Well I do charge £1000 pound an hour to paint rollercoaster's with a paint brush!But presumably the current painting contractor/specialist on site would have charged less to paint it while it was sitting in Flamingoland's field? All that 'working at height' stuff is dangerous (read: expensive).
Maybe that's why this thing cost £22m - they did it all the hard way.
Flamingo Land | Sik | Intamin 10 Inversion Coaster | 2022
- Thread starter Pierre
- Start date
Is that up a ladder 100ft in the air, or is that extra?
Ladder?, more like a cherry picker.Is that up a ladder 100ft in the air, or is that extra?
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Could it be possible that any extra risk expense was offset by the need to hire cheaper equipment if painting at height. To paint on the ground would require them to continually manoeuvre the parts with heavy lifting equipment. To paint when erected means shorter hire time for the cranes etc and just an average boom lift, which should cost them a lot less at least in terms of plant hire.But presumably the current painting contractor/specialist on site would have charged less to paint it while it was sitting in Flamingoland's field? All that 'working at height' stuff is dangerous (read: expensive).
Maybe that's why this thing cost £22m - they did it all the hard way.
I've seen steel beams painted on site before, and they just offload them from the truck onto a mount that allows them to paint it (although I must admit it looked the same as the mounts they stacked every other piece of steel on) and then craned from there.
Cranes, like the types used to lift these bits into place, are an order of magnitude more expensive 'per-day' than a forklift loader type machine. I'd be staggered if there was a cost saving.
They will use what's called a cherry picker, a basket on a hydraulic extendable arm. readily available cheap to hire and easy to manoeuvre!
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
That was kind of my thought process, the cost of the equipment hire is potentially more expensive than the actual contractors, so possibly the most important factor when cost planning. I keep getting reminded that ‘FL are remarkably tight’ so it is plausible that they’ve, for whatever reason, found it cheaper to do it this way.
‘Cherry Picker’ is an umbrella term used to describe several different types of personnel lifts. I believe the type that would be used here, the type you describe, is called a ‘boom lift.’
Indeed, but more expensive than painting it on the ground.
I stand by it - I've worked on a dozen different projects and it's rarely cheaper to do the labour at height than on the ground if you can avoid it. I speak from experience, admittedly not of coasters, but the logic remains.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Your logic is sound, no doubt about that ?
I’m just wondering if other, job specific, factors have meant that, for this job, this is the cheapest way... Given how tight they’re known for being.
You’re probably right though, they’ve probably chosen to erect first, at greater cost, so that they can make sure the ride is up and running and paint at their own pace... Maybe Rob was right afterall, maybe they paint a section or 2 and say to the council “look sir, we’re in the middle of painting it right now!” For the next 4 years ??
SilverArrow
Certified Ride Geek
Maybe they already have in-house cherry pickers (as lots of parks do) so the cost difference is minimal or the painting company wasn't available earlier on. Maybe the weather is better for painting now? Many possible reasons.
Either way I'm pleased it's getting painted.
Either way I'm pleased it's getting painted.
Like you said cherry picker is an umbrella term which is why I used it.
Lori Marie Loud
Giga Poster
Jared
Hyper Poster
If it was me getting this, I’d have delayed opening by a year, had it shipped over, had the track sand blasted and checked for issues, then had it primed and repainted. Surely that’d be the safest and most cost effective? That way you know you’ve know issues with the track and the paint is fresh and clean.
Dar
Hyper Poster
Went for a spin up this afternoon to snap a few pictures.
It seems there's currently just two sections painted grey, and at least one support. I wonder if those pieces needed inspecting? You can kinda see the grey piece, shown in the parks post, in the bottom left near the left leg of the inline support. Along with the other piece, along with its painted support on the right in the exit of the first corkscrew.
(I also love how close the loop supports are to each other)
They haven't got the cobra roll in yet but they do have the entrance and exit in
Interestingly, there was also a section and support of Velocity painted in the same grey. I hope they're not planning on doing the whole thing that colour, because in person it's the blandest grey imaginable. It's so unremarkable in its plainness that it's become remarkable.
It seems there's currently just two sections painted grey, and at least one support. I wonder if those pieces needed inspecting? You can kinda see the grey piece, shown in the parks post, in the bottom left near the left leg of the inline support. Along with the other piece, along with its painted support on the right in the exit of the first corkscrew.
(I also love how close the loop supports are to each other)
They haven't got the cobra roll in yet but they do have the entrance and exit in
Interestingly, there was also a section and support of Velocity painted in the same grey. I hope they're not planning on doing the whole thing that colour, because in person it's the blandest grey imaginable. It's so unremarkable in its plainness that it's become remarkable.
CrashCoaster
CF Legend
Hopefully it's just an undercoat?Went for a spin up this afternoon to snap a few pictures.
It seems there's currently just two sections painted grey, and at least one support. I wonder if those pieces needed inspecting? You can kinda see the grey piece, shown in the parks post, in the bottom left near the left leg of the inline support. Along with the other piece, along with its painted support on the right in the exit of the first corkscrew.
(I also love how close the loop supports are to each other)
They haven't got the cobra roll in yet but they do have the entrance and exit in
Interestingly, there was also a section and support of Velocity painted in the same grey. I hope they're not planning on doing the whole thing that colour, because in person it's the blandest grey imaginable. It's so unremarkable in its plainness that it's become remarkable.
AidanCKY
Mega Poster
I'm late to the party but my thoughts on the painting is that when you paint a coaster, it needs a long time for the paint to cure.
And the way coasters are assembled usually involves straps being wrapped around track and supports. This would probably remove big sections of the paint during installation, they started building this coaster pretty quickly after pieces started arriving so maybe it was just a time thing.
Allowed them to get the coaster up faster using RCS who were already in the uk, presumably the expense of needing to paint it at height etc.
I do hope they are actually painting it, the red is okay but the yellow clashes so badly with it.
All of this is just my thoughts, could be completely wrong
And the way coasters are assembled usually involves straps being wrapped around track and supports. This would probably remove big sections of the paint during installation, they started building this coaster pretty quickly after pieces started arriving so maybe it was just a time thing.
Allowed them to get the coaster up faster using RCS who were already in the uk, presumably the expense of needing to paint it at height etc.
I do hope they are actually painting it, the red is okay but the yellow clashes so badly with it.
All of this is just my thoughts, could be completely wrong
Dar
Hyper Poster
Matthew Fair
Mega Poster
It's roumored that the track will be completed today!