Top Manufacturers -- Euro v. N. Amer. Views

[MestnyiGeroi]

Would you agree with the following statements?

1. If you ask a large group of North American coaster enthusiasts what their favorite manufacturers are, at least 90% will have RMC, B&M, and Intamin as their top three (with those three in any order).

2. If you ask a large group of European coaster enthusiasts what their favorite manufacturers are, at least 90% will have Mack somewhere in their top three.

 

[Zek_Teh_Kek]

While I agree with the first statement, the 2nd could vary depending on where you live. If you live in Germany, you might put Mack and Intamin in your top 3, but somewhere like U.K., it might be Arrow, because the U.K., IIRC, doesn't have very Mack coasters.
However, this would just be if those people were only limited to their home countries.

 

[ThemeCrafter264]

I find that a bit offensive to the UK saying we have outdated coasters! If anything, the UK has some of the world's most unique coasters, with a very high density across the entire country. The UK's major companies are b&m, gerstauler and intamin

 

[Hixee]

I'm pretty sure B&M would be up there for most Europeans too.

Nemesis, Oblivion, Nemesis Inferno, Swarm, Oz Iris, Black Mamba, Katun, Dragon Khan, Shambhala, Silver Star, Superman, Raptor, Flug der Damonen, etc. There are LOADS of great European B&Ms. Not to mention that most European enthusiasts are likely to have ridden the Florida B&Ms too.

 

[MestnyiGeroi]

I'm pretty sure B&M would be up there for most Europeans too.

Nemesis, Oblivion, Nemesis Inferno, Swarm, Oz Iris, Black Mamba, Katun, Dragon Khan, Shambhala, Silver Star, Superman, Raptor, Flug der Damonen, etc. There are LOADS of great European B&Ms. Not to mention that most European enthusiasts are likely to have ridden the Florida B&Ms too.

I was asking those questions just to see what anyone might say, but I didn't say what else would be in the typical European's top three. It just seems to me that North Americans have a pretty set Holy Trinity these days, and Mack may or may not even enter the conversation (typically ranking somewhere from 5 to 15). Whereas for Europeans Mack seems to be one of the first names that comes to mind when laying out a top three. I was just wondering if others would agree with or rip to shreds my impressions on this.

 

[Zek_Teh_Kek]

I find that a bit offensive to the UK saying we have outdated coasters! If anything, the UK has some of the world's most unique coasters, with a very high density across the entire country. The UK's major companies are b&m, gerstauler and intamin

I'm sorry!
I didn't realize that the U.K. had roller coasters like that!
Now that I think about it, there is Alton and Thorpe.

 

[Mack]

uh for us it's basically super depressing because they're all in europe and all we got you was arrow (and now RMC hehe)

but b&ms are usually manufactured in my home state, Ohio (as in the actual production of the physical track itself)
despite what my username would suggest, that's just my first name, heh. mack is not as prominent here and tbh probably has more musik expresses than roller coasters. that's ok because i prefer operating musik express. i mean i've been really sexy since 1990 but mack the manufacturer has only really put some big-name rollercoasters in north america just recently

one time i inquired with b&m and intamin and they were all do you speak german and i'm like...i speak czech? and they were all... ja nein. sooo
na zdavri eh

 

[Ireeb]

uh for us it's basically super depressing because they're all in europe and all we got you was arrow (and now RMC hehe)

but b&ms are usually manufactured in my home state, Ohio (as in the actual production of the physical track itself)
despite what my username would suggest, that's just my first name, heh. mack is not as prominent here and tbh probably has more musik expresses than roller coasters. that's ok because i prefer operating musik express. i mean i've been really sexy since 1990 but mack the manufacturer has only really put some big-name rollercoasters in north america just recently

one time i inquired with b&m and intamin and they were all do you speak german and i'm like...i speak czech? and they were all... ja nein. sooo
na zdavri eh

I think you should do a bit of research how many operating Mack coasters there are, and how many of them have been built in the last few years.

For me, Mack Rides is the best manufacturer because they are in my country and region and they are a representation of precision German engineering! Smooth and reliable, well-optimized seats and restraints and looking amazing.

 

[Mack]

I think you should do a bit of research how many operating Mack coasters there are, and how many of them have been built in the last few years.

For me, Mack Rides is the best manufacturer because they are in my country and region and they are a representation of precision German engineering! Smooth and reliable, well-optimized seats and restraints and looking amazing.

haha yeah i know. obvious since we share a name from a young age i was pretty fascinated especially just from simple wilde maus to the earlier Euro-Mir to the more potent launched rides they've been outputting so efficiently at impressive custom volume lately. just on the north american side their flat rides were previously more pervasive, yo. perhaps being a DJ distorted your perception. there's genuinely more interaction on the operator side. on coasters we send you out then don't see you until you come back haha (especially with musik express that may be a genuinely American appreciation but there are many like pseudo famous musik express operators with the hip-hop and strobe lights etc, rip casino pier)
if you think i wasn't immediately obsessed with a manufacturer that had the same name as me and a very stylish logo you would be wrong

 

[JammyH]

I find that a bit offensive to the UK saying we have outdated coasters! If anything, the UK has some of the world's most unique coasters, with a very high density across the entire country. The UK's major companies are b&m, gerstauler and intamin

This post doesn't actually make any sense to me whatsoever. First of all you, claim the UK has some of the world's most unique coasters. Secondly, you claim that these unique coasters are in a "high density across the country" and these unique coasters are manufactured by B&M, Gerstlauer and Intamin.

Gerstlauer, Intamin and B&M are some of the biggest companies across the world so to say that they are manufacturing "unique" coasters in the UK may sometimes be true, however the majority of the time it is not because the same rollercoaster type/model can usually be found elsewhere in the world. If we are actually talking unique rides in the UK, we are looking at the likes of the Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate, The Big one at Blackpool Pleasure beach manufactured by Arrow or similarly the Grand National which is one of only three Möbius Loop Woodies in the world. I personally would hardly call B&M, Gerstlauer and Intamin coasters in the UK "unique" because all we have are rides such as B&M wingriders/inverts etc. and whilst they may be good coaster models, they aren't unique as they are found pretty much everywhere across Europe, America etc.

Would you agree with the following statements?

1. If you ask a large group of North American coaster enthusiasts what their favorite manufacturers are, at least 90% will have RMC, B&M, and Intamin as their top three (with those three in any order).

2. If you ask a large group of European coaster enthusiasts what their favorite manufacturers are, at least 90% will have Mack somewhere in their top three.

Being from the UK, I have never really thought about my top three manufacturers. However after riding Shambhala, B&M would 100% have to be in there. After riding Taron alone, I think Intamin would also have to place in there(although I am not a fan of a lot of older intamin coasters such as Colossus@Thorpe Park however am definitely looking forward to the new Hyper coaster at Energylandia). I absolutely adore Mack, Europa park is pure heaven and once I manage to also get on Helix@Liseberg and Icon@Blackpool I think that will secure Mack a place in my top 3 manufacturers as I love the likes of Blue Fire, Euro Mir etc.

I also really love GCI ever since riding Wodan @Europa Park, however I haven't been on enough GCI woodies yet to grant them a place in my top three manufacturers so I think my top three would have to be B&M, Intamin and Mack!

I think the reason for more people in Europe liking Mack than in America is because I feel that Mack are more dominant in the European sector. I feel Intamin and B&M are pretty much everywhere you go nowadays, and RMC are increasingly trying to locate in more and more countries(however they are particularly dominant in the US), however Mack is primarily based at Europa Park in Germany and seem mainly Europe based to me. Although there may be lots of Mack creations in the US, such as Cobras Curse etc, it just seems to me that people in the US don't recognise that these rides are Mack as it's not seen as such a dominant force whereas all the Mack creations in the UK and around Europe seem to be better "labelled"/well known that they are manufactured by Mack. Just my perspective/take on it anyway I think

 

[Mack]

I think the UK does have a certain quirk that tends to demand more creativity. The Dive Machine wouldn't be a thing if AT haven't been forced to come up with some way to make an exciting big drop while complying with the local laws and regulations. Sure, they're everywhere now, but I'm not sure it'd be a thing without the necessitation of Oblivion. Similar examples abounds in the UK as the parks really tend to get forced to do more with less. In the US many parks have almost limitless room and no restrictions. SFMM can just yawn and place a Medusa clone in the parking lot. Etc. PMBO is a pretty bad example as it's a lot like Desperado, Steel Phantom, Magnum, and other awkward large Arrow designs which used to be standard fare in North America until the recent trend of tearing the goddamn monstrosities down.

With the unlimited dimensions permissible at North American parks, innovation comes in the format of Millennium Force, Dragster, Kingda Ka, Superman: TE, which.... Great, but you didn't really do anything except make it real big and real fast, lol. Maybe the same model will be found in the UK, but I guarantee it's going to have to do something other than be faster or taller because that's way too easy for North American parks to do with little difficulty and often little creativity. So another possible item would be many North American parks have less incentive for compact punchy rides. Or something. I had a point, I swear.

 

[Coaster Hipster]

Mack certainly has pretty good arguments to make it into my Top 3 manufacturers. Alpina Blitz is the best airtime machine in my home country (which is kinda sad to say, even if Brits get an even worse deal), and Helix was simply outstanding.

I need to ride more RMCs to fully appreciate the company. Wicked Cyclone was great, but lacking a big sustained airtime moment and more G+ elements. With coasters Lightning Rod and Storm Chaser I'm sure they'll convince me though!

 

[DelPiero]

Mack are definitely on the rise but I need to ride some more of their excellent installations before they crack my top 3 constructors, currently I've really only ridden Helix and Blue Fire, and those aren't enough to drop B&M out just yet.

 

[Mack]

Mack certainly has pretty good arguments to make it into my Top 3 manufacturers. Alpina Blitz is the best airtime machine in my home country (which is kinda sad to say, even if Brits get an even worse deal), and Helix was simply outstanding.

I need to ride more RMCs to fully appreciate the company. Wicked Cyclone was great, but lacking a big sustained airtime moment and more G+ elements. With coasters Lightning Rod and Storm Chaser I'm sure they'll convince me though!

Twisted Colossus and IL Goliath are like holy f--- with this. Although El Toro from Intamin still takes my top spot partially from the airtime so hard the upstop wheels hit the track so violently that you can freaking hear it.

 

[Howie]

Up until very recently, I wouldn't have even considered Mack as a top 3 manufacturer. I just thought they did mice and mine trains, bobsleds and spinners. Reliable, dependable, theme park staples for sure, but not world class thrill machines.
Helix changed all that. I was like "Wow, they can make big stuff too!"
Still a bit basic when it comes to Big Macks but I tell ya, I'm now proper pumped for Icon and I really need Blue Fire in my life.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

but somewhere like U.K., it might be Arrow, because the U.K., IIRC, doesn't have very Mack coasters

You're forgetting that people in the UK have passports and can easily and cheaply travel to experience a multitude of rides and manufacturers on the continent.

 

[Ian]

Ranking coaster manufacturers has been one of CF's favourite pastimes since it began. About 15 years ago, it was all about Intamin and B&M because they were the two major companies churning out the biggest, badass rides. There was even a bit of snobbery if a new cred wasn't made by B&M/Intamin and they were instantly dismissed. We even argued that B&M/Intamin were in the top division of coaster manufacturers, with companies like Mack, Gerstaluer in the second division and the third tier contained the likes of Vekoma, Zamperla etc.

Then in the late 00's and the earlier part of this decade, things changed. Along came Gerstlauer with their Eurofighter which gave parks an "affordable", highly marketable ride. Hold the phone, parks weren't sticking to tried and tested ride types from trusted manufacturers, they were trying new stuff from companies on the fringes of mainstream. This lead to other fringe companies like Zamperla developing the Booster Bike type, and S&S creating El Locos (which I think are fab despite the general opposition to them). If that wasn't enough, a cocky upstart called RMC burst on the scene with their incredible coaster conversions which, in turn, led to the fantastic Outlaw Run. All the meanwhile, the likes of Mack and Vekoma were churning out rides that not many people took notice of.

Fast forward to the modern day where companies other than B&M and Intamin have created some of the best coasters on the planet. Maybe Mack got lucky with Helix with it being the right coaster type, in the right setting. Perhaps Walibi Holland took a gamble with Lost Gravity and it paid off because it's so different to the "run of the mill" stuff out there. And you only have to look at Lech Coaster in Poland to see that Vekoma have upped their game.

To an extent, I do agree with with both statements in @MestnyiGeroi's opening post. But that's only because some manufacturers rides have been around for much longer, or are at prominent parks (in RMC's case) so more enthusiasts have had the opportunity to ride them. Ask this question in another 5-10 years and I bet the statements will seem like utter bollocks.

From having two leading coaster manufacturers around the start of the century to having five or six nowadays is incredible. A sign that the industry is vibrant with creative, fresh and thrilling ideas.

 

[Hyde]

^ Ahhh, the flame wars of Intamin vs. B&M in the early 00s.

I would say the statements are roughly true, due in part to enthusiasts preferring that which they are familiar with. Mack has had very limited deployment in America, and RMC too not gracing the European scene. To Ian's point, if we continue to see broader deployments of new manufacturers, it wouldn't surprise me to see better correlation of top manufacturers being those more ridden by enthusiasts.

 

[MestnyiGeroi]

Thank you, Ian, for the thorough response, condensing a fair bit of history in answering. And yes, to me it's obvious that we are experiencing a golden era of coasters right now, an explosion of new ideas and possibilities that are a dreamland for the enthusiast. These are the good old days.

 

[TLARides]

I've always considered my top three to be B&M, Gerstlauer, and Intamin.

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