Hyperia Speculation and Construction Thread

[Mark9]

I thought we were going to get Epcots cancelled Mary Poppins expansion based on that 'clue'.

 

I'm going for RMC in 2023. I've got nothing to lose by saying this.

[JoshC.]

The "Winds in the east..." is a quote from a Mary Poppins song. Clearly that's the IP we're getting...

 

I jest of course. 

 

John is pretty meticulous and has his finger on the pulse when it comes to the enthusiast community. So I wouldn't be surprised if this is related to the going ons this weekend, even if it's just an acknowledgement of things happening. Equally though, it could mean absolutely nothing and be completely unrelated. If there is some relation, I'd be surprised if the choice of words or gifs or whatever is an indication of what's to come.

 

tbh, if I was in his shoes, I'd probably post a few hints that lead people down the complete wrong path, just for the laughs. Though that's probably the one of many reasons why I don't work for Merlin Magic Making.

[Benin]

Could be taking inspiration from football Twitter. Where certain ITKs post "Such and such to place. HERE WE GO!" to confirm signings.

[JoshC.]

9 minutes ago, Benin said:

Could be taking inspiration from football Twitter. Where certain ITKs post "Such and such to place. HERE WE GO!" to confirm signings.

 

Port Aventura are getting a La Liga land. Thorpe to get a Premier League land confirmed?

[JoshC.]

Back to being serious now...

13 hours ago, Inferno said:

Maybe reading too much in to it, but one thing to note is the leaflet mentions “The new ride will provide an exhilarating…” blah.  Maybe meaning this is likely to be a single coaster rather than a “land” similar to Chessington’s?

 

This is an excellent point. Also slightly disappointing if it does end up being true; as has been discussed previously, a whole new land with support rides, shop(s), restaurant(s), space for FN / events, etc etc is really what would hammer this home.

 

Optimistically (and perhaps foolishly), I guess there's still plenty of hope that this could be more, but the main focus of the consultation is the coaster. This differs from Chessington in some sense: they were expanding into a new part of the park, and so the whole land needed consultation. Being an existing part of the park, maybe it's only the coaster that needs consultation (say, because of size or noise), and anything else is fairly standard? 

 

 

12 hours ago, 2542464 said:

I have to say though I heard back in 2019 that over the next decade Thorpe would be getting 2 coasters - one in the mid decade (so obviously this one) and the next towards the end/ 2030-40 decade so I'm not sure why it's a surprise. I don't think it's any doubt that Thorpe was always going to get a coaster (although I think we're all glad it's gonna be a coaster and not some doomed "experience" like DBGT).

If you were to cycle back 3-4 years ago, people were pretty confident we were getting a coaster in 2020. That obviously never happened. Go back 7-8 years people were confident we were getting a coaster in 2015/16. Whilst there have been rumours for a while, there's been nothing concrete to suggest we should expect anything to come. That's part of the reason why people are surprised.

 

The other part of it is just excitement I think.

 

12 hours ago, 2542464 said:

The track length of the coaster is really unlikely to exceed 750m and for a standard lift-chain coaster model is likely to be 2 trains with 7 cars = 28 passengers (750m I believe is what Thorpe Park consider a balance between ride experience, throughputs and maintenance costs).

 

There is nothing to suggest what the track length could be. The 750 (well 850) number comes from MTDPs.

 

In the past, the park submitted Mid Term Development Plans (MTDP) to the local council. This would outline roughly what they were considering installing over a set period of time, and some restrictions they would stick within. In some ways, this served as a consultation period and people could also give feedback.

Once an MTDP is approved, if the park submit an application which meets all those restrictions, the process is a bit quicker and easier for both parties.

 

The last MTDP the park submitted was back in 2010, and was valid up to and including 2016. In that MTDP, the park stated they would build roller coasters which would not exceed 50m in height and not exceed 850m in length. This was simply because the ideas they had for Swarm (and loose ideas for whatever might have come after) were not going to exceed those restrictions. Why say more when you don't need to.

 

The details in that MTDP, as I say, were only valid up to 2016. At this point, any roller coaster could have any height, length, etc (within reason of course). This is one of the things the consultation will outline I expect. 

 

In terms of 750m being the balance between ride experience, throughput and maintenance - I've never heard anything to suggest that is their school of thought. It might be a happy coincidence, but I don't expect that's their hard and fast process. And even if it was, the last time the park installed a coaster was almost 10 years ago - things may have changed.

[JoshC.]

Ooops unnecessary triple post, oh well

 

The park have confirmed they're working on a "world-class rollercoaster":

 

 

[ML27]

Hoping this means it’s a thrill coaster, not a family 🤞🤞

[Charlesberg]

I’ll probably end up repeating someone else’s comment but I cba to go back through hundreds of posts to check, these are my thoughts:

 

I’m in agreement with some people that a B&M hyper would be the best fit. If it takes the height record for the UK then that will be a simple yet highly marketable trick that will interest the GP (way more marketable than “the UK’s first wing coaster”).
Also given B&M’s renowned quality and reliability and Merlin’s track record with maintenance, it would be a very safe investment (but by no means a boring one!).

 

The same can’t really be said for an RMC, like what’s gonna sound more appealing to the average non-enthusiast: “the tallest coaster in the UK” or “the UK’s first coaster to fuse wood and steel”. Also given that Wicker Man was a bit of a push in the first place, I can’t see them pushing it further to RMC (but hey I might be completely wrong!).

 

At this point, I feel they need a new thrill coaster before they go for a family coaster. Get your main target audience back on board before you branch out. They could make a decent family coaster the next investment for their cycle in 4 or so years after this one.
 

I’m also curious as to whether they’d try and beat the Big One’s true height (213ft) or their advertised height from sea level (235ft). Assuming they go with a hyper.

 

But hopefully this can regain the parks respect from enthusiasts as I feel like the last few years have made us focus on what the park does badly as opposed to the things the park actually does very well!

[Inferno]

I agree - as much as targeting “thrill-seekers only” appears to have caused problems, I think a biggie would be better this time, then something more family oriented next time.

 

I think building a family ride out of the blue would be a weird move, because even if it’s fab it will be very much on its own as the only decent thing in the park for that audience.

I feel they need to add some more family stuff before opening a big headline family ride.

 

On the other hand though, the Old Town location in to the woods would really suit a family coaster wouldn’t it. And let’s face it, Wickerman is a brilliant ride even for “thrill-seekers”.

 

I’ll be honest, I am just happy to see an actual coaster go in here. Whatever it is, it’s some very much needed development.

(Unless it’s another low capacity, fastrack riddled shuttle coaster like they’re getting at CWOA)

[Glitch]

Whatever this ride is let’s hope it can cope with Thorpes capacity for a fast track, RAP and main queue and perhaps even a cheeky single rider if lucky.

[Inferno]

4 hours ago, ML27 said:

Hoping this means it’s a thrill coaster, not a family 🤞🤞

🤞 - However, Big Thunder Mountain is world class.

I guess we’ll see!
 

16 minutes ago, Glitch said:

Whatever this ride is let’s hope it can cope with Thorpes capacity for a fast track, RAP and main queue and perhaps even a cheeky single rider if lucky.

😆 Agreed!
This is why we need a B&M with 3 long trains that have 4 seats across and lapbars, and a MCBR 🙏

I so hope this is a queue eater 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[LK_]

Watch it be an Axis coaster with 500pph throughput lmao

[Project LC]

Come on Aquatrax!

 

World class sure sounds better than world beating. Hopefully it means we can get a gimmickless coaster that isnt striving for some strange record. 

[javs]

Winds in the East?  I'm on the B&M hype train with this one.  Makes sense given Chessie have got a B&M Wing incoming, and we know Merlin often does a multi purchase deal with coaster manufacturers.  

 

Just to highlight, 'Monsoon' is a wind in the east.  Oriental theme?

Sorry too soon 🤣

[Benin]

23 hours ago, JoshC. said:

 

Port Aventura are getting a La Liga land. Thorpe to get a Premier League land confirmed?

 

The CR7 Dive Machine being the centrepiece attraction. 

 

 

 

Also, let's not jump on the "world class" thing. Wasn't DBGT described as such? If there's one thing Merlin are kings of is PR guff.

[BBoyJD10]

Thorpe park just liked this 

[Project LC]

I would not take Twitter as any form of information regarding the ride type. They know enthusiasts are after information and they will happily provide them with what they want to hear. 

 

I still dont think a hyper is likely on that side of the park. The noise will be a sticking point in the consultations for anything much taller than saw or Colossus. 

[Permamarka]

Yeah will likely be a B&M Hyper, three train operation, 240ft (sight lines), out and back style, going over the lake and paths (hence why Old Town attractions will be closed also) , track coloured green or brown with brown supports to blend in with the surroundings and great for locals. It’s a big project.

[Matt N]

Question; is it known whether Thorpe are holding actual in-person meetings for this consultation where the plans will be formally revealed, or are they merely dropping the plans onto the website when the calendar hits 10th December?

[Mattgwise]

38 minutes ago, Matt N said:

Question; is it known whether Thorpe are holding actual in-person meetings for this consultation where the plans will be formally revealed, or are they merely dropping the plans onto the website when the calendar hits 10th December?

Seems like things will leak Thursday following two live in person events...

 

Found on Theme Attractions on Twitter

[Matt N]

Interesting... are there any local enthusiasts living near enough to Thorpe to qualify? I do understand why Merlin want to limit it, though; locals might feel a bit intimidated and unable to raise their genuine concerns if it's overrun by enthusiasts.

 

This is all very exciting, though; feels great to be discussing a new major investment at Thorpe again! Even though it was only in 2014, DBGT's early planning stages feel like such a long time ago!

[JoshC.]

There are rumours circulating round that the park will be asking for proof of address to ensure you're local for the in person event. 

 

I think it's worth posting here what we included in our recent TPM article:

 

Quote

Also, whilst these consultations are open for everyone to see and give feedback to, please remember they are designed mainly for local residents to learn about how this new investment could affect the local area and their daily lives. It is their chance to ask questions, give concerns and let them know about any feedback they have. Whilst we're all excited to see what happens next, we think this is worth keeping in mind and that people should try to be respectful of this too!

 

[MattyMoo]

Anyone know how big the RAP queueline is for the new coaster please, cheers.

[Inferno]

4 hours ago, MattyMoo said:

Anyone know how big the RAP queueline is for the new coaster please, cheers.

It starts just next to Oblivion’s photo kiosk apparently.

[Matt N]

Part of this is going to sound like a strange request, but the simple thing that I hope for from this ride is that it's fun and rerideable as opposed to out and out intense, and for the strange part, I actually hope it's something smooth.

 

I feel that something that's just pure fun and easily rerideable is something that Thorpe lacks at present. Something that's smooth, nice and floaty (or just airtime-filled), thrilling but not too intense, and just purely fun as opposed to some brain-draining out and out force machine. That's why I would love for this to be a B&M Hyper; I remember Mako ticking all of these boxes, hence why it's still my all-time #1 5 years on!

 

I used to think that Swarm filled this void, but a few things have happened with that one over time that have made it lose this status for me; the sustained g's in that helicopter helix are beginning to make me grey out for a sustained period of time most times I do it (which I don't especially enjoy), I'm growing to not be too keen on the restraints, and I also think it's getting a bit rougher. Not rough by any means, but in September, I had a back outer ride that really juddered quite a bit, and even the inner seats are beginning to develop a bit of a grind/rattle that the ride never used to have; it certainly seems to have lost that silky smoothness it once had for me. (Has anyone else found this, as I feel like I'm going insane here; most others still refer to Swarm as silky smooth and not intense in the slightest?) Don't get me wrong, I still like Swarm a lot; these are quite minor niggles in the grand scheme of things, and I think the ride's high points are still amazing enough to keep it in my top 10 (I do love its sensation of speed, and the speed of that first drop and huge negative g's of that final inversion are just absolutely spectacular!), but it's certainly becoming less my kind of thing, and is slipping down the top 10 for me (it's #8 currently, whereas it has been as high as #3 within the last year or two, and I reckon Europa next year could well move it out of the top 10 entirely, what with their big 3 aligning directly with my current top 3 in terms of ride types; we'll have to wait and see on that one. To be honest, based on my rides last September, I'm quite tempted to push it down to #9 or #10 and consider Inferno my favourite Thorpe coaster; Swarm currently just edges Inferno, but to be honest, I'm reconsidering that, in hindsight... Inferno has grown on me a lot).

 

Before I go off on too much of a Swarm tangent, I was going to lead on to say; the reason I'd like something smooth is because I actually think that Thorpe has a surprisingly rough (or at least, not smooth) selection of coasters given that none of them are that old. From my experience, while Swarm and Inferno are not especially rough by any means, none of their coasters are nice and silky smooth in the way that I personally really like in a coaster; Inferno is probably their smoothest, and Swarm isn't a rough coaster by any means, but Stealth is feeling quite jolty these days (the ascent in particular really bashed me around a fair bit and gave me a headache on my rides in September, and the descent also bounces you about a fair bit towards the back... but again, I never hear this brought up about Stealth, so I must ask; am I the only one who's noticed this?), Saw, while it has been feeling smoother and growing on me a bit lately, is still quite rough in places, and Colossus... I don't think that one warrants an explanation from me based on many comments about it in the community. Let's just say it's among my least favourite coasters and keep it at that...

 

I should preface the above by saying that my roughness tolerance is quite low, but my point still stands.

 

Of the 3 major UK thrill parks (Alton, BPB and Thorpe), I'd say that Thorpe is the only one that doesn't have something that fills that fun, floaty/airtime-y and effortlessly rerideable void. From my perspective, Blackpool has Icon to fill this void and Alton has Wicker Man to fill this void, and both of those coasters are in my top 3. From a personal perspective, I really hope that Thorpe's 2024 coaster, whatever it ends up being, fills this void for them.