Trooper Looper

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

What are people's thoughts on that blue? Will get used to it but it's a tad too much on the outside of the building. 

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! 

I’m very mixed about the whole thing, so I decided to create my own logo instead. 

I bet the company who they hired are laughing so much right now, I can see the conversation going on in their HQ.
 
’Yep, they paid us £100,000 to make their new logo and guess what, I went onto google, searched up fancy font and wrote out Thorpe Park. You’ll never guess what happened too, they were happy with it!’
 
In all seriousness what the hell is that though. I could have done the same in photoshop in 10 mins. I like the idea of the change in vibe of the park, and was happy with the direction thorpe park were taking, but this. Nope.

What the f*** is that logo?! It looks like it's the sign off a high street photocopying shop.

agreed I am pleased with this! It never made sense for me to have a random bitty unrelated land breaking up amity, bigger lands/themes have more impact.

Great choice in my opinion. Nice and vibrant, and will tie it in well with amity next door. Looks fantastic 

Love it, it's a real Hoot Hoot of a theme.
 
Genuinely though, looks good, hope the concept art comes to fruition. Makes sense with the surrounding area too.

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. 

Big Easy Boulevard is announced to take over angry birds land next season. More concept photos on Thorpe park’s instagram now

Definitely won't be an overhaul - an overhaul of certain scenes, sure. But a complete overhaul? No chance.

@Trooper Looper I know that all the incarcerations of the Haunted House have a place in your heart. I recall reading that Alton Manor disappointed you. Since Alton Manor’s initial opening in March has your opinion changed? I must admit I think Alton Manor is largely an improvement over Duel. Despite this one a scene is a definite downgrade. This scenes namely the blank hide and seek area are namely the blank scenes following the Vortex Tunnel. @Trooper Looper do you know if Alton Towers has plans to change this season during the next closed season? Another thing I disapprove of is the removal of some of the amazing animatronics. The animatronics I mourn are the smaller Spiders in the Hall Of Spiders and the Undertaker in the Goolish Garden. 

 
Upon the opening of Alton Manor the Park were asking for riders opinions. I presume this was so Alton Manor could be refurbished to guests satisfaction. 

Personally I think this post is a waste of time as I knew Alton Manor will be overhauled over the closed season. Despite this I wanted your views. Lastly you are a frequent visitor to Alton Towers, so could have overheard conversations regarding Alton Manor or you could have asked these questions yourself.
 
Any information or opinions you could provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah she is getting on a bit now, almost 35 years old. I would love for it to get a bit of love now that Mandrill is open. 

@Matt N I’d have to disagree with you for once. Vampire is extremely iconic even more than Nemesis at Alton Towers. Vampire was the Rollercoaster that made Chessington the success it is. Without Vampire Chessington would be nowhere on the scale it is. Although iconic Nemesis doesn’t represent the success of Alton Towers. Nemesis is purely iconic as it was the first Rollercoaster in the U.K to have more than one Inversion (Loop). Both rides were created by the highly successful John Wardley. In some respects Vampire was the prototype for Nemesis. Vampire is like a toned down and simplified version of Nemesis. 
 
If Vampire left Chessington it wouldn’t be the same Theme Park. Vampire is the beating heart of Chessington. Not only is the ride iconic in the success of the Theme Park but it’s definitely Chessington’s most popular ride. The standard que time for Vampire is at least an hour. Compare this to the other Rollercoasters that normally have ques under half an hour,and it becomes apparent just how beloved Vampire is. Personally Vampire is my favourite Rollercoaster at Chessington.

Yh it’s a bit odd they replaced like 3 bits of track.
 
Hopefully this season was just a test to see if the retrack would work and next season they will do a bigger section.
 
I’m hoping the do the cobra roll next cause that’s probably the most unbearable part of the ride in my opinion.

The new track was on site about a month or so ago, but did not fit correctly.
 
It has had to be sent back to be realigned. No updates as to how long it will take.

Took me a while but I found it, it wasn’t going to merge with TWD’s building. It was going to be its own thing. See X\: No Way Out behind it in the background 

Yes, that's it really. It's quite strange to think that such a punky ride ever existed, in the now so safe, and business driven industry. Imagine Marianne and the gang sitting round a boardroom table coming up with such a ride; it just wouldn't happen. I suppose that's the saddest part of the modern theme park world. Everyone's afraid, nobody is willing to push the boat out. It's all very boring. Damn it, you've made me think.

Anyway, well done. I've enjoyed the episodes.

This Smiler takeover at Towers looks fantastic... 
 
 
Particular points to note are the Argos karaoke machine, aeroplane seats (out of shot) with barbed wire on them (completely fits in), bits of old CBeebies tat (Fido dog house).
 
When does it stop becoming an "easter egg" or "a NoD tO sOMEthIng" and not just never buying anything new and just repurposing/throwing in anything they find in the props cupboard? I say right now, personally. And I'm a Smiler fan.... but that stage in front of the Wickerboi just gives me the ick.
 
Shane Sandwich is gonna be rippin' this a new one tonight.

Cant believe I’m saying this, but I’m so glad Thorpe stick to appropriate events.
 
This event isn’t really an event, it’s scraping the barrel for entertainment. It doesn’t work, the thrill makers at thorpe are 100% on brand. This isn’t, it seems like an event that a park such a pleasurewood hills or Oakwood could put on. The props, the quality of the stages and the acting (not the actors fault) should not be in a premium theme park

I've not done too many rides in my life, but here's my top 10 in general speaking, and I'll explain why.
 
 
 
10) Tomb Blaster
 
If this was its pre 2020 vetsion, it wouldn't even be a top 35, but since then, I think it's a wonderful experience with a good narrative and some great lighting and scenes.
 
 
 
9) Vampire
 
Yeah, it's a bit rough, but it's interaction with the terrain and the unique swinging trains. The queue and station do a phenomenal job building up the tension to the eventual ride experience. Easily the best themed in the UK.
 
 
 
8) Hex, The Legend Of The Towers
 
Whilst I may give the actual Madhouse experience to the Huanting, Hex really makes up with it's Incredibly storytelling, lighting, sets, and the audio! It's one of the most immersive and engaging Indoor rides out there, thanks to the story being mostly true. The smell pods are fantastic as well!
 
 
 
7) Spaceship Earth 
 
If I could describe Spaceship Earth with one word, it'd be magical, it has a great concept of showing how the Human race has evolved over time and what our intellect has done to our races benefic. The narrative is really charming as well, and the ride carries some simple, but great effects. Let's not forget how long the ride is, I think it's around a good 14 minutes long. For a Dark Ride, that's Incredible. Really wish they kept more of Epcits original attractions, would've loved to have rode them.
 
 
 
6) Pirates of the Caribbean (Florida)
 
I've haven't had the chance to go do Disneyland in California Yet, but for now I'm still really grestful to have ridden the one in florida, even though its considered the inferior version. The Queue is really charming and feels quite real. The main ride section has some really great drops, lighting and set pieces for a water ride, especially the Scene where the Pirate ship is attacking the costal forts. Its a must do for me I'd I ever get to go to Magic Kingodn ever again!
 
 
 
5) Revenge of The Mummy
 
I rememberbeing absolutely terrifiedwhen queuingfor this ride for the first time. This ride is a perfect mix of pure adrenaline fun, and nightmare fuel. The Mummy animatronic at the beginning absolutely scared me when  I first saw it from it's realistic movements, thinking it was real. The launch is really good, the layout is really thrilling for an indoor Coaster, and the pyrotechnics in the fake station are a highlight as you can feel the heat coming from those flames! One of the best indoor rides period.
 
 
 
4) Oblivion 
 
While it may be a short ride, it definitely makes up for that Drop. Honestly, still one kf the best drops on any roller coaster out there. The branding and themong make up for a great queueline and really makes you nervous whenever you're queuing up for it. Let's not forget the Fantastic footage of the Lord of Darkness on the queueand station, he's definitely the cherry on the cake and can easily make first timers reconsider when queueing. It's also got one of the best Soundtracks for any coaster and really fits with the late 90s, gritty, Sci fi feel.
 
 
 
3) Duel/The Haunted House
 
If I had to pick one ride that I'd say was underrated or unappreciated, I'd pick this one. Duel or The Haunted House is easily one of the most charming, and immersive dark rides in the UK. Yeah, it's not looked great for a while, but the props and scenes are still some of the best made ever. The ride system is also a one of a kind and has a phenomenal throughput. I can only imagine how amazing the ride was when it was the Haunted House, especially in its first few years. I don't really touch the blasters, I mostly just enjoy the screen and take it in which is easily the battery experience. Statistics wise, it's not all that impressive as a ride, but it has such character snd some really unique ideas that I think it makes up for easily. It also has a great indoor queue, well at least before the 2021 change. It had abroom that was slanted to it was meant to look normal, giving off a very odd and unique sensation when in there. Let's hope this refurb keeps it's charm and uniqueness.
 
 
 
2) Apocalypse (Rest in Peace)
 
Boy, what a great Drop tower this was. This was one of the few rides left that still gave me that stomach Drop feel. The Drop was really forceful, the theeming was really good and made you feel anxious when queueing inside the main drop tower chamber, watching the cars go up and fall back down as high speeds. This was one of the few rides I was still scared to go one even though I loved it. You will be missed Apocalypse.
 
 
1) Nemesis
 
Oh, where to begin. One of the most intimidating, Intense, and Well themed coasters in the world. The soundtrack is beyond words and really makes the area around the ride feel that much better. The way the Coaster interacts with the terrain is incredible, and some of the elements on the ride are also some of the best on any Inverted Roller Coaster. The monster in the pit is one of the best themed stations on the outside and really does stick with you after many years. One of the best and unique rides ever made, when it reopens, go ride it! You won't regret it!

Rode this yesterday.
 
It's a good Ghost Train ride. Not the best one I've done, but it does have a nice story which you can sort of follow (which is less common in my experiences with these rides).
 
Without posting anything too spoilery, but also giving mild spoilers, I particularly liked the mirror scene and the final scare (the physical prop is well hidden).
 
At the same time, there's 3 scenes which are effectively just pitch black, and they don't quite work. One almost does, because it's a "hide and seek" style scene, but it needs something a bit more (lighting effects with eyes or something). The other two pitch black scenes need something.
 
Now here's something which seems to be controversial. I preferred Duel. I significantly preferred Duel. Part of this is because I'm a sucker for interactive / shooting dark rides, and Duel was just a ton of fun for me as a result. The other part of it is that Duel never felt like an attraction which took itself too seriously. It had the spooky / scary theme, but seemed to have a bit humour / light-heartedness sprinkled in a a result. Alton Manor takes itself a bit more seriously, and goes the full nine yards on the creepiness scale, but doesn't have any sort of humour or 'fun-ness' to it.
 
Now this is very much just a me thing. Is Alton Manor 'better'? Yeah, probably. It's got some cool effects and a nice story and a good creepy vibe. It's definitely on the higher end of ghost train rides I've done. But given a choice, I would rather ride Duel any day.

Gave this a couple of goes yesterday, felt quite underwhelmed when I came off, it does have some nice sets and effects on the ride which are an improvement to previous and the trommel and clock was my favourite part was great to see that all working. But for me overall I found it a bit dull, I gave it another go in the afternoon to see what another run through was like unfortunately it was Dark from the usual spot after the Trommel to just after the old screaming heads which was a shame so missed the spiders and mirror effects 2nd time round. Was walk on both times so didnt see too much of the queue or pre show, The hosts were in their new character in the morning but in the afternoon were just normal and was asking everyone their thoughts on it, John Burton was also outside in the afternoon talking to various people

I really don't think the 'shade' was intentional, but I get what they were trying to say. I think they're basically saying that Towers are doing an entire marketing campaign around the retrack to keep things interesting, whereas Thorpe just wanted the project to be undertaken and completed as quickly as possible to ensure people can keep riding it throughhout the year, therefore they have no interest in doing any special marketing projects to coincide it.
 
I feel like once they've got another coaster at the park to eat up some of the queues that having Colossus closed for a prolonged period of time would be the most beneficial time for a complete retrack - whether that happens or not is another question entirely.