Are B&M Hyper Coasters sub-par in the modern age of coasters?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. In spite of B&M's reputation for quality, I've noticed that that enthusiasts have generally gone off their coasters a lot in the last 5-10 years; every installation of a B&M coaster these days seems to be met with groans and a general sense of antipathy. Even the company's airtime-based model, the Hyper Coaster, seems to be generally quite poorly received whenever it is installed these days; I've noticed that the last couple of installations (Mako & Candymonium, for instance) saw enthusiasts generally being quite apathetic towards the rides, and moaning about what a missed opportunity they were. Even in the UK, which is not exactly awash with airtime machines, I've often heard enthusiasts reject the possibility of one at Thorpe Park, for instance, on the grounds that a B&M hyper would be an "incredibly dull option" and "a huge missed opportunity to do something truly great". So my question to you today is; do you feel that B&M hyper coasters have grown to be sub-par rides? Do you think they still stand up alongside some of the newer ride types?

I've only done one B&M hyper myself, and I absolutely loved it (it's my number 1, in fact!), but I'm led to believe that I'm yet to experience a coaster with "proper" airtime, as B&M hypers' floater apparently isn't true airtime, so I probably can't contribute. (Although let me tell you, Mako's floater certainly felt like airtime, and incredibly strong airtime at that, to me!)

But what are your thoughts?

 

[LaurenceUK]

If you've ever done the front row of Shambala then the answer is a definite no.

 

[Hyde]

Yeah, no. Or at least, the takeaway is "B&M Hypers are doing fine."

Here's a breakdown of my personal rankings across coaster types, and their corresponding average rank. Both B&M Giga and B&M Hyper categories bat a respectable top 15 finish (of 81 unique coaster types ridden overall), especially considering that multiples of these coaster types have been ridden, rather than single one-off coaster types like S&S Multi-Loop (Steel Curtain) or Chance Sit-Down (Thunder Run). Overall, having ridden more of their type, they come in rather popular, especially versus other, more-numerous coaster types. (Such as GCI Wood or B&M Invert)

Order​	Coaster Type​	Average of Coaster Rank​	Number of Coasters Ridden​
1	Intamin Blitz	4​	1​
2	Arrow 4D	5​	1​
3	RMC Wood	6​	1​
4	RMC Iron Horse	9.2​	5​
5	Intamin Giga	10​	2​
6	Intamin Accelerator	14.5​	2​
7	S&S Multi-Loop	20​	1​
8	B&M Giga	22​	2​
9	B&M Multi-Loop	22​	1​
10	Arrow Hyper	27​	1​
11	Chance Sit-Down	30​	1​
12	B&M Hyper	36.25​	4​
13	B&M Dive	38​	2​
14	B&M Winged	41​	3​
15	Intamin Hyper	42​	2​

 

[Skyye]

Yeah theyre great rides, esp. in the back for three of the ones in NA (only ridden RB, Goliath, and Diamondback). I think its the fact that now we have RMC coming out with new ride models, same with intamin and mack, while B&M have stayed in their lane most of the time (they really don't need to change much tbh)

 

[Gazza]

I think their product is fine, but I think Mack are kind of entering into "expensive, conventional but reliable" market as well.

Not that I think any of this matters, B&M will solidly sell their 3 or 4 coasters per year and have their manufacturing slots full

I think where B&M are falling behind is their layouts are stuck in the 2000s.
RMC, Intamin, Mack and even Gerstlauer are very much adopting quite advanced techniques and not just doing new elements, but entire rides with a modern flow.

Its got nothing to do with coming up with new coaster types.

 

[RcTmix]

Short answer? Nope.

A "mediocre" B&M Hyper is still going to be a very good coaster when compared with lots of other rides. Mediocrity is relative within a coaster type that is generally so strong. The sustained floater game may not be the newest or most innovative game for enthusiasts these days, but it's still fantastic, and B&M are still playing that game better than anyone else.

Sure, other manufacturers may be building rides that are more forceful, fast paced, and out of control, but not every ride needs to be like that. B&M Hypers also appeal to the masses, have high capacity, are reliable, and they're just so re-rideable. I don't think they're going away any time soon, as long as parks are willing to spend enough to buy them.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I don't think B&M Hypers are sub-par per se. It's just that, if a park has got the height permissions, space, and budget for one, there are many other and more interesting things they could do with it.

I also think the lukewarm reception to Candymonium was partly due to the existence of Skyrush. The park already had a hypercoaster - a better one, from many enthusiasts' perspective - and now that they afforded themselves another big coaster, they chose to build a subjectively lesser version of what they already had. Meanwhile, the various manufacturers have catalogs full of unique and thrilling coasters for approximately the same price. Candymonium may be a good coaster on its own, but in context it was among the least interesting options they could have gone for.

 

[Heth]

There's also a difference between the enthusiast reception to B&M Hypers and that of the GP. It does seem that the GP reception to then is very favourable.

 

[Hixee]

There's also a difference between the enthusiast reception to B&M Hypers and that of the GP. It does seem that the GP reception to then is very favourable.

I think this is a super valuable point. If we had our way, everything would be spine-separating ejector and 5G launches and frankly, that's just silly. B&M hypers regularly draw crowds, even when they're a few years old, and I think sometimes people forget to factor in throughput when considering queue length as a proxy for popularity. I bang on about it every time I can, but Europa Park operate Silver Star in this sort of way - the queue is regularly less than 10 minutes, but from open to close nearly every train is full, with empty seats generally coming from group sizes not lack of interest.

I adore B&M hypers - I think they're fantastically fun coasters. Sure, only Fury makes its way into my Top 20, but I've yet to ride a B&M hyper that I wouldn't happily just jump on straight away for a lap or two and know I was going to leave with a beaming grin!

 

[Tonkso]

Absolutely not. I only have Silver Star and Shambhala under my belt but they are both excellent rides, the later being my personal park favourite with Silver Star only just being pipped by Wodan. Both of these rides are incredibly popular with the general public and ultimately, that's what matters.

I am still clinging onto the last dying desperate hopes that Thorpe will get one, as it's the only park in the UK I can reasonably imagine getting one at the moment, unless this London Resort thing actually happens.