The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread

RMC upgrades should absolutely be considered a "new" coaster. While it doesn't add to the total count, it easily improves the quality of a park's lineup, provides a vastly different experience than before, and even changes the skyline and other visual aspects of the park.

Yeah even Fred Grubb himself said the construction requires just as much time and labor as a new build.

Texas Giant, Rattler, Medusa, Colossus, Georgia Cyclone, ETC...ETC....are all old coasters that have been REMOVED from their respective parks. The RMC conversions that have taken their place are NEW coasters. I don't understand how people get lost in this concept.

Hi!

 

I haven't posted here for a while and hope this is the right forum, I apologize if it is not.

 

I'll be visiting LA from 20th-29th of June from Denmark, and definitely plan on going to SFMM (and Knott's as well)! I'm sorry as this might be an oft-repeated type of question, but do any regulars have any tips, especially about which day within my time frame might be best/least crowded to go? I do plan on getting a Flash Pass if it is crowded. And any other general advice for the park? Best place to eat, any underrated rides, etc.? I'd much appreciate it. And if anybody will be at the park those days and wants to meet up, send me a message!

 

Thanks!

If you have the flexibility to visit SFMM anytime between the 20th and 29th, I would definitely recommend NOT going on the weekend. It's summer and schools are out, so no day is going to be light, but Saturdays and even Sundays can be horrific during the summer, and Six Flags isn't the best at handling large crowds very well. And I would say at least 1.5 days at the park is necessary if this is your first time and you want to ride everything and have re-rides. So whatever weekday(s) work for you, but I would avoid the park like the plague on the weekend if possible. You will have a much better time.

As for rides, I'm sure you're aware of all the big ones, so of course get on those. Rides like Batman and Ninja often get flown under the radar, so be sure not to miss those. I really like Viper, but others don't, so that's up to your tastes. Riddler's Revenge is unlike most stand-up coasters and is actually super fun and enjoyable, but I would recommend sitting on one of the inner two seats rather than the outer seats for a smoother ride. The heartline of the inversions is so much better in those seats.

Try Twisted Colossus both in the back and the front. They're both great and offer different experiences. But of course, RMCs are good in any seat, so it's all up to you. Lex Luthor is also a great drop tower. I haven't done it with VR, but regardless it's a really good ride.

As for food, I really like Food, Etc. (between Superman and Goliath). They have a lot of options and the food is pretty decent. But keep in mind this place gets PACKED so I would recommended eating in off-peak times, and going on a weekday should help a little too. I'm not sure if you have the meal plan, but there are lots of options for that here as well, plus meals for those with dietary restrictions and intolerances and what not.

Other than that, I would say to keep your expectations fairly minimal outside the coasters. The park has great rides with lots of variety, but they lack in pretty much every other area. Not trying to ruin your experience (I still LOVE this place), but I think it's important to manage expectations when first visiting this park. Hope you have fun!

Going to the park tomorrow (Monday 6/18) when it opens. Any idea as to how crowded it’ll be and estimates wait times for the rides during the day?

Should be fairly light since it'll be Monday. I would guess less than 15 minute waits for most rides. X2, Tatsu, and Goliath will probably be around 30 minutes. Twisted Colossus will probably look long, but if they're running 3 trains, the line moves quickly. One train operations will definitely slow to a snail's pace. Currently, that would be Full Throttle. Ride that first as others have suggested. It's at the front of the park anyways.

^yeah, when was the last time all of their coasters were actually operating on the same day? Anyone know?

 

It’ll be interesting to see if the Six Flags company makes an exception to their “no giant blockbuster expensive attraction” strategy for SFMM now that it’s their (only) truly year-round park.

 

They were pretty consistent all last year, until the "incident" on Green Lantern and the retracking of Apocalypse.

This is my home park, and I don't know about "the incident" on the "Grunt Lantern" you spoke of. What was it???? just curious.

They were pretty consistent all last year, until the "incident" on Green Lantern and the retracking of Apocalypse.

 

This is my home park, and I don't know about "the incident" on the Grunt Lantern you spoke of. What was it???? just curious.

+1.

I've never heard of any incident on Green Lantern, aside from the normal rough ride it provides... So now I'm really curious to know about this incident.

^Haha!

But seriously... I thought there was going to be an incident when I rode that awful thing. My eyeballs were ready to pop out! All the blood in my body was in my head, not fun. Never again. Not even worth taking a chance on that.

They were pretty consistent all last year, until the "incident" on Green Lantern and the retracking of Apocalypse.

 

This is my home park, and I don't know about "the incident" on the Grunt Lantern you spoke of. What was it???? just curious.

 

+1.

 

I've never heard of any incident on Green Lantern, aside from the normal rough ride it provides... So now I'm really curious to know about this incident.

By “incident” they just meant whatever happened to make the ride nonoperational, and I think it’s something mechanical.

Also, I’ll be working at Full Throttle all week so come see me and say hi! I’m Andrew. Come complain about one train operations! Haha.

^ Correct. I didn't mean to imply something more scandalous. There was a fairly serious problem discovered with the ride and modifications had to be made before they are able to reopen it. It was serious enough to make the ride immobile for several months.

Too bad the incident wasn't serious enough to make them demolish and replace it with an S&S FreeFly.

*le sigh* If only they'd waited 4 more years.

Even mechanically, I've heard no details about what exactly happened with it to be SBNO for so long. What mechanical problem is it experiencing?

I mean, whether people like the ride or not, SFMM would seem to have some incentive to get it working again:

1) They paid for it. If I bought a car that had a mechanical issue, I'd be pretty pissed off. You'd think at minimum there'd be some sort of lawsuit with the manufacturer over whatever happened to make it be out of commission for so long.

2) To firmly establish their coaster count... quality of rides aside, having 20 coasters in one park (once they get their next coaster) is a hugely marketable milestone, and a first in the world to break 20. But it'd be a moot point/embarrassment if of one of those 20 is SBNO.

there is an unconfirmed report that there is a lawsuit related to a rider injury on Green Lantern that may be contributing to its current downtime:

Too bad the incident wasn't serious enough to make them demolish and replace it with an S&S FreeFly.

 

*le sigh* If only they'd waited 4 more years.

Or a skyrocket, or an impulse.

ff. You'd think at minimum there'd be some sort of lawsuit with the manufacturer over whatever happened to make it be out of commission for so long.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a whole host of legal issues underway with regards to that ride. To be honest, I'm surprised it stayed open as long as it did without producing an array of injuries that require litigation.

I guess it's time to shoehorn a Raptor into Green Lantern's spot

I guess it's time to shoehorn a Raptor into Green Lantern's spot

Hi!

 

I haven't posted here for a while and hope this is the right forum, I apologize if it is not.

 

I'll be visiting LA from 20th-29th of June from Denmark, and definitely plan on going to SFMM (and Knott's as well)! I'm sorry as this might be an oft-repeated type of question, but do any regulars have any tips, especially about which day within my time frame might be best/least crowded to go? I do plan on getting a Flash Pass if it is crowded. And any other general advice for the park? Best place to eat, any underrated rides, etc.? I'd much appreciate it. And if anybody will be at the park those days and wants to meet up, send me a message!

 

Thanks!

I would suggest avoid Saturday. Sunday's are managable. I have gone on plenty of Sunday's and got in a lot of rides. I always goto Full Throttle first and knock it out as it will always have a line and it will always take a while to get through that line. I am a gold member, so I get in the park 10 minutes early and I generally ride it before the gates open. I then goto Goliath. I think Goliath is rather average and I don't really want to wait for it later in the day. It is normally a walk on at this point. I then goto Twisted Colossus and I will ride it until it gets a bit of a line. Sometimes I get 3-4 rides and others it could be 6-8 rides. After TC, I hit up Scream and Bstman. Generally they will have no lines so I can hit them up twice. After that I head over to Riddler's which will have a line. Operations is a little slower on this ride. I generally hit up Justice League as well to break up the rides. It normally takes a little time to get through. Then I either hit up Superman if the line is under 20-30 minutes, or Tatsu if the line is under 30 minutes, or Apocalypse if it is under 30 minutes, I want to be over at X2 between 2:30-4:30 as this is when the line is the shortest. Most people start out with X2 and then come back to it after dinner. Late afternoon has the shortest lines. Sometimes no lines. Also Viper is pretty much a walk on. I find this plan of attack to be the most efficent. I think if you avoid Saturday you should be fine.

Went to the park today, the construction walls are down around Crazanity and they were doing a lot of concrete/electrical work. They were testing the lighting on the ride, and I saw it start to swing slightly a couple times, but no full cycle yet, at least for the two hours I was watching! I might go again on Thursday and I'll try to get some more pictures.

Construction walls are down!

thrillseeker4552, clem2754, thanks so much for your tips! I'll aim for a weekday. I did go one time before, but it's years ago (before Twisted Colossus, YOLO: THE RIDE, and the New Superman), so I'm excited!

there is an unconfirmed report that there is a lawsuit related to a rider injury on Green Lantern that may be contributing to its current downtime:

If that isn't the least shocking (unconfirmed) news ever!

I am still very surprised SF didn't go with a DC theme Crazanity like all of the other iterations

I am still very surprised SF didn't go with a DC theme Crazanity like all of the other iterations

Should have named it something like G-Force, Shock Wave or like I said before, Spin Out! Keep the fair theme. Since it's in the little carnival style area.

^ Crazanity always sounded like a corporate mandate name to me, so they they could re-purpose a bunch of Spinsanity merchandise that didn't sell at other parks by changing the "Spin" to "Cra".

I'd bet money that this ride name came directly from corporate lol

^ Crazanity always sounded like a corporate mandate name to me, so they they could re-purpose a bunch of Spinsanity merchandise that didn't sell at other parks by changing the "Spin" to "Cra".

 

I'd bet money that this ride name came directly from corporate lol

I think you're right. There was even the "SpinZanity" typo on the sign when it first arrived.

Look I am just glad that it isn't another Justice League themed ride. You have Riddler's and Justice League in one area separate by the boardwalk area and then Batman/Green Lantern in another area and then you have Superman/Lex Luther Drop of Doom just down the road. Technically Superman is on top of the mountain. Of the course the park isn't as bad as Six Flags Great America. Superman and Dark Knight appear in the front of the park. Joker and Batman in another section and the Justice League way off in another section. I would prefer that they get the correct theming in areas of the park and not show another Justice League themed ride down our throats.