Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[TEDodd]

Is Six Flags still turning a shoulder to Gerstlauer after what happened with New Texas Giant?

 

Not the right place, so I'd appreciate a pm linking to that story.

[JT325]

If I'm not mistaken, these are technically custom trains, right?

 

Yes - the chassis is a faithful reproduction of Schwarzkopf, but the interiors are a SF custom job. The thing that stinks about this is one of the best parts about riding Mind Bender (and Shock Wave, Scorpion, etc.) is being able to slide around on the curves due to those old perfect flat-ish seats that were on all Schwarzkopf (and Gerstlauer replacement) trains. The new Revolution trains have bucket-y trains that take that fun away as well as a strange angled headrest, which has a hard back connected to the train body - and thus causes a strange vibration up through the headrest. Basically, the SF custom trains are hot mess.

 

SooperdooperLooper had it's 3rd generation trains built by Gerstlauer (which are not a possibility) and have slight buckets in the seat, but still much more comfy and classic than these new custom jobs. Although an significant detail to most folks, this really sucks for some of us die-hard Schwarzkopf fans. That lateral motion was pronounced and vivid on my first Mind Bender ride back in 1990; that hard left at the top of the spiral, after the first loop. And the next curve even more, flying right into your riding partner. Schwarzkopf trains enabled some of that classic wood coaster motion into them, very cool. I hope they wait a while, I'd like to get down there and ride my favorite looper a few more times before these not-as-fun SF custom jobs hit the track.

[coasterbill]

I expect people to have different tastes but honestly I don't have any issue with the trains on New Revolution. I don't really have a strong favorite between those trains, the Gerstlauer trains on SooperdooperLooper or Schwarzkopf trains.

[joelwee]

This is interesting; I noticed Revolution has only been running one train and had just assumed the 2nd train was being rehabbed. I wonder if Six Flags plans on using that train on Mindbender and keeping Revolution at permanent one-train ops? Permanent one-train ops isn't a typical practice for Magic Mountain, but Revolution rarely has a sizeable wait anymore and doesn't have much need for a second train outside of exceptionally crowded days - so who knows?

[A.J.]

Is Six Flags still turning a shoulder to Gerstlauer after what happened with New Texas Giant?

Not the right place, so I'd appreciate a pm linking to that story.

As others above me pointed out, I'm referring to Six Flags' decision to use in-house reproductions (like on New Revolution) as opposed to the Gerstlauer trains currently running on Sooperdooperlooper and Psyke Underground. The Gerstlauer option is the equivalent to Vekoma replacing an Arrow train or one of their old trains with the new "vest-style" design - the closest thing to a new factory replacement.

 

Much like the enthusiast community likes to believe that Cedar Fair no longer wishes to work with Intamin anymore, the blame game of the New Texas Giant incident has made the community also believe that Six Flags no longer wishes to work with Gerstlauer, who made New Texas Giant's trains. Which side of either argument you're on is completely on you, and only those who are in the know, actually know which is true.

 

I wonder if Six Flags plans on using that train on Mindbender and keeping Revolution at permanent one-train ops?

They wouldn't be able to use that particular Revolution train on Mind Bender without some operational changes, since it has five cars, and Mind Bender's trains run seven.

[Seddy]

I just got home from a pretty decent night at the park. I decided to go around 7pm and arrived at 7:30pm. There was no wait to get in but the entrance plaza/midway was a little crowded.

 

Although the park was slightly crowded, the lines were minimal. The longest line I saw was for Monster Mansion, which had a half-filled queue house. Superman’s line was at the bottom of the steps and they were only running one train, with the 2nd train parked in the adjacent station. I think we waited maybe 30 minutes for a back row ride.

 

We could see people waiting in the Justice League queue as we walked past so we decided to skip it. We waited 2 cycles for a back row ride on Twisted Cyclone and then headed to Acrophobia where we only waited for one cycle before we boarded. The rotation feature was turned off tonight too, which changes the ride experience IMO.

 

Goliath had a station wait and we ran down to Gotham in an attempt to get a lap on Batman before closing. We failed... but not because the park had closed. Two security guards were posted at the entrance and the chain was up - and it was only 9:55pm. I’m not sure why they closed the line early but there was nothing left to do except power walk over to Mind Bender. Fortunately we were the last group of people allowed to enter the queue and we were on the last train of the night.

 

For a Saturday night, I am satisfied with my HITP visit - with the exception of the missing Batman lap. The lights and decorations were beautiful and I noticed alot of differences in terms of the decorations from last year.

 

I also noticed the Joker’s Funhouse Coaster train valleyed in the tunnel section - which probably explained why it was closed. The Railroad was not running and Sky Screamer, Blue Hawk, and GASM will be closed for the rest of the season.

 

Oh!!! They are retracking the first drop and the 90 degree turn on GASM!! As we were exiting Superman, I noticed that the track appeared to be missing. I walked up to get a closer look and my hopes were confirmed! Looks like we have something else to look forward to for 2020!!

 

It appears that Goliath will receive a new coat of paint for the 2020 season as well! As I was walking to the front gate, I noticed that the supports ‘outside’ looked a bit brighter than I remembered. It looks like they painted those supports ahead of time - maybe to test the color scheme. Whatever the case maybe, there is definitely fresh paint on the supports. Superman also looked to have a fresh coat of paint on the supports.

 

There are empty pallets behind Mind Benders transfer shed, and the ‘old’ second train has been taken apart. Its was sitting in front of the shed. I couldn’t get a look of the New Revolution train as the transfer shed was sealed shut - but it’s definitely on the track at this point.

 

I didn’t get many pictures because it was dark BUT I plan on going back next weekend for some daytime photo ops.

Doesn’t that paint look fresh?

GASM retracking confirmed!!

[chschris1]

Its awesome they have already painted Georgia Scorcher and are now repainting Goliath and possibly Superman! Next year will not be spectacular considering the rides that are being installed, but I appreciate parks spending money on things that do make the overall experience better. A freshly painted Scorcher and Goliath are going to look fantastic at the front of the park. Now, if they would just bulldoze Blue Hawk and add a badass launcher SFOG could very well be a destination park in the South East.

[djcoastermark]

Just curious, We are planning on going to the park either next weekend or the following, coming up from Fla. I see both Saturdays are calling for cloudy skies and off/on 40% rain chances. I would prefer to go next weekend but am wondering how their rain policies are? Do they close most rides due to rain or even the whole park ? Never been there and am excited to ride some of the coasters mostly. ( and Monster Mansion of course)

[tndank]

We took our moms to HITP last night. Had a good time. They were running 2 trains on Superman when we rode about 530. No real lines so I can see removing one.

 

Crystal Pistol show was good with usual cast. The moms enjoyed it. Bad Bob is always fun.

 

We had a good day.

[thrillseeker4552]

Superman got completely re-painted in 2017 when Justice League opened. They're painting again?

[Seddy]

Just curious, We are planning on going to the park either next weekend or the following, coming up from Fla. I see both Saturdays are calling for cloudy skies and off/on 40% rain chances. I would prefer to go next weekend but am wondering how their rain policies are? Do they close most rides due to rain or even the whole park ? Never been there and am excited to ride some of the coasters mostly. ( and Monster Mansion of course)

 

Six Flags has a ‘level’ system they use to determine what rides close during different weather events. A light sprinkle wont cause any rides to close but steady rain will call for a closure of the Level A rides. Taller rides and coasters with uncovered brake runs are Level A. So Goliath, Twisted Cyclone, Mind Bender, Dare Devil Dive, Scorcher, Superman, and Acrophobia will all go down if steady rain is approaching the area. Batman will run in the rain since the brakes are completely covered, but if the rain gets heavy they will close it.

 

Monster Mansion is at the bottom of the list, and it will only close if there’s a strong storm approaching - as lightning has the potential to cut the power in the park, causing mass evacuations if guests onboard. Justice League is a little strange considering it’s indoors. I believe there are some leaks in the building structure. I say this because it also closes when there is heavy rain. I’m assuming they dont want to mix the rain with all of the electronics controlling the ride - which makes sense.

 

The good thing about the rain is that it will keep the crowds away. If the park is busy and it starts to rain, alot of people will leave - giving you total walk-on’s once the weather passes. Unfortunately though, there’s a down side to that. If the park isn’t busy and the radar shows a substantial amount of rain - they’ll announce that the park will close early.

 

Good luck on your trip! I hope this information helps!

[djcoastermark]

^ Thanx for the info. I think we will take our chances on this coming weekend as the forecast for both weekends are similar.

[Lotologist492]

Now that the 2019 season at SFOG has come to an end, this is a good opportunity to look back at the past year. Overall, I believe operations improved - slightly. There is still tons of room for improvement. Anyway, this is my summary for the year gone by:

 

LOWS:

- Lackluster customer service overall, particularly at food and beverage locations. No passion for the job. This also applies to White Water

- Cleanliness. On far too many visits the park was very dirty. Not every day, but most of the time.

- Membership deposit refund policy. Although the website reads after a 1-year commitment, the deposit will be refunded in the way it was paid (in my instance, a credit to my card); my money was instead refunded via Looney Loot (in-park cash). Basically, I had to spend this money inside the park before the end of the 2019 season; receive no membership reward points on LL purchases, and cannot spend it at all in the cash-free USA section.

- Locomotive / train inoperative most of the season

- Fluffy bunny (personal storage) policy - ride ops continue to feel enforcing this rule is worth holding up dispatches.

- Park entrance line - very slow process many days. Special Membership-only line is often longer too.

 

HIGHS:

- Older rides slowly getting attention. Repainted Scorcher looks GREAT.

- Dining pass - elimination of hours; can use lunch, dinner, and snack anytime of day up until closing.

- Food wait times - slight improvement on average (but can still be much better). Changes to the Dining pass likely played a role by eliminating rush times.

- New Pandemonium ride - an excellent addition to the park!

- Addition of beverage refill stations around the park. (But please, can we clean them?!)

- Holiday in the Park - addition of ScreamPunk District (and Pandemonium)

 

Now on to 2020....

I am eagerly anticipating the newly renovated Gotham City section in addition to the new rides. This area has been in dire need of some love. Also - Scream Machine is undergoing re-tracking in the off-season. According to park management, this is a 5-year overhaul, which started in 2018. On my final visit of the year, I had the opportunity to talk to the park President Dale Kaetzel. He indicated there are "more exciting announcements to come" in the new year. Indeed the speculation will help these nine weeks of off-season go by a little faster...

 

Could this winter be the final off-season for SFOG? With both Texas parks now sporting year-round ops on weekends, our park would be the next logical domino to fall. Memberships are much easier to sell without an off-season.

 

These are my observations and opinions on the 2019 season. If you had a different experience or have something to add, lets hear it!

[The username]

Just read on screamscape that parts of Mindbender are being removed for matinence? Anybody have any pictures of this?

[Lotologist492]

Just read on screamscape that parts of Mindbender are being removed for matinence? Anybody have any pictures of this?

I do not but I did observe cranes and temporary fencing in the area adjacent to Mind Bender while driving by on I-20 and it did appear work was occurring there. Those SFMM Revolution trains spotted behind the ride are likely being installed as well. This is likely all part of the Gotham City overhaul.

[thrillseeker4552]

I am very interested to see what happens with the Revolution train. I wish SFMM had a third train for Revolution (a blue one would be great) so the ride isn't on one train ops while the red one is in Georgia.

[joelwee]

Looks like a Riddler retheme may very well by in the works for Mindbender.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bert425]

^ didn't they used to refer to it as Riddler when they first made that area gotham?

 

I mean there are question marks all over the ride, and even in the sign. .

[thrillseeker4552]

I am very interested in what they are doing to the ride. I mean, it was basically already themed to the Riddler. But with the whole Revolution train thing, color me intrigued.

[tndank]

I'm guessing just some track work and a paint job. Hopefully it'll be done before May unlike Scorcher last year.

[Lotologist492]

^ didn't they used to refer to it as Riddler when they first made that area gotham?

 

I mean there are question marks all over the ride, and even in the sign. .

When the area was newly themed to Gotham City in 1997 (and the new Batman The Ride opened), Mindbender was given its current theming. There was talk about re-naming it to "Riddler's Revenge", but the decision was made to keep the Mindbender name while adding Riddler theming (the question marks, etc).

 

Now, with all the work taking place in Gotham, including what appears to be a full renovation of Mindbender, including new paint and different trains, we can only wonder if the "Riddler's Revenge" name might finally be used. Personally I hope not. "Mindbender" is such a legacy name and has been in use since 1978.

 

I am eager to see the transformed Gotham City when the park opens.

[DILinator]

I didn't end up making it out to SFOG with my kids last Fall, as I had planned, so I'm thinking of heading down there during the week of Spring Break this year. Does anybody have any experience with Spring Break crowds there, and if so, what are they like during the week, typically? Thanks in advance for the assistance!

[TEDodd]

Personally I hope not. "Mindbender" is such a legacy name and has been in use since 1978.

 

Same. I don't like how SF uses the same names in every park (even on different rides).

 

The more unique names/rides the better.

 

Even more so with a historic ride like Mindbender.

[SFOGchick]

There is definitely track missing from Mindbender when you do an I-20 drive by. Hopefully some re-tracking in the rough areas!

[tndank]

Wonder if they will have all the parts and pieces back together for opening day in a couple weeks. Sounding like it might be a no show on opening day.