January 22, 20169 yr comment_226903 I'm very happy that this attraction is getting a refurbishment. It deserves it, even if it doesn't seem a patch on its predecessors. The ride has always been a happy memory for me, so with a new lease of life it should bring many more! Can't wait to ride it in the new season.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226916 Also think it's safe to say, with the 800k budget, new laser, audio and ride system (amongst visual improvements) Tomb most likely has at least 5 years now. I'm interested to see what the next moves at the park will be after this, considering the zoo will be all updated then and what's happening on the ride front as well.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226917 I'm genuinely shocked (but very pleased) that they are spending £800,000 on redoing Tomb Blaster, it was in need of a refresh for a number of years so it's great to see it getting some attention! Wish they were removing the laser shooting aspect though. Whilst I completely agree, from what I can gather, Terror Tomb was revamped not only due to the park's change in marketing, but also because of falling popularity...and then the lasers and targets were added and I'm pretty sure it's mostly the interactivity that brings people back to it. But saying that, the GP really need to understand what this type of dark ride in particular was designed for. The Fifth Dimension's problem for instance was that the staff were treating it like a ride rather than a show, like it was supposed to be. And nowadays, Tomb Blaster is far from something you'd call a show.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226918 Tomb Blaster's popularity has fallen much more than Terror Tomb's did in the early 2000s, though... It's all about perspective
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226919 Whilst I completely agree, from what I can gather, Terror Tomb was revamped not only due to the park's change in marketing, but also because of falling popularity...and then the lasers and targets were added and I'm pretty sure it's mostly the interactivity that brings people back to it. But saying that, the GP really need to understand what this type of dark ride in particular was designed for. The Fifth Dimension's problem for instance was that the staff were treating it like a ride rather than a show, like it was supposed to be. And nowadays, Tomb Blaster is far from something you'd call a show. I agree to an extent, but I would argue that the laser shooting aspect wouldn't be needed if the ride itself was able to entertain people without it, as it seemingly was as Terror Tomb. I quite like Tomb Blaster (never experienced the original ), but it's quite bland in that some of the scenes (e.g. the final snake scene) become quite tedious if you aren't shooting the targets. This refurbishment would have been a great time to reintroduce it as a ride with a small backstory (maybe a different-but-similar one to the original), but nevertheless it's good to see it being revamped.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226922 TBH I can't see the lasers disappearing from this ride, as long as it's known as Tomb Blaster. Chances are when that day comes, it'll probably mark the end of not just ride, but the whole system too (including the ride building too perhaps). This year will be an interesting year for dark rides (at least in the uk) with Thorpe's next investment which could really change the UK industrie's attitude to dark rides if the ride is both a success in marketing and experience. This could result in other parks investing in their own new dark rides to try and reflect similar success and this isn't completely fenced off to Merlin parks either.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226928 No idea what they're doing in there, but hope it's more than just freshening up. What would improve things greatly, especially in the scenes where the train is static, is if the targets moved and/or triggered things when shot. Would bring a who lot of life to an otherwise uninspired ride.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226930 It's a freshen up as Tomb Blaster and to have it back to the standard it should be, so nothing new has been designed into it. Although the laser gun system is totally new because the 2002 one was obsolete, the guns are different and new targets have been fixed to the sets.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226936 Surprised they didn't leave it a couple of years and then add VR to the ride instead.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226938 Haha, VR Tomb Blaster would be the biggest waste of space imaginable.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226939 It's a freshen up Not meaning to be down on something actually happening, but seems to be a bit of a missed opportunity considering the effort and spend going in to it.
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226941 Bear in mind this freshen up is only happening because they forgot to think of a replacement in time...
January 23, 20169 yr comment_226954 I hope the engineers are now allowed to install UV lights, rather than replacing them with blue lights instead? Part of its problem was it wasn't ever allocated enough money for UV lamps (true story)! Hopefully the park will keep it at a standard now..
January 27, 20169 yr comment_227165 Haha, VR Tomb Blaster would be the biggest waste of space imaginable.X says hi.Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228493 It looks awful. It looks like something a 10 year old designed on PowerPoint.
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228494 Not a fan, but it looks slightly less awful than the previous logo IMO.
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228495 I'm just hoping this could be embedded into the facade rather than displayed on canvas like the old one. It has that capability by the look of it!
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228497 I wish they would replace the laser guns in there - either they are crud, or my aim is shocking! Would love them to bring back Abdab aswell but that's like asking for Prof Burp to return dammit
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228502 It will just be a new canvas probably or a vinyl of some sort. An actual sign would cost, like, a bit more. Don't be silly.
February 24, 20169 yr comment_228509 Am I the only one that likes the new logo??? I think it's much better than before. Actually looks Egyptian!!!!!
February 25, 20169 yr comment_228553 They have! Ooohps! When did they replace the guns?! Damn I can't blame my bad scores on the guns anymore Re; the logo - doesn't look too bad, could be worse I guess
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