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B&M Wing Rider Coasters - Love or Hate?


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I'm not the first person to say this, but the real problem with wing coasters (remember, wing riders are made by Intamin, not B&M) is not intensity, it's lack of creativity in the layouts. With the exception of the wing over drop, every wing coaster is just a string of elements from B&M's tired bag of tricks, only this time, ooh, you're next to the track instead of above or below it! How innovative. "Ehh you got your loops, your rolls, your helices, what more do you want?"

 

But you can say that for any company… Look at Maverick, it is nothing more than a launch, turn, drops and a few rolls. Look at I305, it is even more cookie-cutter in terms of elements “ehh you got your drop, turn, hill, turn, turn, turn, turn, hill, etc…). In that perspective, all rides are nothing more than a bag of tricks. It comes down to the dynamic design and pacing of the elements that make a ride exciting. While I get where you were going with that, there is more to it.

 

B&M continue to charge top dollar for their nearly-flawless engineered machines. Companies are probably well aware of what they will get with B&M by now, and I highly doubt any of them are disappointed in their investment. It only tends to be the enthusiasts who are!

 

I think all the companies are innovative in their own rights… I feel Intamin has actually been slipping on the innovation line, compared to the 2000-2004 era. Today, they seem to stick to the Maverick/I305 type designs which are low, fast and very aggressive. B&M is innovative in terms of their ability to perfect a style of design (such as the wing-rider) and the flying coaster, although the layouts are nothing special. GCI has been pushing itself in recent years with amazing designs, along with RMC as we all know. Each company is innovative in their own right, but while some may be in terms of layout, others may be in train design and reliability… While others in ride experience (S&S, RMC). This is why it is good parks buy from all of them, as enthusiasts get a great variety to experience!

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I've only rode Gatekeeper, and they are fun. Nothing compared to a Hyper. But much better than Maverick

 

I don't know what you're smoking but I want some. And this is coming from someone that loves wing coasters.

I'm smoke free, buddy. I love Gatekeeper, I've heard mixed reviews about it. But Hypers are still number 1 in my book.

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The only wing rider that I've ridden is Gatekeeper. It was pretty fun in the back row (especially the first drop), but a little on the rattly side and not as intense as I would prefer. I plan visit SFGAm this summer with the wife to compare X-Flight and Gatekeeper. I am interested to see if a smaller wing rider will provide more forces.

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but their reliability and maintenance costs

 

Not to sound like a douche, but have you any idea how much a B&M coaster costs in maintenance?

Believe me it ain't cheap!

 

The big advantage with a B&M coaster is their reliability.

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but their reliability and maintenance costs

 

Not to sound like a douche, but have you any idea how much a B&M coaster costs in maintenance?

Believe me it ain't cheap!

 

The big advantage with a B&M coaster is their reliability.

 

Truth. The GM of Carowinds mentioned in a Q&A session that a year's supply of new wheels for the three Intimidator trains is around $40k.

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I will ride my first wing rider in a few weeks at Heide-Park's Pre-Opening event so can only make a verdict then. However have to agree that the GP has no clue of good coasters. At Heide Limit - a Vekoma SLC - has mostly always way longer lines then Desert Race - an Intamin Accelerator. I even heard some of the GP saying that "Limit is the best coaster I have ever done" while my eyes searched for something to clobber some sense into these people...

 

For those who have a comparison: How do Wing-Riders do compare to Arrow's X2 or Intamin's Furius Bacco which are similar designs out on the market?

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I've been on furius baco and GK. GK was not intense at all and it would rattle a bit closer to the back while FB (being a lot rougher) was, in my opinion, way better due to its intensity and pacing (which GK didn't really have either). Still, I do expect B&M to build something more forceful, one day.

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For those who have a comparison: How do Wing-Riders do compare to Arrow's X2 or Intamin's Furius Bacco which are similar designs out on the market?

Haven't been on Furius Baco. X2 is really different from the B&M wing coasters. I rode X2 once in the front row and there's an amazing pop of air on the camel back after the first raven turn. To me, X2 in the front row is about as rough as GK in the outside seats and FOTR in the back row. My favorite B&M wing coaster is FOTR, then X-Flight, then GK. But X2 is way better than FOTR IMO.

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but their reliability and maintenance costs

 

Not to sound like a douche, but have you any idea how much a B&M coaster costs in maintenance?

Believe me it ain't cheap!

 

The big advantage with a B&M coaster is their reliability.

 

Likewise, do you? And your going to tell me that Intamin is cheaper overall than B&M? I highly doubt it.

 

Just last weekend at Cedar Point they said the most expensive ride dollar per dollar to maintain in the entire park is Dragster. At Geauga Lake, the maintenance team always raved on how great Batman/Domainator was reliability wise in the park, compared to say Steel Venom or X-Flight.

 

B&M's tend to be very low maintenance costs, aside from the normal wear/tear they all go through. They are built extremely well with very simple control systems. Compare rides like Tatsu/Manta/Superman against X-Flight, that went through GAU motors on the train weekly. Each of which costing thousands of dollars a piece.

 

B&M's make much simpler rides though, all chain lift... Versus Intamin that do complex launch systems and all that, so it does make sense. I am just saying, when you compare directly I am sure its not even close. Intamin usually require more "post" work, such as track and train re-profiling these days (Maverick, I305, Skyrush).

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How do Wing-Riders do compare to Arrow's X2

 

Wingriders are much better but then again so are most coasters. I rode X back in 2002 and thought it was one of the worst coasters ever due to the merciless beating it gives it's riders. After hearing about how great it was for over a decade I rode it again in 2013 with it's new trains and still thought it was one of the worst coasters I've ever ridden. Both times I ended up in the back row on the outside so this might have something to do with it but I'm not sure.

 

Wingriders are extremely comfortable but completely forceless. The question about liking wingriders is do you think the wingrider gimmick is good enough that you still like the ride despite the forcelessness and I absolutely do... I love them and think riding on the side of the track is great. When you're comparing them to X2 they win by default (in my book) because even if you think wingriders are the most boring coasters ever at least they don't beat the hell out of you. I'd rather be bored to death than beat to death.

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While yes, X2 is aggressive... I think it is simply one of the most amazing ride experiences. I was not blown away on a ride in a LONG time, until I rode X2. Thankfully, we went on a dead day and was able to re-ride quite a few times without any wait, it was amazing.

 

The B&M wing coasters are nothing like them... By far. I really wish the 4D coaster can be improved and become more popular.

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The B&M Wing Coasters I don't love them and don't hate them. I have only ridden The Swarm and it is a good ride. Not overly forceful, not speedy but it is very smooth, loads of hangtime and is very reliable.

 

So for those, if one is around to ride, then I will. Nothing more and nothing less really.

 

The S&S 4D's I enjoy but can be quite rough or jolty. I can express more of an opinion on these as I have ridden all three of them (YAY!) and they were quite similar. I do like the unique experience of flipping around whilst on the ride but the rotations do need damping down to soften the jolts. They do look very impressive though!

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The B&M Wing Coasters I don't love them and don't hate them. I have only ridden The Swarm and it is a good ride. Not overly forceful, not speedy but it is very smooth, loads of hangtime and is very reliable.

By the way, speaking of swarm, this is something I've been asking to myself since it opened: why the hell is it that it is considered a 5-inversions coaster when, in reality, the supposed "inclined loop" (which looks more like an inclined helix to me) barely (if at all) goes beyond 90 degrees? I know this might not be the question of the decade but it's something that makes me genuinely curious.

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Just last weekend at Cedar Point they said the most expensive ride dollar per dollar to maintain in the entire park is Dragster. At Geauga Lake, the maintenance team always raved on how great Batman/Domainator was reliability wise in the park, compared to say Steel Venom or X-Flight.

 

Why would you compare dragster to a B&M coaster? It's like comparing apples to a fishing boat. Dragster have the (along with Kingda Ka and Formula Rossa) longest and most advanced launch on any coaster on the earth. Of course it's going to have higher maintenance costs than a regular B&M ride. It would be the exakt same way if B&M would have been the maker of it.

 

Go to Mirabilandia and compare the cost of Katun and iSpeed, and you will find that the Intamin ride is the cheapest one to own. That one have an LSM launch, with almost no moving parts, so it can't be compared to the B&M ride, it's the same thing as I wrote above.

 

That is not really the point. The point is that most enthusiasts seems to think it's a very good deal to own a B&M money as you don't have to do any maintenance on them, and that they therefore don't cost a lot of money, but that is wrong.

 

B&M's tend to be very low maintenance costs, aside from the normal wear/tear they all go through. They are built extremely well with very simple control systems. Compare rides like Tatsu/Manta/Superman against X-Flight, that went through GAU motors on the train weekly. Each of which costing thousands of dollars a piece.

 

But that is the thing, B&M's are not low in maintenance cost, they have simple and very well thought of designs, but still the scheduled maintenance that needs to be done needs to be done, and it's not cheap.

 

X-flight is not a very good example IMO as the whole design of the train is faulty, that should have been noted when they bought the ride.

 

B&M's make much simpler rides though, all chain lift... Versus Intamin that do complex launch systems and all that, so it does make sense. I am just saying, when you compare directly I am sure its not even close. Intamin usually require more "post" work, such as track and train re-profiling these days (Maverick, I305, Skyrush).

 

Yes, they make simpler designs, but all B&M's are major installations. Find an Intamin installation that is similar to a B&M installation, for an example Fahrenheit, and you will find out that the B&M coaster is not so cheap in maintenance after all.

 

Modifications to the ride is not really a thing when you talk about maintenance if you would ask me. Besides, Intamin foots the bill for those modifications thorough warranty anyway.

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Go to Mirabilandia and compare the cost of Katun and iSpeed, and you will find that the Intamin ride is the cheapest one to own. That one have an LSM launch, with almost no moving parts, so it can't be compared to the B&M ride, it's the same thing as I wrote above.

I thought that LSMs, despite being rather reliable, tend to have a high power consumption, am I wrong?

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The B&M Wing Coasters I don't love them and don't hate them. I have only ridden The Swarm and it is a good ride. Not overly forceful, not speedy but it is very smooth, loads of hangtime and is very reliable.

By the way, speaking of swarm, this is something I've been asking to myself since it opened: why the hell is it that it is considered a 5-inversions coaster when, in reality, the supposed "inclined loop" (which looks more like an inclined helix to me) barely (if at all) goes beyond 90 degrees? I know this might not be the question of the decade but it's something that makes me genuinely curious.

 

I believe it is fair to call the B&M Stand-Up inclined loops an inversion as they are over 135 degrees, but Swarm's is hardly past 90, so it bugs me too when they call it an inversion. In my opinion, it is not an inversion unless it is 135+ degrees.

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I still think calling Outlaw Run's 153 degrees tuan as an inversion is kind of weird...

 

About the price, B&M tracks are made in US and Intamin's tracks are made in Europe. Labor price is higher in Europe. Rumor said that B&M will start a China factory to produce tracks and supports just like Vekoma.

 

About motor system, please look at the pictures.

image.thumb.jpg.f2fb310f0163996cf099d4be62218c8c.jpg

But here's what Intamin built 11 years ago. I don't think B&M will ever make something like this. Now I guess we can see why reliability is an issue for most Intamin rides.

image.thumb.jpg.8fb3b5b5742709d82a81017202a61187.jpg

Here's one of B&M's newest projects.

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