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Fair trade

British Fairs

Finally, the UK is starting to get a fair share of well-presented rides that wouldn’t be laughed out of a German fairground.

Until recently, I would have argued that only Move It and at a push Chaos wouldn’t have looked ridiculous in Europe, but this year it was a pleasure to add Tango and Space Roller to the list.

Sadly, these rides are hand-me-downs from Europe, hence their presentation, but nevertheless, my arms are open to rides of this quality, and if it ups the ante and forces more showmen to get higher quality, better presented rides, then great.

Space Roller in particular looks fantastic, but as any connoisseur will tell you, it takes more than a nice looking ride to win the hearts of a fairground enthusiast. Fortunately, Space Roller is in capable hands, and is an excellently run ride, both in terms of atmosphere and ride quality, so as an all-rounder is more than capable of punching its weight against the German heavyweights. I would argue in a heartbeat that it would leave even rides like Skater seeing stars.

Another ride that excels in terms of ride quality is Top Buzz 2, the tatty mistreated Top Scan that has come out of retirement under the new and ever-capable hands of Crow.

The lighting is a mess, the ride looks dull, but one day it could well outshine Space Roller.

Another surprising addition to the UK fair circuit has to be 2Xtreme, an underestimated beast if ever there was one. While people are quick to draw comparisons between this and other Booster-style rides, 2Xtreme uses its own brand of excitement to add a new dimension to the ride.

While it’s easy to note the aesthetic changes like the ferocious-sounding fan above the gondola and the single-ended arm, this is like admiring the lower end of a speedometer on a Ferrari – why bother, when it’s all about the speed.

2Xtreme is a merciless machine, the purpose of which is simply to destroy the contents of riders’ heads by subjecting them to bout after bout of supremely strong g-forces while the gondola sticks upside-down through downward loops.

By contrast, Bomber Mark 2, apparently due to be called Bomber Mach 2 had it not been for a classic case of lost in translation, was alright, but nothing special.

The 164ft tall ride is Fabbri’s third take on their already popular Booster ride, following on from the 129ft original and the less popular but higher capacity Booster 50, which – like Bomber Mark 2 – is 164ft tall, but uses two gondolas on the end of each arm.

With two eight-person gondolas, Bomber Mark 2 is a faster loading ride than its predecessor, but for Booster aficionados, there’s very little discernable difference in ride quality.

XXL

The long awaited, much delayed and over-budget KMG XXL debuted at Enschede Paaskermis in the Netherlands to positive reviews.

This is KMG’s fifth version of their insanely popular Afterburner, following on from the 24 and 16-seat fair models as well as the 32 and 20-seat park models. While the only notable change from version-to-version is the capacity, XXL opts for a 20-seat gondola (5x4) on the end of an arm capable of swinging up to a height of 131ft.

Reviews started off moderately, some even preferring the original Afterburner 32, but momentum has grown and XXL has quite a following now.

Although the ride has been beset with several gearbox failures, it is due to travel to Dublin in the new season which should show the ride off to a completely new audience.

Although Maier in Switzerland was due to get one (called Chaos 3, following on from their Afterburner 32 and Freakout), so far, XXL is the only one of its kind in the world.

In an interview with KMG, Bas Derkink admitted that he doesn’t see a future in large rides like XXL. “We just wanted to see if we were able to assemble a structure without the use of an enormous crane that is as height as twice the length of the trailer”

MIA

While we’re speaking in acronyms (KMG, XXL...), one ride that we were looking forward to, the Technical Park Moon Dance, never actually appeared on the fair circuit as far as we know.

Although we never found out what showman was interested in this ride, it looks like the original version in France, Dreams Live, is still the only one touring.

While the ride didn’t look like a masterpiece, it did look like it would bring another fairly unique ride to the British fair circuit. Still, if it makes way for more Mondial rides like 2Xtreme and Space Roller, then good riddance to Italian rubbish I suppose. Continues...