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New Coaster for Six Flags Great America in 2014?

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The local news has revealed some secrets about Six Flags Great America's thrilling plans for their 2014 season. What's the good word you ask? How about the fastest wooden roller coaster?

According to the article that is exactly what the park has planned for next year. To be located where the Iron Wolf can been seen in the aerial shot above, the new coaster would stand 165 feet tall and also be the "fastest." The article points out that it is not yet specific to the fastest in the state, country, world, etc.

The current wood coaster record holder for speed is El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, at 70 miles per hour, followed by the brand new Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City at 68 miles per hour.

Six Flags Great America has continued to release new teaser videos, leading up to the official announcement on August 29th. This one is the latest, and shows three Guinness World Record sheets inside the secret folder - so could we see three records broken with this new ride?

Very interesting turn of events, no?

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Post August 29th, 2013, 10:08 am

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Post August 29th, 2013, 10:29 am

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ok I was wrong about the dive loop. This looks like a solid ride, for what it is, but with this, the medusa retracking they announced and the 3 inverting woodies last year, plus the possibility of darian lake, I feel like these inverting woodies are going to ruin the ability to make a woodie without an inversion
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Post August 29th, 2013, 1:48 pm

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how is this a wood coaster, its a steel coaster with wood supports,
outlaw run is more of a woodie then this piece of poop

Post August 29th, 2013, 2:02 pm
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I can actually voice my opinion on here over TPR where they stone you if you dare to have any sort of negative critique. Too fuging short. Its not a wooden coaster. With that said, Im sure for the 30 seconds it lasts it will be fun. But xcelerator is a 30 second ride, and you just always wish it was a bit longer. I dont see whats wrong with adding a little more track.

Post August 29th, 2013, 2:06 pm

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Originally posted by coolbeans326

I can actually voice my opinion on here over TPR where they stone you if you dare to have any sort of negative critique. Too fuging short. Its not a wooden coaster. With that said, Im sure for the 30 seconds it lasts it will be fun. But xcelerator is a 30 second ride, and you just always wish it was a bit longer. I dont see whats wrong with adding a little more track.


they could add 4 more zero g rolls and 4 more over banks and tunnels would make it better

Post August 29th, 2013, 2:46 pm

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I'd guess money is what is wrong with adding a little more track.

Post August 29th, 2013, 4:38 pm

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I do agree that this is short, but it looks very intense. Especially if that inverting hill has any prolonged airtime. This is nothing like I expected and nothing that has ever been done on a wooden roller coaster before. It's gonna provide a unique feeling.

Post August 29th, 2013, 4:51 pm

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Originally posted by dcs221

I'd guess money is what is wrong with adding a little more track.


Then explain why Medusa is so much longer?

Post August 29th, 2013, 4:56 pm

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OH OMG? IZ IT WOODEN COAZTER?

OR STEEL COAZTER?

HOW CAN ZTEEL BE WOOD?

HOW CAN WOOD BE ZTEEL?


LET'S DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN.
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Post August 29th, 2013, 4:57 pm

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Yeah, it's not the money. There isn't any room to do anything else. There are the log flumes on the side by the over banks and a restaurant on the other side.

Post August 29th, 2013, 5:45 pm
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Originally posted by jdmi012

Yeah, it's not the money. There isn't any room to do anything else. There are the log flumes on the side by the over banks and a restaurant on the other side.


There's always room to do more.

If that was the case Smiler would never have been constructed then subsequently fall apart.
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Post August 29th, 2013, 6:40 pm

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^That post has literally no intelligence behind it, sir.

There is not always room to do more.
More room would not have made Smiler less of a constructional disaster. The errors sprouted from basic mechanical mistakes- not designing mistakes.

Post August 29th, 2013, 7:16 pm
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It was a pretty generic comment that Smiler shows that you can squeeze out a 2:45 ride into a small footprint. Therefore I didn't believe that there "wasn't enough space".
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Post August 29th, 2013, 7:56 pm
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Originally posted by dcs221

I'd guess money is what is wrong with adding a little more track.

Your stupid upsidedown hill-thing you made once is now a reality. Aside from that, me likey!

Originally posted by GerstlCrazy

OH OMG? IZ IT WOODEN COAZTER?

OR STEEL COAZTER?

HOW CAN ZTEEL BE WOOD?

HOW CAN WOOD BE ZTEEL?


LET'S DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN.

You have a talent for writing things that I'd imagine a 60+ year old stammering dirty fatass who rotted their brain with heroine would say. It's like you search for the most annoying way to express every thought.

Originally posted by mkingy

It was a pretty generic comment that Smiler shows that you can squeeze out a 2:45 ride into a small footprint. Therefore I didn't believe that there "wasn't enough space".

Ease of space use depends on height. The park obviously requested the speed record. I really don't see all the complaining about this and the thing getting put into King's Island. The drop can't suck, it has an airhill, dive loops are always neat, and yeah the upsidedown hill is not my favorite but at least the park is getting something really cool. I wasn't expecting another coaster for 5 years so I'll take anything, especially this.

Also lolz to Great America sending rides to America the lesser.
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Post August 29th, 2013, 8:39 pm

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Is that a real question AJ? Actually my question is a trick question; your post is not really a question, you just added a question mark at the end of a statement. But anyways, first of all Medusa does not need completely new structure. That adds cost, likely more than the cost incurred by reprofiling Medusa. Medusa is only 98' tall, whereas Goliath is 165' of completely new structure. That adds cost. Goliath has one large tunnel and a trench. For reference, I've read the first tunnel on SROS SFNE alone cost $750,000 back in 2000. That adds cost. Given that the cost is likely higher, they didn't make it as long as they might have had they been more liberal with money.

I don't know attendance numbers, profitability, or ROI expectations, and far as I know, neither do you. Those are more potential reasons the ride *could* be shorter than Medusa.

Why do I say could? Because the the new Medusa is advertised as being 3000' long. Apparently the SFGAm park president said Goliath is around 3100' long. The ride time may be shorter, but the amount of track (what matters when looking at cost) is longer.

So yeah...this is me hoping you were joking lol.

Post August 29th, 2013, 9:12 pm

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The second turn around looks really neat atleast. Like a CCI turn around re vamped
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Post August 29th, 2013, 11:17 pm

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Leave it to Six Flags to have RMC build a coaster with one airtime hill.
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Originally posted by richie5126
T: all newtons on this site are smooth so this must be high.

Post August 29th, 2013, 11:29 pm

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I'm sure there will be some hang time on that inverted hill thing and the the hop into the brakes, plus the air from that drop will probably be as good if not better than el toros. my only complaint is that these will start becoming the standard in woodies and the traditional woodie will fade away
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Post August 30th, 2013, 12:41 am
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If i'm not mistaken, but isn't El Toro 181 feet tall.
And if this is only 165 feet tall, that doesn't make it the tallest wooden coaster in the world. Way to go Six Flags.

Post August 30th, 2013, 2:55 am
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Originally posted by Coasterkidmwm
Originally posted by mkingy

It was a pretty generic comment that Smiler shows that you can squeeze out a 2:45 ride into a small footprint. Therefore I didn't believe that there "wasn't enough space".

Ease of space use depends on height. The park obviously requested the speed record. I really don't see all the complaining about this and the thing getting put into King's Island.


I agree entirely. Harder use of space = more design costs which means shorter ride is a money thing. It's not cost effective to have a longer ride.

For the record I'm not complaining about it - I mean looks like its longer than your average UK coaster :P and I'd kill to ride a woodie that high!

Originally posted by TTD03

If i'm not mistaken, but isn't El Toro 181 feet tall.
And if this is only 165 feet tall, that doesn't make it the tallest wooden coaster in the world. Way to go Six Flags.


It's the drop height thats the record, which goes below ground level so surpasses el toro!
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Post August 30th, 2013, 5:42 am
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Originally posted by TTD03

If i'm not mistaken, but isn't El Toro 181 feet tall.
And if this is only 165 feet tall, that doesn't make it the tallest wooden coaster in the world. Way to go Six Flags.

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Post August 30th, 2013, 10:30 am

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Originally posted by Coasterkidmwm

It's like you search for the most annoying way to express every thought.


Isn't that ironic...

Post August 30th, 2013, 4:50 pm
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Originally posted by TTD03

If i'm not mistaken, but isn't El Toro 181 feet tall.
And if this is only 165 feet tall, that doesn't make it the tallest wooden coaster in the world. Way to go Six Flags.


Originally posted by mkingy
It's the drop height thats the record, which goes below ground level so surpasses el toro!


Oh I see, Six Flags and their marketing.

Post August 31st, 2013, 12:31 am

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After a few days of reflection, I have stumbled head over heels with excitement for this roller coaster. It's seriously going to be amazing.

If that huge, 85 degree, straight drop in the back wasn't going to be perfect enough as just a moment in itself, I'm not sure how I might feel. But that drop is going to be spectacular.

The "overbank top hat/overbank dive twist/overbank twist and shout (...??)" turnaround elements are going to be much more fun in person than they look. Each hammerhead (screw it, they're hammerheads) will have two floater points at entrance and exit apexes. And that will be really fun at such height.

The airhill is going to be full of speedy, airtime-y bliss.

Those inversions are more aggressive than any inversion RMC has done, and I'm extremely interested in the supporting haha. That dive loop is going to be so scary and trippy, and the inverted hill may have an incredible floater sensation while upside-down.

All in all, my verdict is this; the ride is quite short in duration, but they really couldn't have done it much better. It has that "Viper" multiple-out-and-back feel, but in a much more modern and powerful way, so I think it's quite cool that Viper will be in the same park. The rides are comparable counterparts. Goliath may not be very lengthy given the speed constraints, but it gets it done. And the height is going be incredible. I know I'm going to hit the brakes feeling a mild subconscious disappointment that it's already over and I just waited over an hour... but, I like it right now.

Oh also I'm going for my golden birthday =D and to KI and CP and CW.... =D

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