Six Flags Over Texas (3/12-3/15)

[Metazoanhaddock]

So I'll be visiting SFOT for spring break. Anybody who's interested in meeting up or picking my brain about my judging tendencies for the NLT is of course invited. Should be fun, just PM me and we'll get in touch.

[Mr. Freeze]

great...

[Metazoanhaddock]

I'll make sure to make time for you, don't worry....


also beer's on me

[Mr. Freeze]

I must say this, Arlington is a dry city, so there are no liquor stores within the city limits. (edit by Meta: HELL YEAH there's Liquor! Gas stations are amazing XD) With how the weather is supposed to be, the crowds theoretically shouldn't be that bad, but that could easily change as they tend to do.

[Metazoanhaddock]

Day 1:

Alright, GREAT first day at the park. Met up with Tristen when the park opened and immediately headed to Freeze. After Freeze, we had a short walk over to the park's Batman clone. Once we got the Gotham area out of the way, we headed over to Runaway Minetrain. Gotta say, I was pretty surprised by how fun that ride actually was for how little it did relative to other coasters in the park. After Minetrain, we headed over to New Texas Giant (my second RMC). We rode in the back and I was absolutely STAPLED to my restraint (I'm SUUUUUPER skinny, so the restraint doesn't actually come down quite all the way every time). After Giant, we headed over to Titan, but unfortunately it was closed, so we headed back around the park to see what else we wanted to do. After a quick trip back to Freeze and Batman, we reserved a time spot to ride Shockwave with VR, and then headed over towards Runaway Mountain. Aside from having the absolute strangest lapbars I've ever seen, it was really fun, albeit short. After Runaway Mountain, we headed over to Shockwave only to find out that the VR gear (which we found out is actually Oculus, just with Samsung branding) wasn't working, so they were running the ride as normal. They did however allow us to use or reservations like a flash pass, so we went ahead and skipped the line to ride in back. Gotta say, wasn't expecting to grey out in the second loop, but i was suuuuper happy to do so (nothing like a headrush). After Shockwave, we went back and checked Titan again; still closed. So we decided to leave the park and get lunch. Once back inside, we spent the next couple of hours re-riding Freeze, Batman, and Giant. Just after 5:00 (and a beer) Tristen and I happened upon a rather rare sight: The Oil Derrick was open. So we headed on up so I could get some aerial shots of the park (I'll upload them when I get home, hotel Internet is absolute Dogcrap). Finally around 7:00, while in line for Giant, we saw Titan start up and so as soon as we got off we headed on over. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Goliath....but it doesn't have CRAP on that first helix of Titan. Holy Jeezus. After Titan, We headed back across the park to ride Freeze and Batman one more time before heading over to Judge Roy Scream. JRS doesn't have upstop wheels (so I've been told) or at the very least, they're so loose, it feels like the car is coming off the track...which was quite a new feeling for me, and as such, every time the car came off the track (and you feel it, believe me) I was a waterfall of obscenities. Finally, as the day was wrapping up, we headed back over towards Giant and Titan for one more ride on each before we left. Can't wait to go back tomorrow!

^ Your report makes me feel like I'm there! I will add my thoughts later.

[Coasterkidmwm]

No upstop wheels what? I'm going to assume that's a typo.

[Mikey]

Judge Roy Scream has up stop wheels, but they are really only needed in the first two cars. The train can travel about two inches before they catch.

Not surprised about the VR being down. Got reports that other parks weren't working as well due to lack of personnel or technical issues.

[Coasterkidmwm]

I'm still waiting on someone to slam the VR hood into their forehead on a hard stop on a ride with lapbars

[Mr. Freeze]

Mikey wrote:

Judge Roy Scream has up stop wheels, but they are really only needed in the first two cars. The train can travel about two inches before they catch.

the trains that they have on the ride do not have the wheels, despite belief. Here is the thing that you have to know about jrs, it defys all logic of a woodie

[Metazoanhaddock]

Day 2:

ALRIGHT, eventful second day at the park. Started the morning off riding Freeze and Batman again, and as soon as I got off, I headed over towards Titan to meet up with Tristen. Today we rode in front, which was definitely more forceful in the first helix (YAY!) than the back. After Titan, Tristen and I rode the Steam Engine (Train) around the park to get some photos, after which, we wandered around the park for a bit before heading off to lunch at Whataburger (first time, delicious). Once back in the park, we met up with Highthrills2. After meeting up, we headed over to JLA, but it was closed (shocker) so we headed over to Pandemonium instead. SOMEHOW we got our weight distribution just perfect to the point that we were spinning more often and faster than anybody else I'd seen ride. We were spinning so god damn much that when we hit the brakerun, we continued spinning for another few minutes (the people in front of us pretty much just dropped their jaws lol). Once we recovered (we were ALL dizzy AF) we headed over to Batman. After riding Batman, and discussing the multiple train swapping between Batmans that takes place, we headed over to Freeze for a quick ride. We rode in the back (obviously) to get as high up the spike as possible (more than worth it). Once we finished on Freeze, we took a quick ride on the Runaway Minetrain (It's a classic, basically a sin to skip). After Minetrain, I noticed that Shockwave wasn't even really running (didn't run all day basically, never saw a car with a single person in it, even still saw them doing test runs from my hotel after the park closed) so we headed over to the Chaparral Cars. It was a fun little ride and break from the coasters, but the gas pedal is in the most awkward position imaginable, so that definitely took away from the experience. After the Chaparral Cars, we headed over to Giant, as it was right next door. Rode Giant in the back (best place to ride IMO, staples you to the restraint SOOOO hard) and once we got off, we headed over to Runaway Mountain. Runaway Mountain was fun, but I still can't get over those weird lapbars (chestbars?). We hit the brakerun and it felt like I got punched in the chest. After leaving Runaway Mountain, we headed back over to JLA to see if it was finally open, and it was! So we got in line, and just as we got to the front, it broke down (F@#king Shocker, right?), but we stayed as it didn't seem too serious and they let us stay in line. Finally, after about 10 minutes, the ride started back up again and we got on. Had a fun time, Highthrills2 absolutely DESTROYED everybody else in the car (MAJOR PROPS BRO, you got some maaaaaad skillz there) and as soon as we got off, we heard an announcement that the ride had broken down YET AGAIN (no, really?). Since we were in the area, and because we'd had such GREAT success the last time we all rode, we headed back over to Pandemonium. We decided to switch around our weight distribution to see what would happen versus the last time.....we still tore ass around that layout with an absolute absurd amount of spinning (yay us!). After Pandemonium, Highthrills2 had to leave, so we said our goodbyes and Tristen and I wandered around the park for a bit, and eventually, he ended up leaving the park as well. So I took the opportunity to ride some things nobody else in the group wanted to ride. I started off with Superman Tower of Power. While I've been on S&S towers with one cycle (Supreme Scream @ Knotts to be specific, and it only has a drop cycle), this version had both a launch and a drop. I honestly really enjoyed it, as it was truly something new to me to be launched up, and I'd definitely do it again. After Superman, I headed over to Titan and Giant for one last ride on each before heading to the front of the park to finish my night off. Once towards the front, I decided to hop on the park's Bobsled Coaster (honestly, more of a flying turns style, but w/e) La Vibora. This was the first time I've ever ridden a Bobsled Coaster, and I probably had too much fun with it. I was sitting in the front, and banking my body/scrunching down to get a better feel for the track and attempt to increase the perceived forces to my body. I got off with the absolute BIGGEST smile, and I would ride again (and likely WILL ride again) in a heartbeat. Finally, with about 45 minutes left until closing and a slight back pain, I decided that I needed some spine adjustment.....So I marathoned Judge about 11 times (just kept switching to empty rows, lol) until the very last train they sent out. Finally, with nothing left open and nothing left to do, I headed towards the park's exit and left. But I'll be back tomorrow for more adventures!

Metazoanhaddock wrote:

I was absolutely STAPLED to my restraint (I'm SUUUUUPER skinny, so the restraint doesn't actually come down quite all the way every time).

Wow same thing does happen to me! +

[Metazoanhaddock]

Day 3:

I Stared off the day by heading over to Superman: Tower of Power (ironically abbreviated to STOP) to go visit/harass Tristen as he had to work today. After riding twice, I headed over to Titan for a morning ride. As I got to the platform, Titan broke down, so many people left. I took this opportunity to get to the front of the line, as I knew the delay wouldn't be long (simple seat belt issue) and I was right! After just 5 minutes, the ride was back up, so I got on and had my ride. Still fun. Still amazing. As I got off Titan, I headed over to Giant. Unfortunately, Giant was closed due to technical difficulties, but I did get to see a maintenance worker using the transfer track to move a train off the course, so that was pretty cool (also got some pics of it). Since Giant was closed, and I was in the area, I decided to head over to Runaway Mountain to snap some pics of the scenery and go for a quick, albeit fun, ride. Once I got off, I headed over to Gotham to snap some pics of Freeze before riding. Once I got off, I headed over to batman, but the line was ridiculously long, so instead I walked up the exit ramp to shoot a ton of photos of the ride (today was a MAJOR picture day). Once I finished my photo-shoot, I headed over to Dry Hole Charlie's for some chicken strips and a beer. After lunch, I headed back to Superman in an attempt to harass Tristen, but it backfired when I got assigned to a different tower and a mutual friend decided it was prudent to harass me instead by slamming the lapbar down on my crotch (OW, but well played, Kirby). After I took a few minutes to recover, I headed over to Shockwave for Media Day (details and a review of Shockwave with VR can be found HERE). After Shockwave, I decided to have another beer before heading over to Giant. The wait was about 1.5 hours, so I initially say F@#K that and instead headed over to La Vibora (bobsled). I rode twice (don't get why people hate on it, it's fun AF). After La Vibora, I headed back to Giant to check the line. The line was just about as long as it was before, but there was a group of girls that were hot AF right ahead of me so I decided to wait it out (ended up chatting them up and getting flirted with for the entire wait, even got a #, so it wasn't that bad actually). Once I got on (ended up riding with those same girls) the attendant actually forgot to check my restraint, which I had purposefully left about two inches above my waist. As such, as soon as I hit the lift hill, I loosened my seat belt as well to REALLY experience some airtime. HOLY CRAP. I was basically flying for a good half of the layout (literally flying, I wasn't in contact with my seat at ALL) and I couldn't have been happier about it. Honestly, it was the best ride I'd had on Giant to date. After Giant, I learned that Titan was closed for the rest of the day, so I headed back to La Vibora for another ride. As I reached the very front of the single riders line, the ride temporarily shut down due to someone losing their hat on the ride (it was actually on the track and caused a train to get stuck). After about 5 minutes, the ride opened back up and I managed to get on the second train out of the station. Funnily enough, they never actually cleared the hat from the track (Six Flags, amirite?). As such, while riding, we passed the hat (luckily we had such a heavy train we were actually banking so hard we'd hit the sides and avoided the hat altogether). Once we passed the hat, which was before the first MCBR, I motioned to the staff running the ride that the hat was still there (the station is visible from the first MCBR and vice-versa). Apparently, they got the message, because as soon as we hit the brakerun, the ride op e-stopped the ride. UNFORTUNATELY, I was at a point where I couldn't unload (according to park rules at least....I WAS in the station though), so I had to watch the entire ordeal of resetting the ride from a position in the station that I could have easily gotten out of had I been allowed. Eventually, they got the ride working again and I got off. After the ordeal at La Vibora, I needed another beer.........


....So I went and got one (Don't drink kids, it's addicting). After my beer, I headed back Over to Superman to say hi to Tristen and Kirby as well as to take a ride (managed to avoid a harness with a nutter, so bullet dodged there, as I got Kirby as my OP YET AGAIN). After finishing my ride and chatting up the multiple ride ops on the tower I was assigned, I headed over to Runaway Minetrain to get a nighttime ride in. Unfortunately it was temporarily closed due to technical difficulties, so I went on ahead and queued up for Batman. After riding Batman, I headed back over to Minetrain to see if it was back up and running and it was! So I ended up riding it in the dark (pretty fun, unfortunately all the lights in the park make the track mostly visible....the tunnels were legit tho). After Minetrain, I headed back over to Superman for two more rides to finish off the night and chat up some employees. I eventually left about half an hour early to write up the review of Shockwave W/VR, as it was an extra writeup, and I need some rest because: I'll be going back YET AGAIN tomorrow. Can't wait!

^ Your VR experience sounded spectacular! I've just read your review!

[Metazoanhaddock]

Day 4:

My final day at the park was rather eventful, even though I took it relatively easy. I started off the day over at Mr Freeze, but as soon as I got to the loading platform, the ride shut down. A lot of people left the line, but I had an idea of what happened and so I stayed. Apparently I was right, because the ride re-opened less than five minutes later. After riding Freeze, I headed over to Batman because it was right next door. Batman felt more forceful than usual (probably due to multiple factors including the day's heat and the fact I was still dehydrated from drinking the night before) but I didn't mind, even enjoyed it a bit more. After Batman, I headed over to ride Superman and to see who was working. At this point, a majority of the personnel working the ride recognized me, so we all joked around with each other while I waited. After Superman, I headed over to Shockwave to reserve a time spot to ride it with VR (honestly fun guys, I'm telling ya). Once I had my reservation, a certain feeling washed over me, and so I rushed to the nearest bathroom and absolutely DESTROYED one of the toilets (sorry to the cleaning guy, really....that bowl was a warzone by the time I had finished with it). After my rather satisfying bathroom experience, I went ahead and got lunch and a beer (only had about 15 minutes until my reservation, so queuing for anything was rather pointless). Once I had finished my lunch, I headed over to Shockwave. The VR headsets were working better today than yesterday (at least the one I got), which definitely made the experience that much more enjoyable. After Shockwave, I headed back over to Superman for a quick ride, as it was right next door. Once I got off (I basically walked on in front of a 1 hour line, so I'm sure more than a few people were a bit pissed), I headed over to Giant to get a ride in. Today's ride on Giant was actually rather cool. Not because of anything to do with the ride itself, but because the person I sat next to had never been on a roller coaster before, and I managed to convince him to ride in the back. The guy absolutely LOVED it (shocker, right?) and I felt good knowing I'd been a part of his first experience on a roller coaster. After Giant, I headed over to Titan to see if I could finally hit the sweet spot of nearly passing out in the first helix. As I got to the loading platform, Titan broke down (the train got stuck leaving the station....Six Flags, amirite?) but the maintenance crew was there within 10 minutes and got it fixed. I finally boarded the train, and we left the station. I don't know if it was because I had a beer or two in me, or the higher heat levels of the day, but I damn near fully passed out in the first helix. My entire field of vision went almost completely black with only the tiniest hint of being able to see. Additionally, I felt my entire body starting to slump. I absolutely F@#king LOVED it. Once I got off Titan, I went and got another beer so I could rest and process the pure awesomeness that I had just experienced. After my beer, I headed over to Runaway Mountain for a ride, as the park was really heating up and an indoor ride sounded really nice. After my ride on Mountain, I headed over to La Vibora to abuse the single rider line and ride 3 times in a matter of about 20 minutes. After my little stint on La Vibora, I decided to go check out what was happening over towards Gotham. Unfortunately, all my plans of riding Freeze and then marathoning Judge went out the door, as Freeze had a massive line in addition to technical difficulties, and Judge was closed for the rest of the night. I was less than amused, but there were still plenty of other things to do in the park. I ended up heading over to Pandemonium to use the single rider line for a quick ride. Once I got off, I had about an hour until the park was supposed to close, so I headed back over to La Vibora to marathon it until the end of the night. Luckily, despite an hour wait for the regular line, the single rider line was literally completely empty, so I ended up getting in about 7 or 8 rides in about 50 minutes. By the end, I was getting a few dirty looks from people who'd seen me go by quite often, but I didn't really care because I was having too much fun (even got one of the sleds to bank hard and fast enough that some of the wheels lost contact, so that was pretty awesome). Right around 10:00, I took my final ride and exited the park.

Gotta say, I loved my time here, and I'll very likely make another trip out this summer, maybe visit Fiesta while I'm at it. I got a 9 1/2 hour dive home tomorrow, but as soon as I get home, I'll upload all the pics I took during my time here. Hope you enjoyed reading, I know I definitely enjoyed being there. If anybody has any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them.

-Meta

Worth reading all of your actions! Thanks for changing my view like... VR is awesome!

[Coasterkidmwm]

Mr. Freeze wrote:

Mikey wrote:

Judge Roy Scream has up stop wheels, but they are really only needed in the first two cars. The train can travel about two inches before they catch.

the trains that they have on the ride do not have the wheels, despite belief. Here is the thing that you have to know about jrs, it defys all logic of a woodie

Does it have skids like Gemini?

[Mr. Freeze]

are you talking about the underside skid pads on the wheel assembly?

[Coasterkidmwm]

Skid plates instead of upstop wheels. Gemini has those cause it's a sketch ride lol.

[Mr. Freeze]

both rmt and jrs have them

You have or know photos of those parts?

[Staff]

Meta's pics from the trip



View it on Imgur: http://imgur.com/a/2e3Bn

[Coasterkidmwm]

Neat pictures! Thanks for sharing. Man Batman needs paint bad lol.

[Mr. Freeze]

It looks like it, but trust me, it really doesn't. It adds to the story from employees that its an old, abandoned ride that takes its victims on a flight through GC