May 5, 201312 yr comment_158397 Trains are on the track today woop woop! How long is it normally between first test and opening day?
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158399 How long is it normally between first test and opening day? Usually a few months, for the Smiler I expect they are hoping a couple of weeks!
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158400 From Theme Park Collective Live Well, all the supports are concreted in, and the supoort-that-doesn't-support-support now supports. So, testing is probably next. I bet the first test run will be some time tomorrow (except they'll have already done one at midnight, just to make sure it works... ) EDIT: Recently tweeted by AT: Lots of questions about #TheSmiler opening date, we'll hopefully be letting you know at some point this week! Nearly time to #GetCorrected I guess once they've got testing underway, they'll be able to know a date when it can be green-carded. After that, it should all be plain sailing; definitely think we're looking at it opening between 18th and 25th though!
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158401 For me the smiler has got a lot of firsts coming out of it - as I think matt said, 14 inversions, most compact, a long time since a long ride etc. now even though all these things may be 'standard' stuff to an enthusiast point of view as its not exactly original compared to the last weapon, it is still an amazing feat and records I'm extremely pleased to have in the uk where it is relatively easy to access. And in terms of the general public (the main guests) they will lap it up and loads of people are talking about it. So it's worked. Plus we have all these stages happening during the ride that until we actually get to ride it we ain't truly gonna know the unique experience. During this whole project and even so now they have been tight lipped on certain aspects of the ride and with them playing up so much on the mental aspect this is gonna offer a lot as it is. To be honest I put my hats up to Alton towers for focusing on all aspects on the ride but the inversions! Even on some John wardley interviews he mentioned 14 inversions plus a secret element so that leads me to think the disorientor will be something brilliant. But I believe that this secret element will not be the marketable point of the ride when you have 14 inversions which is the thing to draw the crowds in - the rest is a bonus. I also remembering at the beginning of the build it was being advertised as world beating, not world first so that lead me to believe from the get go it will just be a record breaker. For a small island, and for what we have on offer. In terms of the stuff on what we have - I think we are extremely lucky and naturally as humans we will always expect / want more, but in terms of the smiler - just look at that beautiful beast, with all those features on the ride - what else do you need? I also think if there was another world first thing on there it just wouldn't have so much of an impact aka thirteen and just get list within the ride as there is already so much going on with it. Reading your post Peaj reminded me that the American enthusuiasts LOVE Alton Towers (and Thorpe Park's) PR stuff. They think the marketing is brilliant, as they don't see anything like it over there. They said so in some podcast (Coaster Radio? Or something like that) that Ian listens to (and made me listen to to prove that the American's love UK/Merlin marketing). So obviously something right is being done. Perhaps it's just that as we ourselves are from the UK we have been spoilt (I know this was mentioned a few pages back, but I do agree with it). We're now expecting even bigger and better things, when all you need to do is look at the other side of the pond to see how truly lucky we actually are. We might not have the biggest coasters in the world, but as Peaj has said for a small island we really do have a lot to offer. I suppose you could argue that as enthusiasts of course the American's are going to show an interest in what we have over here, but the fact they are so marketing-starved shows that marketing IS important. If you took The Smiler's marketing campaign to America, even the enthusiasts would lap it up, rather than complaining about it.
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158418 It's well known that Merlin's marketing is the best in the world and the Americans are absolutely AMAZED at the stuff we a) get away with in our marketing and Get away with in the rides and themes. A SAW ride in America? NEVER!
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158419 the mother's association of America would get their pitch forks out! Heaven forbid any of the US parks that do Halloween scare mazes let actors touch guests. I can imagine the lawsuits already
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158426 Cars been shunting around on the transfer track today then, and the lift hills have been powered up during the day too. Testing imminent surely. Middle of the night 'secret' pre test tonight do we think?
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158451 The ride is testing tonight, although the first test was actually last night! Alton being VERY tight lipped about it.
May 5, 201312 yr comment_158452 Hmmm, seems strange to me. I'd have thought with time being of the essence once a successful run had been made they'd have been testing solidly, not leaving it idle for a day. Unless the tests have been less successful than hoped?
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158453 Hmmm, seems strange to me. I'd have thought with time being of the essence once a successful run had been made they'd have been testing solidly, not leaving it idle for a day. Unless the tests have been less successful than hoped? I doubt it's anything other than standard procedure. After the first few runs they of course have to then go through the 'results', you wouldn't just keep sending trains round and round instantly without knowing how it's affected each part of the ride. Of course it's probably unlikely anything would go massively wrong, but it's what testing's for. I'm sure as the next few days pass they'll gradually move onto more consistent running.
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158454 You are probably right, just seems odd that they continue the testing immediately when guests are out the way, like there's something they'd rather not be seen.
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158462 Can just see the guests looking confused as they try and go on the running ride only to find a half finished construction site... Then they'll trot over to Guest Services to express OUTRAGE!
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158478 Posted by Danny on TTF. Banners around the site are coming down and apparently fencing around the area has finished / nearing completion. I'd guess as soon as fencing and theming are finished, it leaves a 100% clear run for testing all day and not just evenings. There's also been delivers are temporary lighting and rumours that ITV are on site as well, with an official media announcement coming soon. Should be interesting to see how it spans out...
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158495 From towerstimes Facebook page - Frist drop is being grinded down after problems during installation... Nice!
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158500 I think that when they start testing The Smiler they should put up a temporary sign both at the park entrane and outside the ride saying "The Smiler will be testing today but will NOT be open" so that people can't complain, as to be fair it would be annoying to see it running with no explanation (talking of course from the point of view of a first time visitor/somebody who doesn't know anything about rides - I would understand why ).
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158503 The station looks a bit tacky in my opinion - I know it's supposed to be part of the design but I reckon they have rushed it.
May 6, 201312 yr Popular Post comment_158511 OK not content with 2 days of theme parks, Matt and I popped over to Towers today. I thought you would like some more photos. Firstly I will point out that there were lumps of mud in places on the track where wheels would have gone which indicates to me that no cars have been sent round yet, Also there was no testing of the ride today. The footers at the top are now all black The fences around the are were getting all of those missing panels added, like here by the toilets. Also the banner was removed for one section and the gap was drawing quite a crowd. It wasn't just enthusiasts either, the majority of the gawpers were members of the general public who seemed convinced the vertical lift was a drop. Lights have been placed around the ride too. These all look tempor These are the guys who are installing the lighting. Cake, if you don't know are the advertising company that are used by Merlin at the moment. Whats that I hear? what do those labels on the packing crates say? I think they may say how long the lights are going to be on site! And since I do like wires that go into boxes with lights on them: Steps (2,3,4) have been added to the area. These are the ones that I photographed in the car park last week. And here we see one of the official step testers testing the steps. OK onto the station. It seems that the station and the track had the same constructors. This bit doesn't quite seem to fit. I do hope that they finish this bit. Swirls and legs and hmm whats that at the bottom? Urm one min let me reposition myself and zoom in a bit.. ahh that's better. Ohh I wonder what we can see through the other doors? Oooh look a red thing. And through the other doors? Not as much but look, between them they have installed a telly and left the box on it. Now that's clever. But the tunnel at the start of the first lift hill has something interesting in it. The bottom area is now mostly paved. The marmaliser has some dodgy pixels though. Finally, my usual overview
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158550 How long until Jonathon Ross is on to tell us it goes 100mph and goes upside down 20 times?
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158555 Will they be doing anything else to the station at all as at the moment it just looks like cement blocks with some yellow piping. I imagined it to look like a general building etc with normal facading (sp) not the cement blocks it is now.... Could of sworn the art they made with the pre plans had a glass semi circle bit with an industrial looking building, not this....
May 6, 201312 yr comment_158557 I hope they work on the station as it looks a little plain and tacky and also fix that gap as well.
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