Not sure if it's been mentioned before, but a few months ago RMC unveiled a new compact track concept. Video and image below: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In some interview (which I don't remember the source, sorry!) they said they were already working closely with a theme park to bring this to life, but weren't allowed to talk much about this. Just speculating here, not sure how much we should be reading into this but the different timings (between RMC's and Alton's announcements) are quite plausible.
1st Steel Dragon 2000 Steel 2000 Nagashima Spa Land Japan 2,479 m
2nd The Ultimate Steel 1999 Lightwater Valley UK 2,268 m
3rd The Beast Wood 1979 Kings Island US 2,243 m
God I hope they don't do a world's first for the sake of a world's first.....yeah I know I know but I would just love a good solid ride rather than something bent around a "unique selling point"
If they can carry it off without compromise that's perfect and I guarantee I'll love whatever happens but sometimes you just want something straightforward/backwards/round and around.
It's similar to the reason M Night Shyamalan is so maligned: he can't get past the idea that the film needs a late stage twist :S
Gravity wrote:Not sure if it's been mentioned before, but a few months ago RMC unveiled a new compact track concept. Video and image below: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In some interview (which I don't remember the source, sorry!) they said they were already working closely with a theme park to bring this to life, but weren't allowed to talk much about this. Just speculating here, not sure how much we should be reading into this but the different timings (between RMC's and Alton's announcements) are quite plausible.
I can't see this ever working, its maximum capacity is 600 riders per hour. 4 hour queues would be regular occurances in the opening years.
Burniel | Great at theme park knowledge, not so great at designing signatures.
Gravity wrote:Not sure if it's been mentioned before, but a few months ago RMC unveiled a new compact track concept. Video and image below: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Unfortunately RMC have changed this coaster to only feature one seat per row meaning it just won't be coming to the resort. More information here.
xylyx wrote:God I hope they don't do a world's first for the sake of a world's first.....yeah I know I know but I would just love a good solid ride rather than something bent around a "unique selling point"
If they can carry it off without compromise that's perfect and I guarantee I'll love whatever happens but sometimes you just want something straightforward/backwards/round and around. :S
I totally agree, don't get me wrong it is cool to tell people "....... Alton towers ride is a world first!" But I would much rather a well thought out ride to thrill us for the sake of the track, layout and ride experience it's elf, not a "special gimmic" it features. For example the Smiler kills two birds with one stone as it is a great ride as well as a worlds first!
COASTERGUY246 wrote:the raptor track (single seat car) is a seperate product to the t-rex track which gravity suggested, so its still a possibility
I believe they are one in the same as they have only officially announced the one which is coming in 2017. If the T-Rex track is separate it's not been officially confirmed that a product will be coming in the immediate future just that it's in development. So I see it as very unlikely!
they have kinda announced the t-rex track, i mean they had a concept layout video at iappa and even a demo track piece there. aside from that i dont think SW8 could be a t-rex or raptor track
i honestly can't see wood coming for a long long time now because of the smiler incident. to me personally, i really hope it doesn't either. i really don't see what all the fuss is about with wooden rollercoasters.
cookiee_munster wrote:i honestly can't see wood coming for a long long time now because of the smiler incident. to me personally, i really hope it doesn't either. i really don't see what all the fuss is about with wooden rollercoasters.
They are cheaper for one plus its probably easier to do something no other park has done with a wooden coaster than steel atm, pretty sure they'll be finding it harder and harder to get something unique for steel ones nowadays as there are tonnes out there.
Also not really sure a delay of a wooden coaster would be impacted by The Smiler. Any new ride coming from Alton Towers now will no doubt have safety fears by the GP.
It also has to be remembered that should Alton Towers choose to go with wood, it will be from the companies that do the best such as GCI, RMC or GG, the ones that create amazing ride experiences and not just because their rides are made from wood which is what people tend to forget, wooden coasters aren't great because they are made out of wood, there are just some incredible ones that show how amazing a ride can be.
I can personally see a number of things being possibilities on this site, anything from a water coaster to a launch coaster and until we see a van, track or anything, it is hard to guess what it will be. However I am confident it will be amazing no matter what.
Last edited by Jack on Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Should SW8 indeed prove to be the much anticipated wooden coaster I'm not 100% sure how I would feel about that. I've had very mixed experiences with wooden rollercoasters, with both Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa, and Stampedia at Port Aventura being so roungh that I was left with bad bruising up my side. Having said that, the wooden coasters I did last year at Walibi Holland and Efteling were much more comfortable, although still a little on the rough side.
I've never been fortunate to try an RMC, and I will be doing a couple more wooden coasters in Germany later this year, so maybe they will change my mind. I think what Towers need to focus on if they do go for a wooden coaster is making sure it's a good solid ride which is both comfortable, but also strikes the right balance in terms of the level of thrill (of course the thrill level will also depend on the market the Resort targets with this ride).
Why's everyone always hating on Gwazi I went at the end of 2014 and loved it haha although it's the only woodie I've been on so can't compare it to anything. Would love to see a woodie or a water coaster here though
I think if SW8 did turn out to be wood, then I would be very happy as I've been on some fantastic wooden coasters like Wodan at Europa Park and Troy at Toverland which show how great they can be.
However, as much as I would love AT to get a woodie, I can't see it happening to be honest and I personally reckon something steel may come along instead.
Been to AT today, Amazing day.. I was looking at the area where they're placing SW8, it's massive isn't it? I was wondering, are the pirate hooks on the SW8 sign a clue that it's gonna be pirate based or is that just because it's in that area?
Iwholden wrote:Been to AT today, Amazing day.. I was looking at the area where they're placing SW8, it's massive isn't it? I was wondering, are the pirate hooks on the SW8 sign a clue that it's gonna be pirate based or is that just because it's in that area?
Given that it's located more or less in Mutiny Bay it will have pirates involved in its theme in some way. The pirate style that the SW8 posters are in is probably just to solidify the (what we think is) theme to those who don't know the park too well (although it's pretty obvious you're in a pirate themed area!).
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I really don't think we can read anything into what the theme will be at this stage. The current posters and teasers will have been styled in a way to fit in with the current area - in this case a pirate theme to fit with Mutiny Bay. However, it is likely that when it comes to it, SW8 will very much have its own distinctive theme.
If we take a look back to when we first saw the construction walls and teasers go up for SW7 - the original teasers were themed to fit with what was the then predominant theme in X-Sector and were styled to the orange, black and silver of Oblivion. It wasn't until much later in the construction process that these were swapped for new teasers to fit with The Smiler's eventual theme. It is worth keeping an eye on the fencing once construction starts as the teasers will inevitably change and be updated, but at this point I really wouldn't read anything at all into them.
