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
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Party Rocker said:
Well I'm adding a few years because I think they may work out most problems in a few years :p
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If there's a lawsuit it'll be 3 tops, anything else is just unknown. Chiller @ Great Adventure had HUGE issues in its life and it stood still for a good chunk of a decade, whereas some flat rides are there for 2-3 years and then get scrapped...
 
If it comes out then another will go in. The extensive infrastructure work to install it would not be put to waste. This is not RCT where a ride is point and click; much more goes into it.
 
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Atlantis said:
If it comes out then another will go in. The extensive infrastructure work to install it would not be put to waste. This is not RCT where a ride is point and click; much more goes into it.
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Not another one!!
 
I don't see Mach Tower as just some flat ride. To be honest I view on scale with a roller coaster, dark ride, or any other really expensive ride. It was very expensive for them to put it there, and with all the talk about it and guests visiting to ride it, that will add on some years of service. I just think it was so expensive, they aren't just going to replace it like that, unless they redo the ride entirely.
 
Party Rocker said:
I don't see Mach Tower as just some flat ride. To be honest I view on scale with a roller coaster, dark ride, or any other really expensive ride. It was very expensive for them to put it there, and with all the talk about it and guests visiting to ride it, that will add on some years of service. I just think it was so expensive, they aren't just going to replace it like that, unless they redo the ride entirely.
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So pretty much exactly what Chiller was? A gigantic paperweight that sat broken down for more than half its lifespan?
 
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Not exactly. What I mean is this, I see flat rides as carnival rides that have little to no theme besides the name and can be relocated easily with no problem overnight. Mach Tower is not just simple ride you can take down and move just because of multiple issues.

Firstly, taking down Mach Tower will require tons of concrete to tear up and pour again, which is very costly.

Secondly, once you take down a ride what is to take its place? Le Catapult is in a good location, and is doing good where its at.

Finally, not all of this can be done just out of the blue. It takes years planning. Also, if done too soon looks bad for the park. Right now Mach Tower is itself and guests ride it and enjoy it the way it is. Just because its nothing special, and maybe cursed in the world of enthusiasts doesn't mean crap.

The General Public actually does like it and most of their one day tourists don't pay attention to the ride because they could care less as long as they can ride it. If they can't they usually shrug it off and move on to the next ride, Verbolten.
 
destroyer421 said:
^ Exactly. This is precisely why Mach Tower hasn't been condemed to be destroyed. Yet. ;)
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Neither was Chiller. It sat there for ten years, was a smash with guests when it operated, and had more issues than you can shake a stick at. You guys really need to understand that, Mach Tower is basically Chiller and it probably will be unless the park really puts Moser on the choker (aka sues the ever-loving crap out of them).
 
Mach Tower isn't as bad as Chiller just yet. Mach Tower normally goes up and down all day (no pun intended) whereas Chiller would be open for months and then down for months from what I understand. Also, with Verbolten right across the path, I don't think the general public are paying anywhere near the amount of attention to Mach Tower's downtime as they were last year. I think it'll end up coming down to how much the park is actually having to spend on keeping the thing running and not its actual up-time percentage.
 
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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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