RollercoasterGEEK100 wrote:
I think Thorpe Parks next 10 years looks so promising!
Yeah, because Thorpe's non existent plans for a new addition in 2014 look so promising!
(Not being mean, just being honest)
These things seem to go on a 3 year cycle of small, medium and large investments. If they are sticking with that then the next big coaster will be coming to TP in 2015!
RollercoasterGEEK100 wrote:
I think Thorpe Parks next 10 years looks so promising!
Yeah, because Thorpe's non existent plans for a new addition in 2014 look so promising!
(Not being mean, just being honest)
These things seem to go on a 3 year cycle of small, medium and large investments. If they are sticking with that then the next big coaster will be coming to TP in 2015!
Yeah, it's just was expecting some form of new flat. Taking into account that some form of planning application under normal circumstances would of been leaked by now, and that we haven't seen anything worries me.....
In addition to this Thorpe if you are reading this: I really do love The Swarm and I know you're trying your hardest to please the majority of people who were not happy with the so called "lac of intensity" the coaster provides, and if from what i've heard you are deciding to add yet another theming element to the coaster for 2014, please think about the rest of the park first.....
And what really needs to be done...... e.g new Colossus trains, Slammer.... general park maintenance!
Interesting post - and I know its 9 months since the last post, but I thought I'd throw my opinion in.
Its interesting that you saw phantom fantasia like a museum as a kid, I didn't see it that way, but can see how you could.
I loved the PF and WWH as a kid and a teen - the whole ride seemed 'classy' and well appointed unlike a lot of more traditional ghost trains which have brash tacky frontages and then tacky and grotty interiors and effects. It was interesting just to walk in through a Tudor building to find yourself in a ghost house - and then the circular loading platform with the doombuggie style cars (as apposed to other ghost trains which jolt through double doors.
once in the ride I loved how it was full of visual stimulation as you glided past several set pieces, tableau and dioramas which were neither kiddish/cartoony NOR too gory... but rather more spooky and thought provoking - and I think thats why it appealed to me - because as a child I had a gothic sensibility but was still quite easy scared - and hated gore! I still do, I love a good Horror movie - but more in the vein of woman in black and insidious that say.... the Saw series. A lot of ghost trains and horror attractions crank up the grislyness with grose props of people on hooks etc OR they go too far the other way with humor/cartoonyness like like Over-the-hill at adventure island or the little monsters Den at flamingoland - theirs not much in-between apart from say the original Alton Haunted house which went for the family (but scary) market.
also I LOVED that it didn't have a storyline - but was a random sequence of rooms and chambers with different things from varying time periods happening - so in that way it did have something in common with the traditional ghost train.
WWH was also full of effects, lots of peppers ghosts effects, portrait fades, strobe effects, projections, cage rattles, moving props, black lighting etc etc
Although John Wardly did not work on this ride its interesting to note that Rex studios who where heavily involved in the Alton Haunted House were also the company who did the theming to the Wicked Witches haunt in 1994 so there are links!! - this was especially evident in some of the theming like the giant spiders which were the same design as the Alton Haunted house ones.
It's criminal Thorpe Park have never really put in a dark ride to replace it since it burned down. The park desperately needs a dark ride that families can enjoy.
Ultimately they had to deal with having a limited budget, both for building and for maintenance so you were never going to get Disney quality animatronics in it. It still had a lot of imagination behind it and some cool effects (like the ghosts which were mind blowing for me as a kid, despite using victorian era tech). I image that smoke machines wouldn't play well with a lot of the materials and mechanics nowadays/
You forgot to put tunnel in the options - thats my favourite thing about it.
2nd is the way it brought the Nemesis theme/brand to Thorpe. I think it really stepped up the appeal of Thorpe.
Definitely the blasting music this year... as well as the tunnel (only) when the mist is on full!
obviously the ride in general is great as well - if the tunnel effects aren't working, then have to say the final helix! :P
Last edited by DeanGaryCox on Sat Oct 19, 2013 1:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
What makes Nemesis at Alton work over Thorpe's Inferno is the original ride was sunk in the ground to get around planning issues with height. That created a unique ride due to the diving into pits, closeness to walls and objects and how close the queue line interacted with the ride.
Also the hidden track layout as you cannot see the whole track layout. The roll over the station, the ride diving past the mushroom cloud tours bus and the tight loop near station queue are the best parts to watch when not riding.
It looks good to watch without riding it.
The ride pits added to the theming, and the way the paint on the track has made to look old and not been cleaned and reprinted.
Thorpe's is similar to an American coaster that's just been dropped into the park. The theming at the station and volcano is good but they should have changed the name to stop people comparing the two rides.
The ride's good but not the same ride experience.
Last edited by Mark.aa on Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mark.aa wrote:
What makes Nemesis at Alton work over Thorpe's Inferno is the original ride was sunk in the ground to get around planning issues with height. That created a unique ride due to the diving into pits, closeness to walls and objects and how close the queue line interacted with the ride.
Also the hidden track layout as you cannot see the whole track layout. The roll over the station, the ride diving past the mushroom cloud tours bus and the tight loop near station queue are the best parts to watch when not riding.
It looks good to watch without riding it.
The ride pits added to the theming, and the way the paint on the track has made to look old and not been cleaned and reprinted.
Thorpe's is similar to an American coaster that's just been dropped into the park. The theming at the station and volcano is good but they should have changed the name to stop people comparing the two rides.
The ride's good but not the same ride experience.
If people explained it more like you did, I think they'd understand better. Yes Nemesis and Nemesis Inferno are different ride experiences and I can show you John Wardley helped design inferno...
Wow, that would have been great if Nemesis Inferno went around Detonator. Just think of the near miss of the ride dropping past Nemesis' train doing down its first drop from lift hill.
May have taken something away from Detonator's presence as the open space it's now placed gives a better visual height and view of park.
Last edited by Mark.aa on Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
X/: no way out wrote:
Can somebody inform me if there is any Thorpe downtime because I'm going in 2 days, but I know about the Slammer
Samuari failed to open when i went on friday 11th, and apparently it had been closed since... slammer is permanently closed for the rest of the season if you weren't aware.
don't think any other rides are unavailable on a more permanent basis.
Last edited by DeanGaryCox on Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JBragg1 wrote:
Why has loggers leap been sbno this year
I went on it when I went late September?
I went in late August, and it was open then too, so I'm not really sure what's going on with it. I'm probably going to be visiting on Tuesday, so I'll report back on whether or not it's operating.