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With three people, the 24-seater Afterburner takes just three hours to build up and fits on just two lorries.

Whatever obstacles stand in the way of the average showman, statistics like these are like showing a red rag to a bull. They’ve come running.

Manufacturers like KMG have helped bring the standard of German and British fairs closer together than they ever have been. Along with the build quality, value for money and product line, the presentation is arguably better than any other manufacturer has managed before.

Chaos, Willie Wilson’s British Afterburner, is one of the finest examples of this. With a fantastic backflash, striking white colour scheme and lighting package that can probably be seen from the moon, it is up to, if not beyond the standard set by our continental counterparts.

James Cox, another leading British showman has done his bit, too. He brought the world’s only Move It 32 over to this merry kingdom from Holland. Although a 40-seat Zamperla version exists in Germany, the KMG version is considered the finest and by far the best presented.

It is another ride that brings us a tangible tint of continental Europe with textbook presentation which helps close the gap between the UK and... well... everywhere else in Europe.

We also owe a lot to Elliot Hall, who was very quick to buy not only one Mondial Top Scan, but two. Both rides were heavily invested in during their life, and being Mondial Top Scans were amongst the best fair rides in the country, if not, Europe.

Their fate was far less star-spangled, though. Top Buzz 1, the better of the two machines has been scarce since, operating mostly in Dubai, while Harry Ayers now owns Top Buzz 2, which briefly toured around London suburbs, appeared in a music video, and then moved to Margate for the year due to the lack of plots Ayers owns.

Since Margate closed at the end of the season, a slightly worse-for-wear Mondial Top Scan has been parked, folded up and not in use. Almost as big a waste as giving Thorpe Park a Top Scan. 

Mondial, like Huss, have a reputation for expensive, well-built rides, so one – let alone two Mondial Top Scans operating here was quite a revelation. Their new Capriolo and Furioso rides open up their catalogue somewhat to British showmen while the Germans also show interest having snapped up every other model in Mondial’s comparably small catalogue.

So, we’ve been lapped by Germany in terms of travelling roller coasters, but we’re catching up in terms of spin rides. We lack the Huss rides that still form an important arsenal in Germany’s fairs, but in terms of new attractions, Germany have every right to keep looking over their shoulders.

While our hectic fair schedule is often our downfall, showmens’ interest in so-called travelling theme parks could offer something of a lifeline when it comes to investing in more iconic attractions.

While the idea of Funderlworld has been frowned upon by many as going against the grain of traditional fairs (pay one price entry, for example), it could well be the James Mellors of the world who throw the industry bit of a lifeline by erring towards transportable theme park rides, as opposed to being quite so conservative.

Mellor’s Wild River Rapids, for example, is a 5-load 35ft tall rapids ride from Reverchon and was the first of its kind in the world, even beating the Germans. Not to be outdone, the Germans have since built a ride twice the size, but nevertheless, it shows there are showmen willing to take a risk when it comes to larger attractions.

With the sale of Crazy Shake, Mellor’s popular Nottingham Amusements Shake, can we expect to see a large roller coaster coming to a Funderworld near you? No, not soon anyway – Wild River Rapids was designed to open not long before the imminent departure of Crazy Shake, but of course, these travelling theme parks give showmen the opportunity now to speculate to accumulate, so maybe more will now take the risk.

It is of course still a pipe dream to expect Eurostar-style coasters to come over to the UK, but we’re probably as close as we ever will be. The UK fair industry while facing the same difficulties as the Germans is continually gaining momentum, and while the German mega coasters are on the back burner, we have the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this lull.

If you want a decent coaster at a fair, the first ride I suggest you get on is the plane ride over to Germany. But, as British showmen play catch up, you don’t have to be as quick to leave the country in search of the better spin rides. Some can be found here already.

Author: MS Tuesday, November 01, 2005 | Post a Comment