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If you had to build a theme park using only one manufacturer, which manufacturer would you pick?

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Hi guys. Most theme parks across the world have a fairly diverse range of manufacturers contained within them, but some theme parks tend to stick with 1 or 2 major manufacturers for a lot of their rides. But what if you were only able to use one manufacturer’s portfolio to build a theme park? So my question to you today is; if you had to build a theme park using the current ride selection of only one manufacturer, which one would you pick? You can build rides that do not exist in any other park if you want, as long as they’re listed on the manufacturer website, and if you wish, you can even pick a defunct manufacturer, but if you were to do this, you would have to relocate existing rides of theirs as opposed to building brand new ones.

As for my answer to this question, my favourite manufacturer is currently B&M, but I think their product range perhaps isn’t diverse enough to fill an entire park.


As such, I would personally go with Intamin. They still make highly received coasters, but even if you throw non-coasters into the mix, I’m convinced you could quite literally build an entire park solely out of Intamin rides, which can be said for very few other manufacturers, if any.


For reference, here is Intamin’s current portfolio of products: https://www.intamin.com/products/


So, my park would consist of:

Coasters

Water Rides

  • Intamin Flume Ride (https://www.intamin.com/product/flume-ride/), similar to Chiapas. Lots of heavy theming and dark ride scenes, as well as a few drops. However, I might try to not make the ride too wet, so as to make it appeal to a wider crowd who might not want an absolute soaking; a similar level of wetness to Splash Mountain would work here.
  • Intamin Rapids Ride (https://www.intamin.com/product/rapids-ride/), with lots of water effects, waves and theming, as well as an elevator lift hill and drop similar to Infinity Falls.
  • Intamin Slow Boat Ride (https://www.intamin.com/product/slow-tow-boat-ride/). This would not get riders wet, but would instead function as a more sedate attraction, to give riders a break from the more thrilling rides, and it would be filled with theming and effects in order to tell a family-orientated story. I’m unsure whether it would be indoors or outdoors, or I could possibly even get 2, with one being indoors and one being outdoors!
  • The aforementioned Intamin Ultra Splash would also function as a water ride.
Flat Rides (both thrilling and gentle)

Dark Rides/Immersive Attractions

  • Intamin EMV Dark Ride System (https://www.intamin.com/product/dark-ride-system/), with elaborate theming, an immersive storyline and lots of special effects.
  • Intamin 360 Fly Adventure (https://www.intamin.com/product/360-fly-adventure/), to give the park a nice family attraction as well as a flying theatre style attraction.
  • Intamin Ultra Tower (https://www.intamin.com/product/ultra-tower/). Even though this would be another 4D/screen attraction, I think the ride system looks very cool, and it would be different enough from the 360 Fly Adventure to make it viable. From how Intamin describes it, the Ultra Tower sounds like a modern take on something like Tower of Terror; I love that ride, and it would make a great thrill dark ride, as well as giving the park a shot’n’drop tower to contrast with the drop tower.
  • Possibly another, indoor Intamin Slow Boat Ride to go alongside the outdoor one mentioned earlier, dependant on how I was feeling.
Other

  • Intamin also has a transportation division that builds monorails, so I might even chuck in a nice Intamin People Mover P6 (https://www.intamintransportation.com/product/people-mover-p6/) for some nice, high capacity (3500pph) transportation around the park. That model is even specified as being great for theme parks, so I think one would work excellently as a high capacity alternative to walking around the park, as well as a different, relaxing way of viewing the park!

So, I’ve managed to create a full, varied (ish) theme park with 26 rides using only attractions from Intamin’s current portfolio! Yes, I know there’s a bit of repetition here and there (2 Slow Boat Rides, for instance), but some Intamin attraction types are versatile enough that you could arguably make two very different ride experiences using them. Also, for anything missing, Intamin are innovative enough that they’d probably build it for you regardless of what it was!


As for where this theme park would be located; Gloucestershire, England for sure! That way, the park would be right on my doorstep (well, within about 30-45 minutes, dependant on where it was), and it would be in a part of the UK that is somewhat devoid of major theme parks at present (the South West of England), so competition wouldn’t be too much of an issue. It would also be roughly equidistant from and within reasonably easy reach of the two most populous cities in the UK in London & Birmingham, so would have a wide pool of potential guests!


Do you like the sound of my ride selection consisting only of Intamin rides? What manufacturer would you pick to supply the ride hardware for your park, and what rides would you go with?
 
Let's try (new) Vekoma
Coasters
An STC like Hals-über-kopf at Tripsdrill
A Flying coaster like FLY at Phantasialand
An SFC and Family Boomerang like Flight of the Pterosaur and Velociraptor at Paultons

Other Rides
A Madhouse (obviously)
A Sky Shuttle

A number of Vekoma's immersive 'media attractions' possibly including
I-Ride (Flying Theatre)
V-Ride (Balloon Ride)
Q-Ride (VR Experience)
D-Ride (Interactive Dark Ride)

Overall this park would have to be based on more immersive stand-alone big rides as Vekoma don't really do smaller rides any more.
I guess we could go into Vekoma's older catalogues for some more rides
A Ferris Wheel
A Sky Flyer
A Rapids Ride
A Cycle Monorail
A Waikiki Wave (like a Mondial Supernova)
 
As such, I would personally go with Intamin. They still make highly received coasters, but even if you throw non-coasters into the mix, I’m convinced you could quite literally build an entire park solely out of Intamin rides, which can be said for very few other manufacturers, if any.
I hope you are procuring a large number of "Sorry this ride is unavailable" signs.
 
I had a big post planned out about how many of EP's rides are not on the Mack website but then I found them all hidden away in the back of the Mack product catalogue. That instantly undermined my entire argument about them no longer producing enough support rides to fill a park. When you add in the log flume, all the free-flow boat rides, the Dino carousel and the feria swing to their tea cups, seastorm and twist 'n' splash you easily have enough support rides to back up their excellent selection of coasters, dark rides and water rides and could make a great park.

Oh wait, they already did.
 
Yes, they can be relied upon to fling you to your doom.
They haven’t had a fatality for a number of years, as far as I’m aware. It must be nearing a decade, if not longer, since someone last died on an Intamin, and the number was always extremely low anyway.
 
They haven’t had a fatality for a number of years, as far as I’m aware. It must be nearing a decade, if not longer, since someone last died on an Intamin, and the number was always extremely low anyway.

I mean, it was pretty much a joke, but no, they don't have a great record.

The last death I'm aware of was less than 7 years ago when the restraint system failed on Inferno at Terra Micita.
The one before was also within the last decade when in Brazil on a drop tower... the restraint system failed.

These are not good numbers.
 
I think it would have to be Mack! I mean 80% of Europa park is comprised of Mack rides - and they haven't even showcased all their coaster types within the park! I also feel they have the capabilities to create ride types they've not tried yet such as wooden coasters, drop towers or rapids if they needed to/put their minds to it!

Also a 'theme park' is more than coasters - and just think their portfolio is the most comprehensive - and consistent in quality!
 
Surely Mack! They have the widest range of products, in my opinion.
Rollercoasters:
-Mack Hyper
-Mack Xtreme Spinner
-Mack Stryker Coaster
-Mack Inverted Powered Coaster
-Mack Wild Mouse
-Mack Powered Coaster
Other rides:
-Mack Mystery Swing
-Mack Submarine Dark Ride
-Mack 8-seater single car Dark Ride
-Mack SeaStorm
-Mack SuperSplash
-Mack Interactive Boat Ride
 
S&S for the stupidity.

All the tower rides
Free Fly
Mine Train
Invert
Steeplechase
Screamin Swing
Launch Coaster
4D
Air Launch
Axis
Wooden Coaster

No El Loco. Horrid things.
 
They haven’t had a fatality for a number of years, as far as I’m aware. It must be nearing a decade, if not longer, since someone last died on an Intamin, and the number was always extremely low anyway.

Sorry, because someone else brought this topic back to life. I felt the urge to comment on this. Try May 2017. Just under 4 years from the date of your post that someone was killed on an Intamin attraction. To my knowledge anyway. Could be less. Close to home too.

Where: Drayton Manor Park.
Ride: Splash Canyon Intamin River Rapids.

The number may be low, but they have always been quite high compared to the rest of the industry. Too high! Some quite gory accidents too, I recall a girl having her legs / feet chopped off on a Giant Drop at one point, due to a cable snapping.

That said, I feel Intamin are the only company that offer enough diversification across their products to truly build a fully fledged theme park out of. Second place would be Mack for me.
 
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