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IAAPA 2013

CGM

CGM

TS Member
The IAAPA Attractions Expo is returning to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando for 2013. The trade show will be running from the 18th to the 22nd of November and is sure to bring a host of never seen before ride concepts as well as new ride announcements for the upcoming year.

For me, this is one of the most exciting events in the amusement industry calender and helps soften the blow of the closed season.
 
Ahhh I love IAAPA! I know many of us on here are not fans of TPR and Robb Alvey but they do a great job of covering it, so fingers crossed they do the same again this year!

:)
 
I simply refuse to accept that IAAPA 2012 was a year ago.

I imagine S&S will be introducing the new expanded layout capabilities of El Loco's and that we'll be seeing a bit from Gerst about the Infinity Coaster. Other than that a B&M 4D would be lovely, but I imagine that may still be a few years off.
 
Alastair said:
B&M 4D...please!
Click to expand...

There's been rumours of a B&M 4D coaster since the dawn of time but has there ever been any evidence that B&M are remotely interested in producing one? I've always thought of it as being wishful thinking on the part of enthusiasts rather than something that B&M were actually considering.

Their wingriders are definitely a step towards an Arrow/S&S style 4D coaster and I would be delighted if they announced a new 4D coaster train at this IAAPA show. However, if B&M never made a 4D coaster, I wouldn't be too disappointed as I suspect it would be much like their wingriders: A very impressive piece of engineering and a crowd-pleasing ride but overall, not massively thrilling. I think that there's a lot more that can be done with the standard 3 dimensions that coasters operate in before a fourth needs to be added.

Let's also not forget S&S's new 4D coaster concepts that they debuted last year. They looked very impressive and seemed to solve a lot of the issues with the existing 4D design. If one of these is built and it's as good as the concepts look, is there a real need for B&M to wade in on the action?
 
Maybe we won't see a B&M 4D, but it might be a launch they had said they are ready to make them.


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There's been rumours that a B&M 4D was being developed closely with Merlin (for Alton Towers) so if there is ever a chance of there being one I doubt we'll hear about it if it's being kept quiet!

There has never been any hard hitting evidence that B&M have been developing one though so it could be a load of rubbish!
 
Rob said:
Ahhh I love IAAPA! I know many of us on here are not fans of TPR and Robb Alvey but they do a great job of covering it, so fingers crossed they do the same again this year!

:)
Click to expand...

Spot on Rob!
 
Look at what's in the latest issue of Park World:

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Looks tasty! :p
 
according to a recent In the Loop interview, Gravity Group will be making an announcement at the show. Hopefully it's a major new installation rather than Timberliners going on one of their existing coasters or something.

The trade show floor opens tomorrow, I'm very excited particularly with the new ride announcements that have popped up in the last week or so.
 
If it's being billed as a 'major investment' it'll be some foolish park allowing them to wreck a woodie by putting a crappy inversion on it or something... sorry, I mean a revolutionary breakthrough in the technology of wooden coaster design.
 
I don't really see how the inversion on Hades ruined the coaster. It's pretty much always been brutally rough and if anything, I'd suggest that the inversion and overbank have probably improved the coaster. It's added excitement to what was previously a dull section and provided a break from the battering of the rest of the layout.

I love traditional wooden coasters but we can't allow ourselves to be Luddites. Gravity group may be a wooden coaster manufacturer but they are still a modern coaster manufacturer and as such should produce modern coasters. Wood is after all just a material so why should manufacturers be bound to a set of pre-conceived rules?

Let's not forget that the Victorians had wooden coasters with inversions. If they could do it then, why shouldn't we do it today when we have vastly superior manufacturing capability, a better understanding of the physics involved and much better safety standards?
 
Alastair said:
CGM said:
Let's not forget that the Victorians had wooden coasters with inversions.
Click to expand...

:eek:

What?
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_Flap_Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_the_Loop_(Young%27s_Million_Dollar_Pier)

These two are probably the most famous but as one of the articles mentions, there were examples of centrifugal railways operating in Europe that pre-date both of these.

Arguably, they're not the most successful examples of coasters as they subjected riders to far too much G-Force and were supposed to be very uncomfortable. However, successful or not, there were still wooden coasters featuring inversions open to the public in Victorian times.

Edit- Wikipedia article on even earlier centrifugal railways. Apparently they date back to at least the 1830s. It looks like there was an example exhibited in London, Manchester and Liverpool although this was made from iron.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_railway
 
CGM said:
Alastair said:
CGM said:
Let's not forget that the Victorians had wooden coasters with inversions.
Click to expand...

:eek:

What?
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_Flap_Railway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_the_Loop_(Young%27s_Million_Dollar_Pier)

These two are probably the most famous but as one of the articles mentions, there were examples of centrifugal railways operating in Europe that pre-date both of these.

Arguably, they're not the most successful examples of coasters as they subjected riders to far too much G-Force and were supposed to be very uncomfortable. However, successful or not, there were still wooden coasters featuring inversions open to the public in Victorian times.

Edit- Wikipedia article on even earlier centrifugal railways. Apparently they date back to at least the 1830s. It looks like there was an example exhibited in London, Manchester and Liverpool although this was made from iron.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_railway
Click to expand...

The circular nature of the coaster's loop, as well as its relatively small diameter of 25 feet, meant that it could produce forces of approximately 12Gs.
Click to expand...

mother-of-god-meme.jpg
 
That GCI coaster has left me speechless, it looks incredible!

The switchback concept is interesting too. It looks like a brilliant way for crowded parks to save space in a cost effective way whilst hearkening back to the early days of coasters as well. Blackpool could definitely benefit from one.

IAAPA certainly hasn't disappointed so far.
 
The Switchback is something I've wanted to see reimagined for some time, and GCI have finally created something. Hopefully, if one does get built, it will have a better layout than the one in the animation (could do with a more interesting finale). But what does it matter when companies in the UK are too afraid of wood? ;) :p


Anyway, PTC have put a photo of their booth up on to Facebook now as well:

1450242_502362743196063_2106656089_n.jpg




S&S are about to announce the location of the next tallest coaster in the world (somewhere in Florida)...

BZc5nYNIUAAY8ks.jpg:large

Photo from TPR.
 
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