Benin

A few parks do visual checks when possible... Using Europa as an example they don't need to physically check Silver Star because there are lights on the base of the restraint... HOWEVER, they do physically check Blue Fire and Wodan (the only 2 coasters that receive such a honour)... So then you have to think, "Why do these two get checked and the rest not?"... Is it due to simplicity of the other restraints such as on Matterhorn Blitz, or is there a clear visual marker like on Silver Star that means the work isn't required? Physically checking a bar helps the psychological aspects of the riders as well, indeed, a lot of times people want double checking and stuff (this is certainly more regular than people sitting on top of restraints, although a good ride team would ensure that all restraints should be up on something like Stealth), and as such just doing visual checks in a way also could mean some things are missed more easily... That's mainly seatbelts, and Vampire's belts are an incredibly fiddly set... Indeed, a lot of incidents happen both with physical and visual checks on a bar, because of human error (on both guest and staff parts)... But from a personal angle I think the physical checks are certainly appropriate to our parks... As an aside, Six Flags do visual checks on some rides but it doesn't feel as safe as the visual checks at the likes of Europa...

Slap bang in Market Square, where the old planter was...

It's a Vekoma wheel, no sale... Plus, collection in Boston... Ewwwwww... I think that pencil Josh would be to do with Treasure Island...

They could always upgrade it to the Circus themed one located at Heide...

I think just Intamin hate tall people, even on Stealth I have to contort weirdly to get into the seat, whilst I just don't bother with a back row on Colossus because I literally cannot get in/out... Hideous design...

Lol at Chessie having Fastrack on Annual Pass Day... Manual restraint checking will never go, that simple...

First update in a while... This is gonna be terrifying... Those character models :/

Such a mess

You aren't going to get empathy from lecturers about having lots of deadlines to acheive, that is essentially the working life... Sometimes you'll have multiple projects on the go and it's down to you to plan your work accordingly to get it all done on time... The extra element situation is of course, completely different...

Anything would be an improvement on Colossus' trains...

Yep, judging the reaction we get from X getting lights and lasers and Scorpion Express having FIRE...

If they did, GS would've been packed... They did the sensible thing, but only because of a typo... Closing would have been as advertised (4) if not for that...

It's amazing how a cracked component hasn't been replaced by now... Surely, from an engineering standpoint and the manufacturer's view would be to replace such an issue as quickly as possible, if only for precautionary measures...

Well at least X is now in the same vein as Vogel Rok (only no onboard soundtrack or animatronics) and Rock n Roller Coaster (only no good music)...

Some bloke was working on Samurai today, tinkering in the cherry picker...

It's clear that the new giant wooden blocks will be finished to coincide with the opening of Angry Birds Land (though I'm so bemused by the idea that these areas now have to open mid-season, I blame Smiler), but that's the level of theming we'll be getting in Balamory, then it'll be lovely, bland and corporate... The Merlin ideal in a nutshell...

The park receives a big "Hmmmmm" from me today... Operational standards were naturally, not great, but a lot of that being clearly down to new staff... However, 1 train op on Inferno (which opened late), Colossus and 1 arm Rush is a bit meh and unhelpful... Confusion reigned on Swarm first thing with the Fastrack queue open instead of the main queue, and especially so on Rumba with people using both the normal and Fastrack queues, leading to a clusterbuggery at the merge point... Felt like Calypso BBQ took forever to get food, maybe the new Wetherspoons method of ordering compared to the old days... Samurai and Slammer both having work done to it... Didn't look at Zodiac because that required more effort than it was worth... X now looks like Rock n Roller Coaster in Paris... S'ok, a rather brightly polished turd it's become now... If they could find a way to get the lighting sequenced to 1) specific cars, and 2) to go off as the cars go around rather than at random, then it would become solid enough for what it is... Lots of families today... Meant most big rides had no queues (bar the 1 train Inferno and Colossus)... I didn't know Angry Birds was set in Balamory... Looks pretty weird tbh... Det's new sign-posts are the quality to expect I reckon, so it will look pretty damn bland and lacking in soul (much like the new style clean branding, which still needs to take over the whole place, though what will soon be Peckish looks exactly like the place I had lunch at Southend earlier this year)... Overall, not exactly enthralled or disappointed... Just non-plussed about it all...

Only sign of life was them testing it shortly after I'd originally posted today...

Was advertised as 5 on Eventbrite, probs covering any potential OUTRAGE...

I wouldn't trust Merlin to organise a piss-up in a brewery...

Not open today either... Possibly optimistic it opening Thursday...

It's probably why I'm so confused by people's love of the X refurb last year, are expectations that low these days?

Would people really care that much if Thorpe literally copied Wodan? Great wooden coaster with decent theming? I probably would turn the other way and ignore a cloned ride if it meant we got a GCI...

They can never make their mind up on the baggage place can they?

That's not the finished scorpion... Right? Shame...