B&M launch coasters - CoasterBuzz

Do you think The Incredible Hulk will be the only B&M launch coaster ever built. You've seen they're dive machines not catch on too well. Or do you think B&M will come out with variations of the the launch coaster using floorless designs or hyper designs?

Do you think this will catch on soon, or do you think B&M will scrap the idea?

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Jon-Visit my website whenever I get it up!

Apparently, the launch mechanism had nothing to do with B&M, so...unless universal builds one, i doubt it. At least one with the pinch wheel thing going on.
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Idle hands were orient to her.

If a park wants a launched B&M, it'll happen. If no park wants a launched B&M, it won't happen.

Looking at the way things are going in the launching dept., S&S and Intamin (even premier seems to be losing their share) are miles ahead and I think they'll be the top dogs for a while.

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The legend lives!

The launch is a Universal contraption. B&M doesn't "decide" to build anything, they build what their customers order.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

While coaster manufacturers may buiod what their customers want to a great extent, they do have limits of what they consider to be their realm of expertise. If they are smart they will limit what they do to what they can do well.

If a park calls CCI and asks for a launched steel coaster, I'm sure that CCI will be glad to give them the phone numbers for Premier and Intamin; but I'd be willing to bet that CCI wouldn't build a coaster that far from their range or expertise.

Just to add a bit more detail....

Supposedly, the whole pinch wheel system was done because B&M didn't want to modify their trains, or i suppose, would have requested big bucks to modify the trains. Also, i hear its pretty damn expensive because they had to build generators just for Hulk. If not, they would have browned out Orlando with every launch.

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Idle hands were orient to her.

B & M ARE offering their launch, on both inverted looping and floorless, and they have done for a few years, as far as I remember...

One of the co-developers of Hulk's launch system said in an interview that when he talked to Bolliger and Mabillard, that he told they what all the ride would entail, including the launched lift. Then he goes into how they tested it with welded boxcars and a large weight pulling them through to simulate the G's. So the wheel drive system is Universal's, but if another company wanted to develop something similar, I'm sure they could...it would just cost a lot of money.

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danish_d said:
B & M ARE offering their launch, on both inverted looping and floorless, and they have done for a few years, as far as I remember...

Do you have any proof of this?

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- Peabody

If B&M have offered their version of a launch for a few years now, why haven't they advertised it at IAAPA or in the few brochures they have?

Not to doubt your word danish_d but it seems like a silly marketing move to not advertise something like a launch system for a company that has provided a lot of inovations.

Speaking of Hulk, what was the original element after the launch?

A hint....

It wasn't a zero-g roll.

-Sean

ravenguy98 said:
Just to add a bit more detail....
Also, i hear its pretty damn expensive because they had to build generators just for Hulk. If not, they would have browned out Orlando with every launch.

Why is it that everyone thinks that launching a coaster takes so much power that it would brown out a major city? Knobels might be able to brown out Elysburg (Population 1890) if they had a launched coaster, but no launched coaster is going to have and impact on a city.
The Hulk's launch is between 1000 and 1500 horsepower, or roughly 1000 KW. A 1000 KW draw on the electric grid is a drop in the bucket. The medium size industrial plant where I work draws several times that much power continuously.
When energy storage devices are used for launches it is to reduce the size of the transformers, switchgear, etc required to deliver the brief spurts of power, not because the power is a major amount relative to the grid.

Well, that's how it was explained somewhere, so that's where i got it from. It may have been one of those TV shows, i think.
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Idle hands were orient to her.

Sean F - was it some sort of half loop or diving loop?

I do remember reading a news tidbit somewhere a few months ago that B&M stated that they were working on a launch system to be availible sometime this year on thier floorless and inverted rides.

Mamoosh,

Nope. Nice guess though. Here is the story I was told.

Back in 1991 when B&M finished the design for the first inverted coaster, the entire firm thought they had a winner. However, Walter thought the ride needed something else. Walter called Bob Mappe (US rep for B&M) in the middle of the night, waking him up, saying he had something else for the inverted coaster.

Bob wasn't terrible excited about this because not only was he woken up, but he thought their inverted coaster had a perfect design and shouldn't be messed around with any more. Walter faxed a picture over to Bob. The picture contained a clock, with a human sitting in the middle rotating inside the middle of a clock as the hands on a clock do. Walter said he had an idea to do this for the inverted coaster. Thus, the zero-g roll was born. Originally the first inverted design was to have a camelback hill instead of the zero-g roll!

When B&M were in talks with Universal about the Hulk, Universal said they wanted to launch the train out of the tunnel at a certain speed. B&M provided a layout the park was happy with but Walter wasn't too crazy about shooting people out of the tunnel directly into a sharp camel back hill at the speeds the park wanted.

Bob came up with an idea and did the same thing to Walter. He said, "Hey, I have an idea for Hulk" and described him the zero-g roll out of the launch tunnel. Walter loved the idea so the element was designed.

So goes the story.

-Sean

Dexter - news tidbit or rumor? No offense but it doesn't sound like what you read was fact.

Sean - thanks for the story. I'm glad they didn't stay with the camelback, too!

Sean F. said:
Mamoosh,
Nope. Nice guess though. Here is the story I was told.

Back in 1991 when B&M finished the design for the first inverted coaster, the entire firm thought they had a winner. However, Walter thought the ride needed something else. Walter called Bob Mappe (US rep for B&M) in the middle of the night, waking him up, saying he had something else for the inverted coaster.
Bob wasn't terrible excited about this because not only was he woken up, but he thought their inverted coaster had a perfect design and shouldn't be messed around with any more. Walter faxed a picture over to Bob. The picture contained a clock, with a human sitting in the middle rotating inside the middle of a clock as the hands on a clock do. Walter said he had an idea to do this for the inverted coaster. Thus, the zero-g roll was born. Originally the first inverted design was to have a camelback hill instead of the zero-g roll!
When B&M were in talks with Universal about the Hulk, Universal said they wanted to launch the train out of the tunnel at a certain speed. B&M provided a layout the park was happy with but Walter wasn't too crazy about shooting people out of the tunnel directly into a sharp camel back hill at the speeds the park wanted.
Bob came up with an idea and did the same thing to Walter. He said, "Hey, I have an idea for Hulk" and described him the zero-g roll out of the launch tunnel. Walter loved the idea so the element was designed.
So goes the story.
-Sean

Where did you hear this ?

Yeah, I always thought that it was odd that B&M's went up a hill-like structure for their in-line twists. I wouldn't mind going into a camelback on an inverted coaster though.

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Mayday - Memorial Day Weekend - Nonpoint, Nickelback, Oleander, Staind
Ozzfest - June 8 - Drowning Pool, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Disturbed, Black Sabbath
Awake Tour- June 15 - Darwin's Waiting Room, Puddle of Mudd, Deftones, Godsmack

CPGenius - Dueling Dragons [Fire, I believe] goes over a camelback just as the other side does a heatline.

Yes!...and that "jump" in the trackwork provides one of the more interesting sensations on the inverteds....airtime! Montu also has a *hint* of air after the MCBR and the second vertical loop, just before the banked turn that sits right next to the queue....
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