I really do wonder why they've chosen to go for (seemingly) a launched, shuttle B&M wingrider.
If we take a look at it from the marketing perspective, this coaster ticks the following boxes:
-Chessington's first coaster with an inversion
-Chessington's first launch coaster
-The world's only multi launch / swing launch wing coaster
-The world's only shuttle wing coaster
-Potentially first Jumanji coaster / land
That's a lot for the Merlin higher ups to get their motors' running.
So the question is, how did this come about? Was it:
1. "We're finally going to invest in a new coaster at Chessington. It's been a while, so chuck as many firsts into it as possible, and the people will come! ... A launched, shuttle, B&M wingrider with a big IP with multiple firsts, plus being the first inverting coaster at the park...brilliant!"
2. "We're finally going to invest in a new coaster at Chessington. It's been a while, so let's do a TON of market research and see what the people want. ... Wait, you want a launched, shuttle wing coaster with an IP...o-okay?"
The thing is, neither option would surprise me.
But, if it's the former of those option, it's a huge risk. And every single cautiously concerned comment highlights that, and could very well be echoed with a wider audience.
If it's the latter, that's much more interesting. It's still a huge risk, and something on paper that sounds good doesn't always translate to success in real life. But it could also show that us as enthusiasts simply over-think these things too much. If that's really what the wider audience are saying they want, then so be it, right?
In any case, I'm still amazed and confused by the choices here. I have a hundred questions, and only time will be able to answer them. One thing of note is that concept art for Legoland Sichuan also suggests that a similar style ride could come about. Are Merlin and B&M working together on something weird and different? Who knows.
Still, in any case, this is projected to have a maximum theoretical throughput if 720pph. It won't get that, and will probably end up averaging around the 500pph mark. That's simply not good enough for what one should hope to be a new headline attraction for the park.