JohnnyRocket

I know lighting wasn’t really made a big deal of from the park during the sparkle project but now it’s fright nights it’s the first real chance to see all the lighting installed and it’s really pretty impressive.
 
To start with it simply for the most part looks really good - most of the rides have color coordinated lights, what’s also nice is the new lighting seems to be able to do various effects such as around inferno the lights do some sort of flame effects shining onto the ride. On that point I believe this is one of the first times the parks actually lit up the rides too, of course Stealth and colossus have had lighting before but other than that most of the lighting was more there to light up just the paths, now themed lighting is directing up to the ride structures them selves which look great.
 
Finally not only looks good but there’s been some decent thought into how they work too - Vortex for example the lights are all white to start when loading, then when the ride cycle starts the lights all change to their “themed” status, also noticed when leaving at around 10:30 all the lights around the park lighting up the paths had changed to a standard white light, small things but nice to see some real thought has gone into how it all works, it’s clearly been a big investment and does make a difference!

I personally think it’s a shame it’s not themed. The main appeal is obviously the size but just think back to when Colossus was built - the appeal then too was the size and the 10 loops, it could easily have been left with a tin shed station, a concrete pit etc a la Sik at Flamingoland. And same again for Stealth, its main selling point was the height and launch. The minimal 1950s American drag race theming elevates it from what could have been just a plonked generic white coaster.
 
Hyperia will be standing for the next 30+ years, I think it’s a wasted opportunity to build something that looks so bland and generic (and possibly even ugly with its cigarette butt supports). Once the hype dies down, we’ll be left with an unthemed coaster into the 2050s in a park that clearly does value theming, as we’ve seen what they’ve added to Colossus and Stealth this year. Even the newly refurbished toilets this year are themed more than Hyperia!
 
I just think it’s the long term vision for the park that has been let down with this project.

I think Detonator looks alright to be honest, it's always just been a tarted up temporary funfair ride at the end of the day. Once the whole area's done, it'll be the most cohesive that part of the park has ever been, it spent a lot of its time being a mashup of pirates and 1950s America, then the dodgy Angry Birds IP plastered over it slap bang in the middle of Amity Cove.
 
 

Courtesy of the Thorpe Park Annual Pass group linked above are a few shots... 
 

The memorial was moved to Sunken Garden before works started!

The memorial was moved to Sunken Garden before works started!

I'll be calling it Reborn just like how I call Nemesis Inferno, Inferno.

So so happy Colossus is finally getting some love.
 
Wonder what the unopened present could be in the Project Sparkle video. 🤔 shall we take bets? My money’s on Black Mirror re-theme/replacement! 

Not really people pouring their heart out over it? It’s an end of year round up over the course of 2023 of different rebrands.
 
I’ve personally got used to it, but it’s still ultimately a crap logo. And that’s what this thread is dedicated to. The park hasn’t even opened its doors yet following the new rebrand!

Not really people pouring their heart out over it? It’s an end of year round up over the course of 2023 of different rebrands.
 
I’ve personally got used to it, but it’s still ultimately a crap logo. And that’s what this thread is dedicated to. The park hasn’t even opened its doors yet following the new rebrand!

Hopefully it will be used to show replays of live streams where YouTubers say a ride name 50,000 times.

I can't remember where I saw it now but someone posted that their friend lives in one of those houses on Manor Lane and a company has been negotiating with those houses to buy them out for the past few months. Now it's known to be Universal, you'd be laughing your way to the bank right now if you lived in one of those!

Black Mirror needs to go, it was terrible yesterday. They weren’t even bothering to take the photos properly, half of them were just blurs! And shouting “don’t worry if you haven’t put your name in it doesn’t matter”. Even the park can’t be arsed with it

A look at the wider Thorpe Park rebrand. Do really love all the patterns, colours and applications!
 
https://www.robyeodesign.com/thorpe-park-rebrand

Disappointing! I don’t really get the vibe they’re trying to give with it. It looks like a 1950s van logo.
 
But as always, it’ll grow on everyone. The current Comic Sans-esque logo is shockingly bad but feels iconic as we’ve all been looking at it for so long.
 
So, it’s definitely an improvement at least…

2 out of 3 isn’t bad!!
 
Very pleased with this. A good compromise for integrating it back in with the 1950s American theme of Amity but with a new twist. 

We got the rusty logo in 2009 for Saw, which they brought back several times. Quite fitting to go with the rusting infrastructure!
 
And a sPoOkY white logo for DBGT
 
(pic from https://x.com/dg95official/status/1094600599860072448?s=46 )

We got the rusty logo in 2009 for Saw, which they brought back several times. Quite fitting to go with the rusting infrastructure!
 
And a sPoOkY white logo for DBGT
 
(pic from https://x.com/dg95official/status/1094600599860072448?s=46 )

Agreed! Would be SO easy. Just give the cinema a generic 50s Amity Cinema or theatre theme so it doesn't matter what film or show is on in there. Dodgems can be a 50s gas station.
 
Then Detonator can just pretend to be jungle themed again.

Theme it to bloody Amity, it's literally smack bang in the middle of it.
 
If Thorpe decide they want themed areas again of course. Change their mind on that every quarter.

Yes! Even just the original countdown would be amazing 
 
5… DUN DUN

I hope so. Its a dead IP now (always was really) and there did seem to be some talk about changes coming to angry bird land in the passholders group earlier this year. Would make sense to do it at the same time as a rebrand.
 
Would love to see the return of the black hole music on Detonator

New soundtracks for rides too? As long as they don’t touch Colossus or WWTP…!
 
So happy the logo’s changing, it’s been awful since they ruined it in 2008

I don't know if Ghost Train does close early. However, I'd assume it does, purely because the building isn't the most sound-proofed, and the noise from Lucifer's Lair probably bleeds in. 
 
Tbf, I doubt there's much they could do with the space and ride system by adding more actors. The trains will have a maximum number of people allowed, and they can't go for high-intensity scares there. The only place they could realistically do an extreme version for Ghost Train is in the crypt, and even then, extra actors wouldn't add a significant amount there. Better to have 3 mazes and close it early than 2 and keep it open imo.
 
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It's very interesting to see the early reaction to the time slots. I still expected the later slots to be packed, but the price difference does seem to be swaying a lot of people. Wonder if that will change throughout the event or be a common theme.
 
It is a real shame the park haven't managed to sort out the queueing for mazes yet. I think it's unrealistic to expect no queues, but a minimal wait time is okay. Approx hour queues are too much. It's good to see the park have tried something different, in turn acknowledging the issues that were present, but there's clearly still work to be done.

I LOVED the strobe section in Stitches. They’re always by far my favourite part when they use these in mazes. Which is why The Freezer/Asylum will always be the most terrifying and intense maze for me. Absolutely loved Stitches, my favourite of the 3 by a mile. Brilliant atmosphere and theming with so many jump scares. The room with the dolls (I think they were?) not knowing which of them were real was a highlight, I know they sort of did that in Trailers but it’s executed so much better here. 
 
Really comes down to what you look for in a maze as I really didn’t find Survival Games that intense. The shouting and being shoved takes away the sense of the unknown for me and you can see the actors coming from a mile off. But it’s great we have 2 very strong and complimentary mazes with Stitches and Survival Games. I do think now Trailers is easily the weakest of the three and wouldn’t be surprised to see this one gone next year