Mark9

Thanks to Towers Nerd. Looks so good....

Completely blanked that one out. Woops.

Like the look of The Smilers merchandise based on pics from Towers Nerd.

INTO THE DANGER CAVE!!!! Hard to get much about what it feels like to be on it so based on the video I do feel a bit disheartened at the luck of effort to hide the sheds/animal enclosures and on the surface it looks like a little trip through the mud around the Surrey countryside. I wasn't expecting it to be just a radio playing, I thought it would feature the driver doing the talking like on Kilimanjaro Safari. I stopped watching at the cave bit, to avoid spoilers.

Many thanks to Thorpe Park and everyone on TPM for the meet yesterday. Whilst it was short notice it was great to see so many people there and the happiness despite the poor weather. It definitely set a high standard for my own Thorpe trips this year.

So had a few goes on The Swarms back and front rows last night. I am undecided on my preference. Whatever row, it gives you a solid, dependable ride so thats a positive and there is no way that viewing the rides backwards has in anyway ruined the experience. Back is definitely preferable in the rain though, the front is like riding through speeding bullets.

So yeah, went to Thorpe yesterday via South West Trains which I haven't done for a while. Got to Thorpe and was with Ian, Marc, Ricky and Smidget. Nemesis Inferno - They've done a fantastic job this year with, what budget they've got has been used well. Love the light changes and the return of the dispatch music. And then the return of all the mist effects, just brings Inferno above being just a bog-standard inverter and into something special. Easily the most improved ride at Thorpe this year. Saw: The Ride - Not too bad this time around. Didn't notice anything too spectacular. Slammer - Oh Slammer . Best ride of the year by far. Just by being open on the first days of season for the second year in a row. Bravo to Thorpe engineers on all their hard work. Colossus - Enjoyable ride on Colossus. It's second train seems to have returned from its little holiday and was chilling on the break run Lost City - Samurai, Rush, Vortex and Zodiac are all awful these days. Samurai was giving okayish rides but isn't designed for theme park service, Zodiac sounded ill and is alright, Rush was only giving us two high swings. On a quiet day like it was yesterday, would it have killed them for giving us longer rides. Vortex was appalling. If they ever have to decide between Vortex and Slammer, please scrap Vortex. It no longer serves its purpose with one sole top swing. All that build up to nothing. Quantum was amazing as per usual, the ride decided to go mad again. The park looked fresh with several areas repainted such as air gates and stations, buildings and areas. Reliability was also good with only Vortex breaking down whilst we were on it and every ride that was due to open, being open. All in all, a really great day at Thorpe. I just Thorpe they can carry this through the season.

The hell with that. I'd rather queue for the forward facing rows then put up with all the faff.

Unbelievable. It astounds me that someone could live in the 21st century and have such prehistoric viewpoints.

Sorry about that.

Make that two successful trips so far Mark

Frankie and Bennies? Better start selling my friends again.

Of the one I have ridden I thought it's powerful start was let down by its disappointing ending. That and it travelled through concrete troughs which I'm not much of a fan of.

Your wish is my command Josh C. I have to admit that coaster battles are difficult things to write. As you say each ride has its own different factors, different budgets, different goals and can be effected by weather, age of the attraction and even park efficiency. That is why I try to keep the rides fairly similar. As for the battle of the B&M inverts.. well I decided to just go for it and write a piece on Nemesis VS Katun. What with their placings in the Mitch Hawker poll, I thought it was an apt time to compare the worlds best inverters. http://mark2262.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/coaster-battle-2/ As always feedback is more then welcome.

I also went last season. Love Shambhala, such a fun ride.

An all expenses paid, three night stay in the Crash Pad

An all expenses paid three night stay in the Crash Pad

We've been through a period where very few rides at Thorpe Park and Chessington have been removed. From the list of rides in the poll, please select all the rides you have been fortunate to ride before their closures. I have kept this as Chessington and Thorpe Park as there are too many rides at Blackpool and Alton Towers that have been removed.

http://sfneonline.org/2013/03/05/six-flags-catapult-removed/ Just the confirmation of the end of Catapult for any doubters out there. It has been cut up and is likely to be heading to the scrap yard. Slammer is officially the most unique ride at Thorpe Park.

I love how you are planning all these meets for my weekends off work. I'm definitly this one, the last Chessington meet in 2011 was fantastic.

I truly admire Thorpes engineers on their determination to keep Slammer working.

I genuinely thought Depth Charge was on its way out so I'm a bit taken back that they've given it new boats.

Everything I thought about this group of sheds has turned out correct so far. Unless the inside are actually TARDIS's and they hide the shed look with beautiful architecture, beautiful fountains and acres of trees and grass, flowers, sculptures, the Crash Pad will change very little. Unless you are saying there is more to come Marc..

SOme more pics thanks to Tina/Beans from Coasterforce Worst. Hotel. Ever.