The Smiler over closed season 13/14

Tue Feb 04, 2014 6:44 pm

Instant Mix wrote: Few things I've noticed:
Main track seems to be a different colour. It's a very dim orange, so it's certainly not been deliberately painted - the only other option is that it's wear & tear. The ride has been operating for only a few months, enough wear and tear to faintly rust the track is completely unacceptable (on Gerstlauer's part).
Also it appears that something is being worked on near the top of The Smiler, next to the toilets. Could we be seeing something like the Jetty from the original plans being worked on?

Other than that I'm incredibly sad to see that nothing has been done with the building façade and queue line - still looks incredibly boring and, in the case of the queue line sign, cheesy as heck.

Totally agree there, I too also hope they are constructing the viewing point/jetty that were in the plans. Also, which queue sign do you mean?

Tue Feb 04, 2014 8:10 pm

MinecraftFan96 wrote: Totally agree there, I too also hope they are constructing the viewing point/jetty that were in the plans. Also, which queue sign do you mean?

The one at the start of the queue , the incredibly boring and unoriginal sign. Not a touch on nemmy's or oblivions entrance

Tue Feb 04, 2014 8:22 pm

Forgive me if I'm wrong but oblivions entrance is just concrete with embossed logos which are hardly noticeable, the smilers entrance lights up and is very original with CCTV cameras and for those who bother there are 14 cameras one for each inversion

the sign is not boring or unoriginal it has features which you have to look for and probably aren't as obvious as nemmy's but are there!

Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:13 pm

TheSmilerMan wrote: Forgive me if I'm wrong but oblivions entrance is just concrete with embossed logos which are hardly noticeable, the smilers entrance lights up and is very original with CCTV cameras and for those who bother there are 14 cameras one for each inversion the sign is not boring or unoriginal it has features which you have to look for and probably aren't as obvious as nemmy's but are there!

It's a terrible entrance.

It's essentially an MDF box with some awful cameras attached to it. The difference with Oblivions entrance is that it is almost unnoticeable. It blends in with the themeing by using the same concrete structure and subtle tones to create an immersive experience. The Smiler on the other hand, painted some wood. Not exactly world class, and most definitely thought of as a last minute addition.

Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:31 pm

Yeah they went way too overboard with the cameras on the entrance, if it had a couple of cameras it would be a bit better.

Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:15 pm

This may sound stupid but what is the jetty that they planned? Haven't heard of it.

Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:22 pm

lf2001 wrote: This may sound stupid but what is the jetty that they planned? Haven't heard of it.

It's meant to be almost exactly where the Picsolve cameras are - for some reason the jetty along with the plaza never materialized

Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:59 pm

Well wasn't the plaza area scrapped because they decided to lower the Staffordshire knot element... all for the better I guess considering it managed to stall as it is!

Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:41 pm

I want them to do something with the outside of the shop, it just looks messy, just having a blatantly obvious yellow sign, and not really making it fit in with the theme of the station very well... :/

Thu Feb 06, 2014 12:09 am

SwEDEN wrote: I want them to do something with the outside of the shop, it just looks messy, just having a blatantly obvious yellow sign, and not really making it fit in with the theme of the station very well... :/

I agree with this, I think the shop could do with sprucing up a bit, even a few LED's or an illuminated sign would do the trick. The whole station exterior is a bit bland to be honest, it would be nice if they added a few extra touches such as a lick of yellow paint or some smiler logos, but I think that's highly optimistic unfortunately! 8)

Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:56 pm

I agree about the entrance, it would be nice if it could be improved somehow - perhaps make it a little wider. Maybe the park could have kept the old entrance arch from the Black Hole and utilised it in some way but as that's not an option, my first idea would be good to see.

Also, the drainage issue is also a big problem and hopefully that will be addressed as well.

Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:39 pm

If Alton didnt have height restrictions for rides, the plaza would possibly be there

Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:18 pm

Definitely the supports need getting fixed to stop them from shaking. It's dangerous if they shake, and it's going to be more of a risk if they aren't fixed. Also get that queue sorted out! The tiniest bit of water and there's a swimming pool in there!

Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:43 pm

Towers Fan wrote: Definitely the supports need getting fixed to stop them from shaking. It's dangerous if they shake, and it's going to be more of a risk if they aren't fixed. Also get that queue sorted out! The tiniest bit of water and there's a swimming pool in there!

The supports are engineered to shake. If they didn't move with the track, they wouldn't be able to absorb the motion and would eventually crack under the pressure. When you leave the shop, look left and you'll see Alton Towers have even installed mats to allow the supports to move with the track motion.

It's all perfectly safe and planned. I wouldn't worry

Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:39 pm

Having a queuing area with a working drainage system would be a nice improvement.

Agreed on the shaking, if you think that's bad just watch spinball go around watching the shock absorbers go to work, it's hilariously bad.

Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:45 pm

I've seen they have had moved the ride fencing back behind the rocks, down the outside of the ride, with speculation of a permanent queue line extension, which I can't imagine however it is possible

Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:29 am

If you want to see shaking, have you seen the lift hill stair case on Dragon's Fury, it isn't connected to the floor, it has a 1 inch gap and the whole thing rocks from side to side every time a car goes up.

Mon Feb 24, 2014 9:37 pm

Shaking is needed otherwise the steel would start to warp, however the solution isnt all to great as over time it leads to metal fatigue.

Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:19 am

As long as it doesn't have as much downtime as last season, everyone will be happy. But the only issue is the complicated ride system itself. Its a brand new concept. It will have to have some downtime. But last year was appauling

Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:15 am

ryan8741 wrote:As long as it doesn't have as much downtime as last season, everyone will be happy. But the only issue is the complicated ride system itself. Its a brand new concept. It will have to have some downtime. But last year was appauling

I wouldn't say it's a brand new concept such as Oblivion or Air. It's just a custom coaster that has 14 inversions. So unless gravity changes suddenly, it shouldn't have had as much downtime as it did do last year.