Mega-Lite

Maybe for another fiver the stupid bastards razor their skin off and give you their hand stamp.

All we can say for sure at this stage is whenever it opens, it will close 3 hours before the park does, as is tradition.

That's quite a smart idea that actually, thanks for the info. The fact I'm pooling on the floor should give away the amount of times I've entered Valhalla though!

I'd happily queue that long in Korea, Phantasialand not so much.

Coaster my friend, the other day when leaving the Pleasure Beach they scanned our wristbands as we left the park, what's this policy about? Simply people counting or are they disabling wristbands so you can't leave and re enter?

In order to participate in a new Mitch Hawker style wooden roller coaster poll that's lurking online, I've ranked all my woodies in order. http://www.ellocoaster.com/wood-coaster-poll/ The poll if you're interested/bored enough. 1) T Express - Everland 2) Wildfire - Kolmarden 3) Balder - Liseberg 4) Wodan - Europa Park 5) Joris en de Draak (Water) - Efteling -) Joris en de Draak (Vuur) - Efteling 7) Troy - Toverland 8) Twister - Grona Lund 9) Rutschebanen - Tivoli Gardens 10) Wild Mouse - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 11) Big Dipper - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 12) Megafobia - Oakwood 13) Falken - Farup Sommerland 14) Heidi The Ride - Plopsaland De Panne 15) Tonnerre De Zeus - Parc Asterix 16) Nickelodeon Streak - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 17) Loup-Garou - Walibi Belgium 18) Robin Hood - Walibi Holland 19) Mammut - Tripsdrill 20) Elf - Hirakata Park 21) Grand National - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 22) Bandit - Movie Park Germany 23) Rustchebanen - Bakken 24) Blue Flyer - Blackpool Pleasure Beach 25) Roller Coaster - Great Yarmouth 26) Scenic Railway - Dreamland

Watched Thor Ragnarok at the weekend and it was good fun, I'd probably rate it exactly in the middle of the MCU though as tonal issues and a lesser than it deserved story left me feeling a little dry.

Do I have to collect my prize in person or can you post it to me? Parks this year: Total: 54 Japan Greenland - 1 Himeji Central Park - 1 Hirakata Park - 1 Kashiikaen Yuenchi - 1 Nagashima Spite Land - 1 Space World - 1 Universal Studios Japan - 1 South Korea Children's Grand Park - 1 Everland - 1 Lotte World - 1 Seoul Land - 1 Belgium Bellewaerde - 1 Plopsaland De Panne - 1 Denmark Djurs Sommerland - 1 Farup Sommerland - 1 Legoland Billund - 1 Tivoli Friheden - 1 France Parc Asterix - 1 Parc Saint Paul - 1 Germany Hansa Park - 1 Movie Park Germany - 1 Phantasialand - 1 Netherlands Attractiepark Slagharen - 1 BillyBird Park Hemelrijk - 1 Spain Parque de Atracciones de Madrid - 1 Parque Warner Madrid - 1 UK Adventure Island - 1 Alton Towers - 2 Blackpool Pleasure Beach - 2 Botton's Pleasure Beach - 1 Chessington - 2 Clacton Pier - 2 Clifton Park Amusements - 1 Drayton Manor - 1 Dreamland - 1 Fantasy Island (Essex) - 1 Fantasy Island (Skegness) - 1 Flamingo Land - 1 Flamingo Park (Hastings) - 1 Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach - 1 Harbour Park - 1 Joyland (Yarmouth) - 1 Lightwater Valley - 1 Pettitts Animal Adventure Park - 1 Thorpe Park - 4 West Sands Fun Fair - 1 Wicksteed Park - 1 To come before 2017 is over: Total: 1 Singapore Universal Studios Singapore - 1

Very excited by the Gravity for Saint Paul, the World needs more of those beasts and I need another reason to visit that crazy park. Not happy about Flash and Juv being cloned though, that's disgusting news.

I shout "better than Rita!" every time it does that, great minds think alike! That launch wasn't for me, really didn't enjoy the fact you hit the launch before you had time to readjust yourself from the drop, not best pleasant. I've always heard that described as a negative, until I ride though, I won't cast judgement, I mean I rode it in my dream once and didn't like it, can I count the cred? Well you've just given me prior warning to not get too hyped when I hit it's cousin on the Gold Coast shortly, really not sure what to expect! Upon further reflection (and staring at creds list) the only other launch that even comes close to Taron in my mind would be the second launch on Juvelen. It takes the experience from a friendly all smiles family coaster to a sudden "oh s**t" moment, I bet it's taken many by surprise and I love it for that.

It was rather interesting to see your replies to favourite Coaster drops so I'm back to ask about the other way of kicking coasters into gear (or keeping them rolling). What is your favourite Coaster launch section? I reluctantly have to award this one to Taron's second launch section. The sound, the sudden and intense kick of acceleration and the way the train shakes like it's falling apart, it's fantastic. I can't really think of any runners up at the moment, however I'll be riding Dodonpa and at least 1 of the Chinese S&S launchers next year so I hope that will change things. Over to you!

The leg work is half the fun with travelling creds! Butterflies?! A man of your legendary statue shouldn't utter that word. If you ever count them, I'm going to ride a pallet truck down a hill and count that!

What about all those red dots next to all the travelling coasters you aren't counting though?

Says the man who counts Go Gators?! What goes on in your head man?! Subtle China hints to get the non travelled masses restless, you coming then?

I'll be in London for Chinese Visa related reasons (stay tuned for that) so will pop in to mop up the new creds regardless, wouldn't make the effort otherwise with no new major coasters.

Couldn't care either way myself if it stays or goes. I will echo what others are saying though, if it leaves and a replacement is in place that's fine, if however we are going to be another ride down while "redevelopment" takes place then that's just idiotic. I know Thorpe are dumb but I really do just think this is a baseless rumour, I can't get my head round the thought process.

You're doing the Lord's work man! Those pictures just sent me to rewatch the official animated POV and I swear it looks better every time! Just think, a Mack Megacoaster on our door step, game changing!

Just the way your statement came across seemed to belittle the nice toys we already have. Wild Mouse and Big Dipper are in my opinion better than quite a few so called "modern" woodies anyway. It's great we are getting a nice new wooden coaster here and GCI are up there with Mack as my favourite manufacturers, it's just the product on show looks very unimpressive.

If you count Pointless Weapon/Tunnel:The Ride/The Fall of GCI as a real genuine woodie but don't count Wild Mouse, Big Dipper or Megafobia then I'm not sure there's anything I can do to save you. Unless all you need is a lift to Blackpool?

Watched Jigsaw at the weekend and rather enjoyed it. Best review would be, if you're a fan of Saw, you're going to have an enjoyable 90 minutes, if you don't like Saw, this isn't going to convert you, don't bother.

Now that you mention it Baron, Efteling did indeed close Baron (lol) early to clear queue for close, Draak's queue closed with the park though. Left Movie Park early to collect more creds so I'll take your word on that. Liseberg both days I was there closed the Helix queue at park close time and after that I got a drink in Burger King and maps from the gift shop, maybe I got lucky? It's just something that left me dry both times at Phantasia so it sticks in my mind, that and being chased by a golf kart!

The lovely bloke running that Facebook page has began to deny Hollenblitz attending this year. With his track record I'd say it's not looking good, very disappointing news that.

2 hours is enough and too much at the same time, awful park. Germans were shouting abuse and jumping ropes at the closing 3 hours early queueline for Taron, it's hard to tell whether that's just Phantasialand guests or indeed they were not fine with it. Can't recall another park that does it off the top of my head, certainty not 3 hours early and herding you out like sheep, maybe I need to go to Port Av to experience this? You sir have balls, for on park atmosphere and hostility, it probably isn't far off Thorpe Park, ride line up wise, destroys it. I'm not sure about that, 2 trips in a row being left annoyed by the place, when in reality shouldn't your first trip to the park be enough of a judgement? I'll give her another go when the new thing opens, I'm not expecting anything to have changed though. From the second I sat down, then while washing and drying my hands, then while I was trying to work out why the hell she was shouting at me, there's certainly something about their staff members. Just been reminded the man selling drinks in the Taron area was a t**t too. Leave Charlie alone guys, of course you are allowed to form an opinion based on other peoples experiences, good OR bad. Christ I've been reading forums for YEARS for that sole purpose. Go into your first trip to a park with at least a little knowledge of what you may come to find, Taron being offensively good and the park attitude being a joke. I for one, after YEARS of reading Port Av is a shambles will be visiting that park for the first time with that very much in my mind and if I find out it's false then more power to me.

I second this fully. Glad I could help you at all, vicious (but well deserved) jabs against Merlin aside, once you start hitting the cream of Europe everything changes. In less than 2 years I've upped my count by 274 (who's counting?) and had some truly fantastic experiences and that's all thanks to taking the Euro leap. By my own admission I do go over the top sometimes but I'll keep this one fully informative. Taron is a World Top 10 coaster for sure, Black Mamba is great, Winjas are brilliant, Chiapas is great, River Quest is insane and Maus is fantastic, so as ride line ups go, the park is a winner. It's also fair to say IN PLACES the theming is incredible. Now it goes downhill. Both times I've been the staff have been f**king disgusting, hostile and just plain assholes and the clients are even worse (I've done Germany enough to know it's not a German problem but a Phantasia problem). Once again both times, the park have closed major attractions far earlier than the official park closing time and on our first trip we were literally screamed at by a man on a golf buggy while trying to take pics of Mamba, the park had only officially closed 5 minutes ago. The shops also close before park close, so if you want merch or a coke for the drive back, forget about it. This one isn't the park's fault as such but the raging hard on 90 percent of the enthusiast community has for this park damages it further in my eyes, they will defend the park to their graves. So imagine me in a 2 hour Taron queue, a coaster that I've just found out is closing THREE hours before advertised, surrounded by extremely rude guests, all of them trying to give me lung cancer and I'm there trying to think how they will defend this s**t. While we are at it, I was screamed at for 15 minutes by an angry staff member while in the toilet, defend that please? I've left both times with a very sour taste in my mouth and I saw Mark say it about another park recently but it really makes Taron a chore when you have to put up with so much s**t just to ride it. The whole experience and atmosphere of the place screams to me, "we are one of the best parks in the World, so you WILL put up with our bulls**t and you'll like it". Maybe the thing that bothers me most is, if the park really wanted to, it could be up there with some of my favourite parks but nope silly avoidable crap is ruining it for me. I am actually slightly annoyed I have to revisit to get their coaster next year, now what does that say about the place?

Sorry for the slight delay in my replies. Some more trips, if it ever helps anyone I'm happy. Madrid, as said before, cheap flight to Madrid, cheap hotel somewhere in the area near the 2 parks, then trains and a bus will do you proud. Can't recommend this trip myself though, Parque Warner is fine and Batman (clone) and Superman are alright but meh, Parque De Atracciones however can f**k off. A trip I do highly recommend is (and is nice and cheap), fly to Billund, find a cheap hotel in the middle of all the parks (Djurs Sommerland [fantastic], Farup Sommerland [very good], Tivoli Friheden [for the creds] and Legoland [if you're desperate]). Then if you are really feeling brave, haul ass down into Germany to hit Hansa Park and ride the monster that is Karnan. Another one is fly into Amsterdam, rent a car and plan to stay cheaply in the middle of all the parks I'm about to name. Drievliet (Formule X is great), Toverland (TROY!), Phantasialand (Taron is awesome, but don't have high hopes for the park as a whole), Efteling (one of the best parks in the whole World) and Walibi Holland (Lost Gravity is fantastic). Once again if brave you could always drive into Belgium but I can't say I recommend this idea, f**k Belgium. That's all the easy to do ones I recall off the top of my head. I don't mean to offend (but I might), Fright Nights and Pointless Weapon got you back into the game? You need this Europe trip more than you think man, get out there, see the good stuff, leave the shambles of Thorpe Park and the pointlessness of SW8 behind and never look back!