Superman UF

Man I sure missed that one:) It sounds like my kind of ride, now only if I can get down there sometime soon and ride it:)

DarkHelmet said:

Superman only has 2 inversions: The pretzel loop, and a barrel roll.

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Jesus is the answer
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Believe it my friend that is about right. But that's why they cost so much, they one of the best.

Take it from me, I am getting into this industry, even the smaller kiddie rides are very expensive(looking from my pocketbook standards:)

Many of those small kiddie rides cost over $50000 just for one piece!!

Legendary said:

$16M is insane for a 2,759' long B&M. I find it REALLY hard to believe that was the price for the ride

Be

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Jesus is the answer
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I don't know about that exactly, I was only quoted a general ride price from B&M. However, also take in account replacement parts. Be nice if those wheels lasted forever:)

astrosgp said:
Also, I believe each wheel costs $500. For all three trains, that's well over $100,000 just for the wheels

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Jesus is the answer
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I'm not really sure about how much the track costs, but I DO know that the trains cost $1 million each. The total cost for the ride, trains, landscaping, new Metropolis park section, Cotton States reconstruction, etc, was over $16 million though. The ride itself was not 16 million dollars. I think it was like $12 million.

Legendary...

You have to look outside of just what the ride is.. you have to look at what it does. It gives SFoG a right to claim to be a MUST visit park now. It has something that sets it apart from everyone else in the "thoozie" (enthusiast) community (first B&M flyer stateside) and has pretty colors and a neat "coaster car" for the rest of the humanoids. (had to get my Bobby Heenan reference in).

Bottom line : SFoG is on the map. That alone makes it worth it's salt.

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Sorrrrrrrry folks! Parks closed. The moose out front should have told you.

I will add to the latest responses:

It's true, it will put them on the map but only if they continue to follow it up with something. In this fast food society, a park that opens up a multi-million dollar attraction like this will always be expected to follow up on it. Otherwise, another park will build something else and everybody will start going to that park.

The park if it can't follow up to that ride within a few years will need to have another good reason for coming back. That reason, in my opinion, would be excellent customer service. Like I prefer going to Holiday World over Six Flags Kenutucky Kingdom. Why? Customer Service: SFKK may have big rides like Twisted Twins and The Chang and many other flat rides and coasters that offer" more to do" as a whole in attractions compared to Holiday World, however the prices and way that I am treated at Holiday World makes me want to come back. Not to mention things like shade, lots of restrooms and places to get food and drink(especially drink:) And the well designed pathways(something KK stinks on)

My .02 on the latest discussion here

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Homey G, I'm not commenting on if SUF was worth it or not (that will be proven by the gate numbers at the end of the season), I'm merely saying I can't believe it'd cost that much for just the ride alone.

I think it includes EVERYTHING done to that area of the park (which was pretty damn extensive). Just like GhostRider didn't cost $24M, that included the renovation of the entire area.

Again, that's my take on things, since SF never releases exact stats on their capex, we'll never know exactly how much it cost. Not that it really matters much, just some discussion. :)

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"I have a flashlight, enjoy the show!"

The ride DOES put SFoG "over the top"...I thought it was already a "must-visit" (but I say that about every park, ROFL). I had to change my sig, never thought a Beemer could satisfy my need for intensity...(and it will be *reliable*). I do wish the ride was a bit longer, and even a standard vertical loop would've been nice, but it is a MAJOR addition.

As far as cost, I think it's important to realize the park wants the numbers to sound high, it makes it look better when the PR folks market the park. Therefore, the cost of rides usually includes all costs associated. It really only makes sense, not that I "know". However, if you went to B&M and asked how much for S:UF, I'm sure the price would be much lower....not that they'd tell you unless you have "deep pockets".

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You can't spell S:UF without UF....Go Gators! Let the pretzel loop tie you in knots...

It may make some good news in the press to say that they spent more on a ride, but it might turn away some investors in the long run.

Investors want good things to invest in, and if a park is spending moocha money on just attractions and the rest of the park is ailing, they may not think the customer turnout is going to bring back a worthwhile return on their investment.

In the end, it's keeping the customers happy and coming back through the turnstiles, the overall experience, not just one ride as a whole

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Jesus is the answer
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The total amount spent for S:UF, Metropolis and the renovation to Cotton States including the new games, the paving, etc was around $20 million.

Just like Legendary said, the ride itself did not cost that much, but the whole project did. It was the amount of money spent in park improvements for this year. Without a doubt, John Odem and his team spent their money well in my opinion. Once the landscaping is done on S:UF, then the whole area will be fabulous.

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"Sit down, enjoy much airtime and put your feet IN the fire!"

The Flyer was around 12 million dollars for the ride itself, and 4 million for themeing, landscaping, and queues. I'm sure that SF spent a couple more million in other improvements in the cotton states area. Also, remember the extra advertising dollars they have spent on this new attraction.

You also have to remember that any new B&M innovation is gonna be initially expensive. They have to recoup all their R&D costs with designing the ride, so the price will be above average for a few years. Just like when the inverted coaster debuted. It was 12-15 million. Now, you can get a Batman clone for less than 10 million dollars. The same with the floorless, Dive machine, and the hyper. After a few years, the price will drop.

I'm with you Jeff in regards to the amount of steel used. But, I do think the quality of the steel plays a huge part in the price. Giovanola steel is the best in the world and for that steel, you have to pay to premium price.

But, due to the new American Steel tariffs( as much as 30%!), I think most coaster companies will follow B&M and find a US company to fabricate their rides. But, I have heard some mediocre remarks about one of SOF's jobs this year.. Batman: The Dark Knight. I hear it's not fabricated as well as Giovanola has done in the past.

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WCUSA-The World's largest theme park is coming!
Theme parks will NEVER be the same!

*** This post was edited by Chris Godsey on 5/1/2002. ***

Good Landscaping is something that I think makes the total park experience alot better. I have also wondered why some parks have not put arboretums in them

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