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Who will win 2018's new coaster battle?

Which coaster will be the bigger success for its respective park?

  • Icon

    Votes: 80 60.6%

  • Wicker Man

    Votes: 52 39.4%
  • Total voters
    132
Maybe they will be viewed like that but I think its worth noting that none of the RMC conversions were especially great rides to begin with. Nor were they historically significant. Their replacements however have been very well received.

I'd welcome an RMC conversion of the Big Dipper. It's an ok ride at best, outshone by the Grand National. It's also really showing its age and yet not old enough to be historically significant. And as a bonus it's been modified in the past so another alteration only makes it more interesting!
 
MakoMania said:
Merlin will market the hell out of SW8 and will win the attendance war as usual, but Construction 2018 will be the superior coaster and will undoubtedly increase gate figures at BPB by some extent, but it will also serve BPB well for many years by attracting more repeat custom.
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Yes, sums it up very well. Problem with Construction 2018 is its very hard to market it, Yes its the only and fastest multi launch coaster, but thats it. If pleasure beach got it in 2017, it would of been much better recieved from both the parks guests, and enthusiasts world wide..

The layout looks bland for SW8 but GCI coasters can pick up so much speed from the smallest drops, look at white lightning for example. Sadly never done it, but I believe SW8 will have a bigger drop and be taller. The coaster might actully be quite good, and if they theme it well it might be better than Blackpools, because blackpools is nothing new, it will just be a smoother version of colossus and rita mixed with some airtime and lap bars [which is really what the park needed]. But SW8 is a wooden coaster, and by the plans, looks like its having quite a big indoor section, which is also part of that massive hole they dug, so it might be something really good in there. Still, they are offering a family coaster with the ride, which is what they need. They have enough big coasters and I think the next 5 years atleast will be rebuilding and enhancing the family experience, and maybe 1 or 2 thrilling flat rides mixed in, but I wouldnt expect a thrilling coaster until atleast 2021/22.

Thinking in that mind set, thats why I think SW8 may be the superior coaster to quite a few people, It will be well themed and a good ride. Th13teen was well recieved after the park decided it wasnt a thrill coaster, and aimed it more at families, they have learnt from the massive loss they made there that family rides combined with an element of thrill is the best thing to market.

Just want to add that although the 2 mack mega coasters ive ridden were amazing, Blackpool looks to be getting the weakest layout, and they are pretty forceless. Nevertheless, they are good rides and Im not complaining at all, I think the UK really needed a smooth rollercoaster with airtime and inversions
 
OK, time to reply to my own thread.

I'm glad that both parks are getting a new coaster, and I hope they both pull in the crowds. I want both parks to be successful and deliver great new attractions in the long term.

BPB is clearly getting the most intense coaster of the two, possibly an airtime machine, and I don't think there is any dispute that BPB wii win as far as those who want a thrill coaster is concerned.

AT are clearly going for family thrill and much as I would love something terrifying, I think it is the right decision for the park. They need to ensure AT''s long term viability and it is simply a fact that family thrill appeals to a wider demographic than thrill. I can give them a pass on this and Hope that SW9 will be something to give Nemmie a run for its money.

I would have liked something longer, or a 2 in 1 project, log flume and roller coaster. I believe it was possible to do on the site, but it seems not to be (Merlin we need a flume replacement ASAP).

Judging by Nemesis94''s awesome no limits recreation on Youtube, the layout seems a little short and I hope for more airtime than is apparent, but I suppose if this is a 1.2 metre attraction, they won't want the daily Mail showing a video of some kid roaring (Yorkshire term) the whole way around a 3 minute circuit.

Though previous secret weapons, have varied in quality, they have all delivered a unique or world class experience in various ways, and I think SW8 will continue the trend.

I'm not expecting a huge underground section doubling the length of the coaster, but I think there is something to the groundbreaking claim.

I don't think they willook market like 13 this time. I think marketing will appeal to the largest possible audience, both family and thrill, to increase guest numbers.

I think both projects will be successful for their respective parks, with Construction 18, winning the review war with thrill seakers, but SW8 delivering the biggest increase in visitor numbers, due to Merlin greater resources and marketing budget, along with appealing to the larger demographic.

As a coaster fan, I can't wait to ride both!
 
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So, I've decided to bump this thread, as I've changed my opinion.

Now that construction of SW8 is complete and Icon flying up as well, As well as both marketing campaigns well underway.

After seeing both marketing campaigns SW8's is definitely the strongest, Towers have also built a lot of awareness for SW8, I've heard a lot of non-enthusiasts talk about SW8, Icon, Not so much.

Yeah, Icon will be the more thrilling ride but SW8 will bring in more guests.

But at the end of the day, We're getting multiple things the UK has wanted for years, Such as a Dragon Falls retheme, Alton Towers woodie and a new major coaster at Blackpool. 2018 will be a good year for theme parks.
 
It depends what you want the rides aren’t like for like and thus cannot be compared
 
Icon is the more thrilling ride and very pretty to look at. It should win the battle, the only way I can see that it won’t is if they don’t run the launches at full design speed (like Tripsdrill have done with Karacho) and it lumbers about the place but you would hope they wouldn’t be so idiotic to do that.

My expectation of SW8 is it will be a solid family coaster with a well executed theme that is wrong for the demographic and clashes with Mutiny Bay.
 
Dave said:
Icon is the more thrilling ride and very pretty to look at. It should win the battle, the only way I can see that it won’t is if they don’t run the launches at full design speed (like Tripsdrill have done with Karacho) and it lumbers about the place but you would hope they wouldn’t be so idiotic to do that.

My expectation of SW8 is it will be a solid family coaster with a well executed theme that is wrong for the demographic and clashes with Mutiny Bay.
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I know its not the place to ask, but what happened to Karacho's launch?

I'm just happy we are getting two new coasters, I guess we all win really. In my mind though I think Icon will be the better ride but SW8 should be a good all round coaster for Alton.
 
Essentially, they run it at the lowest possible speed at which the car will make it round the track, in some misguided attempt to make what should be a balls-to-the-wall thrill machine more "family friendly".
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Essentially, they run it at the lowest possible speed at which the car will make it round the track, in some misguided attempt to make what should be a balls-to-the-wall thrill machine more "family friendly".
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I thought it was to save costs?
 
From Blackpool you will get something that is well made and thrilling. However, it will have no theme, story or real atmosphere.

From Alton Towers you will get something theatrical, probably providing escapism. The ride hardware will be less thrilling but, it will probably leave more of an impression on me.
 
Tom said:
From Blackpool you will get something that is well made and thrilling. However, it will have no theme, story or real atmosphere.

From Alton Towers you will get something theatrical, probably providing escapism. The ride hardware will be less thrilling but, it will probably leave more of an impression on me.
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BPB is an amusement park, it's supposed to be FUN and that's it....
 
I'm going to reserve my judgement until I've ridden them both.

All that I will say, and I've mentioned this before, that I initially was excited about Icon, now I'm more excited about SW8
 
Icon looks the far better coaster, to me. The comparisons with SW8 and Nemesis don't hold much water; you can see that the helix on Nemesis will be a belter just by virtue of the supports, banking, and just how tight it is. Nemesis has a massive height difference from the top of the lift to the lowest point, whereas SW8...doesn't. SW8 just looks a bit rubbish. There aren't any places in the layout that standout to me, and on the whole it looks a bit lacklustre, without much actually going on.

Plus, Icon immediately ranks higher by virtue of the marketing of the ride. As in, there's been some proper marketing of the ride instead of its story.
 
Dar said:
Icon looks the far better coaster, to me. The comparisons with SW8 and Nemesis don't hold much water; you can see that the helix on Nemesis will be a belter just by virtue of the supports, banking, and just how tight it is. Nemesis has a massive height difference from the top of the lift to the lowest point, whereas SW8...doesn't. SW8 just looks a bit rubbish. There aren't any places in the layout that standout to me, and on the whole it looks a bit lacklustre, without much actually going on.

Plus, Icon immediately ranks higher by virtue of the marketing of the ride. As in, there's been some proper marketing of the ride instead of its story.
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From my untrained eye SW8 looked to have a similar height top to bottom to what the Smiler has.

I think Icon will probably be better, BPB don't seem to have the Merlin obsession for short coasters and they tend to be quiet long, so it will easily beat SW8 in that department but SW8 is a ride far more suited to families, even my wife says she will go on it and she only does things that go upside down if drunk or sedated so there's no chance of her going on Icon.
 
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