JoshuaA

With a decent GCI and a fab looking Mack opening this year..

I have to say this looks WAY better than what I gave it credit for. Okay its probably not even close to Icon, but it looks like a cool small GCI with a few pops of air with some nice special effects. I have to say I was expecting it to crawl through its layout though it seems a lot more fast paced and intense than I expected. Can't wait to go and give it a ride- lets just hope I don't burn from frustration in the queue-line rather than the fire in the ride itself.

10-30 million pounds really did get thrown away here..

I love how the park do little things like this to keep the park looking good even in some of the more meh areas. Can Can Eurosat worries me a little bit- but I'm gonna keep faith as this is Europa. I'm expecting good theming and overall a more modern and smoother version of the ride.

Wickerman does look like fairly good fun- but I think its really leagues below Icon in terms of the ride itself. Icon may not have all the special effects that will be neglected 5 years down the line, but it will make it up with its incredible layout and the awesomeness which is called Mack.

Isn't this supposed to open in like a week or so? The exterior barely looks like they have started work on it..

Th13teen was slammed for its marketing though throughout the community.. Actually from memory a lot of people were completely left disappointed due to its poor marketing.. They hyped it up as some sort of terrifying and scary attraction despite it being a fairly tame family coaster with a fun drop track section.. I think Merlin are kind of falling into the same bad marketing route that made Th13teen such a over-hyped mess (and I like Th13teen) I think with those kind of experiences its really a ticking time bomb until they close.. Or they have the actors ripped out because of budget cuts (Sub Terra..) In the Ghost Train's case I think its actually kind of hilarious that the ride has such a budget but most of its most exciting moments come from actors poking your knees.. I think its a much more smart move to invest like BPB for example and to add a Skyforce or Icon every decade instead of throwing money on countless investments that are tasteless and will be scrap metal in a few years..

Lets hope this doesn't turn into a Zufari type effort.. Legoland is easily one of the better looking Merlin parks and actually has some charm going for it- lets hope Merlin keep that. The ride itself though I think would be a great addition especially when it comes to throughput.

Honestly I think they added actors in the marketing just so it doesn't look pathetic.. Maybe that is why they focused on Jordan more than the ride itself- some random girl is more interesting than a old Vekoma family coaster that just got a cheap re-theme to a show that even fans are starting to think is dated..

It looks really snappy already for a Mack-Launch so I'm guessing some of the turns by opening day are going to be really forceful. I never thought it would be BPB giving us such a gift, but oh my god I can't wait to ride this beauty.

Something that is cheap and would be easy to build at short notice.. I think we all know now what Thorpe are getting for their next large scale roller coaster.. At least it would a better investment that the Ghost Train.. Edit: would also fit into the length and height 'requirements' in the MTDP

I think Gerstlauer is very unlikely after the many troubles Smiler had. GCI is a interesting one that could happen, but if the next big coaster is in the new few years I think its unlikely due to Wickerman. Merlin's biggest competition in the UK is probably themselves so adding another GCI a year or two after would probably not be the best idea. Its really a shame they didn't add a coaster instead of the Ghost Train tbh. If it did cost 30 Million they could built of a giant B&M or a giant RMC with money to spare.. I actually think maybe one of the new designs from Vekoma or something would be good if they want something fairly cheap. Vekoma's new stuff actually looks fairly good, maybe a Vekoma Hyper or something a bit smaller to what Energylandia didn't get?

I seriously hope they renew it. Burger King and KFC still being at Thorpe easily makes it the best Merlin park food-wise IMO. Burger Kitchen at Chessie and Alton both times made me wish I ate from a bin bag instead.. Honestly the rollercoaster restaurant I think is a nice gimmick- but I really hope they don't make one at every park. The prices at the Alton one was even worse than FoodLoop at Europa- the food isn't that good either. On another note, I have to say I think Thorpe may easily be one of my favorite parks to eat at. I really can't name a bad food-place at the park. Bush BBQ, Bar 360, Pizza and Pasta, the Mexican Place, fast food options that aren't utter crap like Burger Kitchen.

Honestly I think a RMC would be the best thing as they could tack a USP on it, it would also appease enthusiasts and overall I think it would be a crowd pleaser. They don't have to be expensive either- Outlaw Run only cost 10.5 Million (around 7.5 mil pounds) They could easily build under 100 feet and still create a intense and airtime filled one- the inversions would also make good selling points for the GP and they could add in some good old Merlin false marketing. They could easily add in "THE WORLDS FIRST UPSIDE DOWN WOODEN COASTER L0L" and add a depressing and drab theme and it'll fit right in.

Phew. It seems like Merlin have learnt their lesson from Tomb Blaster..

Barbed Wire And Graffiti: The Ride! Marketing includes putting the focus onto a random girl who nobody cares about.

Don't hold your breath..

People express their excitement months before riding rides all the damn time- everyone at some point makes a judgement before riding something (whether it'd be bad or good)

Honestly by the time you get out of the queue you could of took a two hour flight to Rust and ridden a better operated and paced GCI..

A little birdy told me that a Baco clone will replace Loggers next year and Slammer will be replaced with two dueling top-spins themed to The Jeremy Kyle Show this year. The Baco clone will have a pre-show and will be themed to X Factor.

I think with Shambhala it is all about the floater air. B&M Hyper's I think usually are all about the large air-time hills and graceful moments of floater. Shambhala does this amazingly, I remember on my last ride I got bundles of floater air on pretty much every hill. Anyway it is quite a shame about the park's operations. I think the park's host of shows and the fireworks+ the theming could make the park a really great park but the mixture of the Spanish and the actually worse than Merlin operations do hold it back from being a actually good park.

Tbf when I last visited I found Dragons Khan actually a bit too rough/intense. Its a good ride and it has nice forces, but it induced quite a few headaches from me after the ride which kind of stopped me from loving it.. (and I'm the guy who loves Baco) I do have to admit I am massive Shambhala fan so that's enough reason for me to return lol. Yeah I have been to PA tons of times (the operations make Merlin look good).. Ditto. After my last visit I overall thought the theming, the rides, and the shows+the fireworks were all very strong (despite the odd piece of garbage.. cough* Ice age* cough) But the place is run so badly it kind of ruins any form of enjoyment to be had.. I do have to say though that despite the terrible way its ran- I have to applaud the theming and the landscaping, it looks beautiful in most areas. Anyway for my visit I think I might just run to Ferrari Land to ride the rides that are worth it then I'll get my a** over to ShammyB and wh*** it until the park closes

It seems like I'll be off to PA this year due to cheap flights. For those who have experienced Ferrari land, how good is Red Force and Ferrari land in general? Honestly though even if Ferrari Land is shi** Shambhala is worth the horrible staff and expenses. I also would be lying if I said I haven't missed Baco

I'm guessing they might lose their funding if they keep this up.. Shocking.

I think a Aqua-Trax Top-Spin hybrid is very realistic for the next addition here.