MattyMoo

Mods - if this is better placed elsewhere, please move! I'm fascinated by what people will pay for on eBay that's theme park related so thought I'd start a topic to discuss/share odd items etc. relating to our beloved Merlin Theme Parks. Some recent auctions I've found - these are "Sold" items, not unsold items with high start prices - real life money changed hands! I've omitted some listings for genuine old-skool memorabilia (Thorpe Rangers etc) as I can see there is actual value in that... I do know that everything has a price depending on how much people want it! Air Pin badge: £82.00 Thirteen Staff badge: £72.00 Alton Towers 2016 & DBGT Staff Badge £50.00 - really?! Set of 9 New Pop Badges: £31.00 - I don't get these at all...! DBGT Staff Pin Badge: £25.00, £20.00, £19.00, £17.00 - hope TP don't ask for these back Stealth Large Mug: £20.00 - I have one of these, maybe I should give it a clean up and sell it! CWOA Silver VIP Pop Badge: £21.01 TP My First Coaster Pop Badge: £21.00 6 Legoland Pop Badges: £20.00 Colossus Large Mug: £20.00 TP IAC Pop Badge: £14.50 (Shameful!) TP 2015 Staff Badge: £12.50 Angry Birds Land Staff Badge: £12.50 On the flip side though, I just bought a Smiler keyring with all the mini marmaliser items on for £2.50 delivered which I thought was very reasonable

Advert was shown during the ad break on Celebrity Juice last night too

One would assume that by having multi-cars they can then increase throughput - the experience in car 1 starts and after X minutes that car perhaps moves into the hanging train as suggested, by which time car 2's experience has started and is timed so that it enters the hanging train once car 1 has moved back out.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/669970/Derren-Brown-ghost-train-when-ride-open-Thorpe-Park-opening-date Quote here saying it "should be May"

It's almost as if the ride is so incomplete inside that they can't review it!

Press preview must've been recently, probably when Derren visited. That article implies there wasn't much to errr preview... Opening May still? That article is titled "....facing more delays"

Just in case anyone is interested - visited the park on Wednesday for my first visit this year. The park was very dead. Everything walk on with the exception of Nemesis & Colossus which were 10 minutes due to them opening after "inclement weather" ahem. Ride count: Stealth x2 Swarm Fishy Detty <3 Nemesis Inferno Dodgems x2 <3 Rapids Storm Turd X Tidal Wave Slammer SAW Colossus I'm a Filler Attraction Get Me Out Of Here Fin's Bar Rush Was very pleased to get on the mighty Slammer, forgot how good a ride that is. Nice to see Tidal's newly refurbed entrance, one of the best ride entrances in the park. Stealth was fantastic as always, Swarm was so empty that even the bag drop was shut! Like the new queue times board in the Dome, nice touch. For those effects watchers out there: Stealth smoke, Swarm smoke, Nemmy smoke, gushing water tower all working. No flame from Tidal or Swarm but that may have been turned off to save a few quid. No water effect on the helicopter part of Swarm and NO SPINNING BLADES ON SAW, THE HORROR. Also - spotted they've fixed the countdown clock on the vertical lift hill but used a dot matrix LED Board and not a 7 digital-style segment clock like the others (Disney wouldn't stand for that - they should've just nicked one of the clocks from SAW Alive.) But hey, it's fixed. Sort of. Shout out to the pigeons and associated pigeon mess residing in the station entrance as you return after your ride. Props to the singing ride-op on SAW (didn't quite match the theme of the ride but whatevs, he was mega enthusiastic and was keen to dispatch trains quickly) and the poor chap (who was very chatty) working in DBGT Shop who had the misfortune to be working on the 6th May having to deal with irate guests wanting to ride the thing - but hey, why not buy a magnet guyz? Tried peeling off the "Arriving May" sticker that covered up the 6th May date on the big DBGT posters as a souvenir but decided against it. Older guy on the offload platform of Rapids and also an older cleaner chap in Fin's who chatted to us, asked how our day was going etc. were very friendly and cheery, thumbs up. (See it's not all bad!) Nemesis, Stealth, Swarm, Colossus all one one train operation all day. As noted elsewhere, NI, Colossus and SAW all shut very quickly after even the slightest bit of rain... Saw an E-Stop/Lift Evac on Storm Surge. Took a long time to offload (as per) as they have to load boats before you can get off/wait for enough people to queue to fill a boat, but, was a good laugh and passed some time. X was a good bit of fun too and credit where credit is due for what they've done on a limited budget, the lights inside were impressive and well placed. I haven't "experienced" I'm A Celeb before and have to say it didn't really do it for me at all - I maintain that us Brits just don't do "participation" things like that and it was pretty damn cringey all the way through. Theming was pretty good inside but I can't see it lasting too much longer, especially since it has those first-to-be-cut expense of "actors". The challenges were a bit odd, the actors tried but it all fell a bit flat and seemed a bit odd, and the non-enthusiast friends I was with were not impressed. Saw that Samurai was testing in the afternoon but maybe they do that every day just to check she's still alive after all that life support Overall I had a nice chilled out day with mates (despite the on/off weather) - but one or two visits (max) a year is enough for me, personally. Was nice going with peeps who hadn't been in so long, interesting to hear people's opinions after their first ever ride on the attractions there. Stealth and NI were their stand-out faves, Slammer also got rated highly. They thought Colossus was very rough, thought Swarm was brilliantly smooth and offered a different experience to the other coasters there, and loved the theming of the ride/area. They also took great offence at the DBGT shop being open and signs pointing you in it's direction to ride X got the thumbs up, and IAC got the WTF award EDIT: Like Mark said too - sunken garden looks lovely and spotted some very nice landscaped bits around the park

Another forum hot topic - the mist was plentiful in the tunnel and around the green volcano today.

Was just an observation - my mate said "It'd look better if the blades spun" - I informed him they normally do! On a positive note - I spotted the countdown clock on the lift hill has been replaced this year (albeit with a dot matrix board style clock instead of the proper SAW style 8 segment style digital clock... too geeky? )

I tell it like it is Creek, I tell no lies

Blades not spinning on SAW still FYI. I like the pigeon coop you have to go through on the final bit of the track into the station

I can't see it myself... they've never done that before. Overheard conversations in the small queues we were part of today suggest having the "Ghost Train this way" signs up as well as the shop open but the ride not does more to wind up guests than to encourage promotion for the thing.

Slammer behaved for our ride today. Fair play to Merlin for keeping the slamming going for another year at least, I do love the ride.

The park was very very empty today. Don't think I've ever been there when it's that quiet before. Maybe they were being careful especially with so few guests on park.

Yes can confirm Colossus, SAW and Inferno had downtime as soon as it started raining - and at no point was the rain really that heavy. We were out in it so we know Was a bit annoying - I did think it was odd when explaining it to my non enthusiast mates as to why Nemesis Inferno was shutting as I was sure that wasn't normally the case with rain (there wasn't even any wind today either). The "uncomfortable for riding" message was played then a few minutes later the ride was closed with an announcement from the control room. Was a minor annoyance for us today (as everything was walk on/5 mins anyway) but can see this being a big cause of delays if we have a "British summer" Colossus and Nemesis Inferno peaked at 15/20 mins after shutting down. Highest queue I saw was IAC when it was raining outside at 25 mins. Did that for the first time ever today. It's cringey I'm sorry, I give it until the end of this year. Found the whole thing rather odd and awkward , the theming was pretty good though. Spotted that Colossus has heaters under the track in the station (but then I haven't been since October last year). I witnessed a lift hill stop on Storm Surge in the rain but that could've been someone messing about in a boat... team member was on the stairs. Was super glad to get on Slammer today <3 Persuaded my mate to go on when I explained how rare a ride it is. Samurai was testing late in the day. Shout out to the crazy team member on SAW singing "Put Your Hands Up" and then asking me what he should sing (I suggested Macarena and he did haha)

The area by the BBQ where the Heras temporary fencing is (with "The Island Is Changing" branding) looks particularly unfinished at the moment... but there is stock in the Hydration station shop already Was having a chat with the chap in the shop - he was working on the 6th and said there were a lot of unhappy people! 13th isn't going to be happening. I'd expect at least a week's notice so Thorpe can try and build some hype to the delayed opening date.

I was on park today and Studios North were still out with paint pots and resin guns - and working on the sign AGAIN So think 13th May is just a little bit out of the question. Maybe the end of May is pushing it... The door was open in the building near the refreshments booth, saw some sort of electronics in there- as soon as the chap in there realised I was peering through the fence though he shut the door haha. On a different note, non enthusiast friends who I was with thought it was a complete mickey take having the ride shop open when the advertised opening date of the ride itself has been delayed. (Park today was dead today FYI and had an awesome day - guy on SAW singing as he loads was very enthusiastic to say the least haha)

I'm on park tomorrow so will see how things are running... but I guess it's going to be just a touch quieter tomorrow vs. the first sunny weekend of 2016.

Enthusiast brownie points > NDAs

"Film short" - typically short films are 15/20 mins long so that would make sense.

Yes they are!

Probably so people don't think it's opening/opening later?

Now why would they go and have the media day on the 6th May I wonder...

Really like this, good stuff Thorpe. Fastrack - meh, they have to make money, doesn't bother me that advert.

Because it's got chipboard behind it, it looks like they've boxed in the arch it sits on as an afterthought.