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Six Flags 2019 Announcements

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. I know that many of Six Flags' additions for next year already have threads, but I decided to make this one to summarise Six Flags' additions for next year into one place. To start, here's the video:
Now, if you don't want to watch the video, I'll just quickly summarise what each park is getting:
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain - West Coast Racers, a Premier Rides launched möbius coaster sponsored by West Coast Customs. Will reach speeds of 55mph and will contain 4 inversions.
  • Six Flags Great Adventure - Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth, a Zamperla Giant Discovery like Crazanity at SFMM. Will be 17 stories tall and will reach speeds of 75mph.
  • Six Flags Great America - Maxx Force, an S&S compressed air launch coaster that will reach speeds of 78mph and will contain the world's tallest double inversion as well as America's fastest air launch.
  • Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Batman: The Ride, an S&S 4D Free Spin.
  • Darien Lake - Rebrand to Six Flags Darien Lake and the installation of SkyScreamer, a 24 story tall Funtime Star Flyer.
  • Six Flags America - Firebird, a floorless conversion of the park's B&M stand up coaster Apocalypse.
  • Six Flags Fiesta Texas - The Joker Wild Card, a Zamperla Giant Discovery like Crazanity at SFMM. Will be 17 stories tall and will reach speeds of 75mph. Park will also be open year-round.
  • Six Flags Mexico - Two new kids areas in the form of DC Super Friends and Bugs Bunny Boomtown, with a total of 13 rides. Unsure whether a new kiddie cred will be included amongst these or not.
  • Six Flags Hurricane Harbour Oaxtepec - King Cobra, a slide featuring a huge cobra centrepiece.
  • Six Flags Over Texas - Lone Star Revolution, the world's tallest Larson Super Loop. I'd presume it'll be the same as Mardi Gras Hangover at SFGAm.
  • Six Flags New England - Cyborg, some kind of spinning flat ride. Looks similar to Pandemonium that Great Escape received last year.
  • Great Escape - Bucket Blasters, a new Twist'n'Splash-style ride. I'd presume it'll be a Mack, but I'm not too sure, as I think Zamperla does a model too.
  • Frontier City - Timber Town, a new kids area featuring 3 new rides. Unsure whether a kiddie cred is one of these.
  • Six Flags Over Georgia - Pandemonium, a Zamperla Giant Discovery, but this looks to be smaller than the others. Will be 15 stories tall and will reach 70mph.
  • La Ronde - Chaos, a Larson Super Loop. Seems like it'll be the standard 7 story tall model.
  • Six Flags St Louis - Supergirl Sky Flight, some sort of new-gen Enterprise.
I think that's all! Please tell me if I got anything wrong or if I missed anything, and I'll edit the post. Looks like a reasonably good year for Six Flags in my eyes; quite a few Zamperla frisbees!
 

Benenen

Hyper Poster
Nice selection of stuff. After some really cookie cutter years it's lovely to see some unique things there like an S&S launch and an indoor themed flat.

Interesting to see there's no Skywarps or Tourbillons this year. Maybe they're waiting to see how this years batch have done before purchasing more?

Bit of a bummer to see no RMC. Again, maybe they're waiting to see how Golden Lassoo Coaster did before investing in more Raptors? There's still loads of big old woodies across the parks so it's disappointing to see no Iron Horses announced.

Bit off topic but are there any rumours for RMC next year other than Nagashima and Walibi?
 

CrashCoaster

CF Legend
I think there is a good chance of Cedar Fair getting an RMC for one of their parks next year, more so than Six Flags. I definitely think we'll be seeing an RMC in 2020 though.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
Fun fact for you all; West Coast Racers is the first coaster that Six Flags has built without any element of RMC design (the Free Spins and Skywarps have RMC-fabricated track) since Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers in 2014.
 

TommyAlex

Mega Poster
Oh I see, we get a "may the force be with you" reference during the Maxx Force video, but not even a hint at a Spaceballs reference during the Lone Star Revolution video.

Think the biggest surprise for me from the 2019 announcements is that there are STILL parks that haven't got a Super Loop yet.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
When I saw that space theme, I was just hoping that man would fly up in a ridiculous space suit. They did not disappoint.

As for the announcements themselves, I wanted RMC, but this is really not half bad. I've been dying to try out an air launch, so it gives me all the more reason to go to Great America, and the SFMM coaster looks pretty good as well. I think the flat additions are quite solid, and those giant Discovery rides are gonna ride great. Overall, bittersweet year for Six Flags additions.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
Yeah some ok stuff there, but a whole bunch of meh too. The SFMM and SFGAm coasters are obviously the most interesting of the bunch, and who doesn't love a good frisbee, but there's nowt there that's really blowing my socks off. I do have a US trip lined up for next year, but none of these announcements are tempting me to alter the itinerary. We'll see what happens when the rest of Cedar Fair's announcements are out though. Things could change.
 

Pear

Strata Poster
Damn SFNE really got the short end of the stick this year didn't they.

Still hoping for that raptor in 2020.
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Damn SFNE really got the short end of the stick this year didn't they.

Still hoping for that raptor in 2020.

Sounds plausible, actually. If we use the S&S Free Fly rides to identify a pattern, the first one was built in 2015 and the second in 2016, but they only took off in 2017, with three more being built. Then one this year, and one announced for next year. It's as if they wanted to to review the reliability and popularity of the model for a year before ordering more of them. If they follow the same procedure for the Raptors, I expect them to make a decision just about these days on whether to start contracting them for 2020.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
Sounds plausible, actually. If we use the S&S Free Fly rides to identify a pattern, the first one was built in 2015 and the second in 2016, but they only took off in 2017, with three more being built. Then one this year, and one announced for next year. It's as if they wanted to to review the reliability and popularity of the model for a year before ordering more of them. If they follow the same procedure for the Raptors, I expect them to make a decision just about these days on whether to start contracting them for 2020.
To further back this up, we saw a break between the years of installation of the first (2011) and second (2013) RMC Iron Horses in Six Flags...
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
My prediction in regards to the lack of RMCs are that they simply weren’t needed this year. Both of the parks that got big coasters already have them and are probably too big for Raptor. My guess is that once Frontier City and Darien Lake are broken into we’ll probably see a Twisted Cyclone-esque smaller conversion done to Predator. For the Raptors, SFFT is the test park so they probably wanted to hold off before buying a ton of them. I remember Joker at SFGAdv had a few teething issues so they probably wanted to focus on getting just the one working reliably, then buy the Sam’s Club bulk pack. Only RMC-less property left in the chain with a giant wooden coaster is SFSL and I know they don’t want to convert Boss, so I think it’s fair to say RMC’s work mercilessly destroying Six Flags’s historic wooden coaster heritage is nearing its end.
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Only RMC-less property left in the chain with a giant wooden coaster is SFSL and I know they don’t want to convert Boss, so I think it’s fair to say RMC’s work mercilessly destroying Six Flags’s historic wooden coaster heritage is nearing its end.
There's still SFA, Great Escape, and La Ronde, but I don't see them getting an hybrid anytime soon, if at all. SFA could do something with Roar but the company only throws **** at that park so it's unlikely. Great Escape won't convert Comet, and I'm not sure what the deal is with Monstre at La Ronde.
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
There's still SFA, Great Escape, and La Ronde, but I don't see them getting an hybrid anytime soon, if at all. SFA could do something with Roar but the company only throws :emoji_poop: at that park so it's unlikely. Great Escape won't convert Comet, and I'm not sure what the deal is with Monstre at La Ronde.
The only ones with no RMC in any form are Great Adventure, Great Escape, America, La Ronde, and the two newly acquired ones. Now Great Adventure has El Toro so it’s kind of redundant to add one, a GCI would be a better choice for that park. America as you noted barely receives any investment, and with Twisted Timbers just a hop skip and jump away (and both their woodies I assume getting decent ridership) I’d doubt it there too, we’ll likely see a Raptor or free spin there sooner in their DC area. The new ones I think we’ll have to watch but I bet a conversion of Predator would be the hard hitter they need in the region to sort of make that grand reentrance and show that the park’s being invested in. Not been to Frontier City but it seems like something they plan to keep as a more Great Escape-type property, so I’d question any sort of major investment there anytime soon. And as you said, Comet is kind of a staple there so it’s staying put.

This would leave La Ronde as the only one with a big crappy wooden coaster for RMC to brutally destroy, and again that’s a park that doesn’t see much for investment usually. So it leaves Roar and Monstre as the two even plausible candidates in the chain, and they both have a fairly logical reason why we shouldn’t expect them to do it.

And it seems as if RMC knows this, as they’re both taking their conversion game overseas and developing more ground up products in recent years. Maybe we’ll see some of those tiny topper tracks at the smallest Flags properties and Raptors at the mid size to large (but not flagship) ones? The future of the I-box conversion lies in the Cedar Fair chain, a likit d number of international opportunities, and ground-up builds.
 
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Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
I could see La Ronde getting a Raptor clone at some point actually. The plot of land behind Batman (where the stand-up used to be) is ideal and could prove to be a good DC tie in - a Joker ride or something.

Darien Lake will get something in 2020 I reckon, just a touch up this season. Predator was actually running pretty well, so I'd be a little surprised to see an RMC go in there.

As for why RMC are quiet - I'm going for a two fold reason. I reckon they've got a couple of big projects coming in 2020 (custom Raptors and a T-Rex?), which means they're having a slow year to allow themselves to ready up for that. Secondly I reckon Nagashima must be taking a ****-load of effort - their first conversion outside of North America, in a country with notably tough seismic requirements, can't make for an easy design and build.
 
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