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Raptor - B&M 'Wing-Rider' - Gardaland

Jared

Hyper Poster
Well it means it's not a 4D coaster to start off, but as they develop the ride further then they will be able to work out the stresses at certain points of the train, the tracks as well as the best way to produce a smooth track. It's basically research and development, but in a live park. Gerstlauer builds there's at their factory, B&M are sticking it at a park. :D
 

Jared

Hyper Poster
Well it means it's not a 4D coaster to start off, but as they develop the ride further then they will be able to work out the stresses at certain points of the train, the tracks as well as the best way to produce a smooth track. It's basically research and development, but in a live park. Gerstlauer builds there's at their factory, B&M are sticking it at a park. :D
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
^ Well if I understand it correctly, then it will operate as a Wing-Rider at first, but once they have perfected the ride then they will add new trains with rotating seats making it a 4D coaster.
But this will most likely mean that we won't see any Raven-turns on the first generation of this model...
 

Nic

Strata Poster
Or will that first prototype never get 4D seats, and when they're ready to build one, they'll start afresh elsewhere?

Just another option.

Either way, I'm still quite excited by the prospect of a 4D B&M. My favourite coaster type made by my favourite manufacturer :D
 

Jared

Hyper Poster
I can see that happening to be honest. It's probably the most likely scenario that they don't add the spinning cars to the first model and that they perfect them for the second one. I believe this is part of a 3 coaster deal for Merlin, one for Gardaland, one for Heide Park (Dive Machine) and another one of these prototypes for Thorpe Park. It just seems so Logical that they'd want to get a deal on them, and if what it says above is true about them getting the first coaster on the cheap, then maybe this is what it means, as a deal.

I think the first one to have the spinning seats will be at Thorpe Park, I think B&M will want to play their cards pretty close to their chest so to speak.
 

Nic

Strata Poster
I'd actually be disappointed if this went to Thorpe, tbh. Yes, it's be awesome to have another fab B&M at a park so close to me, but not at Thorpe. They just don't have the space to pull off something big enough to be awesome. If it went to Thorpe, it'd be such a half arsed job that it just won't be worth the bother. Plus, it's Thorpe, so would clearly spend most of its time broken, leading them to believe that the coaster type is not viable, and therefore end up not building any more. Gah! What a dilemma!
 

Jared

Hyper Poster
It's pretty much certain that Thorpe are getting another B&M. They're so well manufactured and easy to maintain that it's just going to work really well. I mean, look at how much down time Thorpe have with Nemesis Inferno. It's very little. It's a really reliable ride and I think any others, after the first year and once they've worn in would work really well, and if Merlin studios crack out a solid idea and a wonderful theme, then I can see it working really well.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
CCJared said:
It's pretty much certain that Thorpe are getting another B&M. They're so well manufactured and easy to maintain that it's just going to work really well. I mean, look at how much down time Thorpe have with Nemesis Inferno. It's very little. It's a really reliable ride and I think any others, after the first year and once they've worn in would work really well, and if Merlin studios crack out a solid idea and a wonderful theme, then I can see it working really well.

Saying that a ride at Thorpe has minimal downtime isn't exactly something to be proud of...

Inferno still has rather poor downtime in comparison to many other B&Ms of it's type...

I do agree with Vadge that even a B&M 4-D at Thorpe doesn't exactly excite me... When I went on X in 07 it was the most over-rated ride I'd been on, it wasn't fun, it was incredibly slow and low throughput, and didn't find it worth the wait...

Obviously it's changed since then, but 4-Ds just don't interest me anymore... Blame Six Flags for that...
 

Jared

Hyper Poster
I can understand your point, but if B&M manage to do enough research into it, work out how to increase throughput and speed up loading and I think it'll work. Just look at Thirteen for example. John Wardley worked with Intamin to make sure that the throughput of the ride was as high as possible and everyone has been amazed by how quick it is at eating up the queue lines. I'm pretty sure he'll be wanting to get the same out of this project (He's confirmed that he is working on it).

Also, when Arrow built X, it was very very half arsed, there was no real thought into the layout, into the harness' and into the overall ride. B&M seem to be planning this out well and if what they say on Screamscape is true about them testing it out at Gardaland, it could be one really amazing project. Now, the only 4D ride i've been on is Inferno at Terra Mitica. I have to say I loved every second of it. If B&M can pull it off, i'm sure it'll be better than how the other companies have done it. A lot smoother too I would wager.
 

spicy

Giga Poster
If B&M pull this off in the right way, then this could be the next 'must have' coaster, like the Inverted and Intamin launch coasters were.

As the S&S/Arrow 4D coasters just seem way too big and expensive for most parks the B&M 4D I can imagine being alot more easier for the park to live with, if you know what I mean...

Also John Wardley has always worked well with B&M, he help develop the Dive Machine and the Flyer so its only natural he should be working on a 4D with them.

If it did get built at Thorpe I can imagine it being a smaller version, then an American park will get the beast version, like Air-Tatsu, Oblivion-Sheikra etc.

Overall I just hope one gets built at some point in the future!
 

Nick

Mega Poster
All this talk about it being a wing-walker type ride at first, and then changing it to a 4D after they have perfected the trains. I can't see how this would work, as the layout for a 4D coaster would been very different to wing-walker. For example, look at X's layout, if this had non spinning trains, it would spend an awful lot of its time up-side-down.

The only way this could work it have a layout suited for non spinning trains, but wouldn't that lead to a bit of a boring 4D coaster?
 

Rach

Giga Poster
Apologies for the bumpage.

2010-7-14_Raptor.JPG


Rough English translation
According to the official Gardaland's survey, we are able to reveal some interesting features about the new 2011 roller coaster.
"X-Raptor" or "Raptor" it could be the name of this attraction; 800 metres long and 30 metres high ( two 0-g roll included).
The layout will be close to some part of thematisation and over a sort of a lake where some waters effect could touch the guests.
The train is similar to Furius Baco (in PortAventura).

Source:
http://www.theparks.it/gardaland-p1/not ... 2011-n789/
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Brilliant, thanks Rach. Is this confirmed B&M? The track looks like it, but it seems a bit... Copy cat?
 

Rach

Giga Poster
furie said:
Brilliant, thanks Rach. Is this confirmed B&M? The track looks like it, but it seems a bit... Copy cat?

Yeah, it says in that Italian article that it's a B&M Prototype. So I presume it's confirmed as one.
 

spicy

Giga Poster
I wonder if its actually a 4D or it will just be a wingwalker by B&M.

At 98ft it seems too small to be a 4D.
 

Nic

Strata Poster
furie said:
Brilliant, thanks Rach. Is this confirmed B&M? The track looks like it, but it seems a bit... Copy cat?
Not sure I understand what you mean? The artwork above is clearly just a hash together using B&M track and Intaminge seats, surely? There aren't B&M seats to plunder photos of, because ones of this type don't exist yet. That said, if we do ever get a 4D (be it this one, or a future one) I could see it using Flyer restraints.

Anyway, nice to see this has (sort of) been confirmed.
 

marc

CF Legend
Wonder if it will be 4d of just like a wing walker like people say, that will be the biggest question really.

98ft means nothing if its built into the land scape, look at Nemesis.

I just hope it wont turn out like air and B&M really go for it and give us a thrilling ride. As lets face it I would not be shocked if this type of ride ended up at Thorpe.
 
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