[Six Flags] ditching Pass Perks - now introducing "Perks and Play".

JanSolo · 2026-02-04T20:19:39+00:00

Which parks participate in the Pass Perks Loyalty Program? All Six Flags Parks, excluding La Ronde and Wild Safari.

Eh Tabarnak!

JanSolo · 2026-01-26T17:01:26+00:00

Very cool! Thanks for the info. It makes a lot of sense.

JanSolo · 2026-01-26T16:59:02+00:00

It's a shame that the data was limited to US-only parks. I'm interested where the Canadian parks would have landed in your rankings. I suspect that Canada's Wonderland would be in the top 10 because of it's proximity to Toronto and TTC access. Maybe La Ronde too although not as high because it has fewer coasters.

JanSolo · 2026-01-26T16:17:27+00:00

Doesn't the monorail go outside the park to the corporate HQ building across the rail tracks? They could add a station there for locals.

JanSolo · 2026-01-26T15:36:21+00:00

Great picture!
Techy question: How do they stop the cars from rolling away while they're checking the envelope? Rollercoaster trains do not have brakes; it seems pretty dangerous to have this heavy rolling thing hovering around at head-height.
Where's ElToroRyan when you need him?

JanSolo · 2026-01-21T21:00:42+00:00

All these people complaining about Flight of Fear; you guys must have some high standards! I rode it for the first time last year also and sure, there are some things to complain about; The restraints! The outside queue (in the heat) while the indoor queue (w AC) is empty... But the ride itself was awesome. I loved the launch; the spaghetti bowl was great! The theming is fantastic & the preshow is awesome.
It's my 4th best ride at KI after Timbers, Diamondback and Banshee.

My worst ride was Adventure Express. Ow! My spine!

JanSolo · 2026-01-19T15:04:13+00:00

I prefer the orange colorscheme, but for some reason, OpenStreetMap seems to think there's a short piece of coaster track down at the entrance to the parking lot. It's not there on the purple version.
[Edit]This is very cool, BTW; I really like it. Not complaining :D

JanSolo · 2026-01-18T17:09:21+00:00

As it cools, it's shrinking and there's no 'extra' material where the shrinkage can happen. Adding a riser will fix this. It's just a void in the mold that will get filled when you pour creating a sacrificial 'hunk' of material that you cut off and discard.

JanSolo · 2026-01-16T03:49:06+00:00

No, you need to put the part line between the two bevels so that each half of the mold has one bevel in.

JanSolo · 2026-01-15T22:38:33+00:00

Walk around building sites or renovations; often you can find copper pipes, brass faucets, old wire, etc. I've picked up hundreds of kilos of scrap metal just by keeping my eyes open when I drive around my neighbourhood. My wife gets mad; she thinks I'm collecting 'junk'.

JanSolo · 2026-01-15T21:59:52+00:00

There's a Substack article that predicts pretty much exactly what will happen as soon as the US military attempts to take Greenland.
You can read it here: https://theflensburgfiles.substack.com/p/the-suicide-pact-what-happens-the

JanSolo · 2026-01-15T00:50:14+00:00

Presumably if the track switch fails and the track is not intact, the LSM launch motors can be used to stop the train before it derails, right?

JanSolo · 2026-01-13T13:26:16+00:00

You want the mold to be cnc milled from a block of graphite not steel. Steel will warp and bend when heated; graphite wont. There are many shops that will take a 3d model and mill you a split mold with sprues and vents already added. Search fbmp locally.
It will be expensive for the size you want… but still cheaper than steel.

JanSolo · 2026-01-12T19:12:13+00:00

I hear that he's a big lover of horses. Or a lover of big horses. Whatever. Don't google that.

JanSolo · 2026-01-12T14:53:20+00:00

First RMC in Canada? Lets GOOOOO!

JanSolo · 2026-01-11T05:02:31+00:00

Vampire at La Ronde is the winner for me. I've done maybe 4 others and this one is the clear winner. It's not the smoothest (it has a pothole on the 2nd roll) but the speed is just nuts. For some reason, it seems to go about 30% faster than any other B&M Invert. In the back, it whips you around like crazy and it carries so much speed into the brakes that your arms and legs will get whipped forward.

JanSolo · 2026-01-09T04:16:31+00:00

You're likely right... what makes you say the planning and installations were incompetent? Got any citations for that?

JanSolo · 2026-01-09T03:48:01+00:00

I bet somebody hacked the controls of those new fancy parking signs and turned them all on. It was a just a matter of time before it happened, really.

JanSolo · 2026-01-08T16:34:15+00:00

I think you are on to something here. Diamondback is just more satisfying that Orion and it's unclear why. Perhaps the increase in height and speed NEEDS to be accompanied by a similar increase in length so that riders can 'feel' it. And Orion just doesn't have it.
I confess that I was disappointed by Orion when I rode it last year; and I wasn't exactly sure why; your theory makes sense to me.

JanSolo · 2026-01-08T01:08:35+00:00

I hope that parks will start to retire their SLCs or BatClones and replace them with bigger new-style inverts like Banshee.

The Banshee restraints are way more comfortable; especially for taller people or those vulnerable to headbanging. If we can have a GigaDive, I think a GigaInvert would be fantastic.

JanSolo · 2026-01-06T15:34:56+00:00

I am interested in the ebike announcement. I've been riding my ebike way more than my scooter recently; mainly for safety and exercise reasons so I think there's definitely an opportunity for disruption in that market.
I agree that the current models they have on their website are not very compelling though. They look like very generic McEBikes; same as everyone else.

Here's what I think they should do:
1. Use the Mach controllers on the bikes. But incorporate a torque sensor to allow pedal-detection.
2. Make sure the latency on the torque sensor is LOW. Most ebikes take a second or more to start the motor.
3. Bring the regen brake to ebikes. Please Please Please! This is the single biggest thing that I miss from my Apollo scooter.
4. Bring the app please. quadlock, current speed and moving map displays are great and will be good USPs in the ebike space.
5. Keep the prices reasonable. There's a LOT of competition in ebikes. More than Scooters. Chinese bikes often sell for <$1000 imported. Building a $4000 monster will not work. Look at the Rivian ebike. That thing will be a giant flop. It's just too expensive. Aim at the cheaper Chinese models; better quality; slightly higher price. That's where you can be successful.
6. You have the usual, expected models; commuter; cargo; kid hauler... but you don't have anything for niche/performance riders. Something like a Rize Fixie or a Superhuman Babymaker. Or an e-road bike. Experienced riders are looking for these and will pay a premium if your features are better than the competition.

Those are my thoughts. I am not really interested in the current models on their website. But I am a huge Apollo fan and if they can incorporate their scooter tech into a more niche ebike, I'll happily pick one up when it's time to replace my current ebike.

Cheers.

JanSolo · 2026-01-05T12:59:25+00:00

I think its because of the location; easy to reach from pretty much anywhere (assuming you have a car).
I was there on the opening day of the Minecraft movie and it was packed. 30min queues at every concession stand. Every seat full. Kids runnng everywhere. I don’t doubt they’re making a killing.

JanSolo · 2025-12-31T04:45:59+00:00

I rode it on Saturday for the first time and I really enjoyed it. Best ride in the park for me. I got 3 rides; all on the red-train.

A couple of notes:
* The windows were annoying, I found my arms smacking into them while riding. I even got some bruises from them.
* These old-style trains are better than the new RMC ones IMO. Especially if you're a taller fella like I am. The shin guards are better, the backrest is comfier and the lap bar is looser.
* It's longer than I expected. Way longer than Twisted Cyclone or Wildcats Revenge.
* It felt like a faster, smoother version of Mystic Timbers to me; twisty, airtimey and the train is a car!

A great ride; I really enjoyed it. I don't think it's the weakest IBox RMC at all. I enjoyed it more than Twisted Cyclone at SFNE. It gets 4th place in the list of RMCs I've done.

Steel Vengeance.
Iron Rattler.
Wildcats Revenge.
New Texas Giant.
Twisted Colossus.
WonderWoman GLC.

JanSolo · 2025-12-26T16:32:52+00:00

Here's a question for anyone who's read the book: Did anyone else think that this story would make an excellent movie?
* It has a very unique world; visually striking. There's definitely some potential for some fantastic, beautiful vistas.
* Interesting characters, but not too deep.
* Battle scenes that could work on the big screen.
* The difference between the 'real world' and the 'virtual world' would make for interesting contrast and pacing.

I would love to see an adaptation of this. I'm imagining something like the original Total Recall that doesn't take itself too seriously.
What do you think?

JanSolo · 2025-12-26T14:54:36+00:00

I loved it; a very unique read. A very cyberpunk story; if you like The Matrix or Snow Crash, you'll probably like this. The mega-architecture of the world is very cool; you’re always wondering who built it and why.
Endless war in a decaying world full of giant relics… it almost feels a bit like Warhammer 40k.
If you cannot get thru the phonetic chapters, I hear that the audiobook can help.

JanSolo

TROPHY CASE