January 8, 20187 yr comment_255129 43 minutes ago, MattyMoo said: Has the opening date been confirmed anywhere yet? Want to start planning a trip Also - just looking at the news articles - Sky mention the Smiler accident, obvs. One of the articles said that the logo was projected onto the London Eye. No it wasn't, it was photoshopped on. You can't project onto what is essentially a hollow circle, unless they temporarily covered the Eye with sheeting I’m sure every mention of opening I’ve seen has said will be when park reopens on 17th March.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255130 World first wood and fire .... I'm pretty sure woodan has fire effects at the top of the lift hill and arround the ride area ???
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255131 1 minute ago, RobF said: World first wood and fire .... I'm pretty sure woodan has fire effects at the top of the lift hill and arround the ride area ??? And Apocalypse
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255132 Anyone's remember that Terminator Salvation coaster? Swear I saw videos of that with fire.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255133 1 minute ago, 3Dimensions said: Anyone's remember that Terminator Salvation coaster? Swear I saw videos of that with fire. That's correct, so this isn't even a world's first... Morons...
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255135 Interesting quote from the updated minisite... Quote A world-class team of experts continue to work on the new attraction, led by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters. The safety of guests has been paramount in the design and build of Wicker Man, incorporating the latest in proven safety technology, rigorous testing and hundreds of training hours for ride operators. Perhaps not a surprise, though this is the first time they've really driven home the safety idea. Also, regarding the world's first, it's stupid - Galactica level stupid - but I guess their logic is how they've focused on the word 'fused'. I guess they're going to go with the idea of if there's enough fire effects, faux-fire effects, etc, that's a fusion, as opposed to just other wooden coasters which stick a flamethrower effect near a wooden coaster. As I say, Galactica level world first, but I did anyone expect any less? Also, some excerpts from the Press Release: -The UK’s first new wooden coaster experience in 21 years, reconnecting riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters -Riders must be at least 1.2m tall, the track is 2,028 ft. (618m) long -Giant, flaming Wicker Man structure stands at six-storeys high (57.57ft / 17.55m) -Wicker Man has been in development for more than four years -Alton Towers Resort has invested £16m into the creation of Wicker Man -By launch, more than 1,000 people will have worked on the unique project, the majority coming from the local area Genuinely think they should just focus on first UK woodie more than the world first. But some of those points are just so yawn-worthy and copy and paste from other PRs...
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255136 We love being safe, that's why we've stuck fire on a wooden structure after the last few years at our park being terrible because we can't train staff properly...
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255137 1 hour ago, 3Dimensions said: Anyone's remember that Terminator Salvation coaster? Swear I saw videos of that with fire. Yeah that's the Apocalypse one I mentioned.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255138 Hopefully these aren't the same 1,000 "specialists" that worked on DBGT.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255139 20 minutes ago, Martin.C said: Hopefully these aren't the same 1,000 "specialists" that worked on DBGT. No these 1,000 are just “world class” Quote World-class team constructing the ride lead by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255146 This is easily the worst Merlin marketing gimmick yet.. Galactica's at least was semi-true.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255149 Ridiculous world first claim aside, I'm really looking forward to Wicker Man. Also, those visuals are amazing!
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255150 It's a stupid yet clever world's first claim. The claim is barley true and is just marketing nonsense while at the same time it gets people talking. It was trending on twitter this morning and sparked conversation because of the wood and fire aspect. Normally I think very little of Merlin's marketing however it is one of those rare instances where I think they have actually done a good job.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255152 2 hours ago, Project LC said: It was trending on twitter this morning and sparked conversation because of the wood and fire aspect. "So Dave, how long before Alton Towers' latest "world's first" feature burns their new ride to the ground?"
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255154 No, its not clever or even a valid world first at all. It's unoriginal from a CEO who will literally not approve new rides without a gimmick and a desperate attempt to make a themed wooden coaster seem more innovative and cutting edge than it actually is. It may be a unique and exciting experience but it is not a groundbreaking concept like the inverted flying coaster or dive coaster for example.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255156 My opinion on the ride remains unchanged. It looks like a wasted opportunity and has been targeted at completely the wrong people. All I'm saying is the marketing catch line has worked quite well at public engagement.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255157 I don't think they would have had to clutch at straws to get the same engagement though, just the fact its a new woodie in the UK and the first ever at Alton Towers would have been enough. Certainly for people who have been asking for one. Just a shame they finally built one after Wardley had been trying to convince them for years to do it.
January 8, 20187 yr comment_255158 If you ignore the World’s First claims it actually looks a very decent roller coaster and the concept art shows great potential. Wicker Man if done correctly will be the perfect ride to fill in some of the gap currently at Towers and perhaps offer something of a unique experience for many of ages. Icon and Wicker are both completely different type rides but I remain excited for both in general.
January 9, 20187 yr comment_255162 It won't though, because once again a perfectly acceptable family coaster has got a dark theme that will alienate the majority of it's target audience...
January 13, 20187 yr comment_255218 I'm in agreement with most about the stupidity of it being a 'worlds first' but then it would it be an SW if it didn't have a 'worlds first' element? Remember that neither RITA or Spinball had Secret Weapon codenames. As it stands I'm willing to give Merlin the benefit of the doubt until I've ridden it, it may genuinely be a worlds first. Talking of the dark theme though: Thirteen has a dark theme and is lapped up by the public. Attendance went up massively and it still remains one of the most popular rides in the park. Merlin are using the same tactics here because, as far as they were concerned, the marketing worked perfectly.
January 13, 20187 yr comment_255222 Nemesis wasn't a world's first (neither was Air technically)... SW has just become a marketing tool for them...
January 13, 20187 yr comment_255226 Wasn't Nemesis advertised as a European first whilst Air was definitely advertised as worlds first. This 'worlds first' stuff can only work so many times and when its wheeled out for every. single. attraction then it just looks like overblown bluster. Especially when they get more and more tenuous. I think marketing worked for Thirteen at first, it backfired and now because of its low height restriction, is available to a lot of people as a first step towards the more intense rides. Thats how I see Wicker Man going down, people love wooden coasters which is why its so frustrating that its been so long to get one built.
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