Sidders

Edited to make truth.

The break is very much required, but it doesn't feel like a break. You spend most of your time stationery getting over the seven inversions you've just flipped through at 50mph, a trifle of time actually focusing on the video, and then before you know it you're going up the vertical lift. And Alvey claims to love them so what the **** he's complaining about I'm not entirely sure.

Small gripe here, and purely superficial, but can we please remove that Vekoma corkscrew silhouette from the page-head please? There's no such thing at Thorpe! If possible, could we have Stealth's top hat in the middle, then Inferno's loop (with train) to the right, and then The Swarm's edited cross-over thing can stay where it is on the far right. On the left of the top hat, we could have Colossus's cobra roll and then in the far left we could have Saw's lift/drop and Immelman section, facing away from all the other rides as punishment for being Saw.

Balls.

http://thorpeparkman...k/ride/Colossus This page needs correcting. Pun totally intended.

The Smiler's seats are the comfiest seats ever. This ain't no Saw where you're struggling for arm room either.

Shocking how all the negative reviews I've read of the ride are from people who are yet to ride it. Funnily enough, I predict that they'll still swarm over it like a fly to sh!t when they finally get to Towers and ride it.

Sorry to hear you feel you've been treated so badly Jamie. I can really empathise with this one. But what you've got to remember is, while you don't think you'll ever get over this guy, there is every chance that, in time, you will learn to manage very well not being with him. Oh for sure, it seems absurd now and it feels like you've been betrayed and have nothing left to devote to anyone else, but something - someone - will come along and value you for you. Me writing this will obviously sound very 'blue skies'-y, and the truth is it's going to hurt, but love (I also am very disinclined to throw that word around at whoever) isn't going to be plain sailing and you're never going to end up with the perfect person on your first shot. Sadly, however devoted to someone you may feel, sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way you planned. Since I've felt like this, I've been though one hell of a rollercoaster. I became depressed, tried changing everything about me, and spiralled into hating myself and pretending I hated other gay men to hide the fact I was gay. But all it takes is meeting someone who understands how you feel and reciprocates. I was lucky enough to meet someone like that, and he changed my life. Hold on in there Jamie, you've a long life to live yet.

Ninja'd like a BOSS there, Ryan. Going on it in two days! TWO DAYS.

Can we get this man a drink? For realising the sheer terror those hairy, winged atrocities inflict on innocent people like us. Moths are the devil.

If someone can't see the fun and humorous aspect of a topic on a forum like TPM called "Member Appreciation" then God help them. I smell a high horse.

SOMERRRRRRRSET!

TT seems to enjoy using the words "major" and "severe". What arse. I'd love to know their source for this "foreseeable future" that The Smiler will close for. A valleyed train? Happens all the time in testing. And it's quite the coincidence it happens just after trim fins were added to both airtime hills. This "major incident" is basically over-trimming. Probably a bit gusty that day too. Still enough to throw half of TTF into a meltdown about the ride's opening possibly being delayed for another forty years. Just because the wording of the closure alert on Towers' website changes from "The Smiler won't be open today" to "The Smiler is currently closed" doesn't mean The Smiler won't open soon. It's what the whinging "enthusiasts" at TTF have been wanting for ages - for Towers to stop updating them and the GP "only 20 hours in advance" of the next day that the ride won't be opening. To me it's a good sign. From photo updates we can see the amount of construction that's been going on in the last week and how close they are to finishing the ride queue; final touches like covering the substantial gap between the ground and the gate that blocks off the cherry picker access path and fiddling about with that support. They've also finished the disabled access fire escape round the back of the building and covered most of the queueline that required covering. I'm hopeful the ride will open soon. It's not my business to speculate about management cock-ups. That's Towers' and Merlin's business and very little I or anyone else says will make much difference, regardless of how much it should.

Yes but let's not forget that The Swarm's backwards-facing queue system does generate revenue from the Fastrack system associated with it. All that this drop would incur is massive maintenance issues because of the stress of such an enormous weight pulling on the chain/magnet/whatever the mechanics are. It would also severely disrupt the beautiful self-duelling this ride is bound to have, should there be a competent-enough dispatch crew.

I genuinely do not understand why anyone would still think there's a chance there's going to be a drop on the vertical lift. Like, seriously. We've seen videos showing it's just a lift. It goes up and that is it. Would the idea of a drop even be plausible? No. Would it fit the theme of marmalisation? No. Would it feel efficient and mechanistic perfect like the Marmaliser? Not at all. Would it be logistically possible regarding throughput? Not in the slightest. Ain't gunna happen.

Screechy wheels? Cue another 20 pages on TowersTimes complaining about it and some new member pretending to be an expert on urethane.

Can't wait for Smiler.

Marc does raise a good point there actually. "World's first" will live on long after the record is beaten purely because it was the world's first. Having the tagline "Most inversions" is the one with the expiry date. Not that either matters 'cause yolo. /badperson.

Now I've seen Kelman, I can believe it's official. Great to see him return! What lovely lovely marketing.

People must know how amazing this film is. And it's soundtrack. Film-making magic from Dreamworks Animation. Music from one of the best scenes in the film.

I fixed that. FELLOW MODS WHAT HAPPENED?

Looks a bit 2D. Doesn't have quite the imposing factor of the other legs... Holding out for them to spin though, as they'd look much better if they could.

I have no idea who would do such a thing...

Ahh James! That is great news Really really happy for you!

Was it? This is news.