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In the recent years KMG from the Netherlands could point to itself with innovative and thrilling rides mainly for the transportable market. The Afterburner, a variation of the known Huss Frisbee with suspended seats, was extremely popular. And the smaller successor Freak Out that swings aslant to the central block could be sold more than 20 times.

The first novelty for this year is Speed, a representative of the category "person ventilator". The construction is 34 meters high, weighs 28 tons and can be completely stored on one trailer. Two people can erect the whole ride in less than an hour. Afterwards the eight passengers spin with 15 rotations per minute, resulting in a speed of 21 meters per second. The first one will be owned by showman Frits Ropers and will travel mainly in the Netherlands.

Novelty number two is Waltzer, a mixture of Breakdance, Magic and Waltzer. This ride, too, can be completely stored on one trailer, and with a diameter of just 16 meters it is suitable even for smaller fairgrounds. This is the first time the whole illumination is done by LEDs. The first version will head towards Tony Kroon from the Netherlands who will call his ride "Fun Factory". It will debut in Enschede at the Easter weekend, afterwards Aalen and Purmerend will follow. Instead of Tilburg the ride will be found at nearby Uden. Among others the largest downtown funfair of the Netherlands in Weert will be approached. In addition, Kroon also receives a new Tango. Unlike its predecessors this time the seats are slightly tilted backwards to make the ride more comfortable.

Left: Mack booth - Right: FlexRider Rendering: Mack

The name Mack has a long tradition. This family-run company is operating at the site in Waldkirch, Germany in the seventh generation. In the past carousels and caravans were built in traditional handcraft, but nowadays the label high-tech company fits much better. Mack has the ISO 9001 certification - the core standard for quality management systems - since 2002 to meet highest demands regarding construction, processing and production. 3D-CAD systems make the components tangible for the designer, and a electronic file managment systems helps to cope with all the data. New production methods and internally reorganized process handlings significantly speed up constructing and implementing a ride. Mack adapts to the market without losing track of their virtues tradition and competence.

The Fun Coaster, for example, is one product made on this basis. The concept was presented at the Euro Amusement Show 2003 in Genova - see our report -, and in Paris this year Franciscus Beckers, Area Sales and Marketing Manager, could announce a version for Linnanmäki park in the heart of the Finnish capital Helsinki. The Fun Coaster is a new development, based on an innovative car concept: The cabin seating six people bears on four elastomer cushions, assembled to the inelastic chassis running on the track. This construction enables so far unknown movement capabilities: Seesawing left to right is possible just as well as teetering forth and back, depending on the dynamic forces and the load. The concept strongly reminds of the legendary duck (or 2CV) made by Citroen. In curves the car leans to the side, lurches in S-shaped track segments and tilts forwards when it is decelerated. The Fun Coaster brings swinging fun onto a track, and the passengers always feel like being in an unstable state.

Franciscus Beckers

			Journey to Atlantis in San Diego

The conceptional idea meets the demands of today´s market: Compact, innovative rides are sought after. And with Finnish Linnanmäki, located on a hill in the middle of Helsinki, a smaller park with no room to expand is the first customer. The ride will be 332 meters long, located right next to the Enzian, a Mack powered coaster from 1990 adapted to a natural slope. The dimensions of this ride are rather secondary, frequent changes of acceleration and an adequately designed layout guarantee for the fun. Drops, 180 degree mouse bends, a lurch segment and curves banked up to 50 degrees are the basis for that. The chain lift will be 16 meters high, and the four cars will reach a maximum speed of 55 kilometers per hour. The layout to be implemented differs from the design presented last year in quite a few spots, but the essential elements remain - Fun in a new dimension.

Mack also targets a new market with the FlexRider: Behind this accurate denotation hides a people mover with an electric propulsion system that doesn´t need a costly slide mounting. This non-polluting and almost noiseless system can carry up to 48 people between different attractions in the park, being able to enter or leave the cars at any point. Up to six elements with panoramic windows can be linked to a train.

Franciscus Beckers sees the main growth potential for Mack in smaller and middle-sized parks. The company will offer products in line with the market for the whole park world. The strategy is clear: The time to develop a ride first and to offer it later is over, nowadays companies have to analyze the market and to position themselves strategically. Upgrading existing concepts is a key point for this. A larger focus will also be put on developing complete theme park projects.

Further on, projects for market leaders have a high relevancy for Mack. This year a sister ride of Journey to Atlantis in Florida will open at Sea World in San Diego, California. This water coaster with a hybrid ride system is also known from Poseidon at Europa Park. The version at San Diego will even feature a vertical lift. The know how is derived from Matterhornblitz: Its chain-driven lift is designed in a way that a loaded cabin moves up while an empty track segment comes down. Even the tilting effect when the two segments pass each other is adopted from the Wild Mouse at Europa Park. The complex and heavily themed ride will feature a larger amount of roller coaster sections than its antetype in Florida.