pluk

No, it will contain less screeching, squealing, mugging to camera and inane questions. Whatever they do would be an improvement. Not that I'll be watching, it's been going downhill fast since about 2004 and I don't see that trend stopping with the production qualities of channel 5 thrown on top.

Don't think that out loud, some idiot in a suit might read it, decide that's a good idea and park it next to Samurai next year.

How precisely do you propose a person proves how exaggerations of scale and deviation from the norm alters their own perception of how real something looks?! (now that IS a silly point indeed!!).Too be fair, it would look kinda odd if they had to stick one of the engines out near the tip of the wing to give the clearance. We all know roughly what a plane wing should look like and to deviate well beyond the realms of reality would spoil the point of the effect. Not really that much of a silly point. I think it's gonna look pretty awesome though and would suggest the reason the design includes the outer engine broken and falling away has been done precisely to accommodate the size of the train without making the wing/engine proportions look all weird. Praying for ride sequenced engine fire effects. Mmmmmm, pyrotechnics.

Freakin love Angelos Epithemiouhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jvhqrhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jw2gp

Some rather fetching young lady in the boat in front of me once flashed on Dragon Falls.The staff just laughed and left it up on the display. Wife wouldn't let me buy it!

From my experience there's no doubting the Merlin parks in the UK are the most popular for a good reason - they are better than the others.I do go to other parks when I can if I'm near one and some of them have been great, but if they are not on a certain scale then I can not justify travelling halfway across the country to visit them. BPB are the exception to this, and Drayton were getting close in terms of size if not quality but their developments recently have not appealed to me at all (they weren't aimed at me either I guess). Oakwood has been calling me for years but that really is a long way away. Alton and Thorpe though have so much to do and provide a complete day out that they are worth huge journeys, same goes for Chessington if you've got a family.The park I have visited more than any other is Peter Pans / Adventure Island Southend. That's not because I think it is the best park in the country, it's because I live a short train ride away and often find myself in Southend anyway sitting on the seafront with a beer on a sunny day and thinking "I fancy a go on Rage". I do hope people aren't driving from somewhere near Alton to Southend just to visit AI, but I know a lot of people here who do drive to Alton for the sole purpose of visiting the park. No independent I've visited would have justified the journey just to visit the park.I think the UK theme park market really could do with a shot in the arm from one of the independents pushing up to the same level as the Merlin. The problems I have with Merlin parks are mainly not about their overall offering but with the laziness in the running and attention to detail. They wouldn't be able to get away with that laziness if others were snapping at their heels.

Ah thanks, didn't realise the crisps ones covered the dungeons - I've got some in my cupboard!

Was the in thing about 10 years ago, now it seems a bit yesterday. The one in Lakeside shopping centre near me stank one half of the place out, cinnabon stank out the other half. Sadly both have now gone, but there is a small lush in there somewhere clinging on to life. I always preferred Virgin Vie; their stuff was amazing, but that's gone now too. Shame.

4 of us going next Monday, our friends will e using c2c which have a but one get one free voucher for any train ticket used, but we are not on that line anymore. Anyone know of any BOGOF vouchers going at the mo?

The rounded nothing to hold on to restraints make this ride for me, would be so much less thrilling if there were handles to grip. Love the forces as it pushes you forward, and that it takes you just high enough to feel like your going over backwards. Why can't they get them swinging in synch though?

In that case - c'mon Rita!

That list is spot on imo.Notice the not so subtle facebook request to bump the 13 votes up? Would be a bit of an embarrassment for their shiny new coaster they are still promoting to come last, looks like they are trying to change that.

Like the site, great pics. Think this would be known as a wing rider though. A wing walker is ......EDIT As usual for me, photo not work. Imagine someone standing on a Brighling plane wing.

With the value of scrap metal at the moment they'd be quids in if they tore it down. I still think it's got a few years left to give yet though.

most likely Swarm related I should think

I don't think this petition is a good idea at all.When they get something so seriously wrong it destroys the heart of the ride (oblivion vs fanta) petitions and the like are great and can work. To set them up for something as small as this just devalues the ones relating to serious problems, they'll just think "oh another one, stick it in the shredder" and the important ones will get missed. Storm Surge is an absolute hunk of junk, I consider it an embarrassment to the park: it looks awful from nearly every angle, is positioned very poorly, the theming is half arsed throughout, bits of it are falling apart already and most importantly it delivers a VERY poor ride experience because it is inherently a very poor ride. No amount of plastic tat stuck to the side of it will improve that.In general I am very pro expenditure on theming/experience. Although an individual piece (be it a shark head, general painting/maintenance or cheap fix to x) will not make anyone think "I must come back to see that again" they make an overall impression and when taken together will definitely result in return visits in the future. I think the importance of this is sometimes lost by those in charge because the results can not be seen on the balance sheets tomorrow, it is investing for the future and the returns can be difficult to quantify.The only petition I would theoretically support in relation to the Surge would be for its removal, but that would be a waste of time since they've only just spent a ton of cash putting it in and it is currently getting massive queues from first time riders. Give it couple of years when everyone knows it is a turd hopefully the lack of interest from the public could see it removed anyway.

Shooting Stars - by far the best thing on tv.http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013cx5h/Shooting_Stars_Series_8_Episode_1/

Just point that thing at storm surge and press the big red button, that'd get them some publicity.If that is a fully working tank (as the track marks behind it suggest) and not a dummy that has been towed into place then it would be worth an absolute fortune and I'm sure won't be staying. Love it though.

Love the sound of that, I'll believe it when I see it though - getting all the funding in place with the current markets is not going to be easy.If it does happen though it could be something to give Merlin a kick up the arse, can only be good for us if major parks start trying to outdo each other.The name sucks though.

This has not been said, as far as I know.It is from a joke going round facebook, with the punchline: if Carlsburg made prime minsters....

Time for some USA style policing. Looting? Shoot kill. That should stop it soon enough!

I'd have thought they wouldn't be that hard to come by even in the UK. There are loads of shells of planes laying about behind the scenes at airports, used for fire / police training etc. They've got no real value beyond scrap so that plus transport costs should do it. If it is supposed to have just crashed it doesn't matter what state it's in and they'd only need the bits sticking out the ground, they wouldn't need the other bits (like the opposite wing) to bury at all.I'm optimistic, think they would have considered it before going to the trouble of adding it to the plans.

I think it is safe to say X no longer has a theme. It is a rollercoaster, in the dark, going backwards. They don't pretend to give that scenario any context or justification, it just is what it is.I like its current incarnation tbh, it just being there being a bit of fun is better than a half arsed theme which doesn't work being shoehorned in. It was all too illuminated when I last rode in May/June, if they have darkened it down a bit (or lot) then great. Bit of smoke on the brke runs, bit of laser lighting and get the music more evenly pumped out and I think it can sit there happily for a few more years.

Incase no ones noticed - two free Thorpe tickets with The Sun this week, token collect starts today.That's actual free tickets, not buy one get one free tickets. Not bad.I presume it will be done with date bands like Atons one, with a specific date of entry allocated rather than open dated tickets. It doesn't actually say in the paper.