loaster wrote:
Go in the single rider queue and duck under the bar, skipping the first loop around the queue when its not busy. Especially if you are going round for 5+ rides.
We technically call this queue jumping, because your skipping part of the queue out, and there may be people walking the proper way, and when you suddenly skip under the queue in front of them it can be quite annoying.
This is why i believe the queue should be reworked, and the fence needs to be changed so people CAN'T skip under the fences to skip in-between queue lines.
A more permanent steel fronted fascia is needed, not hole ridden, bubbly, plywood crap.
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
hambletwins wrote:
yeah from the looks of it a little spruce would go far! Dosent seem like much needs done except a good lashing of paint!
My goodness no!
Applying paint to that would just exacerbate the problem a lot. The bubbling and peeling existing paint needs stripping back to the wood and then applied from scratch.
Other than that, the metal work needs cleaning and polishing and it needs a good cut back to stop it looking like a jungle.
To be honest though this is all very basic cosmetic maintenance which should have been done years ago, it just seems that nobody in management seems to consider it a priority.
To suggest it needs tearing down and rebuilding is the most ridiculous thing I have heard on here in a while.
Last edited by CoasterCrazyChris on Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
^It doesn't need it, it wants it. A classic ride like Oblivion deserves a state of the art steel station, not a half assed aluminium and plywood hunk of junk painted with Homebase Magnolia.
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
The Moon wrote:
^It doesn't need it, it wants it. A classic ride like Oblivion deserves a state of the art steel station, not a half assed aluminium and plywood hunk of junk painted with Homebase Magnolia.
Isn't aluminium a steel!?
Originally, and in the correct condition the plywood did vaguely resemble concrete panels which was quite effective.
A state-of-the-art station like you suggest could easily cost a few million and to be honest would be unnecessary. Can you think of a good example of a coaster with a decent station?
Look at SheiKra, huge log constructed work of art. Same with Griffon. And The Swarm. Oblivion's is a pig shed.
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
I would agree that it could have been better built, but its main problem stems from a lack of maintenance.
Given the theme of the ride and area I think the materials used (aluminium, as you say) were appropriate.
However, I think a good example of a ride with a better station and a similar style theme would be Silver Star in Germany.
Putting it into context though, given this is the UK, and the fact Alton Towers has other coasters with far worse stations (Spinball, Air) or just completely non-existant (Rita, RMT) in comparison Oblivion's is an architectural masterpiece.
Last edited by CoasterCrazyChris on Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
But as a budding architect, WOOD is probably one of the stupidest design decisions I have seen in such a construction ever, and Ali is just expensive...
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
Its probably pressure treated plywood, which is what you use outside.
The idea of enthusiasts helping out is a creative idea even if though really should be getting paid.
Have a look at my space themed dark ride concept: http://mattsdesigns.webs.com/space.html All of my Themepark ideas, here & on the website are free to use by anyone.
I still think that material choice was wrong. It is sad to see an ill maintained ride, especially one as ground breaking as Oblivion, when its offspring, SheiKra and Griffon are so beautifully elegant in design and maintenance that they make it look inferior.
THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Conventional chemotherapy drugs, by contrast, are highly toxic; they indiscriminately damage the brain and body.
Alton should just get on the Volunteers thing. The cause of the Themepark is a pretty noble one - to make peoples day. Honestly, people have probably resisted suicide because they remembered that they could still go to AT. If the national trust uses volunteers on the basis they get to spend all day in a lovely house why don't alton do it on the basis you get to spend all day in a lovely park? I'm talking about across the park now, not just to decorate, cause it would spare some money for other things. Skilled volunteers is probably a possibility aswell looking at some of the brains we have here.
Have a look at my space themed dark ride concept: http://mattsdesigns.webs.com/space.html All of my Themepark ideas, here & on the website are free to use by anyone.
Oblivion's station is one of many places in the park, that are visibly rotting, and the GP can see that. Other angles of the station look worse, and up close it simply looks terrible.
I agree with the thematic links between Oblivion and Silver Star, and perhaps during this years closed season, Oblivion will receive it's well deserved repaint/retouch. They managed to paint Sonic Spinball within a 3 month time period so surely they can paint Oblivion's track. The station is also in need of some of Alton's TLC, All lighting in the station should be upgraded to LED lights instead, these lights create a better atmosphere and save money in the long run, plus they give off a brilliant white light, which would suit the station. The now redundant YourDay scanners should be removed, they really clutter that end of the station and the TV's need a good wipe over too (covered in dust). Other little things such as the bay loading lights above the air gates, half of them are broke, and they really do look outdated and dirty now. Perhaps LED display instead?
The metal / wood work around the station needs all paint / varnish stripping from it and starting a fresh, it looks a mess and does not utter 'high tech' to me. Also the circular queue line building (holding the old cinema projector thingy) constantly floods whenever there a small amount of rain, this need to be sorted out, and the video screen need sorting too, s currently most of the are broke, and equally most of the Bose speakers in that building are broke too. Also some detailing within that building has been vandalised or broken down / corroded over time. This could really do with some touching up.
Perhaps if the give Oblivion the TLC it needs this closed season, they could also install scenic lighting, as most new attraction to the park (2008- ) have had scenic (mainly not practical) lighting installed, highlighting points of interest about the attraction. Lighting could be installed outside the quelling buildings, up lighters which shine onto the faux concrete. And new quelling path lights within the ground or walls. Also someone mentioned a while back that the blank wall, which used to have that horridly tacky santa poster on, used to have 'don't look down' projected onto it, I presume these stopped working after the bulbs went or something, but with modern LEDs these could be reinstated.
As a final pointer, the queue line system for Oblivion needs a rethink, I can only presume it was a good system when Oblivion first opened, but now most of it is underused and to first time GP riders, makes no sense. A sometime in the last 14 years, a new 'cage' into the station was added, (if you look closely you can tell). This makes hardly any sense anymore. The queue line fences past the top of the circular queue line building (wear a ride op normally stands) should have metal mesh added to them as currently most people tend to change their mind what 'queue line' they're actually in, I feel adding mesh to the current metal guide rails would ensure a better layout too.
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how did you get hold of an up to date aerial view?
