Batman: The Escape and Iron Wolf

I was looking at RCDB and found a coaster called Batman:The Escape. It said that in a former life it was Shockwave at SFGAdv and that it was built by Intamin and it is a standup. Looking at the pics it looks like B&M track and the cars look like the original B&M standup cars on Iron Wolf. It says both coasters were built in 1990 yet one was built by Intamin and one was built by B&M. What's the deal here?

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Bob Hansen

Who just bought a Screaming Serpent and is now a 33 year old giddy little boy!

Intamin and B&M were somehow intertwined at the time. I guess they split up sometime after those rides were made, which would explain the track similarities.

Well, that coaster is now at Six Flags: Astroworld in Houston. I can't remember details exactly, but I thought it was an Intamin coaster. I did read an article or information somewhere that told me it was a B&M or was classified as such. I'll see if I can find that info and post it.

The track is also a little different shapes though, Iron Wolf has a little more slicker shape, and Batman: The Escape has a little of a slick shape look at both pictures of each track. They still were connected in a way! ;)

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CAK91687
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Just comparing the pics of both and from what I can see the track layouts are similar too.

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Bob Hansen

Who just bought a Screaming Serpent and is now a 33 year old giddy little boy!

B&M and Intamin where together but b&m branched off of them thats why they look so similar.

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Touch The Sky

Six Flags gave Texas her first stand-up rollercoaster in 1993, an early Intamin AG design from around 1985-86 (while Bollinger and Mabillard were in Intamin's employ, though their degree of contribution to this ride remains unknown to us). Batman: The Escape can display a real rough side, with largely uncomfortable trains. Be sure and bear down on the restraints when boarding so that you aren't sitting on the bicycle seat during the ride, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. In its favor, B:TE's still the only stand-up coaster in Texas, and has a neat effect where the track passes through the loop.

Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure and also Magic Mountain, this former "Shockwave" coaster DID have the best themeing in the entire park, but even this has been neglected lately. Recently they closed the "Batcave" portion of the queue for safety concerns, originally the mountain from the "Alpine Sleigh Ride", making the entrance and exit the same path.

They didn't branch off in the sense that B and M was a division of Intamin. Claude Bollinger and Walter Malibard worked for Intamin AG. They decided to leave Intamin and start their own company which Is B and M.

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I've been on both coasters (Iron Wolf and B:TE) and I'd even have to say that B:TE is better. After the drop and loop, it kinda goes downhill, except for this great diagonal helix halfway through. I've never been a fan of Iron Wolf. . .too many inversions to close together. I'm always pissed off when I get off because I then have a huge headache. B:TE did have some amazing themeing UNTIL they took out the BatCave portion. That mountain has been used in many different ways, but needs to come down now. They could fit something fun there. . .

Ride 'Em Cowboy,

What kind of memory do you have ? Iron Wolf has "too many inversions to close together" ?!?!? It only has 2 inversions, and they are about as far apart as they can be on such a small coaster. The loop is near the beginning, and the corkscrew is near the end.

I've never been on Batman: The Escape, so I can judge, but perhaps you have them confused ?

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Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
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Ride em, what did you ride? Too many inversions close together? There are 2 in over 2000 feet of track.

And B:TE track... and the B:TE subject all together has been discussed many times. I myself belive Giovanola is behind much of it, along with the Intamin Space Diver. The track is Giovanola's style track, not B&Ms. Look at the ties and compare them to Goliath and Titan... not to mention Giovanola's website has stand ups listed.

And then the person who said they read it was B&M somewhere... Well, on my website I could say Shockwave at SFGAm was really designed by Intamin in 1975, and they sold the design to Arrow in 1983, and SFGAm said they wanted it in 1988, and it opened finally in 1997. Don't always belive what you read. You don't even have to belive what I said about B:TE's track if you don't want to.

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Webmaster of Travis's Websites of Infinite Boredom!
Less than 2 months until SFGAm opens!

*** This post was edited by TrBiggar on 3/14/2002. ***

They didn't branch off in the sense that B and M was a division of Intamin. Claude Bollinger and Walter Malibard worked for Intamin AG. They decided to leave Intamin and start their own company which Is B and M.

Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard ;)

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"On the East Coast we ride until we die!"
-Good Charlotte, East Coast Anthem

Kick The Sky said:

I was looking at RCDB and found a coaster called Batman:The Escape. It said that in a former life it was Shockwave at SFGAdv and that it was built by Intamin and it is a standup. Looking at the pics it looks like B&M track and the cars look like the original B&M standup cars on Iron Wolf. It says both coasters were built in 1990 yet one was built by Intamin and one was built by B&M. What's the deal here?
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Bob Hansen
Who just bought a Screaming Serpent and is now a 33 year old giddy little boy!

Batman The Escape had originally opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1987 as ShockWave. It then was removed and taken to Six Flags Great Adventure. Then later relocated again to its current location - Six Flags AstroWorld in 1993. The ride is a collaboration between Intamin AG and Giovanola. Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard at this time were working for Intamin AG. Giovanola was the major fabrication supplier for Intamin AG and Gio was involved in only the structural part of the ride. This is why Intamin AG, B&M, and Giovanola fabrication are so similar, because Giovanola produces the track.

MagnumForce said:

They didn't branch off in the sense that B and M was a division of Intamin. Claude Bollinger and Walter Malibard worked for Intamin AG. They decided to leave Intamin and start their own company which Is B and M.
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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

Sorry thats what I meant MagnumForce.

Wow, that track looks like it needs some TLC. Look at the pictures of Batman:The Escape on RCDB.com wow are they rusty.

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Rob

I HATE SNOW!!! I am boycotting snow, I refuse to have fun in it.

Sorry. You're right. . .I don't know what I was saying about Iron Wolf. It's not the inversion thing, it's the second half of the ride. There is only the one inversion after the brakes. I forgot. Can all you Iron Wolf lovers out there find it in your hearts to forgive an honest mistake?! It still gives me a headache and I know I'm not alone. ;)

Ride Em, Cowboy said:

Six Flags gave Texas her first stand-up rollercoaster in 1993, an early Intamin AG design from around 1985-86 (while Bollinger and Mabillard were in Intamin's employ, though their degree of contribution to this ride remains unknown to us). Batman: The Escape can display a real rough side, with largely uncomfortable trains. Be sure and bear down on the restraints when boarding so that you aren't sitting on the bicycle seat during the ride, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. In its favor, B:TE's still the only stand-up coaster in Texas, and has a neat effect where the track passes through the loop.
Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure and also Magic Mountain, this former "Shockwave" coaster DID have the best themeing in the entire park, but even this has been neglected lately. Recently they closed the "Batcave" portion of the queue for safety concerns, originally the mountain from the "Alpine Sleigh Ride", making the entrance and exit the same path.

If you're going to quote from my site, www.sixflagshouston.com , you could at least give me credit..

Iron Wolf never gave me a headache.

Iron Wolf is on my list of 2 Advil coasters. Shockwave at SFGAm is a 3 or a 4 Advil coaster for comparison. :)

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Bob Hansen

Who just bought a Screaming Serpent and is now a 33 year old giddy little boy!

I hate to say it, Ride Em, but there are no inversions after the brakes, only the station. There is no midcourse, only a section of flat track.

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Webmaster of Travis's Websites of Infinite Boredom!
Less than 2 months until SFGAm opens!