I'm very much against VR for theme parks. VR will be good fun in the gaming scene. However like everything in that sector it will age horrifically. 5 years down the line and it will be outdated. Yes Merlin may update the tech but they sure won't pay for the new animation/film every 2-6 years for the better resolution.

Looks like shipping containers are about to get a new friend called VR.

VR for everybody!

Raptor is a trademark of Merlin's for European attractions.

They have to reveal the clues as the gp (me included) just don't care enough to spend more than 5 seconds on it. An abandoned railway station just doesn't grab the public's attention. Everyone knowing nothing about it makes the hype train even harder to get going.

Selling a second hand top scan for £278,000? I highly doubt they got near that for it. While I imagine it helped it won't be the main reason. Weather was good last year and the family entertainment industry increased a lot in general.

When it comes to these sorts of launch coasters size is a major factor as well as the speed. 0-111mph in 5 seconds seems rather slow compared to its US counterparts. I'm starting to think all the odd things about this coaster are coming down to one simple reason of cost.

The media team are trying their best. How else do you sell a closed ride as a good thing.

Your blame is on the wrong department in this case Jamie. Corporate cutting budgets is hurting operations which mean media have to come up with nonsense like that.

Do we know the acceleration of this ride? If we don't know the top speed or length of the launch then the acceleration should be unknown.

Shockwave is rather tame and rather low forces involved in the ride. On other stand ups the forces are stronger and last longer. Going into unknown forces supported by your legs can be uncomfortable. The seat while being an issue of comfort is just one issue of a long list of problems with them.

This must be a catapult. Lsm is not capable of launching a train to that speed in that distance without crazy amount of energy.

I feel this is lacking an airtime hill because of space. When designing kingda ka they had great difficulty getting the hill correct. The hill for this would have most likely needed a longer run or a shorter drop.

Having been on TTD and kingda ka the airtime hill adds very little to the ride. I think it also leads to a more uncomfortable ride due to the added stress on the wheels.

The slope down is clearly so the trains move with little to no effort. Why it's like that before the slope is just mysterious. It looks like rct3.

No it really doesn't have large queues. At any point in time the queue is always minimal.

It's in case something falls off the train above and hits the drop tower. Also when the train launches the tower wobbles which is off putting to riders on the drop tower.

I believe he was talking about that they would close a new ride after 3 years because it's unpopular and has a very high running cost.

Exact ride closures have not been confirmedis yet.

Sub-Terra popular? Hahahahahahahahaha.

Stand ups issues were the bike seat and the fact your legs take the forces. The otsr were never an issue. If anything I think the vest would make it even harder to get comfortable.

It is a company with money issues and Merlin seem to be hung up on actor lead experiences. They invest money in them and every time they have been unpopular and a disappointment. If an idea doesn't work you don't keep investing in it.

Yes this will be a tiny investment but it shows Merlin do not learn.

What on earth are they doing this for. My only thought can be is that they have made it Derren Brown themed.

If it's meant to be an all year round scare attraction then they are the stupidest company in the theme/amusement park industry. How can a company "taking on Disney" make the same mistake over and over again. How much money do you have to waste on the same idea before they get it doesn't work.

A thrilling family coaster themed around dreams is a concept I've always liked. It doesn't have to have a run down theme it can be all Jolly for once. Looking into the mind of someone and seeing where it takes you. The ride itself focusing on airtime, having no inversions. Just all round fun.

The concepts in my mind that will never come to be...

Maverick wasn't changed to a multilaunch for no reason.

With chessingtons close proximity to the green belt and the very strict rules of what they can and can't do they would want to submit plans for something large sooner rather than later.

The height restrictions imposed by Heathrow is 500ft. A compromise between the council and Thorpe is the most likely the cause for the hight restriction. Likely the noise and the sight of steel.

I'm afraid Thorpe isn't allowed to build on that land. It is outside the building zone and I'm not even sure they own that bit.

Finally he is stepping down. Ive been waiting for it for years. He made doctor who terrible. Far too many shocking episodes, terrible overall story arcs and the series finales were rushed and ruined.

Stealth on the initial plans was an Xcelerator clone. Not that they were ever going to build that but still.

It's more a TTD clone. The lack of hill allows a lapbar rather than otsr. That and cost I suspect is the reasoning.