Vekoma GIB's

First off, am i right in saying that GIB stands for Giant Inverted Boomerang? I kinda guessed thats what it meant but I wasn't sure. Anyways... Do you think it is likely that we will see more of these spring up across the country within the next few years. I am well aware of the many problems these rides often have but i would think Vekoma could work out the problems and turn this design into an AWESOME ride. I myself have never ridden one unfortunately but I have read many reviews and they are generally very positive. Is the cost of these monsters relatively low? I'm sure its not like the regular boomerangs but would imagine that it is less than some other coaster types.

These things got a hell of a lot of bad press when they debuted(or didn't debut on time) and there have been lots of problems with them valleying. I think their future looks bleak

------------------
JOHN
RCT INSOMNIACS
KIMBERLY LAKE INC.

As long as Vekoma is not giving away the GIBs (yes, Giant Inverted Boomerangs) for free, I don´t see a park getting one in the current situation.

The fourth GIB in Madrid was supposed to have the kinks worked out, but it didn´t. It has so much downtime, that you barely see it open.

Yes, they are very thrilling, but there is so much that just isn´t right about them. Take the seating arrangement: the first inverted Boomerangs had the brilliant opposite seating. It is so much fun to watch the adjacent rider. Its pure fun and entertainment that added to the ride. The GIBs don´t have that (maybe because of the vertical parts), but you have people sitting solitarily on the outside. This is destroying any form of communication and is IMO a big letdown of the whole ride experience.
------------------
i was a teenage rollercoaster designer

I wasnt aware that the fourth one in Madrid did not have the kinks worked out. God, you would think Vekoma could get it fixed. Yeah i know what you mean about the seating arrangement. If they put the face/off seating on this type of ride i think it would make a HUGE difference, but im not sure if they could pull it off.

I see no reason why they won't eventually start sprouting up. All Vekoma has to do is convince a park they have figured out a way to get rid of the downtime and they park may look into it. Vekoma has no problem selling their oftentimes faulty rides. The rides are downright awesome and super intense and it would be a shame to see them never produced again due to bad design.

------------------
Warning: I do not think like the average person. My remarks have plenty of thought behind them. Take it for what it's worth, if you disagree, please, feel free to express it, but don't put me down because of it.

---

SFGAMDie HARD said:
I see no reason why they won't eventually start sprouting up. All Vekoma has to do is convince a park they have figured out a way to get rid of the downtime and they park may look into it.

---

I think a better phrase would be:

"All Vekoma has to do is prove they have figured out a way to get rid of the downtime and they park may look into it."

My opinion: we won't ever see a new GIB built.

------------------
Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I think we may see one sometime in the future, but the Six Flags fiasco killed whaterver boom we could have seen, not to mention many parks have boomerangs or invertigos already.

------------------
Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.

From what I've heard, they always seem to valley before the second spike. If that is the case, wouldn't they be able to add some LIM's after the loop and before the spike. In case it would valley, they could fire the LIM's up and shoot it up the second spike, or back through the loop.

If the lift's are the problem, could they just change them to a regular chain instead of the elevator cable?

------------------
My mind works in strange ways. Yeah with a chain driven lift hill and gravity.

If the train valleys before the second spike, then the cable can pull it back up the tower. The problems occur when the train valleys between the cobra roll and loop.

------------------
Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.

Then couldn't they add LIM's or some kind of booster there to shoot it through the loop?

------------------
My mind works in strange ways. Yeah with a chain driven lift hill and gravity.

No, for two reasons. One is that it's not as easy as just "adding LIM's and - voila! - it works". Two is that there is already a feature in place that should prevent the train from valleying there. The problem is that it doesn't work all the time, which is why I believe the key to fixing the valleying issues with the ride is to fix the computer system that obviously does not work like it should.

-Nate

Actually, I sort of like the "solitary outside" seat in that it feels more "free". If you're a solo rider, it's definitely a plus. But the inside seats have have a ridiculously low amount of leg room.

Nevertheless, these are wicked rides -- clearly better than the standard impulse. Let's hope Vekoma figures 'em out.

------------------
Buy "Stereotype Be" from Kevin Max at Amazon.com

You may like them better than impulses, but the parks feel otherwise. 4 different incarnations of the ride in a 3 continents sound like the Impulse is doing better :)

------------------
- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

Peabody, the impulses actually work. (Well, relative to th GIB, anyway). Slight distinction there.

------------------
Buy "Stereotype Be" from Kevin Max at Amazon.com

That was part of my point :)

------------------
- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

yea but impulses suck hard and GIBs are good (when they work good inw arm tempaerature)

------------------
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes.
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

Many would disagree.

------------------
- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

coasterdude318 said:
No, for two reasons. One is that it's not as easy as just "adding LIM's and - voila! - it works".

Very true. You'd have to have alot more engineering for that to even be tried, and there has to be enough room for the track w/LIMs to make enough speed for the loop. This would not happen. What should happen is the ride be Re-Engineered and made better by Vekoma under their current states, but lets not kid ourselves:)
------------------
Yeah, if coasters WEREN'T men we'd have Raging Cow instead!;)

I think there might be another factor involved: Expense. These coasters are absoloutely huge. Now, I don't have any figures, but I'm willing to bet that they are quite a bit more than your standard boomerang or invertego. Well, it just so happens that low cost is a major, if not the major, selling point for those rides. Think about it: The really big parks, like Six Flags (when it was still Six Flags), Busch Gardens, and CP, never really used them. Paramount didn't use them extensively, and were the first to throw in the extra twist of going inverted. Smaller parks, like the Premier parks and seaside piers, however, snapped them up about as fast as Vekoma could build them.

But when Six Flags decided it needed some boomerangs for its big parks, they didn't want the standard issue boomerang. Oh no. They wanted three huge mega-rides that, if not paid for, could actually bankrupt the manufaturor. The rides didn't work, though, and I doubt if we'll EVER see Six Flags by another one. People like Cedar Fair and Paramount might be willing... but they'll want some proof, first. Which leaves us with the smaller parks. Some of them could probably never afford a GIB at all. Others probably could... but, looking at what happened with the first four, would consider it too risky of an investmant, no matter how much the engineers tell them that they've got it right this time!

Personally, I won't mind. The ride itself is amazing, but the capacity and down-time issues are simply too great to ignore. Of course, I've got one at my home park, so my opinion is a little skewed.

------------------
I hear America screaming...

Which are the 3 continents of impulse?

Screaming Condor and Linear Gale both seem to reside in Asia, and the rest are all in the US.

------------------
Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph