Mark9

Words cannot describe how much I'm looking forward to your review of Magnum XL.

That help section is so full of bulls**t. Why not be just honest for a change and say it was too expensive to refurbish because years of neglect had taken its toll. Losing its magic indeed, give me strength.

In good log flume news, Tiger Rock has been getting a system overhaul over the closed season. New operating panel, new operating systems. I'd say we should expect a later opening this year..

Question for Coaster Jamie.

Bit of closure at last for a few on here. The way they closed and deliberately misled people over the last three years is the real story here. I made my peace with Loggers closure years back and I think my favourite memory of this ride will always be riding it for 7 hours for charity back in 2004. It will forever be one of my favourite log flumes for its short and snappy ride length, decent drops and surprising level of wetness. Whilst there are technically more superior log flumes these days, Loggers was a classic. The way Thorpe treated this ride towards the end of its life with its historical significance was pretty shameful IMO.

It's gonna be sick.

Just to clarify, once Icon broke down for the day there was zero rides open?

When did going to Blackpool for February half term and getting smashed in Wetherspoons become a thing? Has that just completely passed me by and I'm only becoming aware of it because of Icon..

5. GCI. I think they're a great company, although a little one-note. Wodan is the best example of their rides IMO. 4. Vekoma. Yeah, Yeah. But, these guys really are your go to for a lot of parks for being able to add affordable rides for parks getting off the ground or are able to innovate to meet whatever the customer needs. I personally really like some of their loopers despite their reputation and some of their Disney work is out of this world. 3. Gerstlauer. Weird one this. I have a real soft spot for them because of The Smiler, Karnen and their bobsleds. They push the boundaries in ways that I really like. 2. Mack. Blue Fire, Helix, Icon, Alpina Blitz. Not to mention when I worked at Chessington it was Runaway Train and Safari Skyway that were my favourites to work on. The ride industry would be a sorry place without these passionate and dedicated ride manufacturers. 1. B&M. Majority of my favourite rides are from these guys. Smooth, efficient, reliable rides that are massive crowd pleasers and when I was a young lad, their track was my favourite look. I haven't ridden enough RMC's to really rate them fairly and I think Intamin hide behind their bigger hits as they have some absolute duds which are some of the worst things I have ever ridden.

Frontierland at DLP in the fog.

I mean, its already the best park in the country. If this was a Mack, that would really be a statement of intent.

I mean, I'm sold. Rodeo being Chessingtons must under rated ride and Skyway was one of my personal favourites to work on ?

Its curtains for Volcano: The Blast coaster as it is being removed from Kings Dominion. http://coasterforce.com/volcano-kings-dominion-removed/?fbclid=IwAR39aineHWp7cR7T3FrKIWjCjLDdgfihPfcasSwaRDpdxLkp9jl_vdpuLIU

Are you saying we should leave because we don't just praise everything Thorpe does? I literally called Quantum a god tier ride the other day. What more do you want from me?

I don't think broken, worn out rides is a good selling point for a brand though.

The humour never ends at Thorpe Park HQ does it.

People who call Nemesis Inferno, Nemesis. IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE ONE WORD, CALL IT INFERNO.

I feel like I can reply to this now (because I'm going to talk about the much loved Disney brand here as it seems oddly relevant). The reason I am okay with IP's is because in general, Merlin don't actually do a bad job with this. Gruffalo, Peppa Pig World at Garda and Heide, Cbeebies land, How to train your dragon to name but a few are high quality rides/areas and IMO are good*. I'm going to couple that with the fact that Merlin are still very much about originality. Look at The Wicker Man or The Swarm and I'll thrown in the recent refurbishments of Runaway Train into Scorpion Express and Dragon Falls into Tiger Rock as examples of where Merlin actually on the whole get things pretty right when it comes to rides and attractions. *Thorpe is the exception, here is an example of absolute disaster but then the original attractions like Derren Brown also get this disastrously wrong. Now the reason I bring up Disney is because the CEO recently came in for a bit of stick for a certain quote. Now Disney fans got themselves into a right rut about the apparent Expedition Everest put down implied here for Bob Iger and I got a bit annoyed too. The idea that Toy Story Land or Frozen Ever After has the same integrity, narrative strength and artistry as a ride as thought out and cared for as Everest is almost insulting. But here's the thing, I understand the perspective. What I dislike about modern Disney is that the days of Phantom Manor or Mystic Manor seem to be over. IP's are all we get. So far, Merlin aren't doing this and seem to be adding IP's where its relevant or where an improvement can be seen. TLDR, IP's shouldn't be feared or seen as death of originality in theme parks.

Impressive that a ride not at Thorpe Park won the Thorpe Park ride game. (I'll be a retiring pensioner and I will still point out when people say Nemesis instead of Nemesis Inferno)

Because you're the minority and the majority enjoy Inferno more than the others.

I mean, its literally the most pointless comparison to make.

Mr Creek, why not jut go if it angers you that much. That's what I do and it does the world of good. We've seen the difference that new restraint systems can do to Vekoma SLC's and most Vekoma loopers so yes, a new restraint system could make a difference and are we saying that intamin, the company that are the ultimate in trying things outside the box and doing something daring, aren't able to adapt a train style to fit Colossus's track. This is small fry compared to the flash in the pan, one time rides that were Furius Baco or Tornado at Bakken train systems. Colossus isn't that bad at all. Reality is it is something people moan about and Colossus remains one of Thorpes busiest rides despite newer and better things being there 17 years on. This is all down to the cumbersome trains and outdated ride system.

RIP in peace Nemesis Inferno.

pa-dah. Top ten new rollercoasters of 2018. 1. Steel Vengeance 2. Gatekeeper 3. Flug Der Damon 4. Behemoth 5. Karnan 6. Raptor 7. Icon 8. Wicker Man 9. Magnum XL 10. Maverick Top five new parks of 2018 1. Cedar Point 2. Canadas Wonderland 3. Hansa Park 4. Heide Park 5. Six Flags Great America Top five UK rollercoasters 1. Nemesis 2. Icon 3. The Smiler 4. The Wicker Man 5. Nemesis Inferno Top five moments 1. Meeting the former CEO at Disneyland Paris at Disney Fandaze. 2. Being pleasantly in awe of Wicker Man and the achievement of Towers. 3. Icon living well up to expectations in being a fantastic rollercoaster and exactly what Backpool needed. 4. Finally conquering all the B&M's in Europe (Before Fenix and Valykira opened, grr). 5. After so long, getting to Cedar Point and it being a park with too many fantastic rollercoasters.

Florida Disney parks, Disneyland Paris and Europa Park are my only real definite so far. Potentially Efteling, Toverland and Walibi Holland although that depends on wedding financing. In the Uk, only definites are Alton and Blackpool. Right now, Thorpe doesn't deserve my time and I wouldn't mind going back to Chessington.