"It was supposed to be the nuke bomb in the coaster war," said Robert Niles, the Pasadena-based editor of ThemeParkInsider.com. "The specs on the ride were just audacious. It switched the war from being who could build the tallest, fastest coaster to who can create the most intense experience."

X, which initially costed $6.6 million, ended up at more than $17 million according to court documents.  And even after five years of operation, technical kinks are still being worked out.

The coaster is still not running at its full capacity of 1680 people per hour, contributing to the lengthy wait times.

X's problems extend further than its long queue waits and mechanical issues.  The ride's manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, UT, a pioneer in amusement rides, went bankrupt the same year X made its debut as a result of a fierce legal battle with Six Flags over the ride. 

The coaster proved so complicated in design and construction that Six Flags had its own engineers redesign parts of it because they didn't work, according to a complaint filed in federal bankruptcy court.  Six Flags claimed an ownership stake in the ride's technology because of modifications from its own engineers.

Quin Checketts of S&S Power confirmed that Six Flags has hired the company to redesign X's vehicles to make them lighter in weight, in hopes of increasing operational efficiency.

Visit LA Daily News for the complete and original article.