jason10

It's open. Was riding it today.

Was it this?

I think something like this would be quite nice. With the sporadic high strings, it evokes feelings of a sort of swarm and also has that 'epicness' about it. I think it would also be good to have a compilation of various movements such as the Colossus theme. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jgMIkNvdHE&hd=1

You can see at the top two wheels and the start of the frame for the Caravan. So yes, you are indeed right!

I'm sorry, but what are they teaching you at school? o.OAnyway, The Swarm looks truly magnificent already. I cannot wait to see this thing in person and then finally see a train go round the track. She's rather photogenic, isn't she?!

We should be more concerned as to whether or not the rest of the ride will be built. Looking at the construction site, there doesn't appear to be anymore track there. Surely that means it won't be installed. I mean, they could substitute it with some Nemesis Inferno track, but that would be disappointing. Disclaimer: Please, no worrying. It seems rather... Pointless. We should trust that Thorpe aren't idiots when it comes to planning. Nothing has changed thus far and nothing should.

I'm going to assume this Saturday (8th October) is going to be pretty empty. Can anyone just confirm this? I went the second weekend last year and it was the deadest I've ever seen the park, even on a normal day.

I know this may sound stupid, but if I have a standard Merlin annual pass and I'm going on the 8th, do I have to pay the £5 reservation fee? Or could I turn up and use my annual pass as normal without having payed the fee? It's not very clear on the website.

No, I totally agree. Colour is not the most important thing in the world. Like I said in my original post, it doesn't effect the ride at all, just the looks. The ride itself looks incredible and that first drop looks really intense! But when you have a top notch ride, it would be NICE to have a decent, imaginative and interesting colour scheme to match. I'm not getting feisty, just raising a small point.

No one or I actually mentioned specific colours. I merely mentioned coasters which have the same track and support colour built by Merlin since the take over. People are very quick to snap back and even clutch at straws to find fault with anything they can. A nice darker grey like TPGG mentioned would be enough. It just adds a bit of visual interest. You can have 'dark and menacing' with more than one colour, you know.

Saw, Thirteen, Raptor, Krake and now The Swarm. I love Merlin's imagination when it comes to colour schemes. Doesn't affect the actual ride, but aesthetically speaking, it's a bit of a bummer.

Went today and I have to say both sides were running like they did when I first rode it but were in sync! Even the 'bad swing (can't remember whether it is A or B.) it was truly amazing and had really intense and airtime filled rides! Hooray for going well beyond 90 degrees for the first time in forever.

Your teacher is right. It's the argument over centrifugal force vs. centripetal force. The former being a force that doesn't actually exist. What is at play is centripetal force. Centrifugal force suggests you are being put under a force which is pushing away from the centre of the circle and thus pushing you into the seat. But, this is not the case and will never be the case for any type of motion. Centripetal force is when you are forced inwards and towards the centre of the circle. All moving objects want to travel in a straight line unless an external force is applied to them (centripetal force in the case of Zodiac.) If the bottom of the cage were to suddenly drop out, you would be flung from the ride in a straight line where gravity would cause you to fall and change the straight line into a curve. The bottom of the cage stops you from being flung out (thank god) and causes you to constantly change direction and travel in a circle around the centre. The bottom of the cage forces you inwards towards the centre and constantly changes your direction. This helps you stay in your seat! So yes, you are being pulled inwards. You aren't on the roof of the cage as your body wants to travel away from the ride in a straight line out the bottom of the cage.