say the best thing about last night was X2 with NO line. Empty rows went out every train. Didn't wait at all for my first time rides in the front in the back. (I had ridden X several times in middle rows and X2 once in the middle)...Loved my 3 rides on it, couldn't take much more of such and intense ride, though.

 

On to Terminator. The ride really kicks butt at night. The pre-show surprised me the first time I rode; I thought it was really good! But...Its rather annoying for re-rides. And was rather annoying to walk up to the station and see them dispatching a train with only 2 rows of people in it. This can't happen with a full line of people, if it does, they need to be ready for a lot of angry people.

 

I'm not a fan of the audio. It's too loud and the only discernible things are when they yell "They're here!" and "Take the tunnel!" at you and some gunshots. Other than that...noise.

 

The fire is perfectly placed, and the queue looks fantastic. Overall a fantastic ride.

 

It is a shame that two of the ride ops were pushing down unnecessarily hard. It was enough to cause some pain...even for another Guest that was riding behind me one cycle. And it's also too bad they weren't allowing row requests either.

[bonjovimonkey]

All i can say is i went into the KROQ event with low expecations and somehow came away completely blown away. I tried to stay away from knowing too much til i actually experienced it myself.

 

As far as Magic Mt and management kudos on this ride and themeing and everything about the ride. From the preshows rooms (yes volume was a tad high) i had imagined nothing as elaborate as what they put forth. It really did make you feel like you were in a "bunker" hiding from the machines er Terminators. The antsy general hurry up don't touch anything in the videos lol. Of course the apocolypitic Magic Mt was footage was wow.

 

The last room however a few effects weren't working but no biggie. The park president gave us a little hint but it wasn't even plugged in to try it. Hopefully it will be fully functional in the future to try out.

 

The employees seem to fit into character try to keep it up and keep us all in the role playing we have to hurry to the trains urgency.

 

The station is small but it WORKS for me anyways. Remember you're in a bunker trying to escape the machines. Managed to get 19 rides in and could have gone for way more but didn't push ourselves any. Plenty of rides for me.

 

Rode in the front (liked almost as good as the back), back and even middle countless times. I think we rode in every single row or thereabouts. The trains themselves very detailed and comfy. Left side is more intense i think than the right side. The trains fit.

 

The soundtrack onboard audio too loud. (We did tell the park president this) so someone in management does know. The lifthill faster than i thought figured it would be.

 

The ride itself smooth and fast almost going nonstop til the final breaks. A little pops of air every now and then. Yes Elissa pops of air i experienced first hand. I love that. Just enough for me actually. I love the "Here they come!!!" out of the speakers at the top of the lifthill and i found myself saying that over and over as we rode.

 

"Take the tunnel" i can't stop hearing that as well right now even. UberBeavis kept yelling it and got looks from others. Love the station fly by.

 

Can't wait to see the full tunnel effects but even with no effects as of yesterday still amazing and gives the ride a unique feel to it. I swear twists and turns and not knowning which way the train is going etc.

 

At night this is an amazing ride into almost pitch darkness. Since it is over by Deja Vu the only lighting was from the lifthill and DejaVu's station. Totally amazing when we would turn into completely darkness at the first drop. I could go on and on about this ride.

 

Yes having to go thru the Preshow rooms over and over is a bit much but it does give time to take a breather and actually absorb more of the preshow films. It took me a few times to actually see the person running in the background of the first video in the first room.

 

The FIRE effects totally surprised me. I had heard it had FIRE but when it actually went off i nearly jumped the first time.

 

It was hard to talk to your partner onboard against the audio volume but you really don't need to be having a conversation while riding a ride anyways.

 

I rate it a 10 out of a 10. Magic Mt really came away with a winner here. And for the record I'm almost Disney'd out. If Magic Mt management keeps going in this sort of direction and puts out more attractions like this one then Disney will be getting less and less visits from me. That's saying alot since most of my time is spent at Disney.

 

I will definitely be there on June 28th already registered and paid. UberBeavis will too.

[ajinaz]

it was so loud that I was unable to carry a conversation for the person riding next to me.

 

Gotta admit that this was the first time I've heard this one on a coaster review. Restaurant reviews yes, but never for a coaster.

[robbalvey]

TAKE THE TUNNEL!!!!

[robbalvey]

Maybe someone of you can voice your concerns to them. I'm sure feedback would be appreciated especially when it pertains to maintaining the appearance and look of the ride. I think the speaker issue is a key concern that needs to be at least voiced. I know they may be aware but they may not as of yet.

SFMM management reads this forum on a regular basis. I'm absolutley sure all of these comments have been read and noted alrady.

 

The other thing I want to give them credit to is that many of the things we see, they ALSO see.

 

I walked the queue with Neal last night and as I comment on things before I'm even done with my thought, I hear exactly the response I was hoping for, so it's clear to me they know a lot of this already, but I think heariing it from more people does help reinforce and prioritize issues.

 

For example, I said to him "You guys need more monitors in this 2nd pre-show room..." and he already had said "We're getting more and possibly changing the location of others."

 

Give them time. They only got people through the queue for the first time yesterday, and I'm sure after this holiday weekend a *LOT* will be learned and tweaked!

 

These guys have been at it a LONG time...they know the drill!

 

--Robb

[bonjovimonkey]

Couldn't agree with you more Robb. Six Flags Management knows what they are doing and they do read these boards and listen to us feedback in person etc. I give them credit and kudos for only having so much time to get things ready for us and Media Day as well. I'm sure things will be "TWEEKED" as they call it in the days to come. Yesterday we were the "guinea pigs" so to speak...lol

 

 

TAKE THE TUNNEL!!!!

[brutusln]

ATTENDANCE

Was anyone surprised how few attendees there were for the KROQ event? I was. Wow!

 

THE COASTER

I was blown away by the smoothness and night time intensity of Terminator! It's so smooth, a mohel could operate while riding. At night, it's a much more intense ride, but still smooth as butter! The big winner of the night was GCI who created a stunning mid-sized coaster with a big punch. I could ride this 10 times in a row!

 

PRESHOW SETS THE TONE

The preshow videos are successful at creating the feeling of impending danger!

 

STORY ISSUES:

My issues with the story are these: Where is the enemy? We need more visuals. How 'bout one of the droids pops up and interrupts the video. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm going to kick your butts. Okay? go back to what you were doing." No location, no special effects needed, just a simple single CU shot.

 

I wish those robots in the last room could talk:

ROBOT 1: "If we had legs, we would totally go after you humans in this room."

ROBOT 2: "Yeah, but we don't have legs, so we can't."

ROBOT 1: "Yeah. We're still waiting for our legs to be delivered. The delivery truck broke down. But the other Terminators out there, they have legs. So they can run fast. So watch out."

ROBOT 3: "I wish I had legs because I would totally kick some butt right now."

 

Story is not about evading, it's about facing the enemy in a last stand. But much of the dialogue is about escaping. "You've got to get out of here." One place, one emotion, one goal. Get her done. I'd change the line to "You gotta help us. Ride this coaster and find the Terminators, we'll take it from there."

 

• --Too much question and answer dialogue throughout. Too much confusion.
  --Delete the "train" concept. Just say the Terminators are hiding among the coaster and you've got to find them.
  --We need more humor like the line "When Mommy gets back she'll hold your hand."
  --What will the final set piece look like? Vanquished terminators?
  --Change the music at the end to be "feel good" music.

I got chills when I finished riding this coaster. Big things come in small packages. What a fantastic ride. So much fun, SFMM has a winner!

 

THEMEPARKREVIEW

I was delighted at how gregarious and well mannered the Themeparkreview.com attendees were. Just fun. (I was the fat bald guy.) My first time meeting Robb and Elissa and I was so impressed. Risible and bouyant. Thanks for the directions to Terminator via Orient Express. It worked!

[rawrtotheargh]

Are al of the employees working at Terminator going to be wearing the camo outfits? Or is it just for media day and this weekend? Just curious if anyone knows or heard.

[NEDM]

Which other GCI coaster would those who have been on most or all of them say TS:TR is closest to? Appearance wise, it's sort of like Kentucky Rumbler, but what do you all think?

[robbalvey]

I have posted some of the HD offride footage we shot yesterday here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-wLQqFKWIE&fmt=22

 

I included some of the park's POV B-Roll, but we haven't seen an unedited version or an HD version yet.

 

--Robb

[rawrtotheargh]

^ Awesome! Thanks for the video Robb. If only my computer were faster and it didn't take 5 minutes to download the whole thing. Love the Shop and wood thing.

[robbalvey]

Just in case it gets lost on the last page...

 

I have posted some of the HD offride footage we shot yesterday here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-wLQqFKWIE&fmt=22

 

I included some of the park's POV B-Roll, but we haven't seen an unedited version or an HD version yet.

 

Here's the standard def CoasterTube version:

 

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=terminator_pov_xqzh[/coastertube]

 

--Robb

[TPDave]

That thing does fly!

 

Thanks for uploading the video