Intamin drop generations??

I know this is a simple question for some of you, but what is the difference between the different generations of intamin drop rides? and list examples of each generation.

thanks

Ok

1st generations are like an elevator shack, which is usually about 100 feet and then drop down like a rollercoaster drop and you stop laying on your back. Its sorta hard to explain, and example is demon drop @ Cedar Point

2nd Generation is basically a tower, with 4 seperate cars holding 4 (?) people in each. A cable hooks on to the cars, brings them to the top and drops you. Usually these are in the 150-180 foot range. Example Giant Drop @ SFA, Drop Zone @ PCarowinds.

3rd Generation is like the 2nd except its more of a 'ring' that goes around the tower holding many people. Example is Drop Zone at PKI and PKD

Giant drop is at SFGRAM...Tower of doom is the one at SFA but of course they're both 2nd generation Intamin freefall towers so it doesn't matter too much.

Don't forget there's a 4th generation drop tower from Intamin...the stand up gyro drop better known as Acrophobia @ SFOG.

What are the 3rd gens?

PKI, PKD, SFoG (kinda)....

Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."

Acrophobia is intense!

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

I would add some variations to the 2nd gens:
-Towers with 8 person cars such as the one in Australia. This is an interesting hybrid as it combines a 2nd gen Tower with a reverse Freefall like "Superman: The Escape".

So where does the reverse Freefall fit in? The poor thing just doesn´t belong anywhere...

Some 2nd gen Towers are over 300 ft high! "Blue Fall" in Japan and said tower in Australia.

There was another ride which stood out somehow: "The Pepsi Max Big Drop"
This was an indoor 2nd gen with only one car. The car had two rows for four people sitting over each other. The pole/track was resembling coastertrack.
The ride used to operate in Londons "Trocadero" Centre, but was dismantled about a year ago. AFAIK it vanished since then.

Another Intamin/Ride Trade variation is the "Bungee drop". Only one was built as an indoor/dark ride attraction at "Phanstasialand" in Germany. This ride features six seperate tracks with eight person cars (one row) each. The ride is capable of shooting the cars up with compressed air. It can even blast the gondolas downwards. Ride programs vary. A nice effect of the upward acceleration is provided by the magnetic brakes: After the gondola has cleared that area it gains massive speed on the way up. Giving the rider the feeling that something is wrong with the ride and that you will eventually crash into the ceiling.

Where do we add the Intamin Parachute Towers in this list?

Would you call Dreamworld's Giant Drop a second generation? The tower was designed specifically for the two attractions, the gondola was purpose designed and one of the sides was even designed to stop you shortly after the initial drop and drop you again.

I never really liked the whole generation thing everyone's got going for Intamin towers. It's not like anyone calls a floorless coaster a "second generation sitdown" or a flying a "second generation inverted".

As I know it the "first generation" was a Giovanola ride which like many rides of the period, because of Intamin's involvement as an agent and whatnot, it often gets credited with the ride and the model is called "Freefall".

"Second generation", known as a Giant Drop is correctly Intamin, is the standard tower of the 90's, with usually four seats per gondola and depending on the capacity required, up to about six gondolas running.

"Third generation", known as Gyro Drop is the one with the round gondola.

Anyknow know the deal with "Ride Trade"? I've always thought of it as just a division of Intamin. Is there more/less to it than that?

Anyone think they will take a 3rd gen up to 500ft?

I'd be there if they did...

--Greg
"You seem healthy. So much for voodoo."

I'm sure it'll happen eventually. See fishhook.

Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."

auscoasterman said:
Would you call Dreamworld's Giant Drop a second generation? The tower was designed specifically for the two attractions, the gondola was purpose designed and one of the sides was even designed to stop you shortly after the initial drop and drop you again.

I pretty much guess that the australian ride is a special case. I bet they hoped to sell more of those combo rides.
The 8 per row gondolas are as well used on their Bungee drop rides and the unsuspected brake is used on the japanese "Blue Fall" too(I don´t know which one was first).

auscoasterman said:
I never really liked the whole generation thing everyone's got going for Intamin towers.
...
As I know it the "first generation" was a Giovanola ride which like many rides of the period, because of Intamin's involvement as an agent and whatnot, it often gets credited with the ride and the model is called "Freefall".

I absolutely second that.

auscoasterman said:
Anyknow know the deal with "Ride Trade"? I've always thought of it as just a division of Intamin. Is there more/less to it than that?

Ride Trade seems to be Intamins division for towers and giant rides. But unlike Intamin thea are not located in Switzerland. They reside in Liechtenstein, which is a "midget state" between Switzerland and Austria. It is famous for being a "tax paradise" and infamous for many "letterbox companies". Of course i don´t want to imply that Ride Trade is an obscure, non-existant company ;)

I keep seeing references to the fishhook; can anybody point me at links where I can find out what it was to be? Thanks.

I want to live where it's all the same. I want to live where it's all just like today. I want to live where it's always Saturday.

What's the difference between generations?

The first one is silly, the seconds are Blah, the thirds are amazing, and the fourth is painful.

--------------
Friggin' stupid acrophobia.

I've only been one the first generation(Freefall at SFOG) but i'm going back there this summer so i will probably ride acrophobia. Also how tall is Dreamworld's Giant Drop

Andrew C.

Fishhook was Arrow's proposed freefall ride for the side of the Stratosphere tower. It was going to be around 700' and then around 500' and then it got canned.

Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."

Thanks Andy. I went looking on google right after I posted that and found two items on cbuzz with pictures of models. Wow. Would have been nice...

I want to live where it's all the same. I want to live where it's all just like today. I want to live where it's always Saturday.

IIRC Arrow's Fishhook was never going to be a freefall, but rather a quick decent at slightly-less-than-freefall speeds.

mOOSH

Ride of Steel said:
Ok
1st generations are like an elevator shack, which is usually about 100 feet and then drop down like a rollercoaster drop and you stop laying on your back. Its sorta hard to explain, and example is demon drop @ Cedar Point

Actually I consider the parachute drop rides like those at SFOT, SFOG, and SFGad (and formerly Knott's) to be the first generation freefalls. They actually used to freefall when they were first built.

That's a good point. Who originally made those?

I like all the Intamin drops, ESPECIALLY the old school one like Demon Drop and STuntman's Free Fall. They sort of remind of the early 90's B&M......the G's are intense, they are noisy and rackety, and you just can't find that insane feeling elsewhere.

The drops like Pittfall and Giant Drop are equally as fun, but not as scary.

It's just SOMETHING about those old drops that scare me to death. I still get nervous on the Demon Drop.

Now the third generation drops like Drop Zone, are the best drop-wise and are much smoother. I guess you have a little more time to think about it. :-D

Nowadays the Drop Zone, Pittfall, etc. just excite me. The Demon Drop scares the hell out of sometimes. Go figure. ;-)

-Tina

*** Edited 2/11/2004 5:03:08 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I agree Tina. I used to think that Demon Drop was scary because it was aimed at the parking lot, so you really didn't get a sense of height, that you were under most things in the park. That lack of sense of height (other than that the cars are getting really small) and the rickety-ness of it makes it one ride I really like. But, that feeling seems to apply to all 1st gens, regardless of location, cause the one at SFMM and I believe I rode one at PGA that gave the same feeling. If I had a spare few million, I would buy that 1st gen from the Edmonton Mall in a heartbeat and set it up in my back yard!

Second gens are still my favorite though. Maybe because Pitt Fall was the first major drop ride I rode (before Demon Drop), but I think they're better than even the Drop Zones (the only 3rd gens I've ridden). Drop Zone PKD was fun, don't get me wrong, and I could ride it all day, even to the exclusion of some coasters, but I just didn't get the same absolute freefall-pit-of-your-stomach-take-your-breath-away feeling that I get on PittFall.

And just as a side note, I don't understand how anyone who's ever ridden a 2nd or 3rd gen can even enjoy an S&S tower. Once you've experienced Intamin "freefall", the pathetic excuse for freefall on S&S towers (which isn't anywhere near that) just feels weak.

Brett, Resident Launch Whore Anti-Enthusiast (the undiplomatic one)