Did SF announce/decide to junk Shockwave @SFGAm? When did this happen? I find it hard to believe that either they couldn't sell it, or find a home for it in the SF chain somewhere. I mean, sell it for next to nothing... It would bring in more money than selling it as scrap! Not to mention it could be repainted and installed as a new coaster at SFKK, SFEG, SFAW, SFFT, SFMW, just to name a few that I don't think have Arrow loopers... What a waste.
I don't think SF ever *officially announced* that SW was indeed scrap metal, but word DID seem to filter down..."heard it thru the grapevine" kind of thing. A real shame if you ask me, it was taken dwn and stored with SUCH great care...the twin in Jersey was an even worse ride, IMO, and probably should have been the one to go...
Better run now, my friends from "The Garden State" are grabbing their pitchforks...;)
im with Brad G.....doesnt make sense to change plans all of a sudden like that...and yes, i know Shockwave had that accident, though not sure of the details...
anyway, it is sad to see it go. although i have too much of a sweet spot for Arrows, lol!!
Tim....who chides in once more how much he hates BGW for removing his beloved Drachen Fire, the greatest Arrow looper of all time :)
Repainting Shockwave wouldn't have made that enormous footprint any smaller. Nor would it have made it smoother.
The fact that Six Flags ended up scrapping a 14-year-old ride speaks to the quality of Shockwave. Busch Gardens scrapped Drachen Fire in about half that time.
Busch Gardens had a lot of issues with that coaster from day one from what i understand....and they are VERY concerned about their reputation. while i was upset to see it go, i wasnt suprised either. actually, im surprised it sat there for over two years not running. but...ces't la vie
I doubt very much that The Whizzer was ever going anywhere. I think that was a marketing stunt.
For CoasterBuzzCon Stephanie and I were driven around the perimeter of the park with one of their marketing guys. Shockwave was absolutely everywhere. And yeah, it seemed to have been well taken care of in its dismantling.
Shockwave was ok for maybe one ride while at the park. It was really crowded most mornings and in the afternoons was a huge walk-on. I actually got sick one time from riding it all afternoon and had to go out to the car and lay down from having a very bad headache.
Sadly, I liked Shockwave, and miss it:(. Oh well, hopefully I'll get to do Gasm next year. Not exactly the same, but atleast I can try and relive the magic:).
B&M designed Superman: Ultimate Flight to debut in Whizzer's footprint in 2002. Because Deja Vu was open for a paltry number of operating days in 2001, Six Flags Great America decided that they would not build a new coaster for 2002.
This is what has been said, and after examining the evidence below, I believe it.
Even if all of this is true, Six Flags still may have pulled a stunt if they decided to remove Shockwave prior to late July 2002. However, keep in mind that a Shockwave car lost an axle (without any publicity outside of enthusiast boards) in early August 2002 just before Whizzer was announced to be spared.
