Benin

OzIris was completed around this time last year, then got some of the best theming in Europe... It happens...

7 actually... But if the ride is constantly buggered, and the company who original made it are no longer producing parts for it, the park MUST consider the benefits against the high costs of maintenance and the unreliability the ride has had over the 7 years it has been open... No ride has a specific lifetime, but if Slammer keeps playing up like it has been, then it's time might be coming to an end... Imagine the potential if Thorpe removed Slammer, NWO, the Arena and Storm Surge eh?

I think that's just how Thorpe run their Fastrack, always been way too unbalanced on busier days...

So erm, yeah, Zero G on a Wooden Hybrid anyone?

Why would the park get rid of a drop tower for another one? Especially when Det is a lot better than many other types...

Lex Luthor - Drop of Doom opens today, and here's a bit of B-Roll footage... Looks fab...

That sounds more like personal opinion rather actual fact...

Dunno why people are spending €51 on a queue jump pass when they could just pretend to be Spanish and queue jump for free?

THE ride of 2012 has opened today... VERY jealous of the people I know riding it later this year... It looks so awesome...

This times a million...

What is this? Reading trying to be like Croydon?

And in news closer to home, Phantasialand's new ride for 2013 has a model... It's SOME undetermined water ride and seems that it will involve some ride retheme (I.e. Colorado Adventure) to remove the remainder of the Wild West and create a massive Mexican area...

Time for an Asia Disney update... Starting with Tokyo Disneysea's version of Toy Story Mania, based in the America Waterfront area, and based off the old Luna Park style parks... Looks very nice, similar to California's style really... But yet again this will prove to be an excessively popular addition to an already excellent park... Elsewhere, in Hong Kong, the current major expansion of areas is continuing with the new Big Grizzly Mountain coaster suddenly appearing finished out of nowhere and POV from staff previews has been sighted... Needless to say, this also looks awesome, seemingly combing elements from Big Thunder Mountains and Expedition Everest and resulting in this awesome piece of kit... Personal highlights are the 'sudden' reverse drop due to the breaking cable and the launch that comes due to the bear activating the dynamite... If Mystic Manor (the trackless version of Haunted Mansion) is anywhere near the quality of this, Hong Kong Disney might well become an excellent park in the future...

This is too ridiculous to be ignored... An adventure rope course with an interesting element... Located at Zoo & Safari-Park Stukenbrock...

Well, it won't take much to retheme it would it? Be a shame to see it go, but it's unreliable and the park must be considering whether it's cost effective to keep it... A shame, but often some things need to be chopped to stop wasting resources...

Stupid trees, how dare they not remain in their garden centres...

So many fences that you could ACTUALLY lean over... Stupid H&S ¬¬

Zoo days usually had at least the Chicken Shack and Pizza Pasta open as well as the central shop... Bit disappointing really, but maybe as well to be considered could be the construction involving Wanyama's Safari thing (if that itself doesn't get cut and cancelled) might affect it, and if they have to shut Wanyama for construction reasons, it might well not be worth bothering opening the zoo for the rest of it... Then again, I don't think these days were ever that popular... Like Chessie during any off peak day really...

Fortunately, not every Gerstlauer is like Saw... Dunno what the difference between having this and the Black Hole tent makes really aside from the movement aspect... Either way, the area is still designed with Oblivion in mind and will still be the major thing to be seen as you enter the area... On the top of the drop I'm sure many people who aren't enthusiasts will still be solely focused on the massive drop and tiny hole at the bottom... Indeed, I doubt many guests will care much that there is a new coaster apparently 'ruining' the area... The parks cannot win can they?

Evidently missed the 5/6 hour queues of opening weekend... On the other hand, it DOES mean an empty California Screamin' AND Tower of Terror, which can only be considered a good thing

Since I've been in hospital due to appendicitis, I haven't been really working much on a TR, and I kinda cannot really bring myself to do a full review of the two days I spent at Asterix... HOWEVER, I can talk about the important thing, the thing no doubt people care about, and that is... OzIris I was excited for this ride, an awesome looking theme, unique layout and a B&M, that stuff gets me going, and naturally we had headed straight from park opening to the new ride. The area is fantastically themed, well and truly one of the best themed areas in the entire park (which is already well themed) and in Europe. I was taken aback by the job Neverland have done to it, and the pictures just don't do it justice at all. It truly is a work of art, from the grand ride station to the rockwork to the Eiffel Tower. The queue itself is great, providing some lovely views of the first part of the ride and the helix. Very Tussauds like and that's just half the queue, inside is a completely different story. If the area took me aback, the inside did it all over again. One of the best themed queuelines I've ever had the pleasure to walk straight through, and indeed is on that list of queues that you wouldn't mind being in for ages because of the high level of detail available to look at. So many great pieces of theming big and small and new things spotted on every run through the queue. The station is just as grand and well themed, the front row queue does lack a sign and caused several confused French people, however our first ride was to be in the middle (though later rides involved the front once and the back twice). A small dispatch sequence with changing lights and heavy bass commences the ride as the train passes through some strobing eyes (part of the ride's story) and we head up the quick lift. The first drop kicks just as well as Katun's, and the lack of pre-drop makes a ridiculously high amount of difference, with an instant dive to the left being a brilliant start to the ride and it sets out what it plans to do for the next minute or so. The first half of the layout is similar to Silver Bullet in a way to me, with the stall turn and the rather original style of layout. But it is a very quick paced and reasonably intense start to the ride, with a real highlight being the extended drop out of the Vertical Loop, a weird and unique sensation but very very good at the same time. As always, the trims make no difference, so no worries with that. The drop into the pool is good as well, although the mist vanished later on, it fills up very well and it's a neat visual trick for both on and off riders, it leads into the slowest part of the ride, the first zero g and helix, however, it works in a similar way to Nemesis' stall turns, allowing a short break to the relative intensity before the next good bit. The bit in question is a dive back towards the ground before rising back up into the station hugging zero g, which is yet another extremely well done element full of fun, airtime and good levels of intensity. The final ground hugging helix in the middle of the queueline follows before a dipping turn into the brakes. If you can't tell, I loved this ride. It looks good, rides good, and fulfils that level of intensity whilst being re-rideable. It really is a brilliant addition to Asterix as it gives them that second excellent coaster with Zeus and is straight into my top 10. It is only slightly behind Nemesis and Katun which sit as my top 2 currently, but it can easily be placed in the same breath as them in my opinion. From that first view of the ride as you exit the motorway for the park, to the final ride, it's a beautiful ride that will hopefully put Asterix back in the minds of enthusiasts. 10/10 [imghttp://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/181146_10151798424510220_142647037_n.jpg [/img]

And if I DON'T want to spend money to do that? That'll be what, 2 hours of darkness if we're lucky now anyways? Ew... Not great...

Sounds like a silly idea, since no doubt after a while a few animatronics would break after a while, leaving a large maintenance bill in its wake... I'd rather an actual ride tbh, this scare maze fad is just meh...

It ain't gonna get anymore theming... It just looked turd, is pointless in a park with nearly enough every other water ride already in existence, and has a really stupid looking drop... I wish the B&M Dive Machine rumours had been true EDIT - Oh, and yeah, why the hell aren't we talking about Cars Land (now open with Beuna Vista Street)? http://www.westcoaster.net/updates.php?updateCD=061912 WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?