CoasterGuy2000 wrote:
I still don't get peoples hate on Intamin. So what, your prototype 500+ foot tall hyper beyond vertical drop inverting cable lift experimental coaster doesn't open flawlessly. Honestly the reason they're perceived as so unreliable isn't because they're just worse than any other company, its that they're the ones willing to do what no one else would because they know it will probably have issues. Compare the innovations intamin as made to what B&M has.
Launched coaster
Intamin: 2001(2002 with they're own protype launch system) B&M: 2015(With a luanch system thats been tested on other rides for years, and delivers a sub par ride experience)
Giga
Intamin: 2000( First ever) B&M: 2012 (with a less advanced lift and brake system)
Strata
Intamin 1997(First Ever) B&M: Never
standup
Intamin: 1986 B&M: 1990
Wing Coaster
Intamin: 2007 (with a launch) B&M: 2011(2015 for a launch)
On top of things like that Intamin builds rides that B&M would never be willing to design. Rides like Maverick, Flying aces, Gringotts, Taron, Thirteen, their half pipe coasters, and Skyscrapper. On top of that they build Top of the line flat rides, drop towers, sky rides, and observation towers.
If you look at their accident record, theres no denying that its much larger than many other companies. But that's because of a bunch of things beyond their control. Some big ones are that they're still the biggest amusement ride company open today and are building more coasters per year than B&M currently is. (B&M appears to be building more but thats because they're going to bigger, more well known parks.)They're rides are also cheaper, therefore they end up in smaller parks with less of an emphasis on safety. Besides, nearly all if not every single accident was due to rider or operator error.
Launched coaster
Intamin: 2001(2002 with they're own protype launch system) B&M: 2015(With a luanch system thats been tested on other rides for years, and delivers a sub par ride experience)
Giga
Intamin: 2000( First ever) B&M: 2012 (with a less advanced lift and brake system)
Strata
Intamin 1997(First Ever) B&M: Never
standup
Intamin: 1986 B&M: 1990
Wing Coaster
Intamin: 2007 (with a launch) B&M: 2011(2015 for a launch)
On top of things like that Intamin builds rides that B&M would never be willing to design. Rides like Maverick, Flying aces, Gringotts, Taron, Thirteen, their half pipe coasters, and Skyscrapper. On top of that they build Top of the line flat rides, drop towers, sky rides, and observation towers.
If you look at their accident record, theres no denying that its much larger than many other companies. But that's because of a bunch of things beyond their control. Some big ones are that they're still the biggest amusement ride company open today and are building more coasters per year than B&M currently is. (B&M appears to be building more but thats because they're going to bigger, more well known parks.)They're rides are also cheaper, therefore they end up in smaller parks with less of an emphasis on safety. Besides, nearly all if not every single accident was due to rider or operator error.
That's nice, but it still doesn't explain why Maverick needs a battery pack to open the restraints manually and the B&Ms had a lever (and the Arrows have a foot pedal you stomp, and the PTCs have an alan wrench...)
I enjoy their riding their rides (but I hate working them, and Maverick is top 3 worldwide), I just don't understand why the company chooses to recklessly over-complicate everything as much as humanely possible for no apparent reason or gain. I also really love the blocking systems they come up with where they have brilliant ideas like "waiting" and "pre-waiting" as blocks when compared to B&M, who has intelligent names like "main brake" and "lift".
Perhaps the Ferrari World investments will show they've gotten their act together reliability-wise (and I hope it does because they make the most fun rides in the world), but until then, the company will remain an employee joke along with Mondial Windseeker models.