Complete Flops?

I love it when people talk themselves out of their own opinion, lol! "It's a flop...but it's better..."

I do that all of the time, Moosh. lol

Although I love...I MEAN LOVE the name "Bazaro", and I love the character (why hasn't he ever been portrayed in any of the Superman movies yet?), retheming the ride and promoting it as a new experience seems silly, unnecessary, pointless, and just a little dishonest. It's still just a purple Medusa to me.

But if the people are riding it and enjoying it, who am I to call it a flop.

I haven't been there since KK was new, and I didn't get to ride it because it was broke down, after being reopened from being broke down. KK is a flop in my universe.

edit - fixed a quotation mark.

Oh I totally agree about promoting it as new. They did that with X2, too. A friend of mine absolutely refused to believe it was just X, retooled. It took him going to the park to admit I was right.

But here's how I look at it: all those people who come to the park to ride the "new" Bizzaro or X2 are helping pay for the next new coaster...that will be new.

^Except in the case of Terminator at Magic Mountain where it is almost the opposite situation ;)

While I wouldn't consider them to be "complete flops", since the idea never came to be but didn't the adult entertainment chain "Dave & Busters" was considering at one time the addition of rides to at least some of their larger locations? I remember hearing this about 5 years ago but I never heard of this "idea" since.

The closest to this idea that came close to being an reality I can remember was in Martinsburg, West Virginia some 15 years ago. As I recall the owner of a number of strip bars in the region wanted to buy an old building that once housed a large supermarket. His plans was to install a "kiddie" roller coaster, tilt-a-whril and a flying bobs type of ride in the building and have nude/semi-nude woman dancing, cranking out heavy metal rock music even offering concerts, sell beer on the cheap, offer adult games, TVs showing sporting events and music videos , video poker and a cigar lounge. The idea of the "kiddie" coaster was interesting because the owner in the paper as I recall had brought up Knobles and their "high spped thril coaster" and how that coaster designed for kids actually had many adult fans.

Had this project become a reality, me thinks it would have been a flop ( someone on a coaster behind you smoking a cigar and with a Bud longneck while the ride is running full speed? ). The only reason this project never did happen I seem to recall was that the owner of the bar was busted way too many times for serving beer to minors at his other bars. I believe the project was called the "Martinsburg Powerdome".

Clever observation, Audioslaved.

One ride that wasn't really mentionned in this topic: Rocket Rods at Disneyland. The shortest lived major attraction at Disneyland.

The ride was built to use the old Peoplemover track to allow strange 5 passengers cars to travel around Tomorrowland pretty fast, taking only 3 minutes to do what the Peoplemover took 12-15 minutes to travel.

What happened is that when GM pulled out of sponsoring the ride, the ride got its budget cut by half and so, Imagineering had no choice but to install the cars and new power bars on the old non banked Peoplemover track. The ride was like this: accelerate to 25mph, brake to 3-5 mph, do a turn, accelerate to 25 mph, brake to 10 mph, do a wide turn, etc. Plus, due to the budget cuts, the only effect installed on the ride was an air cannon in the last tunnel!

Due to all the breakdowns, capacity was miserable and to have room to fit all those people, the old 360 Circlevision theater was recycled as a waiting line and a tunnel built under the land leading to the tower in the middle of the land, where you'd go up the stairs to the ride.

In 2000, 2 years after opening, the ride closed for an extended refurbishment period... that it never reopened from. The track sit empty in Tomorrowland and the good thing is that they recycled the waiting line in the theater and installed the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters shooting dark ride in there.

I'm kinda scratching my head about Disaster Transport being a FLOP. I thought the whole point was to do some themeing instead of just enclosing the ride to prevent sand from getting in the trough. It might have been fun with all the effects working originally, but I don't see how the current state in any way detracts from the fun of the ride. And when I've been to Cedar Point and the ride was COMPLETELY DARK I thought it was even better.

And wouldn't one of the biggest flops of all time be Interactive Rides' Frequent Faller coaster? They haven't even built ONE of these since Hershey backed out of their contract, have they? The concept to me just seemed so lame, maybe if the car inverted a couple times during the course it would have been better, but then I guess it would be just like the Intam ball coaster, lawsuit potential there.

Mr. Freeze a flop? WOW! Just because they delayed opening the ride a year to work out that little problem with the sensors on the test dummies indicating the forces of the ride would potentially INJURE riders if the launch was fast enough to have enough momentum to get the train back through the tophat backwards? I think the addition of the magnets on the vertical spike to fix that LITTLE problem was ingenious, one of the greatest TRIUMPHS in amusement ride engineering history. Didn't Premiere get an award for the Mr. Freeze design?

I don't know enough about Disaster Transport to say if it is a flop for the park. I didn't think much of the ride one way or another. I'm glad I got on it so I could experience it, but it looks like it kind of getting run down. I'm glad I didn't pay a few extra bucks for the 3D glasses while waiting in line. LOL

What I don't like about the Bizzaro name changes is that they renamed both the Superman AND Medusa the same name and they're not the same coaster???? If you wanted to rename the Superman in New England Bizzaro, wouldn't the more logical choice be to also rename the Superman in Six Flags Maryland Bizzaro too since they're mirror images? Plus, I see many people including the Superman in New England in their top roller coaster lists. Why rename something so many people recognize unless it has to do with a contract, like what has happened at Kings Dominion with The Italian Job and Tomb Raider.

While on the topic, I know they added in the scenery and audio extras for the Bizzaro/Medusa, but did they add anything to the Bizzaro/Superman or was that just a name change?

Do you not recall
S:ROS: SFNE, SFA, SFDL two are the same, one different
S:UE: SFWoA
S:UF: SFOG, SFGAm, SFGAdv
S:KC: SFFT
S:ToP: SFOT

and I wont even go into the Batman rides, its nothing new naming different coasters after the same character.

PW you do make a very good point, I would have to take back my take on bizzaro cause it is entirely different situation. It is still the same coaster even if the name changed. They added new trains, fire scenery and audio and some mist tunnels. I just do not like what six flags did to those two rides. They will never be the same ride. Bizarro < Superman: Ride of Steel. It does not really matter but Six Flags C'MON. Thats the one thing you add to SFNE, is a new train. Yeah! You even make the old guy talk. When I watch the commercials, I just feel awkward I guess I see Six Flags is going to be a flop.

Touchdown said:
Do you not recall
S:ROS: SFNE, SFA, SFDL two are the same, one different
S:UE: SFWoA
S:UF: SFOG, SFGAm, SFGAdv
S:KC: SFFT
S:ToP: SFOT

and I wont even go into the Batman rides, its nothing new naming different coasters after the same character.

I didn't mean after the same character, I meant the EXACT same title. The Superman: Ultimate Escape is/was different than the Superman: Ride of Steel as is/was Superman: Ultimate Flight. Is there a subname to each of these Bizzaros like there is for those Supermans?

Dominator @ KD = B&M Floorless

Dominator @ Dorney = S&S combo tower

And who cares if two different rides have the same name? They're at two completely different parks. Most people don't keep up with that kind of stuff.

We should all be thankful George Foreman isnt naming the rides, because every ride would be George Foreman the ride.

PRWagner said:
Is there a subname to each of these Bizzaros like there is for those Supermans?

Don't you mean Supermen? ;)

While typically I agree that it makes no difference to have multiple rides with the same name, I will admit that I have gotten confused by all the variations of the Superman coasters. I'm not much for keeping track of what follows the colon. They are all just Superman coasters to me and I probably would fail a test on which is at what park.

Then you fail as a coaster enthusiast. Aren't you ashamed?

Yeah, I wouldn't be, either. :)

Carrie M. said:

Don't you mean Supermen? ;)

No, I meant the Bizzaro renames. I was asking if there are subtitles to the Bizzaro names they placed on both the Superman and Medusa. Other Superman rides had the "Flight of Fear," Ultimate Escape," "Ride of Steel," etc. added after the Superman name.

Carrie understood what you meant, she was just being "grammatically correct." ;)

Thanks, cisco. You got me. It wasn't my best work, but still the winky should have stood for something. ;)

I've only ridden the GAdv version, and I thought the Bizarros did a really good job of improving what was a mediocre B&M for me. However, I have a really hard time believing that anything could have been done to the NE ride that *could* have enhanced pure perfection. By definition, perfection cannot be improved... :)