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Rank the B&M Wing Coasters

Having just done Rapterra maybe its recency bias, but I feel it's probably the best B&M wing technically...like it was more consistently forceful and quick throughout but also quite short. I no longer watch POVs in advance so I was a little caught how short it was, but guess better than a slow meandering helix. Also I'll say it: While its not the glass smooth we all come to expect, "rough" is silly, and I guess "rattle" is a matter of personal opinion/tolerance but idk maybe enthusiasts overthink themsleves a bit lol Anyway my updated rankings

1: Rapterra
2: Gatekeeper
3: Thunderbird
4: Wild Eagle

Weirdly I like them all, but I dont love any. Every Wing Coaster has so far been fun, solid, though unspectacular.
 
I haven’t posted in this particular ranking thread in 7 years and haven’t actually posted my own ranking in longer than that, so I think it’s time for an update! I have only ridden 1 additional B&M Wing Coaster since then, but I think it’s fair to say that my opinions on the ride style have changed a fair amount in that time!
  1. The Swarm - Prior to me riding Mako in 2016, Swarm was my #1 for over 2 years. And while I don’t rank it nearly that highly anymore, it’s not too hard for me to see why I liked it so much back in the day! The ride is smooth, it has a brilliant sense of speed, the drop is cool with an awesome sense of speed, there are some good forces, and the inversions are floaty! Of the inversions on the ride, I’m a particular fan of the last roll; it takes that so nicely, being at a speed that’s slow enough to provide floaty hangtime, but fast enough not to feel uncomfortable, and it’s absolutely wonderful! As is seemingly a common theme with these coasters, the restraints aren’t amazing, but I have to say that they don’t tighten on here as badly as they used to. All in all, though, Swarm is a fantastic ride that I’ll always have a soft spot for, even if it’s not even close to being my #1 anymore and now only sits at my #3 spot in the park! 9/10, #17/137
  2. Mandrill Mayhem - Comparing this and Swarm is perhaps not entirely fair given they’re at different scales and aimed at different audiences… but even still, Mandrill Mayhem is quite a drastic climb down from Swarm, in my view. It’s not terrible, but it didn’t do a huge amount for me. In the interests of positivity, I’ll start by saying that the swing launch and junior scorpion tail are good fun; I enjoyed this aspect on Ice Breaker, and I enjoyed it here too! After that initial sequence is where the ride goes downhill, unfortunately. Admittedly, I’ve only ridden it 3 times in 2023, but even still, I just remember the layout being bland and not having much going for it (even the roll wasn’t nearly as good as Swarm’s), and I remember the signature helix just being really uncomfortable. And while I’ve long felt that the rattle criticism on rides like Nemesis is hugely overcooked, I do think it’s perhaps slightly more warranted on Mandrill Mayhem, as while not terribly rough, I remember it being surprisingly bumpy for a (then) brand new B&M and I came off with a slight headache each time. Swarm, despite being 11 years older and considerably bigger, provides a markedly smoother ride. I wanted to really like Mandrill given that I’ve always had a soft spot for Swarm, but I just don’t think it plays to the strengths of the B&M Wing Coaster as a model, unfortunately. 5/10, #79/137
If we’re bringing in other manufacturers’ Wing Coasters, I’ve just taken another look at my ranking and realised that I currently only have Mandrill Mayhem 2 spots above Furius Baco… that is a very bouncy ride, but I didn’t find it quite as hateful as I’d feared and it does have an excellent launch! I did only ride Baco in inner seats, however…
 
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63. GateKeeper
68. X-Flight
70. Swarm
83. Thunderbird
85. Wild Eagle
128. Rapterra

They’re all pretty much at the same tier for me. A good or bad ride on any of them would change the order.
 
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