Attraction Source Forum

According to the oh-so reliable Screamscape, B&M want to get a launch coaster system off the ground in the next couple of seasons, and eventually adapt the wing-rider into a 4D system.
Now given the fact that either Claude or Walter once said they much prefer the mechanical, gravity based system, how much truth do you see in these rumours, or is it just Screamscape talking out their arse?

The latter.

B&M have said a few times that they do not want to do launched. I have also been told, however, that they are planning to develop more prototypes following the success of their wingrider and to prevent their coasters from becoming stale like in the past. I vaguely remember seeing designs for a B&M compact ride car and track along the lines of the X-car.

Some have described Maurer's X Car as a complete disaster. I thought that Rip ride rockit was fab, but the same can't be said for G Force.

B&M very rarely get it wrong, and I can completely see why they don't want their coaster designs to remain in the past. I would actually be very intrigued to see how they master a coaster that's along the same lines as an X Car actually...

What about SW7 as being the launched wing-rider prototype?

[quote=""Cariba""]Now given the fact that either Claude or Walter once said they much prefer the mechanical, gravity based system, how much truth do you see in these rumours, or is it just Screamscape talking out their arse?[/quote]
Walter and Claude also once said that they didn't want to build a coaster over 299ft...



So now that rule's been broken, I don't see why they won't do a launch. They said they preferred lift-hills, it doesn't mean they won't do a launch! I think they need to compete with Mack, as I can see the market for B&M multi-loopers being completely wiped out by the Blue Fire ride system, as they are launched, more reliable and higher throughput.

I'm with sam on this one. It might rock the boat on here a bit but the industry moves at a fast pace and B&M do have to keep up. I can see both happerning in the next 5 to 8 years.

If B&M did launches, they would probably be the best launches in the world !

If B&M did launches, they'd probably...find a way to make them dull.

How many B&M coasters have you been on Blaze outside of the UK?

Need I say more?

I've also been on Silver Bullet and can attest it is one of the blandest and worst coasters I've ever been on, a real low point for B&M that they seem to have bounced back from.

[quote=""Blaze""]If B&M did launches, they'd probably...find a way to make them dull.[/quote]
I don't think they'd be dull, but I think they'd be tame, like Vekoma, Premier and Mack's launches. Intamin are the only company that have ever managed to do an intense launch.

I must be the only person in the entire world who thought Silver Bullet was alright...


And I think Blaze needs to go on more B&Ms...

I was thinking about this recently. There doesn't seem to be many Dive coasters around, yet it appears that theme parks have gone wild for the B&M wing rider model, with three orders in a year.

So then, it makes you wonder if the Dive coaster is on the way out, or whether theme parks even see them as a worthwhile investment. With cost and size surely not an issue, what other reasons could there be for such small interest?

In my opinion, nobody has been interested enough to go nuts with the concept and build a really good machine.

Oblivion scares the hell out of me, and does its job well, but its just too short. SheiKra is probably long enough but I find it too boring.

Now, with the Euro Fighter coaster, I don't think too many more will be built, the Euro Fighter takes the same concept and just does it a whole lot better.

I think it's probably because there's only so much you can do with 10-wide cars, and the new dive machines are basically the drop and immelman and that's all it really has to offer. It's almost like everything should be building up to the drop, but it comes first, with everything else just there almost for the sake of it. It's likely why Oblivion is still regarded as the best despite Griffon/Sheikra being far bigger, floorless and including inversions.
I do think the 6-wide "Junior" Dive Machine a la Krake will catch on however.

[quote=""Blaze""]Need I say more?[/quote]

And? You are missing the point, you stereotype B&M yet you have only been on how many? 3?

You can't really generalise all B&Ms if you haven't been on a lot of them.

If someone who has been on them and still says they are boring then fair play but I'd reserve opinion until I'd been on a large number of them (commenting on aesthetics is however another thing).

I don't mean to be stingy but every time a new B&M coaster is built you pop up and say how boring B&M coasters are and I know this because we have had this argument before.

Like stand-ups, they're a bit gimmicky. Once a couple have been done, the idea is kinda worn out. Hell, I'd argue the idea was tired after Oblivion was built. Inverts, sit-downs, hypers and wingriders are much less gimmicky, and can do much more interesting and varied things.

Are B&M Dive Coasters on the way out? Krake opened this year, so I would say no.

I think the primary problem with these coasters is that they cost more than they're actually worth to a park. Especially when you can buy "budget versions" of the product like the Eurofighter and S&S El Loco, which are even more gimmicky, but therefore have a much greater appeal to the general public, I'd say.

Another point is that, in my view, Oblivion was "the big one" for B&M Dive Coasters. Once you've dropped riders vertically into a hole, there's not much more you can do with the ride type that can't be done with any other coaster.

The future of this coaster type looked very bleak after Oblivion and G5 were built. I think parks were just not that interested, then around 2004 The Euro Fighter was born, and in some cases beat the Dive Machine hands down. Rage has such a kick, and Speed has such amazing airtime; they are both serious thrill rides.

2005 saw the Dive Machine in a new light, and after the removal of the floor, parks seemed to be getting excited about B&M's vertical concept. I do feel however soon it could die off as they generally only include a vertical drop, immelmen then a water splash; that's really it. They are thrilling machines, but with krake changing the dynamics of the trains slightly, hopefully this will mean more parks will be excited about the Dive Machine again.

I doubt though we will ever get another one in the UK. Oblivion is one of the UK's most iconic roller coasters, and for the casual thrill seeker the simple fear of going over that edge will never die off. I would fear that people in the UK would not be attracted to another Dive Machine as they will think it's too much like Oblivion; unless the layout is incredibly different. This is why the Euro Fighter is so popular as the possibilities are almost endless.

Who knows...