Mark9

Working on a ride doesn't mean you have to like the theme. Out of the 12 rides I operated, only Runaway Train and Rattlesnake were well themed. The rest were ****e.

I sometimes wish Merlin had gone for a "decent" manufacturer like B&M or Mack. This is no disrespect to Gerstlauer or Intamin but what they build are cheap ride systems. Yes they get the people in the park and they are awesome looking rides but when one can't build their rides to be comfortable, the other can't build reliable or/and 'safe' rides then it's just beyond believe. Ryan, you are incredibly lucky to find Saw smooth. I have a high pain threshold so can take the pain from Vekomas and jerky rides like Eurosat and Coaster Express but I just can't do front row Saw without getting a headache.

A few plaudits? He got more praise then anyone else!

God, you've all gone for the boring phsyics answers Has anyone thought that maybe Thorpe only requested 7 rows for the coaster. Parque Warner Madrids Batman clone only has 7 rows, when normally they have 8.

It's absolutely mad that a one year old coaster is so rough. I mean after 18 months, it's aged terribly so I'm scared to know what it will be like even next year.

That can only be Micheal from Chessington that was on Fury last year. Unique is definitly a word I would use to describe his dedication.

Thats exactly what I was thinking, considering the size of the park and the long queues, getting on 10 rides in any park is very good.

That is so cute

Oh I loved old Runaway Train queueline! I just cannot belive the queue ever got that long!

I'd also like to point something out that may not be that obvious to you. If you go with the intention of riding the big rides then thats all you are going to get on. I noticed in your trip report that you went on pretty much only the big rides. Why didn't you try Duel, Blade, Ripsaw, Charlie, Runaway Train?People make such glaring errors whenever they visit theme parks and then complain when they get on very little because of long queues. To be honest with you, it's your loss not ours. If Th13teen (a high capacity rollercoaster with a fast moving queueline) wasn't enough for you, then nothing Alton adds will be.

For a brief time in 2005, Rodeos control box was used as the break rota room for rides area 2 before it was deemed an unsafe structure.

Nah that was The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit.The next story is about an ancient race known as the....SiluriansSee I liked Series 4. The family and love crap was mostly gone and it was just Donna, the Doctor and the Tardis having fun in the universe. It wasn't all this bollocks about who Amy prefers and how Rory is envious of the Doctor..Which has never been done before has it...

There's nothing quite like rushing something to open is there.

Mark's choice is to stop watching Doctor Who.Frankly the stories this year just aren't enjoyable, they aren't hitting the right spot with me and frankly, Amy Pond is just annoying. Which is a shame as I loved The Eleventh Hour and The Beast Below.

I think bribes are more appropriate

I'm tempted to start Platinum again and go for it with Piplup. I haven't started with Piplup since 2007 and I didn't realise it was part steel back then. So everytime I sent it out against a fire type it was obliterated. I prefer Mudkips water/ground combo when it becomes Masrhstomp as electric trainers become a breeze and he has the highest base stat.For cuteness, Totodile thrashes them all..Definitly starting with FIREPIG on Black/White. He just looks so happy!

I have a few friends who may disagree with that.........I HERD YOU LEIK...MUDKIPZand finally

I love Pokemon, I really do. Anyone that calls it a kids game has obviously not played it recently. It's far more then that and it is the only reason why I have ever owned a Game Boy Colour, Advance and the DS.I love FIRE PIG, however David Cameron and the water one who looks like he has downs syndrome are rubbish.

I hope everyone just remembers what he said about helping the elderly and the poor. Thats the one I'll be hoping the coalition delivers on.

Again I'm on the other side of the fence here (seems to be a worrying trend). I would absolutely hate a dark ride at Thorpe. Not because I don't think it suits the park but because I would bloody hate queuing. It feels like everytime you put teenagers in No Way Out's indoor queue line they have to scream and start being anti-social.So I would actually despise a ride in the dark at Thorpe.

I'm actually entirely on the opposite side of the fence here I think. Nemesis and Colossus can get away with looking rough as one was already designed to look aged, the other is a lost city and doesn't need to be brand spanking new.Maybe Vampire would get away with it if the area wasn't looking so run down. I don't expect Vampire to look perfect in its 21st season but on the other hand looking like its falling apart is an entirely different matter.

I'd go with the Castle theme. Painting everything purple is not a theme. Merlin have proved with Wild Asia that they go for theme over style so if they were to do anything I'd want them to actually make Vampire look finished. At the moment it looks stuck awkwardly between awesome, best in the UK theming to just crap. It needs a real look at and a genuine redo. The ride itself is fine, it's not amazingly thrilling but its the perfect ride for the families. Now it just needs that little bit of theatre, a little bit of shine to reconfirm its place as one of the UK's most memorable rollercoasters.

I really wish the park gave a damn about Vampire to the extent that they clean up. Colossus seems to be the one everyone goes for.. "it needs a repaint, it looks shocking" and all that. Have these people actually seen the diabolical state Vampire is in at the moment. A repaint needs to be on the agenda, and soon.