Glitch

Uber eats Staines has a new burger shop. Must be a sign.

Uber eats Staines has a new burger shop. Must be a sign.

Jack’s videos are currently a breeding ground for enthusiasts asking the public consultation to make the layout of the ride longer…….. 
Sometimes I do worry for the cringe level of the community.

Jack’s videos are currently a breeding ground for enthusiasts asking the public consultation to make the layout of the ride longer…….. 
Sometimes I do worry for the cringe level of the community.

Parm Pap's posts clearly say to me that the Derren Brown IP is being extended due to it's incredible success, and the new coaster will form part of Derren Brown Land, featuring the UK's first coaster themed around a mind control man.

Time.
 
 
BOE - Face of Boe
Time
"xplained"...ex...Exterminate 
 
Time.
 
 
Time.
 
BBC DW...BBC Doctor Who. 
 
Cool. We get it. You're trying to say this will be themed around Doctor Who. 
Maybe either come out and say it or try and actually add to the conversation next time ey?
 
I feel like I've gone in the Tardis because this feels like I've gone back 7 years when people were saying Ghost Train was going to be a Doctor Who IP...

It's loggers, isn't it? 😄

WARNING: This post ended up being longer than I expected, so I apologise in advance for its length. I also apologise if I repeat myself a bit in places; concise writing isn't my strong point...
I apologise in advance for the long ramble, but I have a potentially controversial opinion; the proposal is really growing on me quite strongly, and I have to say that after a bit of thought, a bit of hindsight and perspective, and a more detailed look at the layout, I'm now really quite impressed with it and in genuine awe of what Merlin and Mack have pulled off here! I think this ride, although not what I was expecting, is actually a true stroke of genius on Merlin and Thorpe's part when viewed in context, and is something to really be proud of and get excited about!
 
I won't lie, my original hope was for something with a greater focus on airtime. Prior to Thursday's consultation, my fantasy for Thorpe's next coaster was a sprawling out and back B&M Hyper, or given the site, perhaps a B&M hyper twister. (A typical out and back would be easier said than done from Old Town for sure, and would certainly have required Thorpe to think outside the box). Upon the Mack hyper rumour beginning to circulate after Thursday's consultation, I then began to have visions of a Mack hyper twister with loads of twisty airtime hills and fun turns; something akin to an upscaled Alpina Blitz, or perhaps a twistier DC Rivals. So in that regard, I'll confess that I was certainly torn when I initially saw the layout, and not instantly enamoured like I'd perhaps hoped. The layout isn't what I was expecting, nor what I was personally hoping for or what I would have chosen; it doesn't look to have much of an airtime focus on the face of it, and while I'm sure it will have airtime (and quite strong airtime at that) in places, I maintain that it doesn't look like an airtime machine per se in the same way that many other hyper coasters are.
 
However, when I took off my B&M Hyper airtime goggles and saw this ride for what it is, I grew more and more impressed by it, and more and more excited to ride it. Yes, I do feel that like many of you, I would probably have vastly preferred British Shambhala or British DC Rivals to this coaster if based purely on personal preference, but looking at things with a little hindsight; within the space, and within the tight budget that Merlin/Thorpe had to work with, I'm convinced that this is just about the best outcome we could have hoped for. I actually feel it's a genuine stroke of brilliance from Mack and Merlin, because it looks like they've managed to fulfill the basic criteria that I felt Thorpe's next coaster required (a ride that makes a statement, is fun and rerideable, and is easily marketable) with not a ton in the way of resources with which to pull off such a beast of a ride.
 
When you're sat at home on Google Earth looking at Thorpe Park and scoping out coaster options, it's very easy to say "I think it'll be a 250ft B&M Hyper like Shambhala, that will have a big row of airtime hills going either over the lake or around the back of the park. Or it might be twisty with a load of twisted airtime hills, like the Hot Go hyper". Believe me, I know that... because that's exactly what I spent the bulk of the rumour phase doing! However in hindsight, I think things like this should be viewed in context. In terms of the site; they simply wouldn't have fitted a big old out and back coaster in there without some serious outside the box thinking. Sure, it could have been done, but it would have been tough. If I'm being honest, I don't think Old Town was the ideal site for a Thorpe hyper, and I think putting the station on the island next to Swarm and having it run round the back of Swarm towards the front of the park would have been a far more ideal fit for a hyper, but that's for another time. In terms of budget; as much as I was one of the keenest advocates for British Shambhala, I simply don't think Merlin has the cash to build such a ride, in hindsight.
 
With that context in mind, my point is; if you look at the space, cost and length Exodus had to work with, as well as the height they had to build to, I'm really, really impressed with what Merlin and Mack have pulled off here, personally. While it doesn't look to be overtly packed with airtime as such, the airtime potential is still there in places, and the ride looks to have some elements that could ride very well; for instance, I can't wait to experience that first drop, or that overbank that rolls into an inversion! To put it simply; while Exodus doesn't have a huge amount of elements, the elements it does have look like they could be pretty incredible, in my opinion! Not to mention that I also think it looks about as dominant as a hyper this compact could have done, which will really help with marketing and making it look impressive; great move, Thorpe!
 
Also, as much as I was initially hoping for a B&M Hyper Coaster; when putting aside all fantasies of British Mako or Shambhala and looking at things through the same brief that Exodus had to work within (in terms of the restrictions in space, cost and length, as well as the minimum height to build to), I'm not necessarily sure that B&M would have come up with anything more highly received. Don't get me wrong, I love the B&M Hyper I've done to bits, and I think under ideal circumstances, they could have done a terrific B&M Hyper at Thorpe that I and many others would have adored, but based on what I know about B&M as a company, I think they would have really struggled with the Exodus brief, particularly in the context of the B&M Hyper Coaster, a ride type that traditionally thrives when working with a large amount of space, a long track length and a large amount of money if wanting to build a ride of any significant height; although it's a tall ride that on paper would have worked perfectly at Thorpe, the ideal brief for a B&M Hyper Coaster is almost the polar opposite to the brief Exodus had to work with (minimum height aside, of course). And if you look at the site they're using, the length they were constrained to and the type of layout Exodus has, favouring big, dominant elements built for sheer visual impact... speaking realistically, I'm honestly unsure if a B&M Hyper would have lived up to expectations.
 
Imagine for a second that this had been a B&M Hyper. Assuming a ride of the same height and length and utilising the exact same footprint, I imagine that it would have struggled in a number of regards. For instance, I don't see B&M doing some daringly twisted drop like has been done here, so a decent bit of your track length would need to go towards some giant 180 degree turnaround directly after the drop, probably going about where the huge overbank is on Exodus; if the ride is dropping from a height of 236ft, it would probably need to be close to 200ft tall to be vaguely rideable in terms of forces, so a lot of track would be needed for this. After your turnaround, you could maybe fit one parabolic hill in at a push, but looking at Exodus, I'm honestly unsure if the site length would be long enough without extending the footprint... so you'd have to do another giant u-turn. Maybe repeat this pattern once more, do the splashdown to shave off speed, and then you're hitting the brake run, which would probably have necessitated a fair bit of track to get it high enough off the ground based on recent B&M creations and how I know B&M doesn't like to brake too forcefully at the end of a ride. No space at all for any of those brilliant parabolic floater hills within that footprint and length constraint. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this ride would have been excellent, even if only for the raw speed of it, and B&M would have done something crafty with the turnarounds to make them really fun, but rightly or wrongly, I feel like that would have had enthusiasts gazing longingly at B&M Hypers abroad and tutting about what a rubbish example of the ride type it was, which Thorpe certainly wouldn't have wanted.
 
With Exodus on the other hand; the ride looks so unique, and so creative and daring in terms of its elements, that it looks like something really special that can't be compared with anything else. They've utilised the space and length phenomenally and pulled off a genuinely excellent-looking coaster, in my opinion; while not the longest of rides, some of the elements look like they could be absolutely sensational, and it's actually turning heads around the world and making people abroad jealous, which I think is a surefire sign that they've done an excellent job, personally.
 
I know I've rambled on a bit here (sorry to waste your time...), so I'll wrap this up. In conclusion; my stance on this coaster has changed considerably since yesterday, and after a bit of thought and reflection, I can't wait to see this take shape, I'm absolutely pumped to ride it, and while I know it sounds overly sentimental, the creativity and innovation shown in this ride makes me really quite proud to be British.
 
I understand why people might be disappointed, but viewing this ride in context, I'm absolutely chuffed with what I'm seeing! Bring on opening day; I can't wait to try Exodus out, and I'm confident it'll be a huge, huge hit!

And breathe.
 
As a local, I attended. I aired a question of concern I had, speaking with a member of the presenting team afterwards. 
 
I will give a brief rundown of what we know. I'll try and post in more detail later.
 
1. 72m / 236ft high.
2. A proposed layout didn't give anything away in terms of manufacturer.
3. Someone did say "There is a team performing noise surveys on a similar ride in Turkey"
4. The current design suggests a station roughly where the old train station is. It is compact round the Loggers lake.
4a. A "splash zone" overlooking the lake
4b. Possible inversions, but maybe not. Hard to say.
4c. If inversions, then maybe world's tallest inversion is possible. 
 
The general vibe was that people are frustrated with current noise levels and how the park is operating, but don't seem particularly opposed to a new investment. 
 
As I say, I will try and post more later. Please remain calm.

The Family/thrill issue always confuses me, Thorpe always gets more visitors each year over chessington.
 
The rollercoaster/thrill model clearly works, I agree the park needs more family attractions to cater to both. I just can’t see the next rollercoaster after 10 years to be a family centred coaster. 
 
However, that’s a thorpe created issue. No sense of direction with who they are catering to and the lack of investment over the past 10 years. Means that their next investment has to be catered for kids or keep focusing on purely thrill based. Neither helps the park, unless they do both.

For me, I only visited once this year for fright nights on Map holders night, well they suckered me in to buy a discovery pass anyway so congratulations on that Merlin.
 
I don’t know if it’s just a thing with my age or height that I just don’t enjoy the park in the same way anymore. So for me Thorpe park hasn’t aged like a bottle of fine wine, it’s the man sitting on the curb with a 3L bottle of scrumpy jacks currently. It doesn’t know whether to be a thrill park engaging broke teens with the adrenaline rush they deserve or a family park catering to every member of the family. For me I want that thrill park as with Chessington and Lego both 30 mins away there is no excuse for another family park.
 
Black mirror was fun but a one and done so meh.
 
Fright nights for me had literally lost its spark. Yes the new maze was good, however 3 mazes at a scare event? At £10 each it’s just not enough for me. Plus the park is infected with those families watching family friendly dance shows and making sure that Timmy age 5 becomes a successful theme park vlogger, it just ruins the immersion of this is a scary event aimed to terrify.
 
I really do miss 2011 fright nights  which I think was the highlight for me.
Experiment 10 and even the actors in the hazmat suits outside perhaps just walking back to the break room terrified me.
 
The curse and 7, two great marquee attractions, which I miss dearly why not use the tent approach more.
 
The asylum, always the best in my opinion especially when the actors were so passionate and embraced in some cases their own handicaps.
 
Saw Alive, still one of my favourites from a themeing point of view however did this begin the lionsgate and AMC partnerships that in my opinion have done more harm then good?
 
And to top it off we had a rollercoaster being built to heighten the excitement. #LC12.
 
I just don’t ever see the park getting back to being anything as special as it was and I really do miss that and would probably prefer if we could just relive 2011 as a season in 2022, before all the abusing of systems and MAP holders not getting value for money on their £100 a year passes.
 
Basically I’m bored of the park and fright nights now. 
 
 
 

Odd, is this a distraction from Valhalla

Was impressed with the coffee and water deal at Costa in The Dome as I often find myself drinking lots of water during the day, so for me it was a good season.

You certainly could fit a (small) Raptor into the X pyramid...in theory.
 
In reality, ripping out the track, and then building a new coaster inside the building would be wildly impractical. So I wouldn't expect to see something like that.
 
Of course, they could just rip out the whole pyramid, and along with the Slammer site, that opens up a big plot for a new coaster. But then ripping out the pyramid has a whole host of knock on effects, and would itself be expensive.

I attended the passholder preview event a couple weeks back and I must admit I was slightly disappointed.
It was my first Fright Nights event so held high expectations, but can't help but feel a little let down.
 
Trailers, as incredibly themed as it was, I felt lackluster in scares. As the scenes themselves were so very small, I found the majority of the scares to be massively predictable and probably didn't jump any more than once or twice. Granted it's a new maze, and is inevitably going to return year on year judging by the amount of investment that clearly went on in there judging by the external and internal scenery, so fingers crossed it's a maze that only gets better with age.
 
I must say, though, I was pleasantly surprised by Creek Freak Massacre and even Platform 15 after seeing it being slated by the majority of people that have visited it over the years 😂
 
Hoping to get at least one more visit in before the end of the season to re-evaluate my thoughts, but ultimately felt like the things that were being hyped up the most this year (Trailers & Legacy, Legacy mostly because it has only just started so I never got the chance to see it) turned out to be quite the disappointment - certainly glad I only paid £5 per maze, I definitely don't think either of the three are worth the £10 price point.

There is now an announcement at the end of the show, said by a plain woman's voice, saying that the show has now ended, thank you for watching, please exit the Beach.
 
It's very bland and a testament to the weak ending of the show.
 
I stand by my statement - it's one of the weakest fire and light shows I've watched. But it's still a fire and light show, and they're always good. Hopefully the park carry on with it in future years.

I didn't do it last year and haven't watched the POV. However I imagine it's the same as last year, where it was tweaked and received a new storyline in light of Covid.
 
Last year's version was still largely well received so if it's very similar I imagine it'll still be going down a treat.

It’s difficult though isn’t it.  I bet a lot of people wanted a “throwback” show of some sort, because it sounds fantastic - and that’s exactly what they’ve done. 

The thing is, a lot of Thorpe’s audience were toddlers (or not even born) when FN started, and I’d like to bet that most people at the park on a given night have only visited FN once or twice, maybe even never before. (I’m pretty sure even Mr Silkstone himself has said he only started going to FN in the last few years, and didn’t get to do Asylum)
 
A lot of guests simply don’t care about the details either - for example I drag Mrs Inferno to all sorts of scare events, and she enjoys them but I don’t think she could name many past mazes or place the theme tunes tbh. Most people aren’t all that bothered, they just want to enjoy it for what it is at the time.

I think this sort of show was really only going to appeal to a few hardcore fans, and mean nothing at all to everyone else.
 
I love that Thorpe have put it on to be honest, and from what I’ve seen online it looks like a great effort. Given a “throwback light show” brief, I couldn’t have done any better! I’d have probably added a big screen and had a defined ending of some sort, but really I think they have done a good job, especially if they (I assume) had a tight budget and short timeframe.
 
If it’s not well received, it was worth a go. They tried something.
 
Looking forward to seeing it in person this week 

I still don't understand why perfect day is now seen as the flagship song of fright nights.
The You're next characters were neither amazing, something to be remembered or a Thorpe IP.
Rather a film with an IMDB rating of 6.6/10 why is this now seen as the best music ever present at Fright nights. TBH I would much prefer the ending to be some crazy rendition of the Thorpe Park happy birthday music. 
In my opinion, although I won't be able to see the show due to pass restrictions the show looks like its seriously lacking visual screens and perhaps some dancers, but not of the PG amity kind. 

Great behind the scenes tour of trailers for anyone interested. 

Interesting to hear that when they were originally planning the maze one of the options was having the maze in containers, so I can imagine the containers being used again in the future especially with no Platform 15 next year.
 
Unpopular opinion but some of my favourite mazes have been in the containers so would love to see the return of them in the future. 

I thought Trailers was honestly great. Some excellent references to previous mazes with a very reasonable length too. Not necessarily the scariest maze, but still lots of fun. Glad to see them using this area for mazes again. Definitely got some Stranger Things type vibes here.
 
Creek Freak Massacre I found to be very enjoyable as always. Missed this maze a lot last year so it’s nice to have it back, especially since it’s based on me turning into some hillbilly!
 
Platform was perhaps the weakest last night, but yet still performed to what was perhaps it’s strongest level since opening. The actors really set the scene and I loved the animatronics at the start, which looked great and not like something you’d find in Asda!
 
I strongly enjoyed the Crows walkthrough which was different and the parkwide soundtrack is decent enough. 
 
My only major gripes during yesterday’s event was the entrance process wasn’t greatly organised and there were few food options open. Even KFC and both BKs were shut, with Infinity only serving hotel guests and some outlets closed despite being advertised as open.

Staff at tulleys have to declare there covid status when they are employed in terms of vaccinations etc I'm sure they have some idea of what they are dealing with.
 
Admittedly a lot of there staff are only 16-18 so will be unlikely to have had both jabs yet.

I did - paid for the ticket though (RIP Pass bought in February 2019) - have to say, that's a complete no brainer, never queued all night, multiple runs through mazes, a drink, £10 of food and a t-shirt all for £87!
 
Maze count:
Coven of 13: 5
Hellements: 1
Creepy Cottage: 4
Twisted Clowns: 2
Wastelands: 2
Chop Shop: 2
The Island: 1
The Cellar: 3
Haunted Hayride: 1
 
In Merlin terms, that's £210 worth of mazes
 
Coven Of 13 was evidently a highlight, and Cottage always is too - mainly we feel the actors there have to work even harder than the others. 

Lots of positive reviews coming from staff previews.
I still wonder if their opinion would change if they were charged £10 to go through a maze..... for me nowadays the press night preview videos is enough.