Mäch Tower

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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.

Manufacturer
Moser's Rides

Model
Gravity Tower

Hamlet
Oktoberfest (Germany)

Opening Date
August 18th, 2011

Closing Date
January 8th, 2023

Attraction Height
240ft

Duration
About 90 Seconds

Riders Per Cycle
30

Height Requirement
48in



Mäch Tower was a Moser's Rides Gravity Tower located in the Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Originally planned to debut in the spring alongside Beste Brezeln und Bier and numerous other alterations to the Oktoberfest hamlet, Mäch Tower faced months of delays throughout the first half of 2011. Ultimately, the attraction did not open to the public until August 18th, 2011.

Mach Tower was typically converted into an observation tower named Nächt Tower for the park's annual holiday event, Christmas Town.

On December 16, 2022 it was announced by the park that Mäch Tower would close on January 8th, 2023. The ride did not operate in it's typical Nächt Tower mode in 2022, in order to have final sendoffs in the normal drop tower mode.

When it debuted, Mäch Tower featured an onboard audio system which would play music throughout the ride's ascent and a seat vibration effect that would trigger immediately before the drop. A POV featuring the on-ride audio can be found below.

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Direct Link to Embedded Media Source


Sources:
  1. Mäch Tower Announcement Press Release
  2. Official Statement Regarding Opening Delays
  3. "Waiting for the Mach Tower to Drop" via The Virginian-Pilot
  4. "Busch Gardens opens towering drop ride after 3-month delay" via The Virginian-Pilot
  5. First Ride Video & Opening Day Photos via BGWFans
  6. Early Mäch Tower Ride Impressions via Theme Park Insider
 
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Zachary said:
I won't comment on the potential "why" regarding this rumor, but looking back only one of the recent ride closures was due to an actual major issue with the ride (Da Vinci). The others (DarKastle, Germany kiddie rides, Battle for Eire), all seem to have been, at least in large part, budgetary measures.

With DarKoaster debuting next season, it's not hard to imagine now being a particularly good time to remove Oktoberfest's drop tower. The hamlet would still be gaining far more than it would be losing.
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Agreed Zachary, Oktoberfest will be fine if Mach is removed with DarKoaster project coming online next year. But I still worry about guest perception after all of these sudden ride closures and other guest impacting changes like tram service running less than in years past, early closings for certain rides like Loch Ness and Pompeii, less overall shows than in years past, etc.

Wondering if some guests start to realize that they are paying more and getting less in regards to overall guest experience. Maybe they solve some of that potential perception issue with more Busch Bucks in the short term! 🤪
 
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Is part of this article written in response to an interaction I saw yesterday that went almost word for word like:
"That's your source? Yeah cause they're so reliable 🙄 🙄 " - critic
"Elaborate." - Zach
"No." - critic
 
I don't think this closure will sting like the other 2. I'll lump Da Vinci into family rides even though some people hate that motion. The perception is there are not enough family rides and so far there has been no hints of fixing that. Maybe Darkoaster will be a family coaster, but that still isn't everyone's cup of tea.
 
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Pink said:
Is part of this article written in response to an interaction I saw yesterday that went almost word for word like:
"That's your source? Yeah cause they're so reliable 🙄 🙄 " - critic
"Elaborate." - Zach
"No." - critic
Click to expand...

As a response to an increasing number of exchanges like that where people just handwave about a supposed lack of credibility while being completely unable to substantiate their claims with anything we have actually written—yes.

An article about the rumors swirling around Mach Tower right now has been a long time coming. In fact, originally, the plan was continue to hold off on it a little while longer. Something came up that required I push it out the door ASAP overnight though.

Anyway, the story just happened to present an ideal vehicle through which I could critique the rhetoric and perceptions surrounding BGWFans too so I took it. Ideally every article I write should have more to say than what is advertised on the label, but this time in particular I felt like the story needed a lot of framing. Maybe it was a bit self-indulgent, but hopefully people were able to connect with it.
 
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I am certain that as Zachary pointed out, ridership must play into the calculus, When was the last time the queue for this ride was full, and not due to slow/irregular ride ops? I can't recall...

This was a 2011 attraction, times have changed, and a 246 ft. tall drop tower that doesn't drop a full 200 feet is not moving the thrill needle that far, especially when it costs the park larger than necessary sums of cash to keep it going. If Sea World wants to do DarKoaster, DrakenSpire, etc., then its likely time to machete the Mach/trim the Tower and move on.

I'd rather have a Giant Discovery from Zamperla (larger footprint, I know, but not impossible with thoughtful engineering) themed for the Hamlet with some lovely effects, and swinging over the Rhine near the bridge would be a delight, and give a massive sense of height if built around the same location as Mach.

Call it something quirky like "Himmel's Hammer" (Sky's Hammer in German), properly theme it (hard for BGW nowadays, I know), and no one will miss MT.
 
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I agree I think ridership is a big part of it, but it has little to do with the height, or lack of, and a lot to do with ride comfort. Nearly everyone that doesn't like the ride (but likes drop towers otherwise) will tell you it is because of the seats.

Maybe keeping the structure and replacing the carriage, along with a retheme, would make the ride more appealing.

And, yes, the park could do with a few new family rides as well.
 
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Perhaps, but this ride has had plenty of issues and guest detractors for years, long before the tragic incident of a gross modification to the Orlando tower's restraints.
 
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The ride was a disasted from the start...it was delayed for a long time during construction and testing before it quitely just opened one day. I only rode it once, and it took lots of free alcohol from the park at the Verbolten opening to do that.
 
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J.J. said:
Do you think that the Orlando Freefall incident may have played a role in the ride's decrease in popularity? When I was at BGT a few weeks ago, almost every ride had an hour or more wait, while Falcon's Fury had virtually no line.
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Falcon's Fury hasn't had lines for a while. The only time there has been a wait over the past few years was when they were limiting capacity post Covid reopening.
 
Genuinely curious: is there anyone here that actually likes Mäch Tower? The reason I ask it seems like every controversial ride has at least a few defenders on here — Battle for Eire, Roman Rapids, Anaconda, Grizzly, etc. But I can’t recall ever encountering someone who would bat an eye if Mäch Tower were removed tomorrow.

So, Mäch Tower fans, are you out there? Speak now or forever hold your peace!
 
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Mushroom said:
Genuinely curious: is there anyone here that actually likes Mäch Tower? The reason I ask it seems like every controversial ride has at least a few defenders on here — Battle for Eire, Roman Rapids, Anaconda, Grizzly, etc. But I can’t recall ever encountering someone who would bat an eye if Mäch Tower were removed tomorrow.

So, Mäch Tower fans, are you out there? Speak now or forever hold your peace!
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Grizzly is controversial??? I'd love a drop tower I could fit in. I'm in the replacement camp on this one!
 
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Mushroom said:
Genuinely curious: is there anyone here that actually likes Mäch Tower? The reason I ask it seems like every controversial ride has at least a few defenders on here — Battle for Eire, Roman Rapids, Anaconda, Grizzly, etc. But I can’t recall ever encountering someone who would bat an eye if Mäch Tower were removed tomorrow.

So, Mäch Tower fans, are you out there? Speak now or forever hold your peace!
Click to expand...

Don’t worry. As soon as BGW actually takes it down, a ton of people will materialize who loved MT and are miserable that it is gone. They will all suddenly develop great nostalgia and insist it was their Favorite Ride Ever.
 
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I enjoy it during Christmas Town but beyond that it's just not a fun ride.
 
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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.
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