(10/17/12) One of the big questions about the London project has been an endless speculation about just who will build the coaster ride system inside the rumored Gringott’s Bank. Almost every coaster manufacture in the book has been mentioned once or twice, with only a few exceptions.
It was the mention of one of these rare exceptions to me earlier this week that just made my brain explode. While most have been expecting to see Premier Rides come in to work on the project, or one or two other choice favorites, someone slipped the name Intamin to me the other day. The primary reason behind the rumor was the idea that a Freefall Drop Track gimmick may be used at some point in the ride, very similar to the one Intamin build for Thirteen at Alton Towers. Unfortunately that ride, like many Intamin coasters, was plagued with issues and some extended bouts of downtime it’s first year, which was a primary reason Busch Gardens Williamsburg opted to try out Zierer’s version of the same element on Verbolten. (Not to mention getting stung by the Intamin downtime bug with Cheetah Hunt in Tampa just the year before…)
So would Universal opt to try out Intamin on Gringott’s of all things? On top of having their own rumored bad experienced with past Intamin products, I shudder to think that Universal would be willing to risk their big Harry Potter themed coaster ride, one that will have people lined up around the resort for hours, all hinging on the hope of little to no downtime issues from an Intamin coaster. After all, we saw what a quick poor choice selection of coaster manufacture did for Universal over at Hollywood, Rip, Ride, Rockit. And if Universal thought they had unexpected issues with the size of the restraint system used on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, most Intamin restraints are even more size restrictive to those who are overweight.