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Am I going to come back tomorrow and see this post say the 4th when construction inevitably doesn't start then... 😂

To follow up on my previous post, I believe that the 3rd is the charm 🏗

Using better quality materials for the themeing is well within their control. Can't control people though. And people are terrible.

To be fair to CHessington the detoration of the Jumanji theming could be beyond their control. During the closed Season leading into 2021 the entire themed claddiwork on Croc Drop had to be replaced. The cladding had lost colour and was disintegrating. The culprits for this were Pigeons eating the sister and using Croc Drop as a toilet. To be fair to Chessington they rectified the marital with stuff that wouldn't be wrecked by bird poo. I suspect the same problem has occurred with the Jumanji theming. I expect that during the Closed Season Jumanji will receive the treatment Croc Drop did.

does the outer bank into a heart line roll count as a new inversion? surely if it is they would name it since merlin loves world first things

Nice try, but I already have made my super-accurate prediction...

Sorry for double post but I've heard it could be going vertical soon.

Fair enough. It's possible that took some inspiration from there then. Could also be purely coincidental. The 'creepy toys' idea isn't exactly original in the world of scare attractions. Neither is 'things from childhood becoming scary'. Thorpe could have seen the successes elsewhere and thought that they'd try to replicate. Equally could have just even their own idea and they didn't take inspiration from anywhere.

Rode Ghost Train twice a couple of weeks ago and even though I still don't think it's nearly as bad as people make it out to be, I still do have a fair few gripes with it. Firstly, I'll list some of the changes that I noticed since my first runthrough on opening day: The actor doing the batching into the preshow gives more of a talk at the start now - you know, your usual health and safety stuff really. Don't touch the actors, turn your phones off, etc. Not a huge fan of it and prefer the more simplistic approach that they had on opening day of the batching person just telling people to "keep moving, keep standing", but understand that this is needed because of morons unable to grasp the fact that you should never touch an actor. Got held in the second preshow space in both runthroughs, and although not a new feature, this is something I didn't get to experience in my first go as we were just all ushered straight through onto the train. I like it, I wish more time was made so that everybody can experience is regardless if there's a delay or not, but again I understand the reasons for this not being the case. The runner in the crypt that reveals the spirit has finally been painted black! Makes the reveal a lot less obvious now... however on my second runthrough of the day, the curtain hiding said spirit was open - so if you knew what to look for, you could literally see it sat there ready to come flying out. But on the other hand, the lighting for this still really is atrocious. It's a total blink-and-you-miss-it moment. I took my friend on it for his first ever runthroughs of it, and I still don't think he noticed it after even our second go to be honest. The lighting either needs a rework, or the effect needs to be totally stripped out and re-looked at over closed season to be more effective. I personally think if they removed the rails that make it fly overhead and perhaps make an even bigger model (think the size of Emily Alton in the final jumpscare in The Curse, maybe even bigger) come out from the wall? Could probably be done via some retractable arm - that way it can be a big jumpscare moment that stays in place for long enough for guests to actually notice it, rather than having it whiz over the top of guests heads and risk them not even seeing it. The audio on the train seemed better, but still needs more work to be genuinely scary in my opinion. It's still far too quiet for any of the jumpscare sound effects to be genuinely impactful - I think the main issue is a real lack of bass. The nun costumes are significantly better now - actual robes and face makeup rather than the god awful Tesco halloween costume junk they were using beforehand. Not sure if it was a quiet day for actors then or if the park have reduced the actors in the attraction (already), but we only had one nun on the train in both our runthroughs that day which does significantly dampen the scare if you're on the wrong side of the train... which we were. Twice. The fake shop ending is still pretty decent and the new costume they're using for it is miles better than the Thorpe Park blue fleece they were using on opening day - although is nowhere near as impactful as the demon from Derren's heyday. Yes, I'm still salty about that. On our first runthrough we also experienced a breakdown on the train after the crypt scene - the actors were doing their best to keep up the breakdown monologue as to not disrupt the experience, but the breakdown lasted long enough that you could notice the audio loop which got a bit awkward after a while. Really got to feel for those actors as they need to be on their A game 110% of the time - if you've got lacklustre actors, the attraction falls completely flat on its face (which, to be honest, is not something we had trouble with. All of the actors did an incredible job - especially the lady called Becca, who's the current face for Fright Nights. She puts all her energy into this attraction and it really pays off). We also had the fake shop finale actor come out about 30 seconds too early on our first runthrough which totally spoiled the scare - they came through the fake door before the lights and projector even turned off, so you could see everything. They then just stood there looking around waiting for the lights to go off so they could do the usual scare thing of just lurching at people from behind the fence. A real shame as it totally ruined the experience for a lot of us when the very last thing of the attraction (which usually provides an amazing scare tbh) falls flat on its face. I really hope they put a little bit more time and energy into Ghost Train over closed season, things I'm longing for are: Something over the windows to simulate movement - perhaps curtains or LED strip lights like on Sub-Terra's elevator section Fogger in the crypt to absolutely cover the floor in a thick fog to sell the illusion that you're in a crypt Everything else works for what the attraction is to be honest, it just needs tidying up and some effects need enhancing to really sell the complete package.

1966; the Doctor Who villain 'The Toymaker' dates back to a William Hartnell episode. Filming for the 60th anniversary (where the same character is being brought back, 'reimagined') took place in May and June 2022. Pictures from the filming were available in the public domain (many were posted to Twitter, YouTube etc) including photos of the shop facade and a sign inside the shop stating "Toymaker of the year".

^ What CYSTN said. An artic lorry can take around 24 tonnes of reinforcement bar, but of course, track is an awkward shape and length, so you're likely to only get 3 or 4 pieces per lorry as an absolute best case, as they don't exactly stack nicely, and they obviously won't want any risk of damage in transit.

We can see in these photos from Silkstone that the weight of one piece of track is 2074kg: https://x.com/J_Silkstone/status/1707435850827497911?t=sHW_LBlLJpOckgy93D81aQ&s=09 So yeah, a good couple of tons per piece.

I don't know when the Doctor Who Toymaker/Emporium stuff came into the public domain, but it could also be purely coincidence.

If Universal has done a toymaker character then they copied Doctor Who as well

Universal probably have done a toymaker character at one point. Also the Chucky franchise exists. Halloween events are rarely the most imaginative.

Each piece weighs several tonnes, limited type of lorry can transport them with the shapes and sizes. Yes, lots of deliveries needed. For any project with this level of construction.

Looking at silkstones update there’s 4 pieces of track delivered, guess there’s going to be an awful lot of deliveries to deliver all those pieces!! Looks like they’re being stored on the land next to the car park

Ding dong, etc 😂

Plot twist. Coaster Jamie is parm pap!! He makes his return after so long!!

Thorpe Park's new maze for 2023 has seemingly taken some inspiration from the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who. The similarities are as follows: 1. Both 'villains' are called The Toymaker 2. Both operate out of a similar-looking toy emporium Whilst the DW 60th anniversary has not aired yet, The Toymaker as a character originated in the 60s, and filming took place for the 60th anniversary special back in May/June last year; meaning that the DW story was likely written and planned well ahead of Thorpe Park. Interested to hear theories on this. Has it taken inspiration, or purely a coincidence?

Any photos for those who don't have Twitter to see this kind of news please?

Very true - I guess it's just an ideal waterproof space that can be easily moved anywhere.

Exodus track has now arrived as I correctly predicted 🥇

I love Alton Towers, but must admit that yesterday was one of the most underwhelming visits I’ve had in recent memory. Aside from light crowds and no Nemesis, there was no real atmosphere or lively vibe like previous ones, even with the apparent ongoing Octoberfest event. The park looks rundown in a number of places (especially X-Sector) and the staff were probably the most miserable I’ve ever seen them. Which probably explains the current managing Operations there. No Hex & Skyride was definitely noticeable, especially as the group would’ve appreciated less walking. Not to mention we basically completed the park around 2pm (without rushing). Having Sub-Terra back, somewhat helped a little. Though not spectacular, it WW a fun experience and hilarious seeing the reactions of those around not knowing what to expect. Also stayed in the Enchanted Forest, which was nice for what it was. But I certainly wouldn’t pay the high season I’ve seen from time to time. Convenient location. Whilst I doubt all the creases will ever be ironed, hopefully having Nemy back in 24 will help boost the lineup, maybe with those other mothballed rides. Maybe. Retro squad has outstayed its welcome. Think I’ll bail on Scarefest and fireworks this year. Nemy 2 is looking visually stunning I must say though.