electricBlll

I just love to see 'remains' and 'left over bits' dotted around theme parks. I looked up whilst walking down the X No Way Out corridor and, just above the mirrored cabinet that used to hold the robot, I noticed this:I have probably seen it before (I do vaguely recognise robotic heads somewhere in that corridor), but it was a big surprise to find it just hanging there, unnoticed by everybody walking past, abandoned. What the hell is it anyway? They had UV-painted bits on them, such as the eyes, which glowed nicely in the remaining black light. You can see that two heads have been taken off it... Wonder where they are now? Shame there is not much original X theming around now that Hellgate has barged into the old queue and the remaining robot has been removed. It would be great to see old props or theming in a storage room somewhere, but they probably went in a skip. A lot of you will probably already know this is there. Does anybody know more about it or if there was anymore theming like this that has since been removed? I seem to remember the robot saying something and some air blasters from above (similar to the effect in Saw) giving everybody a surprise. The first time I rode X was in 2006, so I was was too late to witness many of the old effects, but I do remember that one.

You mean they have changed it to an actual image?

Mystic East was looking very nice. Here are a few more photos of the new waterfall and misters ine pond and Chinese lanterns if anybody is interested. Also, I am not sure if the buddha has been cleaned, but it looks sexier than usual anyway. There were also some white shirts hanging out on a clothes peg next to the eating area behind the station, you can see them in the background of the waterfall photo.The reopened gorilla enclousre (why was it even closed in the first place? Was the project for a bigger enclosure abandoned?) has also got some lovely new 'explorer' bits.

Yes I saw that on Tuesaday and took a few photos, it is really nice isn't it? In fact the whole of Mystic East is looking far far better now that it has had a little refurbishment.

Yep, that is exactly what I said. Such a shame. One of my happiest memories was going on Professor Burp's Bubbleworks in its last year when I was young. Well I am so glad I have such vivid memories of it, the smell, the sound, the emotions I felt when riding... I feel lucky.

Oh right.By the way, I had my best experience by far on Saw Alive on Sunday. It was a very quiet day, with absolutely no queue, so we were asked whether we wanted go in by ourselves or wait for a queue to build. It was just the three of us, and I must say it is great with smaller groups.The maze itself was very good, as the actors were really getting into their roles. Considering this was right at the end of the day, I must thank them for staying enthusiastic and energetic. They were brilliant compared to other visits in which they have just touched you a bit or said "boo". All the effects were working, as they have all year it seems, and I finally got to feel the chill when entering the freezer room. I noticed a lot more as well in the detailed scenes too. Good all round, really, bar the unfitting guitar music. What's more, I actually found it a fun attraction.

Well, it's called effort. If you want a nice visual effect but it can't be mechanically animated for H&S reasons then you have got to think of clever solutions. Otherwise you are a lazy art department. When I was trying to take a photo of the leaking container, towards the end of the day, it slowly run lower and then until it stopped. I assumed it was because it was after ride closing time. Maybe that is why you saw it stop? By the way, the blades are very difficult to see because they are props shoved high up in the corner on the ceiling. So when you hear the 'swoosh' sound effect they should light up.

I finally saw the swinging blade today, and it really is rather pathetic. In a scare maze it is the effects and actors that matter, and you need both. A swinging blade could have been really good, but instead you get a sound effect and dodgy lighting that easily goes unseen.Instead of having two static props and lighting them at different points (not even lit very well, you can see that they do not move and both lights seem to overlap each other), you should have at least several props lit by strobes or some sort of projection. An actual swinging blade would be brilliant but with actors in that area I understand why that could not happen. The projection could work if the brightness was dim enough to look realistic, and if it was projected on to a prop. Well, anything really that makes it look realistic and noticable, at the moment it is a tad cringe worthy!Outside Saw Alive I noticed something new (although it has probably been there for ages), the leaking container of corrosive substances. I think that is a great touch. More effects and more theming in that area would be much loved, but, hey, that isn't going to happen. Let's be greatful for what we do have, eh? By the way, has anybody else noticed the lack of wig on Billy in scene 2?

Well I didn't notice anything like that a few days ago, so it was probably just a mistake or a temporary change for safety purposes. The strobe effects have definitely been toned down/removed though, which is very disappointing. That scene was the most magic anywhere in a UK theme park - now it is just a room with fountains! But I was impressed with Bubbleworks on my last visit. All the effects (as far as I know or are still able to function/have been fixed recently) were working, including the Cream Soda Cow's eyes that I have never seen move before.

Tomb Blaster is a lovely and exciting ride, but at some points you can't help but feel... well... "meh". It is these underwhelming moments that really detract from the ride, and make it a favourite in a sentimental way, rather than a favourite for being a great quality dark ride.For example, the end of the ride consists of some mummies that lean forward suddenly. This is a pretty decent jump effect, but in no way is it a finale. What's more, the lighting comes on a second or so before they actually animate, so, combined with the fact that you see them long before they move anyway, they do not work as well as they could. After this we are lead down a totally bare corridor, with crumbling, black paneling above our heads, and shown our on ride photos for a while. Then we pass area where the dead Abdab used to stand, or where Zappomatic used to say goodbye I assume, and under the remains of some poles where the flying heads used to be (similar to the effects in Duel). Again, everything is bare, unthemed and underwhelming.Especially on my recent visit, which took place on a very very quiet day. Ride ops had the train in the station for a long time, waiting for the dribbles of riders to make it to the station until the train was full. With one in the onload and one in the offload, this meant that we had to wait for a while in the final scene beside the photo screens. For ages. And all that was there to keep us entertained was the TB theme being played eerily quietly on one tinny speaker in the corner. Hmm...It is a shame that the end is so weak, because the ride deserves a lot more. It leaves a tad sour taste in your mouth, and whoever was conducting the Terror Tomb retheme must have been blind to not realise that there should be something dramatic to round it off. I mean, lazy or what?Also, the beginning is, in my opinion, lacking something. This was made up for by Abdab's appearance standing to the right, holding a lantern and warning you of the Tomb. Now there is nothing, just theming. The theming is great quality but it can't keep you entertained or start the ride off on the note it should. Things get a lot better on the ramp, however. That is if the rolling boulder decides to work properly. The snake scene is also a problem, as the novelty of seeing a giant, fully animated cobra in front of you soo wears off after you have been looking at it for several minutes. This, once again, only became a proplem after the orignal idea was removed. There was always meant to be a progressive scene played out in front of you, not just one effect. There is actually enough space in there for more, so with proper money spent the snake could be accompanied in his terror (as long as it is progressive and works in stages - there is no point in having a snake and a bunch of flailing mummies in front of you for 2 minutes).The spike room is also naff. Not much more to say really, as it is the same as the Snake scene, except it doesn't make much sense (revolving door+mummy with laser+spikes+mummy with jewel+treasure chest?!).However, the ride does not need any changes. It will, however, greatly benefit from such theatrical improvments. It will cost though...

Ha! Your stupidity is actually quite funny. Sorry to be rude but, how many times can one person completely "miss the point" in one topic?! Putting an arrow on to a picture was not to make you say "I didn't ride Samurai by myself", it was supposed to direct your eyes to the intended focus point of the photo, to show evidence that we are not making these rules up.What next? Are you going to say it is photoshopped or something?!

Sorry, should we not believe you and then would we have more brain cells?

Look at the LED notice board, it says "15 people mini[mum]". And anyway it was not to show that you didn't go by yourself, it was to show that we are not making up these rules.But, seriously, why does it matter? You either did or you didn't, does there need to be three pages of arguing?

It is very good to see a lot of fixed effects around Rattlesnake. All the animatronics (bar the man climbing the rope) are now working fully it seems, including some exploding, flashing boxes beside the dynamite shack that I have never seen animate before.

It's not a rollercoaster...

The furthest swing is also the one that swings lower than it is meant to.

Practically all of Thorpe Park's flat rides are bare as well, so there is nothing to look at/keep you entertained other than the ride itself. Therefore the queues are usually quite miserbale, and if you don't get a good ride experience then the whole wait seems pointless.Thankfully most of Thorpe Park's flat rides are very good, so it is only really the queueing that suffers from the total lack of features/theming. But I often find that long, boring queue times are enough to put off a lot of guests anyway. Quite a shame really! The flats would really benefit from an impressive appearance and theme.Shame about the schlop pop music playing...

It's still a pointless comment whether on not you said "DO".

Whether or not other coasters use the vertically dropping track is down to what type of ride the park want to install. I am sure it isn't exclusive to Alton Towers, and the technology may even be developed more for use on models other than the family type.

That's because the Simpsons Movie never has played. He is winding us up!

Isn't there a mirror beside the break run so that the ride ops can see around the corner?Never noticed a smell, though...

Yes, the swing you sit on moves only a few degress, whilst the room does full revolutions.

Well of course they are going to keep it, why else would they build it? They are not going to demolish it. I'm not sure what you mean...

You do know that is just the maintenance position, right? It didn't crash or anything, if that was what you were thinking...

Ugh, re-read my post please and you will understand.You were saying that Dragon Falls is not a popular ride anymore, because the queue only often reaches two hours. I pointed out that two hours for Dragon Falls actually means it is very popular. You then come up with the most daft response I have ever heard saying "If you have ever waited in A&E for five hours you would realise that two hours is not actually a long time to wait in a queue." Do you think that makes any sense?Two hours is still a very long queuetime for Dragon Falls, regardless of whatever you were doing in some hospital somewhere. For example, I have been on a plane for six hours, does that mean Dragon Falls isn't a popular ride? No.