Theme Park Discussion / B&M's Backwards

So three B&M's this year are having part of their trains reversed.

Hollywood Dream at USJ was first to be announced. Then it was announced Batman The Ride at Great America is having the treatment and then today it was announced after weeks of hinting by Thorpe and speculation amongst enthusiasts, that The Swarm is also getting this treatment.

It seems that B&M are involved in all three projects and that it's not a case of the park doing it by themselves or going elsewhere.

Any thoughts?

YEAH GO THORPE WOO WOO

I think it would suck to ride almost any B&M backwards - especially a Wing Rider or Invert. I get sick just thinkin' about it!

Forwards FTW.

It would be an awesome experience for the hard core coaster lovers (like me) but I don't see this as being a permanent change. B&M's are often very forceful rides (smooth, but forceful) and it seems to follow that riding one backwards would severely mess with one's stomach. I would love to try it, but I wouldn't want to clean up the mess after someone realizes too late that they couldn't handle it

B&M's are often very forceful rides

LMAO!

The reason they are doing this on Swarm in only it's second year is because the general public didn't think much of it in terms of intensity.

I do agree that they can be forceful, but I'd say the majority of B&M's aren't. That doesn't make them a bad thing of course, I love them.

The only ride with intensity high enough to make a backwards B&M seem really intense is Batman or any of the old-school inverts. Every wingrider and post-2003 B&M is gentle enough to make it less notable.

@Louis: Perhaps it's just the ones I've been on, as I haven't been on any wing rider (or any newer B&M for that matter). My home B&M Invert (Talon at Dorney Park) has made a few people grey out during the loop. Also Dominator at Kings Dominion is a rather forceful one as well. Gotta say though, one of the B&M Hypercoasters, like Nitro or Diamondback, going backwards would be amazing.

Also I worked on a coaster that went backwards through loops (a Vekoma invertigo) and had to clean up the unpleasantness from that one a few times. Good fun.

I just think it's gonna be amazing on a wingrider.

The fact that you already have nothing around you, facing backwards and eliminating your view of what's next is even more incredible. Leaving you like you really are riding on the wings of something.

That first drop is one of my favourite parts of any ride, doing it backwards is gonna be brilliant.

I agree a backwards wing-rider would be awesome, but doesn't it seem a bit early to be promoting this new ride in another new manner? Granted, it will be awesome and a lot of fun to experience. I'm fine with Hollywoood Dream (a hyper) and Batman (invert) but a ride that was well advertised last year needs another promotion in a new way this year? Would have been better in several years from now. At Thorpe, I would have done Nemesis; old ride with a new take.

!fun of lot a like sounds That .backwards B&M a ride would I

!fun of lot a like sounds That .backwards B&M a ride would I

Kumba has broken again, someone reset him

Batman: The Ride @ SFGAmer is the scary one here. It's the oldest of the old-school inverts (it's the very first) and it's a very intense ride as is. My primarily complaint about B:TR is that it's ride time is so short, not that it's too gentle. X-Flight (a wing rider) or Raging Bull (B&M Hyper) would've made more sense and they're in the same park. I might have to go check it out because I can't imagine that it'll last more than a season or two with the backwards seating option.

Hollywood Dream and The Swarm are both pretty logical choices for this treatment. I'd imagine it might get considered for some of the other "tamer" B&M hypers, wings, and inverts in the future... Silver Star comes to mind (by reputation anyway)...

Ride6

Kumba - I actually thought you were attempting to speak like yoda then. Even to the point where I was reading it in yoda's voice. I was going to comment on how you could have worded it better to make it sound more like yoda. Then I realised you were just speaking backwards.

Kumba has broken again, someone reset him

lol

fyi, I typed that "lol" backwards

lol

fyi, I typed that "lol" backwards />

True skill, sir.

?loud out laugh

Kumba for most entertaining post of 2013

Kumba wins. I seccond ][22

At least if you're facing forward, you can kind of brace yourself against the incoming element, even if you're not in the front row, which is pretty necessary on BTR clones. Would hate to ride that backwards...