New B&M FAMILY coaster at Happy Valley Shanghai!

[JonnyRCT3 0]

I believe the intensity factor has been outdone by the more smooth and accurate track design.

[Garet 43]

Well, a B&M family coastercdoesnt really surprise me... Their rides were getting less intense for the past 10-15 years or so... Other manufacturers have taken over the intense "thrill" ride scene now I guess.

Vekomas are terrible save their GIBs, Intamins are unreliable, but B&Ms are both smooth and reliable...

 

I would have agreed a few years ago but lately i've loved a lot of recent Vekoma rides, Grizzly at Hong Kong was great, Millenium at Fantasy Island was smooth and looking at my ride bucket list a lot of them are vekoma, intamin, RMC or a few other companies, I think i've only got 1 B&M on my list which id go out of my way for which is Sky Scrapper, yet for vekoma i've got their sting-ray concept, the tilting coaster and aren't Vekoma also working with RMC to make wildfire which I would add to my list?. I heard Kumali was quite a smooth SLC too. The last B&M I did had quite a rattle on my front seat ride (Hair Raiser) and as for the intamins coasters and flat-rides, on all my travels across Korea and Japan they've always been open when I went to the parks save for T Express and thats due to my astonishing bad luck, and Everlands strict weather policy more than reliability.

[rcjp 0]

And I remember a video where Vekoma/WDI tested the swinging wagons from the Seven Drawfs on a trailer attached to a van that speeded through a parking lot.

Really?? Wow that must have been great! Oh, these vekoma guys...

[linearinduction 0]

No Doubt B&M will keep the Vests for those Rides where you need to be kept in the Proper Riding Position.

[TetsuneSonic 0]

Test Run begins

 

 

 

 

Pic By Happy Valley staff

[A.J. 36]

No Doubt B&M will keep the Vests for those Rides where you need to be kept in the Proper Riding Position.

This is a really good point - part of the reason that shoulder harnesses exist is to keep riders in an upright seating position at all times.

[KingRCT3 0]

Very true. Werner Stengel said so about those shoulder things on Olympia Looping. On an interview he said "and we had to add those to keep riders in a proper position". He didn't mention extra safety or anything.

So I think this is the same deal with vest harnesses.

 

Thanks for the pics Tetsune/Happy Valley staff. I have to admit the train looks rather bare and "mechanical"... The Vekoma version is prettier. But the curves are sexy!

[Superbatboy 7]

Very Intaminesque trains

[rcjp 0]

No Doubt B&M will keep the Vests for those Rides where you need to be kept in the Proper Riding Position.

This is a really good point - part of the reason that shoulder harnesses exist is to keep riders in an upright seating position at all times.

It is a valid point but if some crazy intense rides like skyrush with up to 5 Gs and forceful transitions (with a few laterals) can have lap bars why can't these new not so intense B&Ms have them too?

[GigaG 0]

It's so weird to see that track with those trains...

[JonnyRCT3 0]

Intamin could take a lesson from this. Intamin inverted trains are hideous!

[LiMiT 0]

I don't know, I'm quite a fan of the 2x2 Intamin inverted trains. Maybe some of those (tornado twins) would benefit from the use of modified restraints?

[JonnyRCT3 0]

The design on those trains is a double-edged sword. They provide a spacious ride, but suffer from being lengthy. Which inevitably call for increased radius.

[A.J. 36]

The design on those trains is a double-edged sword. They provide a spacious ride, but suffer from being lengthy. Which inevitably call for increased radius.

I don't know, it doesn't look much longer - if at all - than the Vekoma train.

[_koppen 0]

Intamin could take a lesson from this. Intamin inverted trains are hideous!

 

Do you mean they way they look, or the way they ride (the restraints?) ?

 

I actually really like the look of them, but I'm not to found of the restraints.

 

I don't know, I'm quite a fan of the 2x2 Intamin inverted trains. Maybe some of those (tornado twins) would benefit from the use of modified restraints?

 

 

I wrote to (well, my wife did) Sascha at intamin and asked about the inverted train. He said that they could not incorporate the new lap bars to them with the newest safety norms, but that they are looking into using the Storm Runner type of OTSR on them. For a family version they could most likely use it without the shoulder straps. (like how they originally planned on Tornado at Bakken, before they opted for the full OTSR because of the lower height limit)

 

I really hope somebody builds an Intamin invert soon. Intamin have learned so much since the last one was built in the early 2000's

[linearinduction 0]

No Doubt B&M will keep the Vests for those Rides where you need to be kept in the Proper Riding Position.

This is a really good point - part of the reason that shoulder harnesses exist is to keep riders in an upright seating position at all times.

It is a valid point but if some crazy intense rides like skyrush with up to 5 Gs and forceful transitions (with a few laterals) can have lap bars why can't these new not so intense B&Ms have them too?

You would have to ask the Manufacturer and/or Park about why specifically an Overhead Lap Bar only was used on SkyRush. There could be an infinite amount of reasons such as Ride Design or the Park Specifically Wanting no Overhead Lap Bars with Shoulder Bars like those used on Storm Runner and Fahrenheit (to keep riders in the proper riding position). Wicked at Lagoon uses Lap Bars because the Owners of the Park Insisted the ride only use them. That is why Wicked has the Unique "Lap Trays" that it does.

[coasterschile 0]

Wow. this is crazy!

 

What's next, a Vekoma giga coaster?

[gerstlaueringvar 0]

^ Totally possible. Vekoma is expanding in China very well, much better than any foreign companies. At least the parks won't know they made a wrong decition before the ride opened.

[djboss302 0]

^ Totally possible. Vekoma is expanding in China very well, much better than any foreign companies. At least the parks won't know they made a wrong decition before the ride opened.

 

At least a Vekoma giga coaster would be better than a Chinese Knockoff giga coaster.

[coasterschile 0]

^agree! but I'd really like to see a Vekoma Hyper, the only problem is that that would be in Asia only, because in the USA instead of a Vekoma they would rather buy a B&M obviously. In Europe, they would put a B&M or an Intamin (Or even Gerstlauer, those guys are making some crazy stuff nowadays) In Africa would be difficult, In S. America might be but i wouldnt be so sure (would be a miracle)

 

So the only place would be in Asia (but its too far away )

[rcjp 0]

I would also like to see what they could do with a hyper or giga. I mean, I know they build the infamous SLCs but lately their rides haven't been so bad, have they?

[AusCoasterFan 0]

Wow. this is crazy!

 

What's next, a Vekoma giga coaster?

 

Well if TOGO can do hypers...

[KingRCT3 0]

What's next, a Vekoma giga coaster?

 

Why not after all, but even more surprising IMO, this year ABC Rides, who usually do kiddy/mid-sized rides, will build a 100m (328ft) height drop tower! More infos.

 

The world is upside-down this year. B&M going kiddy, and ABC going crazy.

[coasterschile 0]

well, thats true. I'd love to see a bigger version (like twice I think) of the red track of Battlestar Galactica, also the launch to be faster, so instead of being a family coaster, it would be a fast, sweet, twisty-thrilling rollercoaster

[Geauga Dog 1]

In the past I've noticed that on the ABC Rides page under coasters they show pictures of SFMM's Goliath so I wonder if they absorbed some of Giovanola's former designers.

 

Actually I'm happy that B&M is trying the family route for their coasters. Of all the coaster companies they need a bit more diversification in their product line.