Home > Forums > Critics Coaster Discussion > View Topic
( Moderators: ThmPrkCrtc, BobFunland, adriahna )
Hop Forums:
Page [ 1 of 2 ] [ 1 ] 2 
Author Where has the love for B&M gone?
WAR2174
Posts: 1067
Registered: 3/6/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/6/2005 10:48:19 PM
It seems like just a few years ago roller coasters in general and more specificaly B&M were the talk of the town. Now it seems to me that people are a little down on B&M. I keep reading reviews and a few articles that seem to put down B&M. Rides like TTD are the rage now. I would so much rather ride a traditional roller coaster with a hill and drops and inversions. TTD, Superman the Escape, Wicked Twister are boring to me. They just go up and down and done. Are they really roller coasters even? Anyway, B&M puts alot of work into what they make. I think they are THE roller coaster makers. Am I wrong in this thinking? Am I old fashioned?
http://www.coasterforce.com/info/bm/index.php
Message updated 4/6/2005 10:55:13 PM by WAR2174
larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/6/2005 10:55:24 PM
As far as love for B&M, I'm not sure what you are reading but most of the regulars here at TPC are big B&M fans. Many of us also love some of the non-B&M you mentioned, but that doesn't take away from B&M.

--------------------
Mom always said, "Don't play ball in the house".
Message updated 4/6/2005 11:06:20 PM by larrygator
Hercules
Posts: 4037
Registered: 10/13/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/6/2005 10:59:28 PM
Yeah, I love B&M... especially their inverts. I am an invert junky. I don't know what you are talking about really. I haven't been on TTD or Wicked Twister or the like, but I don't really like the concept of those at all. I am more into a complete circuit with elements kind of ride. I love B&M and their imaginative nature. I think that just about everything they do is a work of art, especially Hydra. That this looks like an amazing custom and they really made it so that it worked with the terrain beautifully.
WAR2174
Posts: 1067
Registered: 3/6/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/7/2005 4:20:02 AM
I read a pretty scathing article about B&M online(of course now I can't find it), but basically the guy was ripping B&M because their coasters are not intense enough and seem to be the same all the time. He stated that few B&M's go over 4 on the g's. I completely disagree that they are weaker rides, but I get the feeling from different people that they like the intensity of a TTD over a longer more conventional RC. To me they are heads above Intamin, Arrow, and Giovanola. Anyway, I am just making sure that I am not alone in my ways.
coaster05
Posts: 6207
Registered: 2/29/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/7/2005 9:55:48 AM
I also prefer B&M though there may be some truth to the intensity part. I doubt if B&M are even wooried about that. Their coasters are so good that even my mom knows about their company. I think they build a thrilling coaster that everyone can enjoy and that is a really tough thing to do. So because they do things others would like to do they also get the negativity that comes with being successful.
BobFunland
Posts: 7962
Registered: 8/9/2001

Rank: Site Moderator
4/7/2005 11:17:33 AM
B&M will be around as long as Intamin rides are more expensive, less reliable and lacking the impeccable safety record of B&M. The only Intamins that I have really liked are their Hypers, but still, B&M does a heck of a job there too..
coaster05
Posts: 6207
Registered: 2/29/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/7/2005 6:58:10 PM
Apollo's chariot can go head to head with any ride in the country. That airtime on the first drop back row is unbelievable.
benleibo
Posts: 781
Registered: 6/25/2003

Rank: Gold Critic
4/7/2005 7:17:51 PM
Not true at all. I think on average, B+M makes the best coasters out there. I've never really ridden a BAD B+M. Although Intamins may sometimes be taller and faster, nothing excites me more than the loud roar of a B+M train coming down the track. They're smooth, comfortable, nice-looking, and overall excellent rides. To tell you the truth, of all this year's new coasters I'm most excited about Sheikra.
Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/7/2005 7:27:55 PM
I love B&Ms, they're my favorite designers by far. While I like some of Intamin's designs, I have ridden, and had a great time on, many more B&Ms. I always feel safe on a B&M ride, and they're the best in the business at providing a park with a quality, safe, and enjoyable steel coaster. That's just my opinion, of course, but there's no denying they have some great designs.
BobFunland
Posts: 7962
Registered: 8/9/2001

Rank: Site Moderator
4/7/2005 8:01:16 PM
I don't see merit to most of the B&M-haters out there. They say they have no forces, but Apollo's was as forceful if not more forceful than both of the Intamin hypers Ive been on. They say that Intamin hypers were built for air, but Apollos had better air than both Millennium Force and S:ROS. I just don't see it.. people say that B&Ms lack intensity, and though not on par with most woodies, I thought that Apollos was on the same level as Millennium there.. I cant pick between the two for my top steel coaster, and the only thing that keeps MF up there is the impressive speed and uniqueness (the lift, the height). I just don't see why people are rushing to Intamin, and Im just talking about their hypercoasters, I wont even go and talk about how superior B&M Inverts are to the Intamin Inverts.

I think that B&M is the better of the two, just from their coasters alone, and when you factor in the safety record of both, plus things like train design (which is a big factor now that Intamin is changing things), reliability and their cost just make me that much more pro-B&M. Plus, like the original post alluded to, Intamins are usually just "cheap thrills" (cheap in quotations especially since the Intamins are pretty darn expensive) while B&Ms usually have a better lasting effect (though the same can be said about B&M Flyers or other gimmicks I suppose). Just my opinion, and I hope someone else agrees

--------------------
My Online Photo Gallery with 706 photos and counting as I dig up my CD's from last summer.
My Coaster Record thanks to coastercounter.com, which is a great site. Currently, I am re-doing my site a bit, making it look nice, but it will be back soon enough.

Total Mind Bender rides: 612 2005 Mind Bender rides: 0 (Mind Bender, I need you back!)
Hercules
Posts: 4037
Registered: 10/13/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/7/2005 9:15:00 PM
I agree with everything that you said there. Any B&M I have been on, I have felt safe, but have also gotten a ton of intensity. They are really fun. If anything, I am an Intamin hater. Granted, my number 1 ride is an Intamin, I have not been on a great deal of B&M's. I can't to get on them all though. They really look top notch.
larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/8/2005 12:41:11 AM
Quote:
benleibo said:
I've never really ridden a BAD B+M.


I was going to say the same thing and I've been on 26 of them
Message updated 4/8/2005 12:45:55 AM by larrygator
Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/8/2005 11:13:40 AM
Bob made a great post up there, as did ben. Basically, B&Ms are still tops or tied for tops in the industry when it comes to steel rides. And to the people who complain about their clones...ride these for me and then tell me what you think: Montu, Hulk, RB, DD, RR...what do you say now.
Corona
Posts: 53
Registered: 7/12/2002

Rank: Senior Critic
4/8/2005 12:08:27 PM
Quote:
coaster05 said:
Apollo's chariot can go head to head with any ride in the country. That airtime on the first drop back row is unbelievable.


I second that!

Hercules
Posts: 4037
Registered: 10/13/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/8/2005 12:43:09 PM
Well, when people complain about the clones, it really doesn't have that much to do with B&M themselves. That has more to do with Six Flags, or whatever other company that requested it. It's the amusement parks lack of caring about creativity and originality that should be exploited. They don't want to take the time to come up with a custom make, so they just ask for a clone. Would you blame B&M for making a few dollars on something that has already been proven and developed? Wouldn't you do the same thing?
BobFunland
Posts: 7962
Registered: 8/9/2001

Rank: Site Moderator
4/8/2005 5:43:00 PM
Quote:
larrygator said:
I was going to say the same thing and I've been on 26 of them


But there are weak ones.. *cough* Vortex, but then again, that was a really early one. Still, to me, they are unmatched.
Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/8/2005 7:59:41 PM
Do you mean for steel in general, or a particular genre?

Iron Wolf was their first coaster. A lot of people complain about how rough it is, but I disagree. Go ride Demon and tell me what the meaning of rough is. Iron Wolf has a great layout (unlike Demon) and the ride is fine in the front row.
coaster05
Posts: 6207
Registered: 2/29/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/9/2005 8:55:16 AM
Man you have some serious love for the Iron Wolf and I respect that. I actually don't find Demon to be that rough and I hate OTSR. I wish they could figure out why Iron Wolf seems to have gotten so much rougher, because at one time it was my favorite ride in the park.
BobFunland
Posts: 7962
Registered: 8/9/2001

Rank: Site Moderator
4/9/2005 11:20:22 AM
Quote:
Animan1 said:
Do you mean for steel in general, or a particular genre?


Steel designers still active

Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/9/2005 1:42:59 PM
Quote:
coaster05 said:
Man you have some serious love for the Iron Wolf and I respect that. I actually don't find Demon to be that rough and I hate OTSR. I wish they could figure out why Iron Wolf seems to have gotten so much rougher, because at one time it was my favorite ride in the park.


haha, yes, that I do. I just love that thing, more than anybody else I know. I just have a special connection with it for some reason. It was my first stand-up.

Also, thanks for the clarification, Bob.
mrceagle
Posts: 13804
Registered: 6/9/2001

Rank: TPC News Minister
4/10/2005 12:55:46 AM
B&M has maid soem of the best rides out their. if you look at the forums and reviews not allot of peopel are talkign about Intamin. maybe thats because intamin has allot of hiped up coaster being cunstructed this year. Give B&M a chance to instal some new coasters and you'll see peaple talkign aobut them again.
benleibo
Posts: 781
Registered: 6/25/2003

Rank: Gold Critic
4/13/2005 8:09:46 PM
Intamin builds the best "big" and "extreme" rides. I'm a huge B+M fan but there's no denying the superiority of Intamin hypers and stratacoasters. SROS absolutely blew me away when I rode it. Single greatest ride ever! I've never experienced anything remotely close to its combination of forces, air, and drops. Since the accident it might be different though. MF is fabulous as well and is pure adrenaline rush. Not to mention the ridiculousness of TTD and Kingda Ka.

B+M pretty much rules everything else with its high-quality, smooth rides. Nobody seems to have challenged their inverts - Montu and DD were just great. However, Intamin certainly has potential in the invert category that it hasn't developed well - Volcano:The Blast Coaster was a great ride but nothing like it has been built since. B+M rides are great.

Overall I'd have to go with B+M. There is no such thing as a bad B+M. The rides are flawlessly designed and they've set the standard for the industry.
benleibo
Posts: 781
Registered: 6/25/2003

Rank: Gold Critic
4/13/2005 8:10:42 PM
Intamin builds the best "big" and "extreme" rides. I'm a huge B+M fan but there's no denying the superiority of Intamin hypers and stratacoasters. SROS absolutely blew me away when I rode it. Single greatest ride ever! I've never experienced anything remotely close to its combination of forces, air, and drops. Since the accident it might be different though. MF is fabulous as well and is pure adrenaline rush. Not to mention the ridiculousness of TTD and Kingda Ka.

B+M pretty much rules everything else with its high-quality, smooth rides. Nobody seems to have challenged their inverts - Montu and DD were just great. However, Intamin certainly has potential in the invert category that it hasn't developed well - Volcano:The Blast Coaster was a great ride but nothing like it has been built since. B+M rides are great.

Overall I'd have to go with B+M. There is no such thing as a bad B+M. The rides are flawlessly designed and they've set the standard for the industry.
Swimace
Posts: 5916
Registered: 8/28/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/13/2005 9:06:39 PM
B&M is easily my favorite coaster company. Although Intamin does build great coasters, one of which is my #2 coaster, B&M is my #1.
Animan1
Posts: 5394
Registered: 5/14/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
4/14/2005 3:30:04 PM
Intamin has given us some great coasters, but not to the extent that B&M has. Intamin has 4 hypers in the U.S. I can think of right off hand, 2 of which are mirror images, if I'm not mistaken. Their several rocket coasters are excellent, and fairly unique from one to the other. But B&M has 3 hypers in the U.S., and dozens of inverts, floorlesses, sit-downs, and stand-ups. Best company in the business, in my opinion. It's great that they realized their potential to build rides by themselves, and split from Intamin in the early 90's.
mrceagle
Posts: 13804
Registered: 6/9/2001

Rank: TPC News Minister
4/15/2005 11:25:33 PM
Intamin has but out some great rides. but they will never get up to the number of B&M and at such a high sucsess level.
WAR2174
Posts: 1067
Registered: 3/6/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
9/7/2005 10:40:33 PM
I created this thread a while ago when I felt that people were hateing on B&M, but then I found many fellow B&M lovers here on this site. A lot of people were saying that B&M's were becoming too weak and that coasters like launchers and such were more impressive. My question is: Has anyone's opinion changed at all? We have had a chance to get rides on some B&M's like Hydra and Shiekra and now we are seeing some new ones like Goliath, Patriot, and Black Mamba. I think the coasters that they are putting out have more of a reflection on the parks than the company. They are still cleary the leader of the pack (to me) and we haven't seen the plans for SFMM. Or do you think that just about everything has been done and not much more can be done?
Message updated 9/7/2005 10:41:01 PM by WAR2174
tacoking
Posts: 9914
Registered: 2/19/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
9/7/2005 10:43:46 PM
After riding SheiKra....B&M's are definatly not becoming weak. That first drop, immelman, and second drop is probably the most intense combination of elements I have had the pleasure of experiencing. After seeing Goliath, it looks like B&M can still build Mega's better than anyone else (erm, keep in mind I haven't been on any Intamin hypers).
Hercules
Posts: 4037
Registered: 10/13/2004

Rank: Platinum Critic
9/7/2005 10:48:25 PM
I do think that Hydra is weak, but you are right, it is what the park wanted.

I have talked with B. Fun about this and we both agree that no matter what you have to be impressed with what B&M does. They just do things so effortlessly that you just overlook the amazing things that they do. What they do with the track and the design of each coaster is just great and awesome. We especially overlook the little things with the engineering of the coasters that are just phenominal. They are seriously beyond genius.
tacoking
Posts: 9914
Registered: 2/19/2003

Rank: Platinum Critic
9/7/2005 10:51:55 PM
I can agree with that. Everything just seems to...flow with them and their coasters. Even some of the original designs, like Iron Wolf, Vortex, and Kumba. It's just, every thing seems to go together so well.

Sure they aren't as innovative as Intamin (recently, at least), but they don't need to be.

--------------------


Message updated 9/7/2005 10:52:37 PM by tacoking
Page [ 1 of 2 ] [ 1 ] 2 
Clicky Web Analytics