JoshC.

Depth Charge (5)Detonator: Bombs Away (4)Nemesis Inferno (5)Rocky Express (5)Rumba Rapids (3)Stealth (6)The Swarm (5)Tidal Wave (5)X (7) Detonator + Rumba - Sorry LC

Depth Charge (5)Detonator: Bombs Away (5)Nemesis Inferno (5)Rocky Express (5)Rumba Rapids (4)Stealth (6)The Swarm (5)Tidal Wave (5)X (5) Depth Charge + Rumba Rapids - Like seriously, how is Rumba still here. Poor show guys...

I wouldn't go telling the Wicker Man anything personal, he can be rather two-faced... [Unsure on source]

Neat little promo for Fenix: I seem to be in the minority who doesn't think it looks ugly, but I'm disappointed it looks like it'll be a 90 degree turn then a 180 degree twist, rather than a turn and twist at the same time.

From that perspective, it makes the wicker man statue look a lot less impressive and inspiring than I was expecting. I'm sure it'll still look good from ground level, but still a bit of a shame to me.

I do think Gerstlauer's dodgy reputation is undeserved (especially with UK enthusiasts, which has some of the rougher examples). But, Van Helsing aside, every Gerstlauer I've done is either rough in its own right, rough in certain rows, or inconsistent with the rides they give. So even if I enjoy some of their rides (like Saw and Anubis), you can't be guaranteed a good ride. Some of the more well received Gerstlauers don't seem to have these problem though. At least with Intamin, if it's right, it's always right. And they do seem to be getting things right more (especially now they've seemed to get lap bar restraints sorted and their OTSRs are a thing of the past). Going forward, I'd much prefer to see an Intamin which has a good chance of always being good than a Gerstlauer that's got a better chance of only being good half the time.

What are you classing as the Big 5? B&M, Intamin, Mack, Gerstlauer and Vekoma? If so, I'd argue Intamin are better than Gerstlauer. I could list many more major appealing Intamin rides than Gerst ones (the two you mention above, Flying Aces, Skyrush, some of their Chinese coasters such as Soaring with Dragon, hopefully Hyperion..). Gerst have a couple (their infinity models are doing well, as are their bobsled), but I still think they have a lot of generally disappointing or rough rides. At the very least, I'd rather see a large Intamin than a large Gerstlauer come to the UK. Maybe that's another unpopular opinion on my behalf though, that deep down I do like Intamin...when they do things right...

In a deviation from previous years, the Annual Pass sale will be starting on January 1st, as opposed to today. No word yet on pricing.

Have some Mack goodness, courtesy of the park themselves...

-Movie Park Germany is a decent park -Walibi Holland is a decent park -Currently, Vekoma is a more exciting manufacturer than B&M, and I'd rather see one of their products over a B&M in the UK -I don't get the fuss over RMC. In particular, their single track coasters look so meh -Dreamflight (Efteling) is average, and my least favourite dark ride at the park

It's ludicrous how much detail and thought is in there. Especially the names of books being references to general stuff - it shows just how much fun the designers had too. It's good as well that the overall quality is high as well. In all things entertainment, it's easy to focus on all the little details, creating all these references and in jokes, that you lose track of the bigger picture and the overall product then doesn't work. But with Symbolica everything works, and the added hidden layers are just massive bonuses.

Base of supports not good enough for anyone here? Maybe the bottom of the track bring installed will set your whistle a bit more... A gentle reminder that this is going to be enclosed by a tunnel too...

Depth Charge (5)Detonator: Bombs Away (4)Flying Fish (5)King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems (5)Mr. Monkey's Banana Ride (5)Nemesis Inferno (5)Quantum (5)Rocky Express (5)Rumba Rapids (5)Rush (7)Samurai (2)Stealth (5)Storm In A Teacup (5)The Swarm (5)Tidal Wave (6)X (6) Detonator + Samurai -

And for anyone who's planning on wasting their time trying to read the symbols, it says 'Feed the Flames' at the bottom

For any Doubting Debras over the name, an announcement is due on 8th January, which will no doubt include a teaser video, name release, etc.

Visited the park for the Winter Tail event (Christmas treat for my baby brother - wouldn't dream of thinking of going if he wasn't Gruffalo-obsessed for the record). Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not the best event. The ride line up of Gruffalo, Adventure Tree, Tiny Truckers, Treetop Hoppers, Hocus Pocus and Amazu hardly sets the world on fire. All the Christmas stuff requires tickets, even though it's all included for free - seems very faffy. I guess it's to stop people going in multiple timrs, but frankly for the cost (£20 for AP holders, £25 without), if my brother wanted to decorate a second Gruffalo cookie, why on earth can't he... The Father Christmas set up used Trick or Treat wood as per, which meant there's about 5 or 6 different Father Christmases, and it wasn't disguised very well. The presents given to the child consisted of a choice of some cheap, discontinued Chessington tat (a basketball, a notepad, a small teddy or some stickers), none of which were wrapped up, which is very much a substandard grotto. Adults got a free hot drink (which was easily the most watered down hot chocolate I've ever had) and gingerbread cookie. So yeah, not a great event. My brother enjoyed it enough (mostly because he got to ride Gruffalo far too many times), but that doesn't excuse the poor standard. Not that I think anyone else on here is in the target market for this, but yeah, avoid.

Wonder if there was anything about construction going vertical...or burgundy-coloured passports... (From the park's Facebook)

If a video of a guy talking in Polish in front of some track is your sort of thing, then boy have I got an early Christmas present for you... Don't understand a word of Polish so no idea what the guy is saying, but yay, more track.

Has it really been 8 months since there was any worthwhile updates on this? Wow.. It's a nice sandy gold colour, I like it. Seen some people moan it's not as gold as concept art made it out, but meh, it looks fine to me. I saw this and thought to myself 'there hasn't been too many new coasters of that colour'. Then realised I couldn't think of any examples from the last 4 years aside from Helix and Baron. Blimey. At least with this, Walibi Belgium's new thing, Fenix at Toverland and FLY in 2019 we're getting a nice brighter mix...

That's a lovely shade of blue...

Also forgot to mention that funding had been approved for 2 more of the 2020 coasters.. The 'multi launch water coaster', will feature 5 inversions, launched of up to 62mph and a max height of 35m. Dare I say...Aquatrax?! The mine train will feature 3 lift hills, 3 trains seating 30 people each, and a length of at least 1200m (almost 4000ft), which would be comparable to Colorado Adventure at Phantasialand in length. Their fourth proposed coaster for 2020, a tilt coaster, is still awaiting funding to be guaranteed. What companies will be involved for these coasters isn't confirmed. Given the parks track record, if say Vekoma for the mine train is almost a certainty. The water coaster feels more like an Intamin thing, but I wouldn't rule Mack out either...

The Gruffalo joins these other prestigious rides to have won best new attraction.. 2011 - Raptor 2012 - The Swarm 2013 - The Smiler 2014 - Ratatouille 2015 - Baron 1898 2016 - Taron / Klugheim 2017 - The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure (Please can someone explain how Helix didn't win best new ride 2014??) The thing with these awards is people tend to vote for stuff they have ridden, rather than looking at things more generally. Symbolica had quite a low ridership (and, in general, interest) this year, which partially explains its lack of victory. Also why Shambhala took its crown back as best international coaster, due to the Port Aventura meet. It's a bit of a mix. There are plenty of people who can't go abroad due to age, money, other commitments, etc. (though you'd be surprised at how cheaply you can do some parks abroad if you want to!). But equally there are people who could, but don't, instead choosing to visit the same parks over and over. If the hobby truly captivates and interests you, sooner or later you'll start exploring and looking further afield, going to new places as well as old. Just some people go later rather than sooner. It's their loss though, since it means they don't get to experience the awesome rides that are out there...

2018 - Phantasialand wins best international park, Mega-Lite riots and gets banned as a result. Easy.

^I was surprised at how close it was between Icon and SW8; I fully expected Icon to run away away with it! It was surprising to see how few votes some of the big new European things got - would have thought one of Valkyrie (Liseberg), Avalon (Toverland) or Hyperion (Energylandia) would have gotten completed the Top 3 based on previous years. But alas, a huge RMC is clearly mouth-watering for many! Also, a thanks to anyone who voted for me - mucho gracias!

After a trickle of votes over the past month, I can now officially announce the winners of the 2017 TPM awards... PARK AWARDS Best UK Park 1) Alton Towers (12) 2) Thorpe Park (9) 3) Blackpool Pleasure Beach (6) Best UK Coaster 1) Nemesis (14) 2) The Smiler (4) 3=) The Swarm (3) 3=) Stealth (3) Best UK Flat 1) Rush (6) 2=) Detonator (4) 2=) Samurai (4) 2=) Slammer (4) 3) Time Machine (3) Best UK Water 1) Valhalla (14) 2) Tidal Wave (6) 3) The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure (3) Best UK Dark 1) Hex (13) 2) Valhalla (6) 3) Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon (4) Best UK Scare Attraction 1) The Big Top (9) 2) Chop Shop (5) 3=) Platform 15 (3) 3=) Sub Species: The End Games (3) Best Themed UK Experience 1) Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon (6) 2) Hex (5) 3) Valhalla (4) Worst UK Ride 1) Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon (7) 2) Storm Surge (5) 3) Colossus (3) Best International Park 1) Europa Park (11) 2) Phantasialand (5) 3) Efteling (3) Best International Coaster 1) Shambhala (7) 2) Helix (6) 3) Taron (3) Best New-For-2017 Attraction 1) The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure (7) 2) Symbolica (4) 3) Red Force (3) Best International Themed Experience 1) Arthur - In the Minimoys Kingdom (4) 2) Wizarding World of Harry Potter (any) (3) 3) The Flying Dutchman (2) Most Uncomfortable Ride 1) Furius Baco (5) 2) Colossus (4) 3) El Condor (3) Most Disappointing Merlin Moment 2017 1) Everything, or words to that effect (5) 2) Budget cuts, in general (4) 3) Slammer closing (3) Best-Looking New-for-2018 Attraction 1) Icon (10) 2) Secret Weapon 8 (9) 3) Steel Vengeance (5) Best Manufacturer 1) Mack (17) 2) B&M (9) 3) Intamin (2) MEMBER AWARDS Best Member 1) @BaronC. 2=) @Ryan 2=) @Felicity 3=) @Benin 3=) @Marc Best Team Member 1) @BaronC. 2) @Ryan 3) @pluk Best New Member 1) @Mega-Lite 2) @Jodie 3) @Mark9's reappearance Best Quality Posts 1) @BaronC. 2) @Wumbamillio 3) @Coaster Best TPM Meet 1) Port Aventura 2) Chessington 3) Christmas 2016 Most Knowledgeable Member 1) @Wumbamillio 2) @BaronC. 3) @Benin Most Dedicated 1) @BaronC. 2) @Marc 3) @Timber Creek Most Sarcastic 1) @Benin (!) 2) @Mitchada04 3) @MattyMoo Most Likely to be Banned in 2018 1) @Timber Creek 2) @Coaster 3) @Mega-Lite Funniest Member 1) @MattyMoo 2) @Benin 3) @Martin Doyle Friendliest Member 1) @Mitchada04 2) @he who shall not be named 3) @Kerfuffle Biggest Fanboy/girl 1) @Timber Creek 2) @BaronC. 3) @Marc Sexiest Male 1) @Mr. Fish 2) @Timber Creek 3) @Ryan Sexiest Female 1) @paige 2) @terrortomb 3) @RubyRed95 Storm Surge Award 1) @Timber Creek 2) @Coaster 3) @Martin.C Cutest Couple 1) @Martin.C and @Martin Doyle 2) @Timber Creek and @terrortomb 3) @Mer and @Stuntman707 Member You'd Like to See More Of 1) @Jart 2) @BenC 3) @WWTPRadio Congratulations to all winners! Wear with pride your victories. Well done to Mack for taking down to B&M stronghold of Best Manufacturer. pluk can have a drink knowing that Time Machine has finally made it into the top 3 flat rides...even if Slammer has sneaked in that list despite never opening...