pluk
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Posts posted by pluk
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I don't think I could bring myself to visit with all that nonsense going on. Fortunately it'll be a few years until my daughter is old enough to be making a visit likely, hopefully by then this system will be on the scrapheap, but it feels like a one way situation at the moment. Once reliant on the queue jumping cash it's hard to come away from.
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7 hours ago, Matt N said:
given the site and Merlin’s tight budget!
Merlin can build new parks from scratch without a wince, they don't have a tight budget in the slightest.
They could put a full size coaster in here if they fancied it, they are choosing not too.
This change looks insignificant, likely for groundworks, utilities, access.
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On 12/9/2021 at 10:13 PM, JoshC. said:
-Existing rides: They said they're looking to retain "at least one of the existing rides".It's loggers, isn't it? 😄
- Glitch, Matt 236, CineramaMax and 3 others
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I don't like to be negative, but I hate it for that adverse camber nonsense straight out of the station. Pack it in.
Overall though it looks alright I suppose, which seems like some mental apathy for the height record in the UK. It just seems that everything I'd want from a hyper isn't there. A straight ahead killer drop, multiple airtime hills, and length. This is like a greatest hits of elements of other coasters they already have, just a bit bigger.
- Project LC, Inferno and Jack29
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10 hours ago, JoshC. said:
So the question is, how did this come about? Was it:
1. "We're finally going to invest in a new coaster at Chessington. It's been a while, so chuck as many firsts into it as possible, and the people will come! ... A launched, shuttle, B&M wingrider with a big IP with multiple firsts, plus being the first inverting coaster at the park...brilliant!"
2. "We're finally going to invest in a new coaster at Chessington. It's been a while, so let's do a TON of market research and see what the people want. ... Wait, you want a launched, shuttle wing coaster with an IP...o-okay?"
I think it's safe to say it didn't come about how it should; by someone who knows what they are doing designing an excellent ride and the theming and marketing evolving around that. The tail wags the dog at Merlin.
10 hours ago, JoshC. said:Still, in any case, this is projected to have a maximum theoretical throughput if 720pph. It won't get that, and will probably end up averaging around the 500pph mark. That's simply not good enough for what one should hope to be a new headline attraction for the park.
And this is the real crux of it, why I'm negative on the project overall rather than indifferent. However good this ride actually is that throughput is absolutely not good enough. Regardless of any other consideration, the whole thing should be back to the drawing board on that point alone.
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20 hours ago, Glitch said:
So much positivity on this thread!
Be happy for a new coaster.RE the IP, perhaps Jumanji will have a new film coming out in the next few years, apparently the budget is significant so hopefully we will be getting an excellent immersive experience.
The rollercoaster looks different and I look forward to trying it. * Pending restraints don't discriminate against tall people.
Considering enthusiasts have been crying out for investment in Chessington for decades, does it not say something that there might be something off with these plans that the response has been muted at best? There's going to be differences of opinion but collectively we do kind of know what we are talking about, don't we?
Should we have been happy for a new dark ride, something else we have been crying out for for decades, when we were given DBGT?
Other than it is something, I'm intrigued to know what particular positives people find in these plans. They literally have an empty field to work with, a completely blank canvas, quite a rarity in UK developments. Is this really the best thing they could do with that and a pile of cash?
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On 8/14/2021 at 9:40 AM, Mark9 said:
It's so refreshing that after close to two decades and no real major investments built in the park, that there is so much positivity in this thread.
There's sooo much this park needs, but I'm at a loss to understand why they think that includes a (relatively) low capacity 1.4m coaster with another vaguely jungle theme.
Everything about it is so odd.
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My first thoughts (from POV, I'm no VIP) is that if this sort of set up was used as the entrance and exit of X, with effects of comparable quality during the ride, that would make one complete, excellent attraction rather than two slightly lacking ones we now have.
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Agreed about the middle section. I don't understand why they couldn't get that effect to work reliably? It really was simple, surely they could have put the effort they did into reconfiguring that section into the effect instead and kept it going.
That's such a non event now, something spectacular needs to happen there to make the journey feel worthwhile. The obvious answer would be some nice close up real fire effects, but I imagine that would increase the running costs too much.
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I can't believe for a second they'd go for a B&M wineries, it just feels all wrong.
I'm sticking my money on a variant of that S&S prototype with the flicking out seats that looked a lot like it could be developed into a winged coaster.
Not much money mind, because it probobly won't actually be anything that exciting.
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17 hours ago, MattyMoo said:
If they have to clean EVERY headset after EVERY ride
You mean they didn't already?! 😄😄
I wonder if they could use something where guests slot their own phones into a disposable cardboard holder? With an app to run the VR? Wouldn't be as effective but might word for now.
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5 hours ago, RobF said:
The ride cant seem to lift much weight these days.... ( I'm not saying your big lol) more that any elephant with an adult doesn’t go full height
No, I am quite a lump! But I watched a couple of cycles from truckers and my elephant was just not much of a flyer regardless of who was on it.
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On 3/8/2020 at 3:07 PM, Glitch said:
This was open today, look cool though is currently missing the middle theming element.
Hello last spring.
Surprised it wasn't mentioned after this post, but the theming element is no longer missing although you'd be hard pressed to notice it wasn't. Really, it is tiny sitting atop this ride, the scale is all wrong. It just looks bizarre, with some big sort of padding thing below it and a relatively tiny motif on top. The base has colourful stones in sections, but this is full of detritus from the trees so just looks messy. The ride itself is also quite broken, with a couple of elephants (including the yellow one I found myself on) very obviously not able to make it more than a couple of feet off the ground.
When small but IP led retheme investments are this bad you know something is deeply wrong at the heart of what is happening here.
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How is Chessington coping off peak midweek these days? Thinking of visiting fir the first time in a couple of years but don't fancy a day of explaining to a 2 year old why we have to wait hours for everything!
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On 3/16/2021 at 8:11 AM, RobF said:
It went to Holiday Park, so I had unknowingly ridden the same ride a couple if decades apart!
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On 3/15/2021 at 3:14 PM, JoshC. said:
Stealth turns 15 years old today! Almost hard to believe it is actually that old..!
If you feel like reminiscing a bit, or simply haven't seen construction photos of Stealth, we have a nice selection of photos on the TPM Stealth page for your viewing pleasure...
I was there that opening day, IIRC it was hit heavily by powercuts and something of a nightmare.
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On 3/16/2021 at 7:48 AM, JoshC. said:
I wonder if they've made any changes to Saw too and got rid of the bag room for shelves? Less space so slightly more challenging there, but it's possible.
I'd assume / hope that these bag holds have switching access so you can only access your own trains bags? With the number of trains on Saw that probably wouldn't be possible so I hope not.
Either way, this looks like a right old mess. I don't think it should be too much to ask that if they are going to do something they do it properly and professionally, this looks like it's neither.
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1 hour ago, Mark9 said:
What flat rides should they be getting as permanent additions?
Gimme a B
Gimme an R
Gimme an E
Gimme an A
Gimme a K
Gimme a D
Gimme a A
Gimme an N
Gimme a C
Gimme an E
...and a polyp.
... and a tagada
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17 hours ago, JoshC. said:
Ultimately if its time is coming to an end, it's because of Covid. Sure, there's other factors which could contribute to the closure, but Covid will be the main reason.
I imagine that whatever restrictions Covid necessitates could be overcome if the desire was strong enough to keep the ride running. This conversation seems to be jumping the gun a little but if it has gone it surely is because they want it gone, not because it has to go.
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I don't think it can be denied that doing this is his work. I don't think it could be argued he could do this work without going there to do it, and there have been very few attractions open to chose from. It cant be argued that you can travel for work if you cannot work from home because that's the law, and therws nothing in law that states the work needs to be essential. That's not a loophole or bending of the rules, its the law which is written that way deliberately. That being the case I find it hard to be critical of him doing it, even if it's not something I'd do myself right now.
As for the allegations, he was in a no win situation with that, and as a one man band trying to deal with that I'm not sure what people could expect of him? He's not going to have slick managed response and I don't see how he could be responsible for his friends actions which themselves never went beyond unconfirmed allegations.
If people have found him to be an arse in real life then fair enough I suppose.
Thorpe Park 2023
in General Discussion
Posted
WTF were they thinking with the BK destruction? Just as they put in a highly themed railways station coffee shop, they tear out a highly themed burger bar and turn it into generic shopping centre?
Spending money to make things worse is my biggest hate in Theme Parks, especially when getting funding for anything that isn't a big new thing has been neigh on impossible for decades, but with this and the teacups we have two big lumps of that here.
Who the hell is running this place, and can they be sunk with the Thorpe Belle?