Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Geauga Dog]

^^That would make sense and an idea I would support. It would give them the space to expand and retheme it into a proper Looney Tunes area since National Park is gone. A tower ride would look pretty cool over on that side of the park, too.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Seriously? You're still going on about this conspiracy? Everybody knows the aliens wrecked Ultra Twister, get over it already.

 

Adam, it wasn't aliens. It was mutant chipmunks that are preparing to take over the world, and are starting they're diabolical plan by screwing SFA in every way possible. KD is just the first to figure out this heinous plan, and wants to make sure every coaster fan on the planet knows about it.

 

Let's not start that please.I'm only going on the recent past history with rides being relocated to the park only to just sit there & rot rather than be installed,granted UT wasn't the best ride on the face of the earth but at least it was something.

 

Now I don't know if they'll invest in new trains when really the only thing new trains would provide are the new style standup restraints,which IW's current trains already have,plus the track has been refined a bit between the time that IW & the vortex twins debutted so there's the possibility that new trains may not even be compatible with this particular ride.

[chadster]

Are people actually taking seriously the picture of "X-Flight pieces on site"??? I guess sarcasm is truly a lost art on this here Internet. For the record, I appreciated the joke!

 

[chadster]

Iron Wolf's trains are gone and a crane is poised for action in the maintenance area behind it.

 

That is a crane that is owned by the park and has always been stored in that spot when not being used. I'm not sure of its size, but they will need another larger crane for at least the lift, drop, and loop.

 

And those "X-Flight pieces" are the frame of a tent that used to be where Little Dipper is.

 

 

This is not X-Flight. These are pieces for S:UF's queue. They've been there all season.

 

 

^

And those "X-Flight pieces" are the frame of a tent that used to be where Little Dipper is.

 

And they have been there since opening day 2010

 

Did you guys really think I was being serious?

[Jojo19799]

^YES!!

 

But in all seriousness, many people think that X-Flight will go where IW is. We even heard people talk about this on the train. Just because one ride is leaving, doesn't mean that another ride will go in that same spot. X-Flight has a larger layout (at least from what the video shows) than IW.

 

I do have one question, has anyone heard about Great American Raceway? Yes I'm fully aware they are removing it, but is there a chance that it might move somehwere else in the park?

[netdvn]

Let's not start that please.I'm only going on the recent past history with rides being relocated to the park only to just sit there & rot rather than be installed,granted UT wasn't the best ride on the face of the earth but at least it was something.

 

Now I don't know if they'll invest in new trains when really the only thing new trains would provide are the new style standup restraints,which IW's current trains already have,plus the track has been refined a bit between the time that IW & the vortex twins debutted so there's the possibility that new trains may not even be compatible with this particular ride.

 

Face it, you totally had that comment coming to you considering all the other comments you made about SFA in the past.

 

SF has moved plenty of coasters in the past without any trouble. I can only think of two coasters that were moved and never built. One of them was a stand up that nobody really cares about that much (and was moved around) and the other was Ultra Twister, which has moved a few times in the past.

 

Trains shouldn't be much of an issue either.

[deathbydinn]

The Fright Fest site has been updated with a few things;

 

- Dying Trapeze is now listed as being a re-themed King Chaos

- A new scare zone in County Fair:The Ruins of Fenrir

- Fiddlers Flung is now being haunted by Anton himself!

 

Formerly Fiddler's Fling - One of the original ride operators from the park back in 1976, Anton is said to have passed away in 2001.

Now his spirit occasionally inhabits this ride, his favorite ride. To the park staff the ride earned it’s nickname from bouts of uncontrollable twirling.

The park staff doesn’t know what to do, because the ride has been known to occasionally spin out of control, even after power has been turned off. Oddly if the park mechanics try and repair the unexplained damage, The East River Kraken, BioHazard, and Orbit stop working. Will this be one of those times that the ride spins out of control?

 

http://frightfest.sixflags.com/greatamerica/attractions

 

The park has also begun to post some Iron Wolf destruction and X Flight construction photos.

 

IW-

XF-

Edited September 18, 2011 by deathbydinn

[GriffyTiffy]

^ That is a REALLY cool shout out to Schwarzkopf. Also, glad they got the Dying Trapeze thing sorted out! I got confused

[KDCOASTERFAN]

On Sunday Sept. 11th they had the old Traffique Jam cars out on its old course under the queue ramps going to American Eagle and there were also backhoe machines out behind the arcade. Remind me again why Maryland needed Iron Wolf so bad and could not just build a NEW coaster???

They should have left the historical ride where it started and refurbished it to a smooth Iron Wolf again. Pathetic world we live in these days.

 

Simple:it's because SFI is too cheap to give SFA a "new" coaster after ten years of nothing so they decided to turn the park into the next used rides dumping ground.

[XYZ]

On Sunday Sept. 11th they had the old Traffique Jam cars out on its old course under the queue ramps going to American Eagle and there were also backhoe machines out behind the arcade. Remind me again why Maryland needed Iron Wolf so bad and could not just build a NEW coaster???

They should have left the historical ride where it started and refurbished it to a smooth Iron Wolf again. Pathetic world we live in these days.

 

Simple:it's because SFI is too cheap to give SFA a "new" coaster after ten years of nothing so they decided to turn the park into the next used rides dumping ground.

 

It's much better than nothing and probably much better than CGA's 2012 ride (if there is one).

 

It's sad they have to take out the antique cars. In CGA, the Barney Oldfield Speedway (same thing to SFGAm's version) always has long lines and long waits. It's fun for the kids because this the only opportunity for them to drive until they are 16. They could've re-routed the antique cars around X-Flight.

[deathbydinn]

^ If they were popular enough, they probably would have. The cars had seem to lost their appeal, I really never saw a line for them, and there's always the ones in Kidzopolis for kids that really want the driving experience.

[XYZ]

^ If they were popular enough, they probably would have. The cars had seem to lost their appeal, I really never saw a line for them, and there's always the ones in Kidzopolis for kids that really want the driving experience.

 

OK, now I understand why they took it out, though it's just sad to see another classic Marriott ride taken out, it always seemed that Marriott's Great America seemed to be a spectacular park that was made for fun.

[Andrewoplis]

The Fright Fest site has been updated with a few things;

 

Formerly Fiddler's Fling - One of the original ride operators from the park back in 1976, Anton is said to have passed away in 2001.

Now his spirit occasionally inhabits this ride, his favorite ride. To the park staff the ride earned it’s nickname from bouts of uncontrollable twirling.

The park staff doesn’t know what to do, because the ride has been known to occasionally spin out of control, even after power has been turned off. Oddly if the park mechanics try and repair the unexplained damage, The East River Kraken, BioHazard, and Orbit stop working. Will this be one of those times that the ride spins out of control?

 

Haha, very cool! I wish more parks would do clever little things like this!

[SFGAm Shock Wave]

This site brought to you by the greatest people ever!

Edited October 7, 2011 by gisco

[Mr. Starr]

This year's Fright Fest is already looking awesome! Can't wait to see what else they do, and that facade looks fantastic!

[deathbydinn]

At the end of the 2012 video when they said Fright Fest would be better this year, I figured it would just be a few more actors and maybe an extra prop or two, but this is looking great and really has me looking forward to whats yet to come. Just 12 days now!

[traincrossin]

^ & ^^ What they said.

 

While Fright Fest is a fun time to go to Six Flags, it's never been amazing. It's fun seeing the whole park decorated for Halloween, but the mazes are usually meh. By the looks of it they're putting a little more effort into all of Fright Fest this year and it's looking great so far. Hopefully they'll keep making the event better and better!

[Jerrykoala2112]

I really wish Fright Fest would be warm enough to dye Roaring Rapids red and theme it to Blood River. I remember when they did that back in 2002-2003 and it was the coolest thing ever. But last year, almost every weekend was way too cold to ride anything with water.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Shouldn't they start removing IW's track before breaking up it's footers?

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Here's a tip to anyone going to Six Flags Great America during Fright Fest.

 

SEE LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT!!! To miss it is to miss Fright Fest.

[SharkTums]

Shouldn't they start removing IW's track before breaking up it's footers?

 

But then how can they damage it enough so that it won't be able to go into SFA!?!?

[netdvn]

 

Pretty sweet video of the park during it's construction phase in the 70s as well as old & rare Marriott-era footage/commercials.

 

Both Great America parks have had an interesting history, one being the crown jewel of the chain and the other placed on the other end of the spectrum. Despite the kinda low quality of the footage, it's still fun to watch how the park evolved since it opened.

Edited September 23, 2011 by netdvn

[KDCOASTERFAN]

^The link doesn't work correctly.

[jedimaster1227]

But then how can they damage it enough so that it won't be able to go into SFA!?!?

 

This.

[deathbydinn]

Just got back from Fright Fest, thought I'd share my thoughts on it. I'll have pictures up either later tonight or tomorrow.

 

Overall, I thought the event was better this year compared to last. There seemed to be more theming, a lot more scare-actors and just an overall better atmosphere. The Gorilla and the FF ride signs are yet to be put up (except for Terror Twisters) but with the recent weather I was surprised more wasn't done. Plus, the park was very empty for FF, so that just makes it better on its own.

 

Carousel Plaza: The graveyard around the reflection pool looked great, and just in the small area behind the carousel and between the entrance to HTS and OP, there were 3 or 4 actors while I don't remember seeing any there last year!

 

Bayou De Vaudou: I didn't like Seven Sins Cemetery, I didn't like this. Pretty much the same theming, but at least there were 4 actors, were as last year I saw 1.

 

Last Stop: Burn 'Em and Buried Circus: Not too different from last year, but the Dying Trapeze overlay was well done, and a clowns are just scary in general so it was pretty good.

 

Necropolis: Different from last year, but better IMO. The asylum for the insane was gone, but the cool axe girl video/animatronic was still on display.

 

Port Dread: One of the smaller zones, but very well themed with great scare-actors.

 

The Ruins of Fenrir: According to the FF map the zone is between Fiddlers Flung and the train station, but all that was there was dead trees and cornstalks so..not too sure what that was all about. I didn't go by after 4 though, so I can't comment on scare-actors. The ride graveyard, while not technically in the zone, is nearby and was very well done. SWF, SW and GAR cars on display, plus a freshly dug grave for IW. (Which is completely blocked by cornstalks, so to get any deconstruction pictures you have to stick a camera over the fence.)

 

Hellmouth: Seemed like a bit of an afterthought. Outside of Demons sign and the wood-chip pentagram, there wasn't much theming. At least the scare-actors had cool costumes that were pretty unique.

 

Tinseltown Terror: More spread out this year, twice the amount of actors, and new better costumes.

 

Sector 7: Probably the best scare zone. Whizzer had some nice theming added to it that you see in line and on the ride itself, lots of radioactive barrels all over and as we know barrels=theming, and 4 or 5 scare-actors that seemed to be getting the most scares out of people. Plus it has LAFF and lots of pretty X Flight pictures, so it gets a few extra points of that.

 

As for actual houses I only did Massacre Medical Center. It was good enough that I'd definitely do it again, but not after 5 when it's full price. I was in the middle of a large group, so while for me it wasn't particularly scary, it was still very fun. There's also a very cool scare they do at the beginning, which I wont spoil, but is definitely something that stuck out to me.

 

As for shows, just LAFF, but like last year it was great. Same premise, same songs, mostly same cast, but better jokes IMO as well as a great use of Rebecca Blacks infamous "Friday."

 

And then we get to Terror Twister Two: A Turn for the Worst. It's still amazing, had some cool new lights, and was just all around great. The music could definitely be turn up though, as you can hear it from outside the ride, but isn't all too loud on the inside. Might just be me, but I think for a ride like this the music should be blasting. The DJ was also not yet/will not be up.

 

And thats it! I'll get pics up soon in my PTR thread, definitely looking forward to going back soon and hopefully trying a few other houses.