Six Flags Magic Mountain has 18 COASTERS!

I forgot to mention this, but as of last month, it looks like Cedar Point is no longer the "coaster capital of the world," as Six Flags Magic Mountain has announced that in 2011, they will be adding 2 NEW COASTERS as well as a Superman renovation (bringing the coaster count to 18), as part of Six Flags' 50th anniversary. So let me split things up:

Superman: Escape From Krypton

This is the long-rumored revamp of Superman: The Escape. As rumored, the cars will be running backwards up the tower, which will be repainted (BTW, it seems work has begun on repainting it). The top half of the tower will be painted red, and the bottom half (as well as the station track) will be blue, with the railings on both parts being yellow. This looks like fun... and thank god they didn't turn it into Bizarro (Scream deserves it more)!

Green Lantern:

Remember those "Project: 18" rumors. Guess this is the result: America's first Intamin ZacSpin coaster. And boy, is Six Flags in love with Green Lantern or what (first Great Adventure, now Magic Mountain)? XD In case you don't know what a ZacSpin is, here is an example:

http://www.rcdb.com/4309.htm?p=24897

This coaster is Insane at Gröna Lund in Sweden. That looks like fun (and thankfully, SFMM isn't the only park to get a ZacSpin in America in the near future, as rumor has it, Orlando Thrill Park might build one with the park)! =D

Little Flash:

Originally for installation in 2010 as "Mr. Six's DanceCoaster," this is a relocated kiddie coaster from the now-defunct Six Flags New Orleans. It was originally going to go up by Deja Vu, with site prep already going on, but it turns out it will go up near Bug's Bunny World. When the 3-coaster experience was announced, it was going to be called "Kid's Coaster" (which I thought was a silly name, even for a kiddie coaster), but the name was changed to "Little Flash."

Now for the schedule, at least according to Six Flags' Q3 Report.

Superman: Escape From Krypton will complete its transformation and open in Spring Break 2011.

Little Flash will open early May 2011.

Green Lantern will open by Memorial Weekend 2011.

And here are some pics from Screamscape:



1. Superman: Escape From Krypton



2. Green Lantern



3. Little Flash and Others





4. Green Lantern Logo



5. Superman: Escape From Krypton construction pic from Sidra at ThemeParkReview.

Sounds like 2011 is an exciting year for Six Flags Magic Mountain (and the other Six Flags parks as well, other than Six Flags America, Mexico, and Great Escape who are getting NOTHING!). =D

Too bad they won't be ready by the time I go this Winter... =(

Six Flags Magic Mountain News!

Just a head's up, a similar coaster to Superman The Escape (Tower of Terror at Dreamworld, Australia) will be running backwards:

2010 - Tower of Terror II - Confirmed - (8/7/10) Dreamworld has officially announced that after years of thrilling guests, they are going to reinvent their Tower of Terror ride when they close it on August 18th. Four weeks later the ride will reopen with an all new twist as Tower of Terror II. The cars have now been turned around and you will launch backwards up the giant tower and float weightless at the top while looking face-first at the ground below before plunging back down to earth.
In a way it’s very ironic that we’ve been hearing this same rumor for Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain for the past two years… only to have Dreamworld swoop in to beat them out. Years ago, when Superman was under construction to become the world’s first 100mph launched coaster, it suffered technical problems for months allow Dreamworld’s Tower of Terror to swoop in and take the record first then as well.

And also, looks like STE may not be "Bizarro'd" after all:

Six Flags Magic Mountain has quietly closed the Superman free-fall coaster in preparation for a makeover of the ride scheduled to reopen in spring 2011.

A sign posted outside the ride promises “something BIG is happening” to the Superman: The Escape coaster, according to photos posted by Screamscape.

The $20-million magnetic launch shuttle coaster opened in 1997, boasting a top speed of 100 mph, a gravitational force of 4.5 Gs and 6.5 seconds of weightlessness, according to Roller Coaster Database.

Magic Mountain officials have released few details about the planned overhaul, saying only that the Fortress of Solitude ice cave entrance will remain and the Superman figure will return to the top of the 415-foot tall ride.

Amusement park officials quickly denied Internet rumors that the ride would receive a Bizarro retheming based on Superman’s evil clone.

Roller coasters at two of Magic Mountain’s sister parks — Six Flags New England in Massachusetts and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey — received Bizarro makeovers in 2009 that added fog, fire and sound effects as well as garish purple color schemes.

The Valencia amusement park will also add a kiddie coaster in spring 2011, relocated from a now-shuttered Six Flags park in New Orleans. Mr. Six’s DanceCoaster was announced as a new addition for 2010 and later postponed because of construction delays.

The junior coaster will keep the current red and black color scheme and stay in the same planned location in the northwest corner of the park but will likely receive a new name and theme, officials said.

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/superman-magic-mount-7321/

Well, thank god! But I hope they at least do the backwards rumor though... imagine launching backwards! =D

And... hmmm... looks like 2011 could be big for SFMM... Mr. Six's DanceCoaster, STE refurbishment... and now this report from Screamscape:

Park News - (8/6/10) I’ve been sent an interesting rumor about the future of SFMM as rumors of a new project are starting to emerge. Nothing specific… we only have a name right now. Project: 18. You know what that means… but is it real or just a fanboy dream?

Hmmm... Project 18 eh (though I believe it could be for 2012)? Doesn't the park have 17 coasters (counting Mr. Six's DanceCoaster as a future coaster)? And with another one, there will be 18... hmmm...

I think we're dealing with a cool coaster for SFMM. As for the type, I don't know, but hopefully it's a B&M Dive Machine! The world needs more of them! =D

I also remember a report from Screamscape saying that they could be building a coaster on the mountain, but the rumor was when Shapiro was in, and, of course, he's out now so who knows...

I also remember this rumor a few weeks back...:

(7/27/10) The latest rumors suggest that the clearing in the old Sierra Twist spot is for a new restaurant location only and not a new ride. Even more bad news… I’m hearing rumors suggesting that not only is Thrill Shot going to be removed later this year, but this may be the last season for Tidal Wave as well. Between the removed Tidal Wave and the former Freefall location, that does open up a large spot of land for something new at least.

Could this be involved? It looks pretty small though (especially with Riddler's Revenge in the way)... at least according to Bing's birds-eye views...

I do have this feeling that it could be an amazing-looking coaster...

*keeps fingers crossed for a B&M Dive Machine*

What's Going on With Superman The Escape?

Recently, Superman The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain went down (4th of July weekend) and will not reopen until 2011. It's unknown why, but it is said that the ride could be either partially or completely rethemed to... BIZARRO, a conversion given on Superman: Ride of Steel (SFNE) and Medusa (SFGAdv) in 2009. Personally, I hope this is false. STE doesn't need to be turned into Bizarro. Why not put it in another coaster, like Scream? Scream seems to be the ride that needs the Bizarro treatment the most. And it's easy too; all they need to do is copy some of the effects installed on Medusa, and give a similar repaint, and well, voíla!

Anyways, back to STE/Bizarro, I recall hearing back in December 2009 that the Superman figure has been taken down for a "repaint," which increases the possibility of a retheme. Here's some old rumors (when Bizarro started to be rumored):

2011 - Bizarro / Superman - Rumor - (2/10/10) While the whole subject of adding a Bizarro side to Superman is suddenly very popular, I’m told that the issue of a backwards car hitting the emergency brakes is not as bad as first thought. First hand accounts from many who have experienced it claim that it was not at all a jarring experience, but more like what riders have become accustomed to today by the quick but smooth stops on other rides with magnetic brakes, such as Xcelerator at Knott’s. However the jury is still out on if the ride would ever run backwards or not since the entire ride system may have to be put under review one again before being cleared to run that way.
(2/8/10) A reader was kind enough to point out a major flaw in the concept of transforming Superman: The Escape into having a backwards running “Bizarro” side. While I believe that the force of the launch could be handled in reverse, even with the addition of a new Over The Shoulder (OTS) restraint system if deemed necessary, the true problem lies with Superman’s emergency brake run behind the station.
Most people have not experienced this system in action, and even fewer have witnessed it from the outside since the station is clear of all guests until the train returns to the loading station, but in the rare case that Superman’s LSM powered braking system fails to stop a car that is rushing backwards into the station, the car will pass through a hanging barrier and into a section of track lined with natural earth magnets that will stop it in it’s tracks very quickly. You can see this short section of outdoor track behind the station in this aerial photo of the ride posted to Joyrides.
If a “Bizarro” car, running backwards, were to ever blast through into this emergency brake run, the riders would likely be thrown forward into their restraints (lap bars or even OTS if added) with such extreme force, that it would not only hurt, but also possibly cause serious injury.
(2/5/10) According to a post on Coasterdom, based on an interesting Tweet by Six Flags, it seems that some new changes are in the works for Superman: The Escape. While this could have something to do with why the Superman figure has been missing from the top of the tower for so long, they believe that last years rumors of a conversion of Superman into a Bizarro themed ride are also very possibly coming to pass.
I heard this rumor myself from my own sources and as I understood it the idea from last year was that one side of Superman would be altered to feature a new Bizarro themed car that may run backwards. Then they would finally get both sides of the ride able to launch simultaneously once again, as this has been a major headache for the ride from Day 1. Anyone know more?

And some newer reports:

(7/10/10) I’m not quite sure what the reason is, but following the end of the busy July 4th weekend, Superman: The Escape has been shut down. A barrier is up blocking the entrance with a sign now that says that the ride is closed for “routine annual maintenance work” which will “ensure your future enjoyment for years to come”. While a closure for a few days to fix a problem isn’t too crazy an explanation, the “annual maintenance” line sounds like complete crap since they would have done that during the slow off season.
According to another source however, something is up with the ride that could keep it closed until sometime in 2011. Given the perfect timing of shutting it down following the busy weekend, this sounds more like a planned closure. Of course with all the rumors about cost-cutting across the Six Flags chain, I’ve got to wonder if they’ve opted to close it simply to reap the savings on the electric bill for the park as Superman does require a lot of juice to operate. Of course there were those crazy “Bizarro” transformation rumors earlier this year as well... hmmm... anyone else know more?

(7/21/10) We’ve heard a report that a sign may have been placed in front of Superman: The Escape now claiming that it wont reopen until Spring 2011. Can anyone confirm this and get a picture?

(7/22/10) It’s been confirmed that there is now a sign in front of Superman: The Escape confirming that it will remain closed until Spring 2011 because “Something BIG is happening.” You can find a picture of the sign posted here. The funny thing is that most people are still buzzing about a Bizarro tie-in being on the way for the ride next year… I guess we’ll find out if it’s true or not.