Is Viper (SFGAm) Designed/Built by Intamin?

[chickenbowl]

Viper at Six Flags Great America has an undocumented history, and I want to clear it up. RCDB doesn't have a manufacturer listed for Viper, but it does have Stand Company listed as a designer. Looking at the other coasters Stand Company has worked with, you will find some Vekoma woodies (Robin Hood, Loop Garou) and an Intamin woodie (White Cyclone). This leads me to believe that there are more parties involved with Viper than listed.

 

I then watched a POV of the defunct Intamin, Aska, which has a cyclone-layout just like many other wooden coasters including Viper. Judging by the two POVs of each coaster, they look remarkably similar, maybe even identical except for the fact that they're mirrored. Judge for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_uETHRzIRk

 

Aska was built 3 years after Viper, and if Intamin designed or built that coaster, I believe that had to have done the same with Viper. What do you guys think?

 

We also see the same issue with a different Japanese wood coaster, Regina at Tobu Zoo. RCDB says Stand Company built it, but has no other company listed. This coaster also looks remarkably Intamin-designed. Do you guys think these two woodies are affiliated with Intamin? Or am I making a false assumption?

[robbalvey]

Intamin was not involved with Viper at Six Flags Great America. Stand Company was a short-lived design firm by Dennis Starkey who used to work for Summers/Dinn. He and Larry Bill worked together on a few ride designs that other construction companies built. Larry Bill later went to help form Gravity Group. Six Flags managed the project and had Gurnee based Rygiel Construction construct the ride.

 

Intamin was not involved.

Edited October 21, 2015 by robbalvey

[RollerManic]

Intamin was not involved with Viper at Six Flags Great America. Stand Company was a short-lived design firm by Dennis Starkey who used to work for Summers/Dinn. He and Larry Bill worked together on a few ride designs that other construction companies built. Larry Bill later went to help form Gravity Group. Six Flags managed the project and had Gurnee based Rygiel Construction construct the ride.

 

Intamin was not involved.

How was Intamin then involved in Aska (according to RCDB)?

[chickenbowl]

Thanks Robb! That makes sense, I'm just still trying to figure out the connection between Viper and Aska then. Their layouts are perfect mirrors of each other, but why?

[BuffaloWingRider]

I didn't like this ride.

[Jason5678]

Take it for what it's worth, but the wikipedia page says it's a clone of the Coney Island Cyclone. Maybe all the roller coasters you are referring to are.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viper_(Six_Flags_Great_America)

[Samuel]

Take it for what it's worth, but the wikipedia page says it's a clone of the Coney Island Cyclone. Maybe all the roller coasters you are referring to are.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viper_(Six_Flags_Great_America)

 

Yeah, the common thread is the mirroring of the Coney Island Cyclone. Names like Pierce, Cobb, RCCA, Dinn, and even TOGO have had a hand in one replication or another.

[robbalvey]

Thanks Robb! That makes sense, I'm just still trying to figure out the connection between Viper and Aska then. Their layouts are perfect mirrors of each other, but why?

I found this:

 

http://parkvault.net/2014/12/05/part-two-of-the-wooden-coaster-train-history/

Intamin used mostly its own trains on most of its next projects, except for two: the Dennis Starkey designed Coney Island Cyclone mirror that went to Japan in 1998. Installed as Aska at the now closed Nara Dreamland (Nara, JP), this spectacular ride used two PTC 7 two bench cars trains. The other was the Dennis Starkey White Cyclone. Opening in 1994 at Nagashima Spaland (Nagashima, JP) this huge twister roller coaster feature a 5577 feet long layout with deep drops and spectacular helixes. It run 3 trains and each have 7 four passengers cars from PTC.

So there you have it. Sounds like it was simply a matter of Dennis Starkey (Stand Company) working on the designs of both projects, but the actual rides built by different people. Not sure why RCDB doesn't list this information, but then again, I've found that RCDB is not the be-all end-all source for roller coaster info as much as some people may think it is.

Edited October 21, 2015 by robbalvey

[chickenbowl]

Thanks Robb! That makes sense, I'm just still trying to figure out the connection between Viper and Aska then. Their layouts are perfect mirrors of each other, but why?

I found this:

 

http://parkvault.net/2014/12/05/part-two-of-the-wooden-coaster-train-history/

Intamin used mostly its own trains on most of its next projects, except for two: the Dennis Starkey designed Coney Island Cyclone mirror that went to Japan in 1998. Installed as Aska at the now closed Nara Dreamland (Nara, JP), this spectacular ride used two PTC 7 two bench cars trains. The other was the Dennis Starkey White Cyclone. Opening in 1994 at Nagashima Spaland (Nagashima, JP) this huge twister roller coaster feature a 5577 feet long layout with deep drops and spectacular helixes. It run 3 trains and each have 7 four passengers cars from PTC.

So there you have it. Sounds like it was simply a matter of Dennis Starkey (Stand Company) working on the designs of both projects, but the actual rides built by different people. Not sure why RCDB doesn't list this information, but then again, I've found that RCDB is not the be-all end-all source for roller coaster info as much as some people may think it is.

 

Thanks for looking that up, it definitely answered some questions! RCDB should list Stand Company (or at least Starkey) as the designer then. It is interesting to see this company crossover here between Stand Company, Intamin, and Vekoma. I wonder what Starkey is doing nowadays... I guess the niche of making primarily weak wooden coasters died after the 90's?

[Jew]

Stand company probably designed the rides the same way Stengel is involved with B&M and Intamin projects...subcontracting happens all the time.