Thirteen, Intamin ''psychoaster'' - Alton Towers 2010

[davidm]

A few more construction pics just went up on AT's flickr site

http://www.flickr.com/photos/altontowersresort/

 

[Martyn B]

Well this must surely kind of confirm maybe that the reverse section will be enclosed?

 

[Jools]

Yay, a fall into darkness :--D

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

I'm sorry, why are we suprised that the construction beams surrounding the indoor section are now being covered? :roll:

I'm now mainly hoping that on the inside of the building the theming will actually continue, rather than, 'oh look, tin', as well as hoping the outside building looks pretty decent...

I also hope that something actually happens indoors as well, tbh I've hoped for a much different thing than this... With lift-hill and stuff before the world's first section... Would have been more interesting the other way around with the world's first section being straight away...

 

[Funky Monk]

Well.... It looks.... Big :--D .

I didn't realise the station was actually the size it looks. And if it looks big in the picture, it must look even bigger in real life. But please Alton, theme it bloody good!

 

[marc]

Ignore the pictures have finally displayed so my post was wrong lol.

 

[rollermonkey]

^For the record, Diamondback was $22 000 000. Or £ 11 mill.

Diamondback will always be a poor example to use in comparison. The transportation costs for that ride were virtually nil compared to other coaster projects since they manufacture B&M coasters just a couple miles from Kings Island.

 

[Pokemaniac]

^Hmm... Intimidator is also a poor example, being built next to the parking lot... what other Beemers are there to compare to?

...

Behemoth, then? 26 mill CAD (figure used by RCDB) equals about 25 mill. USD, or £12 500 000. At least, more expensive than Saw.

 

[tks]

for $25 Million you're looking at more like £15 Million.

 

[Nic]

am I the only one concerned that it seems to be made using an awful lot of wood? I'm hoping that that's only temporary whilst things are being welded etc otherwise, they clearly don't plan on this being around very long?!

 

[Gazza]

They must have bumped the price up for marketing purposes. Look at the other 3 main coasters, they all cost around the £10m mark, so to then build a new coaster with such hype, that only cost £4m, would probably give a bit of a 'meh' reaction from the GP.

Agreed, I think Merlin just overstate their prices somehow. They always seem to be drastically more expensive than what happens with other park operators. Stealth was quoted as costing GBP 12 mil, meanwhile a directly comparable ride, Xcelerator cost USD 13 mil (So 7.7 mil GBP)

I can accept that labour, materials etc would be more expensive in the UK, but not to that extent, or else you'd be seeing these sort of extreme variances in every facet of the economy.

am I the only one concerned that it seems to be made using an awful lot of wood? I'm hoping that that's only temporary whilst things are being welded etc

Wood is a perfectly reasonable construction material....It's obviously being used for non loadbearing infill sections, so it's perfect for that job.

hey clearly don't plan on this being around very long?!

Are wooden coasters temporary :lol:

 

[bob_3_]

Well this must surely kind of confirm maybe that the reverse section will be enclosed?

Look at the plans. The final helix is not enclosed.

The "Secret Weapon" part and the drop out of it are enclosed, thenn it comes out the building and does the helix. That big tin box next to the brake run is the maintanence shed.

 

[Martyn B]

Behemoth, then? 26 mill CAD (figure used by RCDB) equals about 25 mill. USD, or £12 500 000. At least, more expensive than Saw.

I dont get why people are still comparing the dollar - pound rate as 2, it was around 1.6-1.7$ per £ last time checked.

Or is $2 the 'original' rate for the pound? Like the Euro is originally 1.5...?

 

[Dave]

Half the money is to hire that security guard to keep out Sanbrooke!

 

[Nic]

Are wooden coasters temporary :lol:

Have Merlin ever overseen the building of a wooden coaster? Hmmmm...

 

[nealbie]

for $25 Million you're looking at more like £15 Million.

At the time of construction it was about $2.2 to the Pound, so Poke's right it was worth about £10 Million when built.

 

[Mark]

Behemoth, then? 26 mill CAD (figure used by RCDB) equals about 25 mill. USD, or £12 500 000. At least, more expensive than Saw.

I dont get why people are still comparing the dollar - pound rate as 2, it was around 1.6-1.7$ per £ last time checked.

Or is $2 the 'original' rate for the pound? Like the Euro is originally 1.5...?

When we visited Orlando in Oct 2007 it was at $2.12 to the pound. It can vary and depends on the economics at the time.

On the whole, Merlin overquote prices etc... Well, firstly, we don't have many major coaster construction factories here so it costs a fair amount in shipping.

Besides that though (as im sure it doesn't double the cost) is it at all possible that with the Merlin projects they lump the whole project into one to make the amount sound more? IE.. from start to finish. If you include absolutely everything from tree removal and land changes right up to the station building and queueline bins, then it wouldn't be a great shocker that it came to 12Million or whatever.

A small example.
When I was in Orlando... I paid $94 for a pair of Timberland Boots. Now the last time I checked Timberland boots were £135 in this country. Therefore, even with a direct one to one exchange rate they are cheaper. Then if you apply an exchange rate (or as it was at the time) of $2 to the £1. The boots worked out at £47. That is one hell of a difference in price between what they pay in the states on a day to day basis and what we do.

Baiscally, you really can not compare the prices of a UK coaster with one in the US because it is going to be cheaper for the Americans from day one.

Plus. They have the fabrications plants with a lorry drive away for a start. We have to get everything shipped in, which I would have thought may include some form of import tax, just like anything else. Those sorts of costs mount up very very quickly.

To compare them takes a lot more work then, well A cost this and B cost that... You would need to evaluate the value of the dollar/pound at the time, the exchange rates and all of the other little variances inbetween, such as inflation.

 

[davidm]

edit : ignore this, we dont need the pics twice now do we!

 

[Darren]

Some more images added to Alton Towers' Flickr account:

 

[Emmett]

:shock: , some great photos of the track there.

I love this one.