JoshC.

Heide Park seemingly have launched their own version of Towers' 'Big 6' campaign... Pretty decent idea really!

Glad that's now been confirmed, mostly because that's when I arrive at Efteling.. Excited is an understatement; just to see this thing will be incredible!

Even though Detonator is (loosely) in Angry Birds Land, it still is a great thrill ride and really does pack a punch. The drop on it is very good; I found it better than Apocalypse at Drayton, which is almost twice as tall. Whilst taller drop towers have the intimidation factor, Detonator has the edge of being able to provide a better ride experience. There's also the problem that Thorpe at restricted in how tall they can go, which would make a ride like Falcon's Fury more difficult to achieve.

With regards to the lack of roof theming... I think it's natural to 'look up' when in the maze; you're in a jungle with trees and such, it's something people will do. It's definitely disappointing that they didn't disguise it. But when I first went through it and noticed it, I didn't actually care. I was having fun within the maze and it didn't detract from my experience really. It certainly would have added to my experience if the ceiling was themed, but we have what we have I guess.

They're fun, little collectible things which are free. Anyone would be happy with them, even if they're geared towards a younger audience. Also, just because a child is too small to go on a ride, it doesn't mean they won't want a badge with that ride on (especially if they've collected others from Chessington/Legoland).

Pop badges are becoming more of a thing at Thorpe now...

Jeez, how has that gone unnoticed / unfixed for so long? Fixed.

You missed out Rumba Rapids repaint, Intamin Aquatrax and "Slammer has had a bad season, I think it should be removed" comments. EDIT: Matt posted essentially the exact post. Is closed season really THAT predictable

Posted by ScareTour on their Facebook: ScareTour are usually very reliable, so I'd be surprised if this turns out to be wrong. Will be good to have a decent amount of investment pumped into the event with 3 new attractions.

A few more sections being painted... From UK Theme Parks FB Certainly an odd thing to being doing in May. One really has to wonder what the reason for it is at this stage? But hey, could be a positive sign?!

That video, as well as the two Experiment 10 ending videos from 2012, were posted on the previous page. The company who made them (I forget the name) recently made the videos private on their YouTube account. TPC presumably either downloaded that video before their removal or for their hands on it some other way.

I still feel like the 'Merlin will build no more wing riders' is a bit of a non-statement. A wing rider wouldn't fit in at any Lego park or Chessington, and it seems unlikely that Alton would invest in one given their planning constraints and the like. Which rules out all other possible places for a wing rider instantaneously.

Yeah, 2011 was their best ever year attendance-wise I believe. It's a bit difficult to judge, as I don't think Merlin release exact figures any more, so the ones published in things like the annual TEA Attendance Report aren't wholly accurate.

Reports are suggesting Baron is to open on July 1st: Saucey - http://www.looopings.nl/weblog/3821/Openingsdatum-nieuwe-achtbaan-Efteling-uitgelekt.html Exciting stuff!

Looks like we'll have to rename this thread Bantersialand...

From PH Fans: Crossing over itself 58 times! For a comparison, Smiler and it's crazy layout 'only' crosses over itself somewhere between 23-25 times. Going to be one crazy coaster; that's for sure!

Some more Fin's related stuff... Interior has been themed a bit more: (Photos from TPM's FB) A new themed sign has appeared in the dome too: Photo from TPG's FB Looking nice. Does show that the interior of the dome is really outdated though and needs some more work doing to it!

Might be my memory playing tricks on me a bit / over-exaggerating some downtime, but I pretty certain it hasn't done a full season without being down for at least a month or two.

You misspelt eleventh.

Definitely reduces the complexity of the ride, but then means you have to build a ~40ft deep pit to house it, which is expensive and, in many cases, impractical. The sky swat design just never really worked out; it's just one of those things really. Sure, they could spend a whole lot of money to improve it and create Sky Swat 2.0, but the concept of it just doesn't really work. The rides themselves aren't particularly popular either.

Warning: Swear word ahead...

If I had a penny for every time I heard this, I wouldn't have needed to take out a loan for my tuition fees...

People mention about how Slammer is the last Sky Swat as though it's important. But Thorpe don't advertise it like that at all. Only enthusiasts know it's the only one in the world, and probably are the only ones who care at the moment. Sure, Merlin have a particularly liking for Firsts and Onlys, but if they're not advertising it, then it means nothing.

I see what you're saying, and this is sort of where my fear of misinterpretation was coming in earlier! I struggling to put exactly how I feel about this all into words, so sorry if the following sounds like a rambling load of nonsense... The welfare system should of course not be there for people who simply 'don't want to work', and it should be made to be a very unattractive option for people who consider it. But then there's the people who actually really need it, who have fallen on hard times, etc. The main focus should be being housed and fed; most definitely. But if they can't afford some of the 'luxuries' like internet or a (simple) mobile phone, then it could leave them out-of-touch with society. It starts to make things an uphill struggle in my opinion, which just doesn't help matters. As you said earlier, living on benefits shouldn't be easy, but it shouldn't be unnecessarily difficult. It's of course very difficult to get the balance right, and it seems the balance sways towards being friendlier rather than stricter. Ian mentions the free access of public libraries. Personally, I've local libraries to be appalling, from their opening hours to their resources. They feel out-of-touch and neglected in today's society. Maybe if these were improved (and quite significantly), I'd feel more okay with saying that having your own basic phone and internet connection wasn't a necessity. I guess also my opinion comes from someone who's grown up with technology becoming ever-advancing. If I was looking for a job, my first thought would be 'Let's look online to see who's hiring, where to go, hints and tips, etc'. Any application would include a mobile number so wherever I am, I'd get the call. If I didn't have the internet or a mobile phone, it would be more difficult to get the ball rolling and keep it rolling in my opinion. As I say, I'm really struggling to get my thoughts down on this (I've spent the past 40 odd minutes typing and deleting, typing and deleting to get to this!), so sorry if it doesn't really flow or anything.. I guess calling them a necessity is wrong, but I just feel that in today's society, they're basic tools which can really help anyone, and help is what people should have the most access to. I think it's a case of there's quite a fine line about this all, and I we're simply just on different sides about it?