Sidders

Well, it wouldn't be too hard to simply paint back over the white paint.

I see a theme developing.... GO BEAR GO.

Not obvious she's broken a leg at all, is it? :L I'm not her biggest fan, so I'm resisting writing a whole full-length review of that song. In fact, I am going to write a review for my blog now.

If in the very likely event that Thorpe's mystery tank is on loan or isn't decommissioned, yes, I can see soldiers making an appearance at Thorpe in order to make sure there are experienced operatives who use tanks such as the one at Thorpe because let's be honest, the military wouldn't just lend Thorpe a tank for a few months and not want to look after it in the prossess - it is a very dangerous and expensive piece of equipment after all.

I wonder if the uniformed men in that photograph are real soldiers or more actors? Soldiers would mean that the tank if definitely temporary as it appears to be under frequent observation from those who know how to use it. Actors would be ideal because it means Thorpe are already paying the finer attention to detail; a promising sign for further developments.

Odd that some pieces of track (however few) have already arrived with no sign of the support footers being poured, although there are a number of pre-poured concrete cylinders already on-site. Go Merlin say there's large cement mixers on-site which is a good sign though, and Coaster Force confirm that the station foundation have been poured and can be seen from Amity Speedway and Tidal Wave (may need some corroboration with this).

It's hard to say, but the cynical me would say that Thorpe won't re-theme Stealth at all. The Swarm looks to be set on it's own island; it's own themed area, with possible flats joining said area between now and 2016, as outlined on the 2010-16 MTDP. The only reason I can fathom that Alton would've wanted to re-theme Rita slightly was due to the close proximity between the coasters and the fact that both Rita and Th13teen are in the same area of the park.

Just dropping in to say that if your posts "disappear", you might've forgotten where you originally posted them and/or have posted irrelevant information/offensive remarks that did not contribute to the topic at hand and/or broke the terms and conditions of the forum. I only know of one of your posts that has been deleted due to it being irrelevant to The Swarm discussion and because it contained offensive language. If you'd like further information as Benin said, please PM one of the Moderators, and please keep the forums on-topic in the future.

When people claim that "sometimes they winch you up Stealth really slowly and launch you downwards".Hmm... I'd love to meet "they".

I really do love ice poles. I've eaten so many this summer. Nom cola flavour

Benin's right - it could just be a decommissioned tank with no ammunition/fake turret. But I'd imagine what pluk says is true either way; it's obviously a very expensive piece of equipment whether it's decommissioned or not, but seeing that Thorpe have gone to the lengths of nabbing a plane, a fire engine, a helicopters and numerous other vehicles to theme The Swarm's area I wouldn't be too surprised if the tank did stay. Even to 'rent' this tank would cost money Thorpe could easily save by printing off more fly-posters and hiring more crazed crack-pots, so it seems unusual they would do this even for promotion purposes if they hadn't purchased it.Mind you, all this is nice and pleasing: it promotes the ride, gives enthusiasts something to chew over, and contributes to the realism of the theme, but it'll all amount to nothing if Thorpe replicate Saw-style themeing. We can't really argue that there was some brilliant pieces of themeing for Saw (the rotating saws, the boiler tank, the traps) but the efforts are diluted because none of it was implicitly connected with each other, nor are they placed very well (the traps particularly do seem very randomly placed among cattle-pen queue lines). I'd rather not have a tank at all if Thorpe intend to dump it somewhere barely in view when the ride opens with some vague connection to other themeing, especially seeing as it looks very new and doesn't bode with the destroyed theme the plane, the helicopter and the fire engine share. I don't want to see it randomly placed amidst little or no other themeing and I'm sure others would agree - it needs to be something consistent. What I'm saying is a dirty tank half sunk in a pot-hole or crushed under a fallen wall are credible as a piece of "urban devastation" than a nice clean tank sat comfortably on some fresh green grass, or even gravel. This attention to detail is taken into account with the other pieces of themeing already, so if Thorpe do intend to keep the tank, at least make it look like it wasn't a (relatively) last minute decision.

It's quite shocking to think that that is the first custom-built B&M to be built since 2007. From a ride manufacturer who's inverted coasters were so popular during the last decade, to see that slowing demand for them is cause for concern surely? Not in the sense that they're about to go bust; that'd be ridiculous, but it'd be awful to see them simply drift out of popularity. The last one built was Phaethon, in 2007, in Japan, but other than that this new one at Parc Asterix is the first one in five years.

God, I saw that man earlier too, when the BBC where showing Boris' interview with the polish hairdresser. That funky lookin' man next to ol' Boris was practically molesting him.But I agree with Mark, #riotcleanup deserves so much recognition for the work he/she's done, and to all the members of the public cleaning up the tragic messes the rioters have made, because it's brought unity back to a nation divided by racism, greed, a thirst for violence and a hatred of authority.

Bumpety Bump.ARGH. K. SO. ESSAY:I need photo ID for my county bus pass. And I think I speak for all of us when you enter that photo booth with some boorish bint's voice practically shouting at you in gloriously awkward monotone, that thus begins what must rank as one of the most undignifying experiences we have to force ourselves into. Not being particularly photogenic nor willing to go alone whilst some security guard outside Morrisons glares at me, I reluctantly go in with only a £10 note. Now, I do not know Morrisons very well - we either shop at Asda, Aldi, Lidl, The Co-operative, Waitrose or Iceland, so going in was quite a daunting experience as it's the largest supermarket in Yeovil bar Tesco Extra. Surrounded by far more experienced regulars rushing to and fro and deafened by elderly people - most likely deaf themselves - in mobility scooters shouting at their families to take them to the loo or get a larger grapefruit or something, I walk in and decide to walk around the whole shop floor once to get my bearings. Bearings gotten, I head to the till because I needed change (I was expecting the photos to be about £4, like last time I went, three weeks ago in Asda). I was clearly playing invisible or I looked like the kind of person who might start a riot because no-one would serve me so instead I grab a packet of Fruit Pastilles for my three-year old sister Dearbhla who is waiting in the car. These fruit pastilles cost a reasonable 50p, and I realise I should get enough change from this to be able to pay for my photos. Heading to self-service, so as to avoid as much human contact as possible, I am crammed into a long queue while the till attendant (the employee who overlooks the frequently unreliable machines), who looked like she had applied foundation to a bulldog's face with a paint-roller holds up the entire queue talking about something clearly very urgent, like texting. Giving up on this, I walked across to customer services and pay for the Fruit Pastilles. The woman there looked like she was trying to balance some heavy weight upon her chin; holding her head high and concentrating on this invisible entity, and as I made my presence known simply by saying "Excuse me?" she jumped slightly, as if the object had begun to teeter and given her something of a fright. She looked down her ski-slope nose in half-disgust, half bewilderment because I'd clearly interrupted what for her was quite a bit of fun.Having bought the Fruit Pastilles at long last, I walked to the photo machine and pulled the curtain across. After fiddling with the adjustable chair from a setting that suggested the shortest man in the world needed a passport, I notice the price. FIVE POUNDS? Daylight robbery. I then take some time to observe the change I had been given, as the machine did not accept notes. At this point the motion monitor kicks in and I'm nearly knocked off the stool by this shrill voice loud enough for anyone passing by to hear. Now I start to get embarrassed and can feel myself going red because I know there can only be a certain number of times "Please insert the amount displayed on the screen. No change is currently given" is bleated at me before people outside begin to think I'm a complete invalid. Frantically trying to find £5 in change, I realise the useless snob at customer services gave me a £5 note, two £2 coins and a 50p from the £10. So, in change I have £4.50. Brilliant. I rummage through my wallet for further change and find four 10p's and two 5p's. To shut up this brainless bimbo's voice I ram the four 10p's into the machine and then the 5p's, all the while this voice is repeating that message that will forever ring in my ears. The 5p's were rejected and to add insult to injury, the machine ejected them onto the floor and they roll out of the booth. I dart after the 5p's absolutely fuming before realising I now look like a complete scab chasing two 5p's along the floor of the busy entrance hall.At this point I storm out of Morrisons having surrendered to the evil machine's evil doing and ask my mum for another 50p, after ranting about being outsmarted and losing 40p to the machine's devilish trickery. After restocking myself with change, I march back in ready to take the machine head on. Sitting down, shoving the change into the slot (the earlier 40p had been taken and did not count towards my second visit) I select "Bus ID photo". It then talks me through the photo process like I'm some kind of idiot and then prepares me for four photos, saying "Line your eyes up with the machine please", though somehow she didn't sound as polite as that. First photo was done. Not really very good as the camera was under the illusion I was looking at the ground yet I clearly wasn't. In doubt, I decide to have another go and when that photo comes out absolutely identical to the first photo (I.e. literally an EXACT replica - low quality, smeared, and no eye contact) I begin to worry a bit purely because my own mother believes my "incompetence" will be the death of me, and she will blame this whole thing on me. The third photo is taken (it's all timed) and this time I am literally looking upwards at the light to make sure the camera's hidden angle isn't another of the machine's malicious money-making schemes. When this third photo comes out identical to the first and the second photo, I stop to look around and check this isn't some kind of hidden camera sketch or vicious game show. I check outside the machine that no-one is watching and giggling at my traumatic ordeal as I panic with just three seconds before the fourth and final photo is snapped.This photo turned out differently at least. But then the machine so kindly put all the photos up on the large screen and asked "Which do you prefer?". Now, forgive me but, this must be one of the most difficult questions any poor sod like myself will ever have to answer. Here I was presented with four of the ugliest mugshots I'd ever seen, and were I unaware that the four ugly faces peering back at me with expressions no happier than Gordon Brown's were photos of my own face, I'd have been perfectly happy to have laughed my head off at them. The fourth photo was trying to vary in any way possible from the first three by such desperate attempts as raising my eyebrows to make myself look like less of a mass-murderer considering suicide and changing the angle that I was looking at the camera. I had no choice, I had to pick the fourth photo; a photo that made me look like I was a little too excited to be encased in this prison cell. Selecting the photo, I was shouted at for the final time, and I left the photo booth to collect my photo, having been stripped of my dignity in no less than 15 minutes. This was the worst part: Queues were still in abundance in the shop, and after ten more minutes queueing behind a fat woman who wanted to return her Cheerios for whatever reason, I reached the photo collection point (in this backwards supermarket you need to go back to customer services and give them a number that is dispensed from the machine). The number came out smeared so after re-acquainting myself with the ski-slope-nosed snob and being presented with a photo of a balding man in his 40's, I felt a bit like crying inside, as for a moment I genuinely believed that was a photo of me. To rub salt in the wound, the photo you select in the machine is presented on a large screen (similar to Thorpe's photo collection points) for the rest of the queue and whomsoever in the vicinity may glance it's way. Immediately saying "Yes" when I saw my photo appear I turned to face the exit, and took the walk of shame back to the car, completely overwhelmed by that nightmare. Well done to you, Morrisons. Well done.

Is there any way Thorpe could keep that tank as an extra part of the themeing if they didn't submit it in the planning permission to Runnymede?EDIT: Hmm, the tank does say "WAR IS COMING" which probably means it's only taking up temporary residence on the green. Would be nice if Thorpe kept it though.

'Mr. Popper's Penguins'The title alone could send children into bawls of uncontrollable laughter whilst others are left with the distinct odour of a cheaply-produced off-beat comedy that should've never made it past the drawing board.Mr. Carrey has made a name for himself as a bona-fide funny guy since his first starring role in Ace Ventura and and it's incessant - as well as needless - sequels. Throughout the 90's he was an untouchable force in the Box Offices around the globe in films like The Mask and Dumb And Dumber, and practically anything he touched would turn to gold (for some audiences). Since then, we've watched him challenge himself further by tackling the family market, to spectacular avail. His deliciously demented portrayal of the Grinch in the Dr. Seuss recreation of the same name and how he single-handedly rescued Lemony Snicket's 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' from becoming one if the worst book-film transformation this side of the millennium cemented him as a truly versatile comedic actor. Branching out further into the darker Number 23, the indie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the challenging I Love You, Phillip Morris (an unfortunately disastrous commercial seller) during the noughties, he let his creative juices flow and for a while it seemed like his shaky start in the film industry was a mere dot in the distance that only a pedant could care for.But recently, his films aren't showing that brilliantly innovative flair we saw in his earlier films (see: Yes Man). And from the moment my little sister dragged me to watch Mr. Popper's Penguins, his newest acting role, I could smell his desperation to save his career, much the same as Eddie Murphy after Daddy Day Care. The film is just so unbelievably far-fetched yet also so inescapable middle-of-the-road you do wonder how 20th Century Fox could have the capacity to put so much money into something and have it turn out so inoffensively uninteresting. Even my sister was yawning two-thirds in. From the moment Carrey's estranged father bestows upon him sex penguins in his Will we're led through a baffling thread with little cohesion, strung together with deadpan whimsy and a few moments of genuine humour. A rather amusing scene where Mr. Popper's bathroom is temporarily converted into a bathroom succeeds in generating a few laughs, an there's slight - only slight - ingenuity in character creation in the form of Pippi, Popper's peculiar assistant with a partiality to the letter 'P'.Other than that there's very little here that needs to be said. The film is a hastily sewn together amalgam of supposedly funny moments (but thankfully, the full force of Carrey's overwrought-ness is felt but a few times). But this isn't just a failure on the actors' parts (however animated); the real shock comes from when you realise that this film is bizarrely trying to re-invigorate the same kind of penguin fascination that took cinema by storm not a decade ago. Madagascar, Happy Feet, and March of the Penguins all cashed in on this momentary movement, but from a director who masterminded the wonderfully witty and deliriously funny Mean Girls, Mr. Popper's Penguins is a dire attempt to spark a burnt out match. The film is poor, even as a family film.2/10

Well if I'm honest I'm not surprised it's fake. If Cameron were to do that just imagine the cost; we'd be in debt to our own country. Plus, we're not that efficient.

"I am granting the Metropolitan Police emergency powers to use water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas to take back control of our streets from these poisoning parasites biting the hand that feeds them. In addition I am deploying the British Army as a visible presence to provide the authority that is so very lacking." - David Cameron is claimed to had said this as a result of his COBRA meeting this morning.Martial law AND water cannons?

I think it'll be a similar story to how Stealth's trains are managed (two trains in operation at any one time and one in storage) I think it'd be foolish of Thorpe to do it any other way - particularly if they chose to have just one train in full operation; it's just illogical. I think it's say to assume that there'll be two in full operation and one in the maintenance shed.However, reading about ride experience on other forums and personal reviews of Raptor, I hear that because the trains are so much heavier than any other train design, the transition between elements is very disjointed and slow. After watching many video of Raptor I must confess myself underwhelmed (even though I know videos aren't not the be all and end all of ride experience), but when reading people's thoughts on the ride itself it seems like it really does lumber quite clumsily through the elements. Maybe it's just it's layout - it's hardly as flowing as The Swarm's (Raptor's over-banked turn after the drop just screams wasted opportunity) and reports say it feels very pedestrian and almost like it's at a constant speed throughout.Hopefully B&M have learnt from this and are building The Swarm's trains to be more suited to undertaking inversions at high-speeds (perhaps use a zero-car?). The larger drop will increase acceleration but looking at how Raptor moves just makes me wonder whether the same will happen to The Swarm after the Zero-G roll - the inclined loop might just stunt the flow, resulting in a very same-y pace therein because there's no real high-point/low-point. Other train designs might get away with this because if you look at Colossus' layout it a similar story, but the lighter trains sustain the speed very well. I', just apprehensive that The Swarm's train will act as more of a drag force around the last few elements of the ride. One thing is for sure though if The Swarm ends up like Raptor - the front seats won't be worth queueing for simply because it'll feel like your dragging the rest of the train around the track; back seats it is for me then.

A little part of me dies whenever I see that ride. As someone who was quite fond of X:\No Way Out and that whole area it just looks so cheap. My Dad has built scaffolds with more visual integrity than that ride.

This is just going to escalate now. That man's death is going to spark more and more violence and faux fighting for justice which will just end as a repeat of last night.People were suggesting water cannons last night. But there's a law against use of water cannons for riot control in the UK isn't there? Other suggestions from social media users was the enforcement of martial law (the imposition of military rules and regulations by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis - usually only temporary - when the civilian authorities and government fails). Either way will lead to more havoc though because of the harsher riot controlling laws under the military regime would mean more physical contact to diminish rioting - which could result in hospitalisation of the rioters and military, which will again fuel violence. Water cannons wouldn't be a great solution either - they can do some serious damage; a man in Stuttgart was left blinded by one after it shot him in the face. I'd post an image but it's probably not appropriate on the forums.

If I lived nearer a damaged area, I'd definitely contribute to cleaning up the havoc these people have caused. It just seems like such a crying shame that no matter how much cleaning and repair work is done, nothing will repair the people whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by riots and fire. I mean, that business in Croydon that's been there since the 1800s is gone; burnt to the ground. In Camden the same happened to the music venue Electric Ballroom; ravaged by a fire just for the thrill of it.Who cares about the large businesses like Gregg's, Dominoes, McDonald's or Starbucks getting raided and their food stocks stolen: they are huge companies who can pay for the damage. Small independent business dotted through London have been destroyed through disrupted youths feasting off the damage and suffering they're causing to these people.Heaven forbid someone actually gets shot and dies in these riots (there was apparently a "non-fatal" shooting in the south London area last night). I mean, can you imagine? There'd be public outcry and the media will feed it till there's no tomorrow, but it'll only fuel the "anger" and "reason to fight" for about ten rioters and then it'll all snowball again and more people will be mindlessly sweeping through cities and towns with no intention of restoring justice, but for tipping justice way off-balance, so much so that the scales break due to gang violence and oppression overcoming any forms of prevention, which are now diluted substantially enough that all this anarchist behaviour is ruining our country even further.

Shh, Mark! :(Thanks for the welcome, t'other Marc!