The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread!!!

[AllenA07My small thing speaks for itself]

^I agree that Revolution has one of the most forceful vertical loops out there, however at the same time lap bars and OTSR's are not needed. The lap bars are likely only there now because they were there to begin with and there was no real reason to take them off. While I strongly doubt that Revolution will ever run without the OTSR system again, the ride is in desperate need of a new train with some more comfortable restraints.

[Jew"It's not small, but it is very 'average.'"]

To me it seems like the OTSR's are a little too high up to be the only restraint.

[CoasterCometFull Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

^horsepoop.

yes, the Revolution has high forces entering and exiting the loop. Mind you, the ride ran with just a lap bar and NO headrests even, for a few years.

Yes, the ride could benefit from a reprofile. It would be expensive, etc. but it is possible.

[dunkfan9I Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

I learned the hard way that you can't hold your hands up while riding revolution

[Jew"It's not small, but it is very 'average.'"]

One thing to remember is that times have changed A LOT since 1976. It's not a fair comparison to say "but they did it back then...they can do it again now!" Magic has to protect themselves in a sue happy society. Plus any changes have to be approved by the manufacturer, inspected by the state, etc. Not to mention the target audience has changed a whole lot as well.

Another issue could be their insurance company: rumor has it they want the OTSR's because of all the claims filed from people being flung forward. That is just a rumor though.

If I'm Jay Thomas, Revolution is at the bottom of my list. Perhaps in 2016 they will retrofit it and use its anniversary as a marketing gimmick, but until then...there are much better ways to spend money. It's just not a sound business decision right now.

[EBLTPR's Olden Goldie]

If you ask me, the OTSRs a LOT high. A vertically adjustable system would be ideal. Some Schwarzkopf trains have such a thing. But we'll never see those here.

Eric

[nagro5nagro5 tastes like poo-poo.]

^^I agree, I don't think that changing Revolution is a necessity right now, but in years to come I think that they might need to fix some problems. By the way, I like the idea of renovating it for its anniversary.

[AllenA07My small thing speaks for itself]

Revolution does have very high OTSR, I think it's a result of them being added to the train after the fact, those trains are not really designed to have them, or headrests for that matter.

[coasterjunkie91350I know more about donkeys than women!]

^^^
"rant warning"
In all due respect to pure dude you need to know where you cross the line dude.
Ive read all your posts and it does sound like your saying
"Die SFMM Die" !
myself and alot of the mods in here work there and care about our jobs we are whats helping bring the park back to the top so next time you post a anti sfmm post think hard and long about what you say

[arrowfanmanFire Alarm Boy!]

Hey everybody!

I know it’s been like, forever-and-a-half since my last park update, but I feel like Robb’s and William’s updates have been perfect coverage of the park so far this year!

At this point, Magic Mountain is nearly prepared to enter its summer season. The park faced a real reality-check the past few weeks with Spring Break crowds pouring through the turnstiles. After all, a large part of the guest experience this summer will be on the shoulders of not only the new attractions and new paint, but the park operations themselves. How the park is able to move people while the park is crowded will be a big determining factor on how the guest’s day unravels. I think it’s safe to say that the park was thrown off and took somewhat of a beating during some of these recent crowded days! So the effort is to now regroup and prepare for the summer season, which looms ahead.

Until then, let’s cover some of the things going on inside of the park.


The New Kids on the Block


Before we get into what’s going on in the park in the present, let’s cover what I’m sure most of you are curious about—what’s being prepared for the future. Both Thomas Town and X2 are progressing ahead getting ready for their opening dates within a couple of months. Let’s start with Thomas Town, shall we?


A chunk of wall has been removed for more construction access.

If you look closely at that photo, you can see Goliath Jr. turned around 180 degrees.


Being coaster enthusiasts more familiar with coaster construction, I think a lot of people had the impression that Thomas Town was falling behind schedule as no “vertical construction” had begun by West Coast Bash. Sure enough, a few weeks later and nearly the entire thing has been built!


OMG! Railroad tracks!


About 85% of the track has already been laid, the station foundations have been poured, and scenic pieces have already begun to show up on site. The whole “town” is really coming alive faster than I ever though it would.


The station track still needs to be completed, but the station house foundation itself is almost ready to be poured.


One more super-zoomed in shot of railroad track! I’m very excited that SFMM’s getting a train once again.

Even if it just goes in a circle twice.


In the scenic department, the old Animal Farm building was repainted and looks very nice.


Set pieces for Cranky the Crane have been temporarily parked under Scream, awaiting installation.



Though Thomas Town is progressing along at a now-visible rate, with all the paint sloshed up, it’s hard to tell exactly how far X2 is progressing along. I understand that this has been the topic of discussion in the past few days. As far as I understand, the project is still on schedule.


The new X2 logo, up on the park website. I wonder why the fire theme?


Though at this point, it’s evident that the tunnels have been ditched, I keep being told that X2 will still be an “audio and visually toned experience. With what? Unfortunately we’ll have to wait and find out! As far as the trains go, the park now has two full NEW X trains, along with one old one. They haven’t tested the second train yet but are expected to very soon.

Basically, my understanding of the train shipments is that SFMM tested the first train while the other two were still in Utah at S&S. Why? They tested it, analyzing it for any problems that may come up and what not. That way the concerns and practical modifications could be directly addressed at S&S, rather than shipping in different parts and whatnot. The park now has the second train (which was assembled far more quickly than the first), and is expected to test it, again relaying any concerns to S&S. When the train passes the park’s standards, the final train will be shipped.

That’s my understanding at least. The whole theme is to practically address the redesign so that fewer problems will be encountered once the ride is operational. Makes sense to me.



Rides Now Operating, a Ride Now Closed, and a Rides Policy Change!

Well, before we get to the bad news, let’s start with the good news! After months of refurbishment, both Roarin’ Rapids and Jet Stream have reopened at Magic Mountain, effectively doubling the parks water ride selection just in time for the summer. Both rides received extensive work on aging components with the hope of reducing downtime and whatnot. They both even feel cleaner, in my opinion.


The lift and station belts have been completely replaced at Roaring Rapids, as well as a lot of the hardware that supports them.


An unnecessary close-up of the replaced components.


Over at Jet Stream, the work was mostly refurbishing the spinning station and the bottom of the drop, as well as fixing up the lift and welding throughout the ride. Also interestingly enough, one new operational feature to Jet Stream would be the new ride panel—


Joey just about exploded.

For those who didn’t get that, the new Jet Stream panel is one of the old Freefall panels. In fact if you look closely on the top left at the empty gray space, you can see the Freefall “track layout”, where the lights would mark the position of the units.

Anyway, just thought that was interesting. As a ride, it doesn’t really feel any different. Still bumps you around and tosses you side to side more than any other flume ride I’ve ever been on!

Anyway, this was all of the good news. What about the bad news, you may be asking?




Holy broken lift hills Batman, it’s a closed Riddler’s!!


That’s right, the Riddler’s Revenge is unexpectedly closed. Over a week ago, the ride’s lift hill made a strange noise and then broke down with a train stuck near the top of the lift. The call was made to evacuate the riders and sure enough, the problem would seem very serious.


The train still stuck on top of the lift hill—one and a half weeks after the incident.

…that’s how bad it is! Basically, similar to X months ago, a major lift component was broken. Now fortunately enough, unlike a very large prototype which needs to be manufactured over the span of months and subjected to a lengthy installation, B&M parts are much easier to come by (in a park with 4 of them!) and the park maintenance is hoping to have the ride fixed by this weekend. It's just sad that the ride had to be in this condition for its 10th birthday this week!


And now let’s get to a ride policy change.


…they’re back.


Many of you are probably familiar with fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo that have been in place at rides over the past few years—Tatsu, Riddler’s, Scream, and a few others all have had fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo to safely hold onto loose articles. Being cheap coaster enthusiasts, I’m sure you’ve all bypassed these, knowing that you can just place your articles on the other side of the station.

Not anymore.


Don’t get in that Tatsu line until all of your bags are in a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo—or with a non-riding member!

Basically, loose articles cause far too many problems at many major rides. Not only do they irritably slow down the ride operation itself (a ride like Riddler’s or Tatsu can result in up to 45 seconds lost to rider’s placing their loose articles across the station), but I’m pretty sure the park is tired of getting accused of being responsible for lost/stolen items, when it has always clearly stated otherwise. So now, a select few rides no longer allow loose articles (defined as articles that can not be safely taken on the ride with you in your pocket) into the ride stations.


Just a quick tip—DO NOT place your articles into a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo that has been left open! You must pay first and the computer will assign you one. Failure to do this could result in your articles getting stuck!

These rides are Tatsu, the Riddler’s Revenge, Scream, and X2 (when it opens, obviously). And the park is serious about this. So much so, in fact, that there is now a crew dedicated entirely to “fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo”, whose purpose it so ensure that bags do not make it up into the station but rather safely into a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo or left with a non-riding member.

I highly recommend planning ahead when going to the park. Place your items into an all-day fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo near the entrance of the park, rather than renting a single-use fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo as you get to each ride. Or simply don’t bring large and excessive bags to a theme park!



All of the Random Crap!


Well, there’s really no need for excessive narration here. Might as well jump into this!...


I’m almost tempted to buy and ad and have it say something stupid, like “Hey—you’re taking a pee.


The new Looney Tunes Celebration parade appears to be a success! Feels like it has a lick of Block Party Bash in it, if you ask me.


Johnny Rockets: Shakes and Fries opened up rather quickly and is a great idea for snacking.


I’m not saying it.


Ugh! I cant drink or eat ANYTHING without spilling!


Hmmm….interesting.


The geese are back in town. PLEASE let them be and don’t bother them. Not only can you get ejected from the park for doing so, but you don’t want them to kick your A$$—because they CAN!


Ninja has a new maintenance catwalk…


…which sort of obstructs the Jet Stream drop! Boo!


The ACE plaque at Revolution is MIA!


Apparently there’s a new Revolution train under that tarp!

Before you get excited, this train still has OTSRs. But apparently the bogies have been modified and it will be interesting to see what kind of ride it produces.



And finally to give Hurricane Harbor some love, it would appear that Tornado is getting a new hat...well, at least a new canopy to give you a bit of shade before plummeting to your doom!


Anyway guys, that should be it. The actual things to update on are slowing down as the park enters its summer season. The focus during the summer will be on the park operations themselves, and it will be interesting to see how the park stands. The plan is still to be running at the highest capacity possible, with three trains on all of the major rides! (Hell—Ninja may even be running three trains by the summer!!! *gasp*) So let’s all sit back, enjoy the ride, and see how the *new* Magic Mountain is able to move people.

Thanks for reading folks!

-Jahan (arrowfanman@yahoo.com)