Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Mr. Starr]

Jo, to me it was just pretty obvious once I saw the concept art for Raptor again, and how the piece revealed today looks like the middle piece of the Wing Rider trains that actually sit on the track

 

 

[Commando]

Thats exactly what it looks like to me. So if the trains are going to be red I wonder what color the rest of the coaster will be.

[DBru]

Is anyone else surprised at how quickly these wing-rider coasters are catching on? This will apparently be the 4th one we "know" about, and the concept has only be alive for a couple years.

[Airtime&Gravity]

I'm not really surprised, as once parks see how well a design works, they usually start to build them it there aren't any serious problems.

 

Now that it is pretty much all but confirmed to be a wing coaster, I'm interested to see how they fit it in the Splash Water Falls/Great American Raceway location as it looks too small for a coaster that has such a wide clearance. I'm not saying it's impossible, especially if it crosses over Demon and goes over by Southwest Amphitheater.

 

Also, I hope they either come up with a thrilling design, or make a serious attempt to theme this. The designs we've seen so far, Raptor and Swarm, look okay(although Raptor looks really tame), but the themes look like they add a lot to the ride. If we just get a Raptor placed in a field, then I don't see many people riding once the newness factor wears off.

[Jojo19799]

They still have a lot of puzzle pieces to uncover. The first is only 3 days away. I must be shtoopid and not see the wing rider in the picture. I still think it could be anything.

[ilrider]

They still have a lot of puzzle pieces to uncover. The first is only 3 days away. I must be shtoopid and not see the wing rider in the picture. I still think it could be anything.

 

The red and black uncovered today are the themed middle of the trains, with the riders off to the sides. Once I saw today's clue, I felt confident for the first time it's a wingrider, as I instantly thought of Raptor's train.

[TheSchwitek]

All this discussion about the new coaster makes me think about how much the park has changed in the past 20 years. I really miss driving in through the toll booths and seeing Shockwave's giant blue and white structure looming in front of everything else. No one texting on their phone and almost hitting your car when you were parking. No facebook to act as a breeding ground for complaints about everthing imaginable before you even get to the park.

 

Anyways, I'm still super pumped about what is coming to the park in 2012! I'll be visiting for sure.

[Geauga Dog]

Is anyone else surprised at how quickly these wing-rider coasters are catching on? This will apparently be the 4th one we "know" about, and the concept has only be alive for a couple years.

 

I'm a bit surprised as how these have taken off like they have, especially since Intamin had the non-rotating seat concept for a longer time and only one was built.

 

I'm just glad that SFGAm is finally getting a big ride for a change.

[Commando]

My only worry is that SFGAm will get its wing rider and then Six Flags will use that layout as their standard cookie cutter wing rider. And then every Six Flags will have the exact same wing rider, invert, mouse, and flyer!

[Jerrykoala2112]

My only worry is that SFGAm will get its wing rider and then Six Flags will use that layout as their standard cookie cutter wing rider. And then every Six Flags will have the exact same wing rider, invert, mouse, and flyer!

 

All that matters was that SF Great America had it first

[Skycoastin Steve]

All this discussion about the new coaster makes me think about how much the park has changed in the past 20 years. I really miss driving in through the toll booths and seeing Shockwave's giant blue and white structure looming in front of everything else. No one texting on their phone and almost hitting your car when you were parking. No facebook to act as a breeding ground for complaints about everthing imaginable before you even get to the park.

 

Anyways, I'm still super pumped about what is coming to the park in 2012! I'll be visiting for sure.

Amen. And while I don't think I can make Chicago next year, there's always hope.

[GriffyTiffy]

I have never been so excited for a new addition my entire life! Bring on Thursday!

[Jerrykoala2112]

 

Link

 

All I can see is "Nothing Above .... Drops, 3 loops" ??

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Jo, to me it was just pretty obvious once I saw the concept art for Raptor again, and how the piece revealed today looks like the middle piece of the Wing Rider trains that actually sit on the track

 

 

 

Try comparing the image of SFMM's GL with that of the SFGRAM puzzle & see what you come up with as I don't think the wing rider is the same since the puzzle shows riders with legs & arms outstretched & the cars appear to have footrests while the wingrider doesn't.

[Sir Clinksalot]

^ GL doesn't have foot rests either.

 

The picture is NOT a ZacSpin. I don't know what it is, but it isn't that.

[John Knotts]

Yeah I wish people would stop with the ZacSpin thing. It's a wing rider, the end.

 

Now we just need to see the layout and the stats.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Am I the only one who doesn't get why the ride doesn't have a Batman theme for the Dark Knight Rises Movie?

[Ed Farmer]

Am I the only one who doesn't get why the ride doesn't have a Batman theme for the Dark Knight Rises Movie?

 

Might it have something to do with the other two Batman-themed coasters at the park?

[Jojo19799]

Yeah I wish people would stop with the ZacSpin thing. It's a wing rider, the end.

 

Sorry, I just don't see how it's a wing rider. It could be a zac spin or even a sky screamer. I'm just throwing out different options. They haven't revealed much of the puzzle.

[A.J.]

It really all comes down to the chassis that sits on the track.

 

• It can't be a ZacSpin because there are multiple chassis (s?) linked together.
  
• The section featuring a rider (lower left) shows that there is nothing below the rider's feet. Since the chassis is sitting on top of the track and not below, it has to be a ride where riders straddle the track on either side.
  
• A fourth-dimension coaster is unlikely because the picture is of a train going forward, where the 4D coasters travel backward when the track faces up.

 

So, by process of elimination, it's either an Intamin Wing Rider or a B&M Wing Coaster.

 

[/nerdyexplanation]

[Sir Clinksalot]

^^ There are multiple rows (as shown below). ZacSpins do NOT have multiple rows, and it'd be pretty impossible to do it unless there is some new layout/style of ZacSpin they are coming up with.

Multiple Rows = Not a ZacSpin

[Rollercoaster Rider]

And Also with Intamin's Track Record in Question (Ride Of Steel, Kentucky Kingdom's Drop Tower, I305 Retracking, Xcellerator Retracking, Etc.) I highly doubt it's an Intamin.

[ilrider]

Furious Baco, Intamin's only wing coaster, has suffered a lot of down time, from what I've heard (no big surprise). I don't think our park would even consider an Intamin wingrider after some of the the issues with V2. Plus, that's a launch coaster too. We need a nice lift and drop on this new coaster!

 

As I said yesterday, once I saw the red back black portion unveiled, it confirmed wingrider for me because of the design, as has been explained by others. The black pieces coming down and out from the middle are what protect the rider from touching the wheels or track, if you look at Raptor's train.

 

There just isn't evidence of any other type of ride in that puzzle. The only thing that is odd to me is what looks like a possible footrest on the right side, yet it's shaped like the bottom of the seat of a wingrider (though not placed properly, as that supports the rider's thighs).

[RandallDuell]

Don't think I've read this yet, but could it be that the two sides of that puzzle are two different pictures? Meaning the legs shown in the bottom left are of a rider on a different ride than the one in the upper right?

 

Whether it's one or two pictures/rides, there's one thing for sure: this is exciting times from Great America! I'd say Superman was the last "big thing", and that wasn't really that unique. This certainly has the makings of a truly unique thing (again) for this park!

[PKI Jizzman]

^^ There are multiple rows (as shown below). ZacSpins do NOT have multiple rows, and it'd be pretty impossible to do it unless there is some new layout/style of ZacSpin they are coming up with.

 

 

Okay, now I see what you're saying. Unless it's some super f'n crazy ZacSpin haha