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I'm sure most of you know by now that Six Flags Magic Mountain has been working to "transform" X into X2.
I have to be honest I was a little skeptical of the whole thing when it was first announced, but having met the new management of the park, and I'm really liking what I'm seeing there, I went along for the ride with them.
For months they would bring us in and show us the progress....new trains were brought online that were supposed to help increase the stability of the ride, efficiency, and hopefully be a bit smoother.
We had heard about different effects and ideas throughout the development. There were tunnels mention, area audio, etc, etc...
What we ended up getting I think is a home run for the ride! The new trains are very nice and are a bit smoother than the previous ones, esepcially in the inside seats.
But the FX are really what sells the ride!
The onboard audio was FANTASTIC! I'd put it on par with the likes of what Disney has done as far as being able to actually hear the audio during the ride. And the production values of the audio itself is VERY good. It's even what I would consider "clever" from the Frank Sinatra that plays at the beginning to the transitions of Metallica, Aerosmith, Rage Against the Machine, and a very good mixture of "ambient" noises and sounds.
Then there is FIRE! The fireball element which I thought would be a bit lame works REALLY well. Because when it goes off, you are on your back looking RIGHT at it and you FEEL the heat!
And as far as throughput goes, on opening weekend I witnessed 2 to 3 minute train dispatches which was a LOT better than the 6 to 7 minutes it used to take with the old X trains.
So overall, I really am impressed! The entire experience exceeded my expectations! Anyway, enough chatter...here are some photos from both the Media Day and the opening day campout event...
X2's Media Day & Campout!
VIDEO from Media Day!
And yes, it's true! An on-board audio system has been installed that plays everything from Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Aerosmith, and....Frank Sinatra?!?!?
A nice plasma screen has replaced the old "X" painted on the wall of the station.
There it is! X2! Cresting the hill.
And most importantly...FIRE!!!!
The trains all decked out with thier spiffy looking speaker system.
The coaster rides very similar to how it was before. So if you want a smoother ride, sit on an "inside" seat.
Train closeups!!!!
This is the "X2 DIY" Kit
Mr. Jay Thomas, Park President and captain of the ship tells us all about X2 and how we could catch on fire!
Tim Burkhart talks about how X2 dropped 18,000 pounds on the Jenny Craig system. Way to go! =)
And with the spew of confetti, we get to see the improved X2 cycle for the first time!
OK, so I'm a *little* bit worried! =)
WARNING! Dorky coaster shot!
Inside this box is Frank Sinatra's soul!
New train on the old painted track.
Old train on the new painted track. Huh...isn't that weird?
You really can FEEL the fire while you're on the ride!
And now onto the Campout where a group of about 50 enthusaists camped to be the first public riders on the morning of X2's opening day...but there were a few suprises in store for us....
VIDEO from the campout!
Jay Thomas, Park President announces to the group that we are going to ride X2 - TONIGHT!
Jay is excited...Tim need some sleep! =)
Did we mention that it was cold? =)
Don't worry, Six Flags Magic Mountain has some ideas on how to heat things up! (Yes, that is a train emerging from the fireball!)
I'm ready for my inside back row "Smooth as Scream" ride!
Going doooooown!
WHOOOSH!
KABLOOM!!!!
Doesn't it look like the ride is actually on fire?!?!?
X2 is awesome baby!
After the ERT session they opened up the Cyber Cafe so we could all go online and brag about our evening! Clever those Magic Mountain viral marketeers are!
THANK YOU to Jay, Tim, Neal, the X2 crew and everyone else for an awesome night...and we still have tomorrow yet to go!!!
After a great night of ERT, coffee, donuts, and internet it was time to get some sleep. Check out that awesome backdrop!
Good night everybody!
In the morning everyone awakes to this awesome view of X2.
Neal says "Are you guys ready to ride X2 AGAIN?"
That's right...MORE ERT for the group!
Our awesome ERT Wristband also got us UNLIMITED Flash Pass access for the rest of the day on X2. Some of us got in more than 25 rides that day!
More X2 Photos!
The weather was PERFECT for opening day.
Uh, oh...you know what comes next....
FIRE!!!!
Just in case you forgot what the first drop looked like in the past 10 seconds.
More Fire!
Close up shot!!!
Did I mention that giant balls of fire instantly make a ride better?
And one final shot of X2.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the photos and the videos. X2 really did impress me and it seems to be getting lots of good reviews. It's smoother than it once was (especially smoother than those years where it would beat the hell out of you) and the new effects and audio REALLY pump up the ride!
Thanks for reading!
--Robb Alvey
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