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pluk

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    pluk reacted to JoshC. in JoshC.'s Review of the Thorpe Park Season - 2011   
    *First of all, apologises for splitting one post into three, but due to the large number of photos, it was a necessity. Anyway..*So, Thorpe Park has been closed for over a month now, and the end of the year is now in sight. With Thorpe keeping our attentions focused on The Swarm and 2012, I'm choosing to look back over what has been a pretty interesting season, with many ups and downs. So, sit down and hold tight, as this is going to be one heck of a ride!For those of you that have missed, or ignored , my TRs, you won't know about the epicly large amount of photos I've taken this year. Every trip, I've been armed with my trusty camera, taking photos pretty much anything related to Thorpe Park. Nearly 1000 photos, and a couple of unsuccessful videos, later, I've had many moans and groans from friends and family asking why on earth I keep taking photos, especially of the same things all the time... But ah well, it's part of being an enthusiast to me! Anyone who wants to view all my photos from the year can see them on my FB profile (if you're not friends with me, drop me a PM and I'll link you to it - or, alternatively, you can see my name crop up somewhere in this review and just try and find my yourself. And that's my FB profile plug outta the way ).AP OfficeMy season started on the Saturday of opening weekend, as opposed to the AP Preview Day like for many enthusiasts. After dodging what seems to have been, with hindsight, Thorpe's worst day of 2011, I was still optimistic about my day. After arriving three-quarters of an hour before the half 9 opening, I'd avoided the misfortune of a long AP queue that happened to me last year. However, I was disappointed that the doors for the AP office didn't open until 10 minutes before opening. Certainly something I hope Thorpe reconsider for later years - over opening weekend, there's bound to be more people renewing / buying APs, so they should open earlier. Also, another compliant about the AP office is the lack of tills - I believe there's only about 3/4 that are used now, even though there's space for something like 9. Thorpe need to realise that the longer people wait going into the AP office, the more agitated they'll become with the park itself.After all my waiting to get my AP, I turned out blue.. YAYYYY-not.Storm SurgeI'll now turn to the little thing known as Storm Surge. I must admit that I wasn't overly keen on the ride coming to the park, mainly due to the fact it didn't seem worth the effort and that it looked atrocious. When I first when with non-enthusiast friends, they said 'Well, Storm Surge looks sh!t'. However, when we went on it, we admittedly enjoyed it. The long, relaxing lift hill gives nice views of the park, and the way down was surprisingly enjoyable and the splash, shower and water squirters at the end were just right for this sort of water ride. At first, I felt the only real troubles with the ride were the aesthetics and the theming - they needed improve, and still do. However, for a little filler ride, this isn't too bad in my opinion. However, the ride experience itself has gone downhill dramatically. As the season progressed, the bits of 'Velcro' on the slide stopped serving their purpose, meaning the dingies never span. The shower was completely out of time with the boats, and the water squirters had mixed fortunes all season long. What really took the biscuit was how the boats could become ankle-deep, or higher, in water, and it being viewed as nothing wrong, and with staff telling people to have their feet touching the floor. It made the ride experience uncomfortable and unpleasant. In short, at first, Storm Surge exceeded expectation, but as the season went on, the ride just went a little flat.. Rating: 4/10, which is pretty bad considering my original 7/10 rating! View from the queue.Themed signing = win.I do like the water squirters.Me with the fire car thing! Nemesis InfernoNow, Nemesis Inferno has always been my favourite Thorpe coaster, and still is at the moment. It probably ranks as my favourite Thorpe ride too, so I've been very happy to see that the mist effects have been working practically all season! I was glad to see the queue line mist back, and the tunnel effects have been pretty good all season. The audio has been good as well, with the station having the music loudness just right. Despite many rides and re-rides, the experience never wears off - the ride is well-timed, and has that elegance about it which no other Thorpe coaster has got. That, and it is also one of the most photogenic rides on-park, with plenty of opportunities to capture the train all around it's circuit.At the beginning of the season, when my timing was a little off.The curious case of the missing row 6.Oh, people's face. XDDunno why, but I really like this one.Saw - The RideI'll keep this one more short and sweet. Many people criticise Saw for one reason or another, be it the rough ride it gives, the missed chances of theming or whatever, but I seem to be in the minority that feel it's a relatively good success for the park. I've never really felt the 'roughness' people moan about, just that it is an intense ride, which to me, is only a good thing. Effects inside the warehouse have been of high quality throughout the season, which pleased me as well.Always good to see an empty queue on one of your favourite coasters.Obligatory close up..New lick of paint above the ORP area; always nice to see these little touches.Pigeons watching over the queue line. Jigsaw probably felt they were more reliable than getting new apprentices..Shots from the Samurai queue tend to be the best!Colossus and StealthI avoided the Intamins these year it would seem, with only 5 rides on Stealth (4 of which were on the first night of Fright Nights - more like Dead Night) and my yearly ride on Colossus. Colossus is certainly intense, but the long queues it attracts are rarely justifiable. Stealth doesn't really do it for me, it's more a filler ride for me than something I must try and do. That that really.Stealth's sign has become very washed-out looking.Stealth showing me the poor quality photos my camera can take.Colossus looking pretty at night.Me looking attractive on Colossus.The Water RidesThorpe has a wide variety of water rides when you think about it, especially when considered to other parks. What I like is the varying ranges of 'wetness' you get from them - from Tidal Wave where you get drenched to the bone, to Depth Charge where a refreshing splash is your lot. I must admit that Loggers Leap and Rumba Rapids are two of my favourite rides on park, due to their upbeat themes, good audio tracks and chances to have a laugh with people in your group. They're perhaps not spectacular examples of how to do a log flume / rapids ride, but that still hasn't taken away from just how fun they actually are. Also good to see that the pre-waterfall tunnel has made a return for Rumba Rapids.Tidal Wave I tend to give a miss, and this was the second season in a row I avoided it. I still love how visually stunning it is. Depth Charge has made for a nice filler ride, though now it has reached its 21st, I can't help but feel it won't be long now till it makes way, which will be a shame to say the least.. Rumba Rapids received new padding on it's handle bars, which was a welcome change to the metal that was previously there.Rumba also received a new sign, replacing the old one which just had the Ribena logo somewhat tackily covered over with a splash-shaped cutout.Mack's strange decision is a blow to the families that still decide to visit Thorpe Park.Random bird-house-feeder thingy at Rumba Rapids.Loggers Leap making a splash.Depth Charge!Back of Depth Charge.Tidal Wave always looks amazing.CCRRight, I'm going to keep this short and sweet, simply because I have a whole post dedicated to the closure of the ride.CCR was a ride I have been going for more or less my whole life, so to see it go is quite literally a bit of my childhood ending. Costs of it were rising, and probably it became less worthwhile with the change in target market, but I'm still gutted to see it go, and still would have preferred to see it stay, but ah well, there we go. As for this season, staff seemed to lack enthusiasm on the ride for the most part, with many drivers going through the circuit very speedily, and many of the guards seeming very lethargic to the ride. A couple of years ago, the energy and enthusiasm staff had to the ride made it one of my favourite rides on park. A bit of a shame, but there we go.And all the othersI could go on forever and ever and ever... about every single ride on park, but I won't for obvious reasons. Memorable rides of the year have been my many goes on Flying Fish (not to spy on The Swarm or to go on a ride with no queue, of course..), the ever-dependable Rush and the good old Teacups. Disappointing rides for me during the season were Slammer and Vortex, the former due to it's on-off reliability and the latter for it's seemingly shortened and less forceful rides. Reliability has been generally on the up, bar the odd blip, which is something of a success for the park and shows the ever-improving reliability of rides on park, which spells on good things for the future. Anyways, some miscellaneous pictures.New Teacups signage, prior to the height restriction changes.And the edited one..Tetley sponsorship.A badly edited photo of me using the board outside Teacups! X has been hidden away slightly..Vortex had a below-par season for me, for one reason or another.Need to put some Rush love here.
  2. Like
    pluk reacted to Mark9 in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    You forgot to put a full stop at the end of your sentence.
  3. Like
    pluk reacted to Sidders in Europa Park   
    Lift hill structure is nearly finished:Was ist das in der foreground? :oPhotos from Wodan's Facebook.
  4. Like
    pluk reacted to Ryan in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
  5. Like
    pluk reacted to Laelda_95 in Random Picture Thread.   
  6. Like
    pluk got a reaction from JackR in Random Picture Thread.   
  7. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Fred in Random Picture Thread.   
  8. Like
    pluk reacted to KingVeveraine in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    Maybe I'm mis-interpreting what you're saying, so forgive me if this is unwarranted, but did you really not recognise the General Electric logo ?
  9. Like
    pluk reacted to JAMMYD777 in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    I think I know a certain effect that will be used on a certain Thorpe Park ride. (Hint, Hint, I can't believe I found this, look at the description).

    Test video produced for Taylor North West to demonstrate a pump system for a future ride at Thorpe Park.JAMMYD777
  10. Like
    pluk reacted to Benin in Random   
    BEST MEME EVER!http://www.quickmeme.com/Coaster-Enthusiast/popular/1/?upcoming
  11. Like
    pluk reacted to Luke_A in Control Panels   
    Going back to this topic again... Here's a video of a KMG XXL's control booth, Love the way he taps away at the buttons like he knows them off by heart There's only 4 of these things in the world, would love to see one in the UK sometime!

  12. Like
    pluk reacted to Mark9 in Chessington General Discussion   
    I was going to open a new topic asking about "The state of Chessington WOA". But just like the park, we don't bother adding new things so we'll just retheme this existing topic and bring back a topic from 2006 instead.
  13. Like
    pluk got a reaction from SkySkream in Random   
    Never heard of him before, just looked him up.I'll add him to my bellend list then.
  14. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Cornflakes in Random   
    Never heard of him before, just looked him up.I'll add him to my bellend list then.
  15. Like
    pluk got a reaction from JackR in Random   
    Never heard of him before, just looked him up.I'll add him to my bellend list then.
  16. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Sidders in Random   
    Never heard of him before, just looked him up.I'll add him to my bellend list then.
  17. Like
    pluk reacted to Mark9 in Random Picture Thread.   
    For TPGG
  18. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Sidders in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    That is just wow. I thought I knew what it would look like, but, wow.Couldn't look better at this stage really
    Hopefully it is necessary because it contains the gas pipe for the fire effects!! Fingers crossed.
  19. Like
    pluk reacted to JackR in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    I spy with my little eye, something beginning with F and ending with UCK... FIRETRUCK!I'm not over keen on the supports holding up the propeller on the right of the wing, but that is necessary so I can't really complain.
  20. Like
    pluk reacted to JackR in THE SWARM: Construction Updates   
    Looks AMAZING! I do hope they finish the fuselage of the plane off though. The plans show it being partially submerged in water but at the moment its only resting on the island and half of it is ripped off. Other than that it looks absolutely fantastic and I love the way the finish of the front is different to the back bit under the zero-G due to it crashing etc. Looking at the man next to the propeller you can see the sheer size of that scenery as well. The track in the background winding round its self is amazing and I can really see this being a faultless project if Thorpe stick to the plans.EDIT: I looked at the plans and it is built accordingly, firstly well sone to Merlin for actually sticking to some plans and theming a ride well and secondly, I can not possibly fault its amazingness! And the 'man' is just an orange life saver ring...
  21. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Mark9 in Walt Disney World Resort   
    :wub:A massive production incorporating touching small details, so beautifully Disney.
  22. Like
    pluk reacted to Fred in Rant   
    ^ I've never understood removing the free travel for police. It adds extra policing onto the trains, and essentially should be treated like a ghost in the system - these people wouldn't otherwise have been on the train, so you're not physically losing revenue, yet you're getting an amazing service from it. It's ridiculous for them to have "priced" it up. As obviously if people paid, they wouldn't get half as much travel.Winds me right up when people value free items, like when companies give you free benefits which cost zero to them, but then decide to remove it because of the potential revenue lost (even though they'll never, ever make it).The only time I ever argue with people is if I've done it before and it's been allowed countless times, and then be challenged by it. Confidence is there, and then you'll usually win. I do completely agree that ticketing is far too confusing, and that the whole changing names of the tickets have not helped (there's now 3 different offpeak ticket prices for my line, for example), gah. Just do what grand central does, and make it clear, easy and concise. Not difficult. Could even boost revenue.
  23. Like
    pluk got a reaction from Mer in Random   
    I keep getting told I look like Arg from TOWIE. I don't watch that nonsense but when I told my wife she told me that he is the fat one, so I won't take it as a compliment.Also -
  24. Like
    pluk got a reaction from SkySkream in Random   
    I keep getting told I look like Arg from TOWIE. I don't watch that nonsense but when I told my wife she told me that he is the fat one, so I won't take it as a compliment.Also -
  25. Like
    pluk reacted to Drawin in This Or That   
    Bum, can't beat a nice looking bum. :)Thorpe Park or Alton Towers?
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