Rank the B&M Hyper coasters
- Thread starter Amanolive
- Start date
-
- Tags
- favorites hyper coaster
Matt N
CF Legend
I was having a look through Captain Coaster’s ranking of the B&M hyper coasters, and it is currently (as of March 2021) as follows (I’ve put the gigas in italics, as they are arguably their own category to some extent. I’ve also put the ride’s ranking within B&Ms overall, to see how popular they are amongst other B&Ms as opposed to exclusively hypers/gigas):
For some wider context, Captain Coaster currently ranks 101 B&M roller coasters, meaning that all of the B&M hypers bar Raging Bull are ranked among the top 50% of B&Ms by Captain Coaster users, indicating that they are one of the more popular B&M models on the whole.
Here is Captain Coaster’s B&M ranking: https://captaincoaster.com/en/ranki...manufacturer]=43&filters[openingDate]=&page=1
Do you agree with this ranking of the B&M hypers/gigas, as well as their ranking within the wider B&M rollercoaster portfolio?
- Fury 325 (#1 B&M overall)
- Shambhala (#2 B&M overall)
- Mako (#5 B&M overall)
- Goliath (SFOG) (#8 B&M overall)
- Leviathan (#11 B&M overall)
- Behemoth (#12 B&M overall)
- Nitro (#15 B&M overall)
- Apollo’s Chariot (#23 B&M overall)
- Goliath (La Ronde) (#24 B&M overall)
- Diamondback (#25 B&M overall)
- Hollywood Dream: The Ride (#35 overall)
- Silver Star (#37 B&M overall)
- Intimidator (#39 B&M overall)
- Raging Bull (#68 B&M overall)
For some wider context, Captain Coaster currently ranks 101 B&M roller coasters, meaning that all of the B&M hypers bar Raging Bull are ranked among the top 50% of B&Ms by Captain Coaster users, indicating that they are one of the more popular B&M models on the whole.
Here is Captain Coaster’s B&M ranking: https://captaincoaster.com/en/ranki...manufacturer]=43&filters[openingDate]=&page=1
Do you agree with this ranking of the B&M hypers/gigas, as well as their ranking within the wider B&M rollercoaster portfolio?
Matt N
CF Legend
I know it seems weird for me to bump this thread without posting a list, but I was only interested to know because I’ve heard Orion getting ranked very highly by some, which I’ll admit surprised me given that the ride was slated to hell and back during its construction. I’m extremely gratified to hear such praise, as I thought it looked fab when I saw shots of it, but I’m surprised to hear it getting praised so much and ranked so highly; it almost feels like the US equivalent of Wicker Man, in that regard! (That may seem like a strange comparison, but WM was similar in that it too got slated a lot during its construction, and many, myself included, were taken aback by how well it actually rode.)
Candymonium also seems to be splitting opinion online, with some ranking it as their favourite B&M hyper and others ranking it right at the bottom, so I’d be intrigued to know the thoughts of some CFers who’ve ridden it, particularly in comparison to Mako, as those two rides are commonly being compared to one another.
P.S. Sorry for double posting.
Candymonium also seems to be splitting opinion online, with some ranking it as their favourite B&M hyper and others ranking it right at the bottom, so I’d be intrigued to know the thoughts of some CFers who’ve ridden it, particularly in comparison to Mako, as those two rides are commonly being compared to one another.
P.S. Sorry for double posting.
MackMan
Mega Poster
Not any new hypers, but here is my ranking of the 3 i have ridden.
1: Shambhala- B&M perfected their craft with this. This is what a B&M hyper coaster should look like. The airtime is sustained and strong, it is smooth, and it even has an ejector hill. It is consistent, and overall my favourite B&M i have ridden to date.
2. Silver Star- Very bipolar. This ride can be amazing in some rows on some days, and be plain boring on others. At its worst though it is better than the next coaster on the list. When it delivers, it has some great ejector on the final hills. The first half is meh though, and it does have a rattle. Massive drop off from Shambhala to be honest.
3. Raging Bull- i am sorry i just did not like this ride. Some people like it, most find it meh. I agree with those who find it meh. Drop is great, though everything else is just a snooze fest.
1: Shambhala- B&M perfected their craft with this. This is what a B&M hyper coaster should look like. The airtime is sustained and strong, it is smooth, and it even has an ejector hill. It is consistent, and overall my favourite B&M i have ridden to date.
2. Silver Star- Very bipolar. This ride can be amazing in some rows on some days, and be plain boring on others. At its worst though it is better than the next coaster on the list. When it delivers, it has some great ejector on the final hills. The first half is meh though, and it does have a rattle. Massive drop off from Shambhala to be honest.
3. Raging Bull- i am sorry i just did not like this ride. Some people like it, most find it meh. I agree with those who find it meh. Drop is great, though everything else is just a snooze fest.
1. Mako. Haven't ridden it since 2016 but sunset rides on this beauty are unforgettable. Plus bonus points for purple track 
2. Silver Star. I've yet to have a bad ride on Silver Star. Great in every part of the train, amazing in the back. A solid 9/10 ride everytime and I have ridden this coaster a lot!
3. Shambhala. When Shambhala is running well (see: PA CF Live 2019) it's a 10/10 ride. When it's running badly (see: PA CF Trip 2015) it's a 6/10. I only ever get airtime near the front of the train, which due to fast passes being allocated front row, is hard to achieve. I find this coaster frustrating because it CAN be so good, but it doesn't always hit the mark.
4. Nitro. That helix takes my face off. Night rides on this (Nightro?) are outstanding.
5. Diamondback. Only got a few rides on this but I remember it being great fun, especially in the Diamondfront.
6. Behemoth. Good airtime, quite rattly.
7. Leviathan. Doesn't ride like a hyper. Short and kinda joyless.
2. Silver Star. I've yet to have a bad ride on Silver Star. Great in every part of the train, amazing in the back. A solid 9/10 ride everytime and I have ridden this coaster a lot!
3. Shambhala. When Shambhala is running well (see: PA CF Live 2019) it's a 10/10 ride. When it's running badly (see: PA CF Trip 2015) it's a 6/10. I only ever get airtime near the front of the train, which due to fast passes being allocated front row, is hard to achieve. I find this coaster frustrating because it CAN be so good, but it doesn't always hit the mark.
4. Nitro. That helix takes my face off. Night rides on this (Nightro?) are outstanding.
5. Diamondback. Only got a few rides on this but I remember it being great fun, especially in the Diamondfront.
6. Behemoth. Good airtime, quite rattly.
7. Leviathan. Doesn't ride like a hyper. Short and kinda joyless.
James F
Hyper Poster
I only have ridden a measly two.
1: Shambhala - Love the openness of the trains and the expedition theme. Great floater airtime, not a very intense ride but I like that it has more to offer than just airtime hills, I love the inclusion of the spashdown element and the interaction with Dragon Kahn.
2: Silver Star - I honestly don't think there is a huge gap in quality here, Silver Star is a solid hyper coaster with some great airtime moments (especially the drop off the mid-course), I do agree that the airtime on the first few hills isn't as strong as Shambhala, it has always given me solid airtime throughout. I think for me it's the scenery which really gives the lead to Shambhala.
Sent from my SM-A217F using Tapatalk
1: Shambhala - Love the openness of the trains and the expedition theme. Great floater airtime, not a very intense ride but I like that it has more to offer than just airtime hills, I love the inclusion of the spashdown element and the interaction with Dragon Kahn.
2: Silver Star - I honestly don't think there is a huge gap in quality here, Silver Star is a solid hyper coaster with some great airtime moments (especially the drop off the mid-course), I do agree that the airtime on the first few hills isn't as strong as Shambhala, it has always given me solid airtime throughout. I think for me it's the scenery which really gives the lead to Shambhala.
Sent from my SM-A217F using Tapatalk
Matt N
CF Legend
Out of interest, I’d be intrigued to know; in you guys’ opinion, does the length of the train or the type of train make a difference on these rides?
Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is that aside from possibly Fury 325, the other B&M hypers seem to be awfully polarising, with some placing [insert B&M hyper here] at the very top and others placing it at the very bottom in the vast majority of cases! Are B&M hypers a very temperamental ride type or something?
Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is that aside from possibly Fury 325, the other B&M hypers seem to be awfully polarising, with some placing [insert B&M hyper here] at the very top and others placing it at the very bottom in the vast majority of cases! Are B&M hypers a very temperamental ride type or something?
My feeling is that it's kind of immaterial, to be honest. It won't save and otherwise naff ride, equally won't spoil an otherwise great coaster. Personally I prefer the four-across seats (which probably by definition mean shorter - in length - trains), because it's a more fun riding experience with friends than the staggered seating, but it doesn't make a huge difference to the ride I don't think.
I think so. In my experience you can catch them on good days and bad days, and the difference can be stark. For example, when I rode Shambhala in Dec-2017 it was actually rubbish. I could see how it could be good, but it was running so slowly there was no airtime and it just felt sluggish. Equally, I had laps on Raging Bull in Oct-2012 which were awesome - it was running really fast (long park hours, mild temperatures, etc), had lots of good forces and was really fun. I knew that it was a crap hyper (how can a B&M hyper only have two hills? lol), but it was fun.
In both cases, I completely understand why people love and hate them (Shambhala and Raging Bull respectively), and how people can have had the 'textbook' rides on them, but that doesn't align with my personal experiences.
emoo
Hyper Poster
I prefer the stadium seating as you can wave your arms around a lot more without whacking a friend or stranger in the face.
Also more shoulder room, a sense of freedom and quicker to get in and out (dodging the slow people).
As for the actual ride I'm happy either way as you can put your feet up, round the clam pole on both. Its almost like spooning the restraint but isn't, just soaking in the happy times.
Environmental conditions and trim brake behaviour on the day will impact it the most.
Also more shoulder room, a sense of freedom and quicker to get in and out (dodging the slow people).
As for the actual ride I'm happy either way as you can put your feet up, round the clam pole on both. Its almost like spooning the restraint but isn't, just soaking in the happy times.
Environmental conditions and trim brake behaviour on the day will impact it the most.
Hutch
Strata Poster
I finally got back on Apollo's Chariot after 8 years. I'd kept it at the bottom, but decided to bump it up over Intimidator.
1. Mako - The smoothest of them all with the best airtime, especially with the lack of a seatbelt. Lovely stuff
2. Nitro - Great mix of positive and negative forces, and it's in good shape for ride that's nearly 20 years old.
3. Goliath - Similar intensity to Nitro with an arguably stronger layout, but the first drop isn't as good and there's a tad more of a rattle.
4. Fury - It's a great ride but it's just not god tier like many enthusiasts make it out to be. The first drop and treble clef are incredible, and it has great airtime at the end, but there's too much weaving about. I dunno, the big, high speed turns just didn't really click with me. Perhaps I need to give it a second chance?
5. Diamondback - It has some of the best airtime among this entire list, but it has the worst rattle of the bunch. If it was as smooth as Mako it'd be #2.
6. Apollo's Chariot - Finally rode this again and while it doesn't have the best airtime, it's in good shape overall and a very fun ride. Great location too.
7. Intimidator - Despite being perfectly smooth and having amazing airtime, all it has are the three hills. After that what's the point? By far the weakest layout, which is why it's at the bottom.
It is really interesting taking a look and seeing how the layout, smoothness, and strength of airtime play factors here. Mako hits all three, hence its top position. Nitro isn't necessarily the best at each factor individually, but are all very good together. Others seem to nail two of them, but are held back by the third factor (smoothness for Diamondback, airtime for Apollo, layout for Intimidator).
And I guess I'm only missing Candymonium and Raging Bull (and I guess Orion) at this point to complete the US set, huh? I imagine I'll get those within a few years.
1. Mako - The smoothest of them all with the best airtime, especially with the lack of a seatbelt. Lovely stuff
2. Nitro - Great mix of positive and negative forces, and it's in good shape for ride that's nearly 20 years old.
3. Goliath - Similar intensity to Nitro with an arguably stronger layout, but the first drop isn't as good and there's a tad more of a rattle.
4. Fury - It's a great ride but it's just not god tier like many enthusiasts make it out to be. The first drop and treble clef are incredible, and it has great airtime at the end, but there's too much weaving about. I dunno, the big, high speed turns just didn't really click with me. Perhaps I need to give it a second chance?
5. Diamondback - It has some of the best airtime among this entire list, but it has the worst rattle of the bunch. If it was as smooth as Mako it'd be #2.
6. Apollo's Chariot - Finally rode this again and while it doesn't have the best airtime, it's in good shape overall and a very fun ride. Great location too.
7. Intimidator - Despite being perfectly smooth and having amazing airtime, all it has are the three hills. After that what's the point? By far the weakest layout, which is why it's at the bottom.
It is really interesting taking a look and seeing how the layout, smoothness, and strength of airtime play factors here. Mako hits all three, hence its top position. Nitro isn't necessarily the best at each factor individually, but are all very good together. Others seem to nail two of them, but are held back by the third factor (smoothness for Diamondback, airtime for Apollo, layout for Intimidator).
And I guess I'm only missing Candymonium and Raging Bull (and I guess Orion) at this point to complete the US set, huh? I imagine I'll get those within a few years.
Interestingly it looks like I've never posted my rankings in this thread. Let's have a go.
1. Fury 325 - Not even a shadow of a doubt. Fury is the best B&M ever made, let alone the best Hyper. It's fast, has incredible forces, the first drop is endless, it's twisty. Man, this thing rocked my world. Those dusk/night rides we had back in 2016 were wild.
2. Leviathan - It's like Fury but just a bit tamer. The size/speed of it is just fab though.
3. Behemoth - Another very good one, with lots and lots of great hills. The first of the more traditional ones in my list, I suppose.
4. Silver Star - On both my visits to Europa, and across a dozen or so laps, this coaster was really impressive. Good clean airtime across all the hills, a little bit of ejector out of the MCBR and the funky s-bends at the end. Quality stuff.
5. Goliath (La Ronde) - Had very similar rides on this to my laps on Silver Star. Bloody loved it, I did!
6. Shambhala - The rides I specifically had on this would probably put it even further down the list, but I do, objectively, know this is a better coaster than the ones below.
7. Apollo's Chariot - The OG does a pretty good job of holding it's own amongst the newer models.
8. Nitro - I rode this a very long time ago, so it's not awfully fresh in my memory, but I don't really recall anything particularly notable about it.
9. Raging Bull - It's fine, but it's not particularly good. Even though I did have some great rides on it, it's not a strong contender.
10. Diamondback - See Nitro, but worse.
11. Intimidator - See Diamondback, but worse.
Of the ones I haven't done, I think Mako, Goliath (SFOG), Candymonium and Orion would live in the top half, and Flight of the Himalayan Eagle Music Roller Coaster (FOTHE?) and Hollywood Dream would probably be in the lower half. Who knows, though?
1. Fury 325 - Not even a shadow of a doubt. Fury is the best B&M ever made, let alone the best Hyper. It's fast, has incredible forces, the first drop is endless, it's twisty. Man, this thing rocked my world. Those dusk/night rides we had back in 2016 were wild.
2. Leviathan - It's like Fury but just a bit tamer. The size/speed of it is just fab though.
3. Behemoth - Another very good one, with lots and lots of great hills. The first of the more traditional ones in my list, I suppose.
4. Silver Star - On both my visits to Europa, and across a dozen or so laps, this coaster was really impressive. Good clean airtime across all the hills, a little bit of ejector out of the MCBR and the funky s-bends at the end. Quality stuff.
5. Goliath (La Ronde) - Had very similar rides on this to my laps on Silver Star. Bloody loved it, I did!
6. Shambhala - The rides I specifically had on this would probably put it even further down the list, but I do, objectively, know this is a better coaster than the ones below.
7. Apollo's Chariot - The OG does a pretty good job of holding it's own amongst the newer models.
8. Nitro - I rode this a very long time ago, so it's not awfully fresh in my memory, but I don't really recall anything particularly notable about it.
9. Raging Bull - It's fine, but it's not particularly good. Even though I did have some great rides on it, it's not a strong contender.
10. Diamondback - See Nitro, but worse.
11. Intimidator - See Diamondback, but worse.
Of the ones I haven't done, I think Mako, Goliath (SFOG), Candymonium and Orion would live in the top half, and Flight of the Himalayan Eagle Music Roller Coaster (FOTHE?) and Hollywood Dream would probably be in the lower half. Who knows, though?
Antinos
Slut for Spinners
- Fury 325
- Orion
- Mako
- Goliath (SFOG)
- Candymonium
- Behemoth
- Leviathan
- Nitro
- Intimidator
- Diamondback
- Apollo's Chariot
- Goliath (La Ronde)
- Raging Bull
Kw6sTheater
Hyper Poster
1. Fury 325
2. Goliath (Georgia)
3. Mako
4. Nitro
5. Candymonium
6. Apollo's Chariot
7. Diamondback
8. Intimidator (Carowinds)
2. Goliath (Georgia)
3. Mako
4. Nitro
5. Candymonium
6. Apollo's Chariot
7. Diamondback
8. Intimidator (Carowinds)
b&mfanboy123
Mega Poster
for strictly hypers i have a really weird list
1. Raging Bull - 10/10
2. Mako - 10/10
3. Nitro - 10/10
4. Goliath (SFOG) - 10/10
5. Apollo's Chariot - 9/10
6. Candymonium - 8/10
7. Intrimidator - 7.5/10
1. Raging Bull - 10/10
2. Mako - 10/10
3. Nitro - 10/10
4. Goliath (SFOG) - 10/10
5. Apollo's Chariot - 9/10
6. Candymonium - 8/10
7. Intrimidator - 7.5/10
Matt N
CF Legend
Out of interest, how come you have Raging Bull on top? Also, how come Mako and Candymonium are so far apart, as I was led to believe that those two were very similar to one another?
I’m not judging by any means, I’m merely intrigued, as some of those seem like uncommon opinions!
Nice to see you back by the way @b&mfanboy123; it feels like you haven’t been on the forums in a while!
Hah, I guess I never bothered to respond back to this thread after having ridden Orion last year, which would've been:
1. Fury 325 - this thing is fantastic, and my favorite of all Gina’s ridden thus far. Awesome placement, good flow, and the flojector on the turn back is to die for.
2. Goliath (SFOG) - I’d like to get back to reride, but still recall it being a solid layout and ride.
3. Apollo's Chariot - So glad I finally got to take a spin, as this coaster met all expectations I had of a fun, OG B&M Hyper.
4. Orion - It's a 300 ft. coaster that goes exactly right here, behind Apollo's Chariot.
5. Diamondback - it’s hit and miss these days with really good and really rattle-y rides. Still think the opening drop is one of the best in the Midwest.
6. Intimidator - better than I expected, but expectations were low to start.
And then, per my last message, would look like this, this year:
1. Fury 325 - this thing is fantastic, and my favorite of all Gina’s ridden thus far. Awesome placement, good flow, and the flojector on the turn back is to die for.
2. Goliath (SFOG) - I’d like to get back to reride, but still recall it being a solid layout and ride.
3. Apollo's Chariot - So glad I finally got to take a spin, as this coaster met all expectations I had of a fun, OG B&M Hyper.
4. Orion - It's still a 300 ft. coaster that goes exactly right here, but moved up in my overall rankings getting to ride fully loaded, but behind Apollo's Chariot.
5. Diamondback - it’s hit and miss these days with really good and really rattle-y rides. Still think the opening drop is one of the best in the Midwest.
6. Intimidator - better than I expected, but expectations were low to start.