Saz

The more I look at some of the plans, the more I am certain this will be based around The Walking Dead. Some of the buildings in the plans look remarkably similar to the prison that featured in season 3, and the unveiling yesterday of what appears to be a watchtower as the central theming element in the plaza confirms this theory even more.

Lionsgate also produced The Descent - that would make an incredible maze!

That music would perfectly suit The Smiler. It has the same eery effect that the outdoor queueline for The Tower of Terror in Florida has.

'The world's most looping roller coaster' would have been better in all honestly. 'The world's first 14 looping roller coaster' doesn't explicitly say that there are no coasters with more inversions.

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that there would be a secret element as well as the 14 inversions.

Four week ban surely.

I honestly thought this was some sort of construction work going on when I first saw it on Towers Nerd. It's shockingly awful. I really hope the whole Dark Forest area is revamped at some point in the near future, especially Rita. The idea of a drag racing track being taken over by nearby cursed forest doesn't quite cut it as a legitimate theme. Just paint Rita entirely green, retheme it to a werewolf or something and be done with it.

^Some comments also raised concern that the track suddenly ended. I also hope that this was trolling.

Perhaps they will take the Universal Studios route and introduce actors and 'proper' scare zones around the park.

Or turkeys at Christmas. So has the tunnel gone completely, or is it from just after the drop?

I do think Vengeance will end up at London Dungeons again. There appears to be an empty room next to where Sweeney Todd is, so it might be able to be fitted there.

Henry is a case of "blink and you miss him" unfortunately - he literally appears on one corner of the boat ride. In regards to the ceilings, they are mainly covered with fabrics or are painted black. Some may have had additional theming but I can't really remember. Looking at the plans there is designated room for an outside queue, but as others have said the indoor queue area is huge. It's probably 10 times the length of the last dungeon's indoor queue.

Perhaps Vengeance might just end up back at London Dungeons next year - I'm sure there is space for it somewhere. Extremis might make a good addition at Chessington somewhere, perhaps there is space in the Hocus Pocus Hall building for it to be included within the attraction somehow, oe maybe the Vampire/Tomb Blaster 'shed'. Edit: I managed to find this http://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=externalDocuments&keyVal=MD6OE2BOHV000. They are the update plans of the new dungeons. Judging from these plans, I think those who went to the preview day yesterday only experienced around half of the entire Jack the Ripper shows somehow. All I remember from yesterday was: but there seems to be 5 Jack the Ripper shows.

I visited today and the ride cycle (from what I remember) is as follows: Overall the new dungeons are good. Some shows are better than the previous dungeon but others felt a bit bare in terms of theming. The boat ride could have benefitted from additional effects/theming - in some parts it just felt very quiet.and dull.

Sorry for my ignorance, but is the photo that Mark posted the new Transformers attraction at Universal? Iron Rattler is looking insane!

I'm really impressed with Merlin's efforts to be honest. I can't wait to visit next Tuesday!

I think a lot of the problem stems down to the ride itself - 'Europe's highest winged-coaster' just didn't cut it as an attention grabber. Colossus had 10 inversions, Nemesis Inferno was 'like the one at Alton Towers', Stealth was really tall and fast, Saw was based on a popular horror movie franchise but Swarm simply didn't have the right gimmick. That is why I think a wooden coaster is a must for the 2015/16 coaster - I just hope Merlin rejects their supposed belief that the public think wooden coasters are unsafe...

Don't think this has been posted, but plans have been submitted for the new theming element for the Swarm: http://planning.runn...tref=RU.13/0125 Looks rather good!

Don't think this has been posted, but plans have been submitted for the new theming element: http://planning.runnymede.gov.uk/RBCNGE/ngeResultsForm.aspx?intref=RU.13/0125 Looks rather good!

On the plans there was a room marked as 'development' space around Sweeney Todd/Jack the Ripper, so its possible! However this would disrupt the somewhat chronological order of the Dungeon.

Looks like the sewer show will be placed in the 'turning room'. I wonder if the room will actually turn somehow?

^ Which would imply that the trains will now indeed be going forwards. I'm sure that a 1.2 metre minimum height restriction would be sufficient in this case.

By the time the park opens The Smiler will hopefully be mostly complete I.e. track/structural stuff. It should just be a case of theming, testing etc, so the rest of X Sector will be ok to open.

I truly think The Smiler as a name will work if the current trend of marketing continues to assert the ride's back story.

I'm somewhat glad it's now going to be open in May - means things won't be rushed (although a March opening would have been impossible I think). Track should be finished within a month hopefully, giving plently of time for theming, testing etc. I reckon we could see a soft opening in April though.