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.

I'll agree with you on that one! I went on Sunday, and I have to say that the staff are very attentive and really do watch the queue. There was someone with a blow up banana and he was hanging it over the fence. then an anouncement said, 'The person with the banana, don't you dare put it near the track 'cause I'll have to put you on the track too!' I thought it was funny. regarding the effects issue, when I went on Sunday, every effect was working, swinging blades and all! It does help if they do work. When I was just about to get on and the gates were JUST about to open, the lights came on inside the indoor bit and the station, and it had broken down. Bummer! It showed how bare and plain looking the indoor section really is. Well, as far as you can see from the station.

I LOVE the Saw area music. Not the queue, but the Saw plaza bit! It really hypes you up. If anyone has it, which I'm sure they won't as it is new, please post it as it is awsome!

Unless your friend is an invisible man who rode an invisible train which magically makes it round, even when the ride is closed, then he's lying. Stealth did not open today. I was there. They did test very late in the day a few times, but sadly, it didn't open.

I know no one knows for sure, and it's really a stab in the dark. But, what do you guys think the probability of Slammer opening on either Saturday or Sunday is?

I do think that Thorpe's reliability is starting to get appauling. Although it has been appauling for a long time, it has only just dawned on me how bad it actually is. I can't see a dedicated ride closure list on the alton Towers website ready, just in case a ride does break. If there is a ride closure, it comes up on the scroll bar. Never, have I even bothered to check because I know that the likelihood is that no ride will be closed. The odd break down may occur during the day for half an hour, but NEVER a week. However, on Thorpe's site, there is a 24/7 ride closure list on hold! Most of the time, there is at least one ride on that list. When I lived in America, I visited Kings Dominion numerous times, and there was never any ride closed! It seems this is the case for most parks around the world. Why Thorpe Park? It's sister park (Alton Towers) seems to have it perfect. It's gotten to the point where I am checking the list weeks before I go every day like a maniac just to see if it is worth going. When we get there, we always panic and ask our selves, what if Stealth is closed. What if Rush is closed? What if there are 5 rides closed? It's ridiculous. If Alton can do it, why can't Thorpe? Saying this, most times I have been, I have had a fantastic day and rides do open, but other times, I have had horrible days. *End ANOTHER Rant *

I absoutely hate it when newspapers blow everything out of proportion. And for what? A bit of news which most of isn't true, just for ratings. Articles such as this one put bad names to somewhere which doesn't need it. Yes, it did break down. So what? You don't hear the newspapers ramble on about how Stealth had a 'near-fatal backwards freefall to hell as one of the rides mechanisms failed to launch it to a safe speed.' AKA, a roll back. The only reason it got into the news is because it had celebrity riders. One thing whoch bugs me is how they mention it is 'at one point, 200m high...' What the hell? Also, this. 'Jonathan Ross, who was on the long-anticipated ride with his wife and son, looked shaken when the ride finished, and was seen rubbing his son’s back.' It's a horror ride. What do you expect? *End Rant*

Aww... Thanks man! I am so relieved someone had the sense to record it! Again, thank you!

Yeah. I don't see any station views or POV. Nothing of the sort...

^Woops, When I said drop, I meant lift. I did mean the blocks before the lift.

^ Me thinks that TV will be used for the actual ride itself. The TV is at the bottom of the LIFT. This can be identified by the chains. Plus, the queue will not be in any close proximity to this area. Hopefully, this TV screen will be used on the ride as a little pre-show before the drop. Maybe Jigsaw shows his 'trap video' and then sends you up the lift. That would be cool.EDIT: Yes, I meant lift...

The amount of detail in this is stunning. Even the wheelchair lift has themeing! It has blood splatters and stuff on the inside. I thought that was pretty cool! http://themeuk.net/Eurofighter_2009/March09/Saw14.jpg <Yes, blood in the lift!