JoshC.

I fully expect that in the next 2-3 years, The Smiler will be ranking next to the likes of Dragon's Fury, Rita and Ultimate. Sticking inversion after inversion does not make a good ride for goodness sake. Disappointed by the fact Swarm dropped 47 places though...

Following the recent German takeover of 'This or That', feel this is appropriate... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlATOHGj9EY

Being so close to uni, it would almost be wrong of me to not go here every once in a while! The trouble with the place, though, is the fact that it's quite out of the way, and not that close to other Merlin attractions. Then, for non-MAP holders, there's likely better castles to visit for cheaper. Here's a link about the trebuchet show - http://www.warwick-castle.com/explore-castle/the-mighty-trebuchet.aspx. Must say, it is a nice show.

Not sure if this is a Merlin-esque PR stunt or serious? Do AI have a similar rule to Merlin in that you should wear shirts on rides? If this is serious, could just be a (slightly OTT) extension to the rule...

The only reason I can think for avoiding the tunnel and bridge is because of the heat of the tunnel. Last Thursday, which was a nice, warmish, day, the heating was on full blast and it was quite uncomfortable in there. If that's the reason, then it shows how poorly thought out that queue was... Is it Chessington's philosophy to have a great deal of potential for everything then fail to deliver in almost every aspect?

I think the unlimited refills is in conjunction with Coca Cola / Coca Cola Company, as they seem to have a good working relationship with Merlin. I'd think it unlikely that Dr Pepper will be added to the Quencher I'm afraid!

Though very similar, Freezer and Asylum were different. Different enough, I'd say, to say Asylum ran 2005-2013.

From what I'm aware, some years the route did stay up (around 2006ish if I remember correctly; there's some photos lying around on the internet somewhere when a scare-maze related website went in there during the summer one time I believe; though I can't seem to remember the site...). The room was used during National Science Week for talks and stuff I think. As Dan said, 'The Asylum' under that name is unlikely to return, but instead a very similar maze, with a very similar route, except with an IP attached what with the Lionsgate thing.

Does anyone else get the creeps from Iggle Piggle? Just me?

I guess the reason people associate Inferno and Detonator with one another is because of their proximity and similar colour schemes. However, thematically, what does Detonator have to do with a tropical volcano? Detonator was clearly meant to loosely fit in with Pirates 4D, because of the canons, canon marks on nearby buildings, etc., vaguely being related to pirate ships with canons. Putting it in Angry Birds Land gives it a chance to work with a new theme, however loosely. It can easily be given an idea about one of the birds from the game (is it the white bird that has the special ability of dropping eggs? Could tie in loosely with that. Or the black bird, what with the 'Bombs Away' on the end). It's nothing concrete, but it's something. As for Inferno, that will have Rumba Rapids, which both - in theory - should fit in with a tropical theme. Here's hoping that Rumba gets lots of TLC soon! I think I've said this earlier in the thread, but, like it or not... Angry Birds Land is a family area though! Regardless of the game's original target audience, it's something everyone plays and enjoys. It's a family game. And Thorpe are using it to their advantage and creating a family area. No doubt, the 4D film will be more orientated towards the kids, the dodgems as a family ride, and Detonator as a thrill ride (which even the kids can do from the age of about 8 or 9; the sort of age the park are appealing to a lot more recently). It makes for the almost-perfect family area in my eyes, in theory. If the Teacups could have been included, it would have been even better.

I can see 'Stealth's side of Amity Cove' being pushed more as 'Amity Speedway' in the future. That way, it keeps with the Amity and American idea they've already got, without causing confusion. I've said this before I'm sure, but did a racing speedway theme really fit in with a 1960s (ish) fishing village being flooded? Not really. Also, apart from the less-than-obvious 'Amity Fish and Chips' (which is now called Peckish), the short walk between Tidal Wave and Stealth never really felt a part of Amity Cove in the first place; it felt like you were going into a big of a dead zone. The creation of Angry Birds Land gives Detonator some definition in an area - it never fit into Calypso Quay, and since P4D went, it has had no context to fit in. The same goes for the disused 4D cinema, and a space which was being used for some games that were rarely used by guests really. (Though, where they've moved some of the games looks hideous to be honest). The only major thematic disaster we have at the moment is the Teacups, which don't fit into any of the surrounding areas. If only they hadn't renewed the Tetley sponsorship last summer, then that could have gone nicely into Angry Birds Land.

I can see the concern about the colour scheme, and I remain a bit unsure about it all myself. However, at this stage, I can't think of any sort of interesting colour scheme they could use that would fit perfectly with Angry Birds and the surrounding area. Waiting till it's open before making any real judgements. I do hope we see some 3D models other than the entrance bits as well though; that's one of the minimum things I was expecting from the area!

I believe that the word you're looking for is 'falsch'.

The whirring does sound more prominent than before, but that might just be down to new parts still breaking in / because the ride hasn't been operating that long? The speed doesn't seem much different to me though; can't quite remember how the ride looked offride though!

I agree with you about the maze ending; it does nothing for the attraction in my opinion. Just some more loud noises and maybe an air blast would have been more suited. However, I think the staff shouting works. Yes, the videos say we're being welcomed into the facility and stuff, and we're the public. The way I see it though, as soon as you enter the facility, there's a change in atmosphere, and from the offset, you can tell something is not quite right. We've been welcomed in here, but everyone is so angry - it makes you feel uneasy. It's then here where it makes me think of an over the top horror film; staff gone crazy with fear or radioactive poisoning or something. It sounds a bit silly and stupid, yes, but that's what makes me enjoy that much more!

I reckon if Slammer has one more major problem, they'll just have to call it a day. After all, there's only so long you can put up with a ride which is a constant drain on resources and isn't open enough to be worthwhile. Presumably it's still testing trying to get the necessary H&S seals of approvals that would normally happen before a ride opens after closed season. For the park's sake, here's hoping it opens in time for Easter Weekend!

Out of the dark rides I've done, my favourite has to be - just about - Nemesis Sub Terra. I enjoy the over-the-top scary mood it creates; I can see why people would find it scary, but I find it more like one of those B-flick horror films which you more laugh at than scream over. In general, that's just something I really like. However, in saying that, I do think that Hex is a better dark ride, offering a more complete package and just ticks the boxes a bit better. I also enjoy it very much, but just not as much as NST!

Surely if the the trouble was about the time required for the land to set, then surely a woodie could have gone in the main core of the park whenever they wanted? After all, that's had 35-40 odd years to set! I'm no ground expert, but surely if they can't build on a woodie on the core area of the park because of this dense support stuff, then they won't be able to build one anywhere - can they really infill land to make it more suitable? (I have no idea, genuinely curious, but it does sound pretty weird to me). If I'm being perfectly honest, I've never quite fully believed the whole land stability thing. I've never heard that about it anywhere than at Thorpe, I guess you could argue why would you, but meh, and it just doesn't seem to make sense to me. Where did these rumours ever come from in the first place anyways? Surely if the ground was not suitable, then the Canada Creek woodie plans wouldn't have got so advanced before being shelved? As I say, I really have very limited knowledge on all this, but is the ground stability really the main reason why Thorpe aren't getting a woodie? As for the question about the next Thorpe coaster, who knows. One of those RMCs seems to have been thrown about a lot, but I dunno, would it really fit Thorpe? Just looks like another coaster that Thorpe have, except it's partially made from wood. We all know Thorpe need a ride with good airtime, so something along the lines of a Mack Megacoaster or a B&M / Intamin airtime machine would be nice...

I can see people's concerns about all of this. However, I do feel that they'll be unfounded. The image pluk posted is great for visualising this. The screen will be between the two middle pillars and be about two thirds of the way up the 'window' in the middle. The side posters will cover the rest of the canopy and reach to the 'towers'. I tried to do a sort of mock up image, but given my terrible photo-editing skills, it just didn't look good. It will bring a bit of vibrancy to the entrance area I think, but the main shape and look of this entrance bit won't really be affected. It's of course not the most convenient or best option for the park (a complete revamp of the entrance has been wanted and needed for ages), but it's still an alright move for, hopefully, a shorter term basis.

Entrance improvements ahoy! - http://thorpeparkmania.co.uk/news/10-04-2014/Entrance-Improvement-Plans Hopefully this is the first step to a totally new entrance structure; would like to see the main ticket section given a bit of TLC soon too.

So, did this today and I think the ride essentially sums up Chessington for me... The queue is a bit of a mixed bag. The cattlepen is probably horrendous to queue in and I feel sorry for anyone who ever has to queue in it. The indoor section is boring and too hot (WHY was the heater on on such a nice day?). However, when the train goes over the 'mine shaft', it does sound a bit like a scuttle of a scorpion; not sure if that's me wanting to finding positives or whether that was intentional though. The outside queue section is a bit more interesting - there's actually things to look at! - and is nice. As for the ride, did the original Runaway Train only do two circuits, or did it do three (I genuinely can't remember)? Well, Scorpion Express only does two circuits. This means it takes two thirds of one circuit before you even get up to a fun speed which the family can enjoy, and spend half of the second circuit cruising down so you can safely land back in the station. Makes the ride feel lacklustre and even some of the younger kids seemed unexcited by it. As for the ride's effects. I liked the smoke effects; good touch. The fire is good, but goes off too much. When you're queueing outside, it gets a tad annoying (especially considering the way the queue seems to move like a decrepit scorpion on its last legs...). Having it go off once per ride, as opposed to every circuit, would be more preferable for me. The water effect is more like a dribble and only got the closest side to the scorpion. The large scorpion was pitiful; it's tail moved in the wind, and I noticed the claws twitch with movement as I was exiting. I almost felt like there should be some comical sparks from inside it was that bad... Now the most important thing really - the theming. When it boils down to it, Runaway Train had some brilliant theming which made it feel more than a figure of eight circuit. Unfortunately, Scorpion Express doesn't do the same thing. The backdrops feel lazy, with them just going for very generic shop fronts in the wild west, and not even hiding the red building to the right of the ride. Nice one. The smaller metal scorpions are quirky and clever though. The warning signs are a nice touch, but make no sense to the ride, seeinghow the big scorpion is out in the open, and the mine shafts have nothing bar a couple of the smaller scorpions. Oops. Perhaps I was just wanting it to fail deep down, so I feel like I had the right to moan some more about the park not upkeeping the old cave. But still, this ride is pretty much a Chessington ride; it's quite 'meh', despite the fact you can tell a lot of thought went into it.

The thing is, Merlin aren't exclusively going for gimmicks. Wardley said at the event thing that Merlin want two things (Varney also said this in an interview last year I believe): 1) A phrase / sentence that sums up the ride. 2) A killer image (usually in terms of a concept art). I think both of those are quite self-explanatory. We can look at all of Merlin's coasters, and I'm pretty sure we can think what each of these are. So, for example: Saw: 'The steepest freefall drop in the world'. Later, you can also add 'The world's first roller coaster themed to a horror film'. Flug der Dämonen 'Germany's first wing rider coaster / Germany's first winged coaster'. Under the two criteria, it's not too hard to imagine a ride which doesn't have any gimmick and still fits in. Whilst it's technically a low-key example, think of Scorpion Express: 'A runaway train with a sting in its tail'. We have a killer image and a phrase which sums up the ride. Yet it is literally just a bog-standard mine train. Of course, the easiest thing to fit into the two required criteria is a ride with a major gimmick, as that instantly gives you your phrase, and you can base your 'killer image' around that. So I think it's a bit of a misconception that Merlin only wants gimmicks. They want rides which, as Ryan says, will attract people the year they open, and it seems to two criteria Merlin outline is the best way to do that. Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to find a gimmick and just make it work round what's required, as opposed thinking of something which is of high quality, sells itself, is original, and fits in with the two criteria to Merlin's satisfaction.

No Limits recreation of the ride. That first inversion looks...odd. It just seems unnatural and that it could ride so uncomfortably...

Doesn't seem anything overly special. Alvey in overhype shocker! I've noticed they're saying it's the first RMC woodie in Europe, but isn't Tayto Park in Ireland building one for 2015?

Placing a bet on it being a 'wooden' (as in a RMC woodie) Gravity Max.