tomglazed

Just saw a discussion about Thorpe's upkeep of painting their rides (or lack of it) in another topic and thought naturally to come to this topic. My friends went to Thorpe Park just before the Easter break (I wasn't able to go because of University) and I was surprised for them to tell me that not only did they all decide not to ride Colossus because they don't like how rough it is but they all commented on how bad it looks; making specific remarks about the oil/track lubricant stains on various parts of the lift (they didn't know what the marks were, they just said it looked "really old and manky").

It still amazes me that action like this has had to be taken because of what goes through some people's heads; it is just insane. Not what Thorpe have done, what people think is a good idea

That literally could be anything but if the ride was testing for 30 minutes and then re-opened after. I've been unfortunate enough to get quite a bad nose bleed mid-ride on Nemesis Inferno once and the ride attendant looked shocked to say the least, even after explaining it is just a nose bleed and I wasn't hurt they do still send it round empty to be sure.

And surely any child in a 45 minute queue will not be smiling, no matter what the ride is at the end of it...

Could the 6g spike not be the sharp downward helix straight after the first corkscrew?

My solution for that would be in the form of not just seatbelts on Rumba, but full body harnesses. Saw: The Rapids it is.

To be honest, even if nothing has happened recently; If I ran the park and saw that video that was posted a few posts back? I'd have closed it the very next day to find a solution (and probably have a breakdown trying to comprehend how stupid people can be).

Just going to throw this out there: we've already covered that any solution that Thorpe come to in the interim will cause people to lose out, but surely the option of closing the ride entirely until something is sorted will cause less aggravation than turning away groups which do not fit their current "safe rider" criteria? Pros of closing the ride entirely: Ability to run tests and explore solutions better No complaints which claim the park has discriminated against them because of the members of their group. Cons of closing the ride entirely:A ride entirely out of action causes queueing else where and complaints that a ride is unavailable. Pros for running the ride in its current state: Allows some riders to still ride. Reduction of queues lengths else where Cons for running the ride in its current state:Complaints claiming the park is discriminating against them because of the members of their group Running a ride on a much lower capacity doesn't mean they'll pay any less to run the ride, they will still be paying all the usual upkeep costs for the ride even though it is serving half of the number of guests it could be. Again, this is all just assumption work here:Being able to run tests on the ride without having to open and close it constantly will maybe allow a solution to be found a little quicker. The effect on queues with the ride being closed entirely would change depending on how busy the park is. The ride with its current policy will only reduce queueing else where by a fraction (maybe even barely noticeable?) so the queue length impact of the ride being closed again could be barely noticeable? More people are likely to complain about being told they cannot ride due to members of their group as opposed to a ride being unavailable: the rapids aren't exactly aimed squarely at Thorpe's target audience so less people would complain about not having it there than having it open but not allowing the average (again greatly assumed to be groups which will not have a 12 year old with them) group who visit Thorpe Park to ride it.

I voted maybe. There is no point adding a flat ride unless it has something unique compared to the other experiences a park has to offer. I suppose a unique aspect of a Top Spin is that its a flat ride which can interact well with water. Then again, Thorpe isn't exactly in short supply of water rides, the actual ride experience (rotating ride with a free spinning aspect) is covered in some way or another by Samurai. Also, if you are thinking about spinning rides alone, Thorpe is very well covered in that respect as well. Thinking about it, both top spins which they currently operate with water both suffer their own fair share of technical difficulties due to the water. So I'd say highly unlikely/not needed but should one be installed, it would have something to offer.

Atleast someone got what I was saying I was stating no one I KNOW finds it thrilling e.g. my circle of friends, family etc.I understand people do still find it thrilling and I'll even do it if there is a small queue.

I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if X No Way Out was the next ride to go. I know no member of the GP that still finds it thrilling, most people I know don't bother with it anymore and it does indeed make them feel nauseous.

Another thing to note is different people's perceived definition of rough and actually how sensitive people are to roughness. Only place that I have felt a jolt is at the bottom of the drop and the last inversion followed quickly by being whipped into the break certainly can give your neck a good work out but that is just me.

I guess that makes sense, I mean I presume the boats they used for the first season were ones which the ride has had since it was built so they will be getting quite old; they aren't built with the most sturdy material.

As far as I know, being parked with the "claw" in the windmill position is a pretty standard position for them to work on the counter weights and such. The whole scissor lift thing sounds also pretty standard as well to look at whatever is in the centre of the arm (hydraulics, gauges etc.)

Well lets just pray that Skittles isn't on their list of potential sponsors

Smoke coming out of the jet engine would be a a cool thing; especially seeing the wing rider trains dive down a whip the smoke up a little bit.

There is some irony for you isn't it? The Swarm brings down a jet filled with fuel and its the fire truck which has caught fire but seriously; awesome work!

If anything, taking that chunk out will go a long way to make the wall look more destroyed. Far rather they take a chunk out of the wall than let a rider do it for them...

Cheers Marc for the great pictures; we'll hopefully see it in a video soon but for those that saw it, what did it look speed wise? Was it quicker than you imagined, slow and graceful or about on par with what you thought?

But is the risk not just as great on every row?

I may sound stupid here or unless I haven't seen the video correctly but it seems that it is only the front row inner leg bracket that restricts forward movement and not just to the side. What is so different about the front row from all the other rows which means that forward movement of the person's leg needs to be restricted?

Right now, I think it is two trains (no spare as a third). There probably will be some form of battery on board to store power but the power most likely will come from energy produced from the wheels when in motion.

What would probably cool would be for when then train is loading in the station, is for the lights to turn off but when it is dispatched, they come on as if the Swarm is coming to life. Similar to what the LEDs on Rip Ride Rocket do, they change from flashing to still while in the station and change back when being dispatched.

I have a little more faith this time with the LEDs. I'd assume all aspects of the trains are down to B&M (that, or outsource to another company through B&M to work on theming them), so as long as Thorpe have little to no involvement in the construction of the trains then I think we'll be okay.

But conversely, I don't think an alien creature would be so destructive as to bring a aircraft and helicopter down from the sky and wreck a church but be delicate enough to leave some sort of roof behind. There is creating atmosphere but then there is sticking to theme. If Stealth's station was undercover then I'd feel the same, yes you can have more atmosphere indoors but I have never seen a racetrack with an enclosed starting grid.