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Thorpe Park: General Discussion
- Thread starter Ted
- Start date
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
The only positive we can take from this - and I realise this is out of character for me - is that this is a testiment to B&M's build quality. That any steel structure could survive fiften years of neglect, rust, and extreme G force loads says a lot about them as a company.
... It also says a lot about Merlin as a company...
... It also says a lot about Merlin as a company...
Stuntman707
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
It's literally orange, not like the spray paint on Nemesis, but actual rust in the structural supports. Its also been the least reliable B&M I've seen this year, and that's saying a lot for a B&M. (Aside from the chain breaking on The Swarm)
ChristmasPud
TS Member
But what would be the point of a theme that just looks like a decaying, peeling coaster, unless the theme was actually a decaying coaster?
Theme is for entertainment, not an excuse to make everything look shabby. There's a difference between scenic antiquing (like what Nemesis had and originally looked really cool) and poor upkeep.
Although was funny to hear some Alton Towers staff saying "Nemesis is starting to look its age" outside the ride, not realising it's just effect. This was even with its new spray can look, not the original more convincing rust effect
That photo is pretty, err......
Swarm was only closed for 5 full days and the park was closed for 3 of them.
Alsty
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala
Well we know how Merlin like to operate their rides... i.e. don't bother with routine maintenance, just do as little as you can get away with until the ride is completely knackered and needs substantial overhaul instead. At which point, call it 'TLC' and leave it SBNO for at least two seasons...
djtruefitt
TS Team
I think merlin have only ever repainted Oblivion (after 15 years), Nemesis (after about 21 years) and Spinball but that was for sponsorship.
Don’t think any coasters at Thorpe have been painted?
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Don’t think any coasters at Thorpe have been painted?
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RicketyCricket
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Unfortunately Merlin take absolutely zero pride in their work.
Baffles me how you can have 2 days in Europa Park and see one ride down the whole visit, then at Thorpe you regularly have 4/5 rides broken down at the same time.
Corporate greed will always come first with guest experience rock bottom of the list.
Baffles me how you can have 2 days in Europa Park and see one ride down the whole visit, then at Thorpe you regularly have 4/5 rides broken down at the same time.
Corporate greed will always come first with guest experience rock bottom of the list.
Stuntman707
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
The bottom half of the Colossus supports were repainted last winter.
Themepark-newbie
TS Member
But Merlin couldn't afford a ladder to paint the top half #cheapskates
Sauron97
TS Member
Pretty awful to see Inferno in that state tbh; even if most people don't consciously look at it, it's one of those 'back of your mind' kind of things that actually makes all the difference.
Tussauds may have earned a somewhat negative reputation for repeatedly making 'dark', 'apocalyptic' and 'destroyed' themes for attractions; but Tidal Wave was admittedly done so well. It's the careful attention to detail, still colorful appearance (rather than decrepit and dismal), with nicely done special effects and careful positioning of walkways and the ride itself which separates it from the likes of others which try for the same kind of theme. Merlin have used this formula in the completely wrong way and taken it to the extremes. I genuinely think the boardroom probably said "Right chaps, we've got to have a run down theme, because this will mean we can lower maintenance costs" it's that obvious in every single project they seem to undertake.
Overall, the park is in a right state, and lives in the shadow of its former self. It needs a desperate change in direction; one without Merlin and with an operator that has a clear long term vision on how to pull all the broken pieces back together again. I've always thought the park would do best as a big tent family park; with high end thrills, dark rides, and sedate rides and everything in between. It's got the size, space, and 'character' to achieve this IMO. Merlin operating Legoland and Thorpe together makes that very difficult, but if we had a new operator, I think that would be the first set of changes I'd like to see.
Tussauds may have earned a somewhat negative reputation for repeatedly making 'dark', 'apocalyptic' and 'destroyed' themes for attractions; but Tidal Wave was admittedly done so well. It's the careful attention to detail, still colorful appearance (rather than decrepit and dismal), with nicely done special effects and careful positioning of walkways and the ride itself which separates it from the likes of others which try for the same kind of theme. Merlin have used this formula in the completely wrong way and taken it to the extremes. I genuinely think the boardroom probably said "Right chaps, we've got to have a run down theme, because this will mean we can lower maintenance costs" it's that obvious in every single project they seem to undertake.
Overall, the park is in a right state, and lives in the shadow of its former self. It needs a desperate change in direction; one without Merlin and with an operator that has a clear long term vision on how to pull all the broken pieces back together again. I've always thought the park would do best as a big tent family park; with high end thrills, dark rides, and sedate rides and everything in between. It's got the size, space, and 'character' to achieve this IMO. Merlin operating Legoland and Thorpe together makes that very difficult, but if we had a new operator, I think that would be the first set of changes I'd like to see.
venny
TS Member
I’m not jumping on the ‘it’s not safe’ bandwagon here. However, it is interesting that in a time of more intensive scrutiny on safety (especially in Merlin parks), something like this is left in such a state. It gives the impression of a lack of maintenance and in turn could make people question whether a ride is safe. I would have thought that, despite any other areas of upkeep the park might be lax on, this is one area which they would not allow to deteriorate in the manner it has.
imanautie
TS Member
Six flags UK anyone? Out of all of Merlin's attractions Thorpe seems like it would fit in with them.
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Sauron97
TS Member
No way. It needs to be a theme park in the literal meaning of the word i.e have dark rides, family rides, highly themed and landscaped areas, a park character, and an appeal to everyone. More in the direction of the park that it once was, basically.
Either way, I think Merlin's demise is inevitable; either that or they sell off some of their assets and are forced in to a more competitive market. Short termism is their business philosophy and it's kind of self defining why it doesn't end up working. It's not a question of IF, but WHEN. Let's see what happens to the RTP branch once the Wickerman honeymoon phase is over, and let's see if the next Thorpe Park major investment is anything that will draw the numbers in.
imanautie
TS Member
I’m going to show my age a bit here, but I remember when Inferno originally opened and quite a few enthusiasts were critical that you could see the exposed sides of the show building that houses the station and tunnel. People felt that the rockwork should have been expanded round to the end that the track drop out of from the station or in front of the brake run as it returns back to the station. “You wouldn’t get that at Europa Park…” But generally speaking people were impressed.
This seems trivial compared to what the ride looks like now. It’s a real shame to see it in such a state. Most people would agree that it was never as good as the original Nemesis, but it was still a great coaster in its own right. It didn’t have the rich backstory that Nemesis has, but it was a visually appealing ride with its fiery red track, jet black supports, red coloured bark to look like lava flows, the water jets and mist in the tunnel… it all made for a great piece of show.
You visit now and the track is either pink or green. I haven’t experienced the mist the last few times I’ve visited. There is yellow foam coming through the rockwork. Several of the wheel guards have dropped off (I’m sure they don’t actually drop off, but that’s what it looks like). Some of the wheel guards that haven’t ‘dropped off’ don’t have the flame transfers anymore. Remember when they used to talk about immersive entertainment? Letting a coaster get into the state that Inferno’s in is the equivalent of going to see Phantom of the Opera at the theatre and the Phantom comes out wearing jeans and a t shirt, because they’ve been doing the show for quite a few years now and it’s not really worth keeping up the effort. Okay, my analogy isn’t completely fair, but the effect on the experience isn’t dissimilar. No wonder when Merlin open a new coaster quite a few people say it’s their best one yet. Probably partly because a lot of the older ones are a mess and not how their designers wanted them to look.
Painting a roller coaster is expensive and does require a bit more than a step ladder and a few rollers, but there are companies who do this kind of thing. Whittles have painted quite a few major rides around UK theme parks.
https://www.whittleprogrammed.co.uk/images/brochurefiles/27/Whittle Theme Park Assets Brochure.pdf
I’m not sure exactly how much it’d cost to repaint a ride like Inferno, but having seen how much several other British coasters cost to get repainted, I expect it costs less to get a ride like Inferno painted than some of the estimations I’ve seen on enthusiast forums. In the past I’ve always been glad that our major theme parks are operated by a company like Merlin who generally theme rides well, rather than someone like Cedar Fair who can theme rides well (particularly some of the recent efforts at Knott’s Berry Farm), but who often don’t worry too much about theming, but who do tend to keep what they’ve got reasonably well maintained. I can’t imagine Cedar Fair building a ride like Thirteen or The Swarm. But when you look at the state of some of the Merlin attractions, I am beginning to wonder whether there is something in the Cedar Fair style park that has little theming, but well-maintained attractions. Having said that, I still find Alton Towers more visually appealing than any of the Cedar Fair parks I’ve been to.
I’ve just looked on Trip Advisor and they rank it as the 10th best visitor attraction in Chertsey, just behind a farm shop. It’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Now, if I’m visiting Chertsey it will be to go to Thorpe Park, not for anything else. But it’s sad to see rides in such a state. It’s not about being second to Disney. It’s just about having some pride in what you’ve got.
This seems trivial compared to what the ride looks like now. It’s a real shame to see it in such a state. Most people would agree that it was never as good as the original Nemesis, but it was still a great coaster in its own right. It didn’t have the rich backstory that Nemesis has, but it was a visually appealing ride with its fiery red track, jet black supports, red coloured bark to look like lava flows, the water jets and mist in the tunnel… it all made for a great piece of show.
You visit now and the track is either pink or green. I haven’t experienced the mist the last few times I’ve visited. There is yellow foam coming through the rockwork. Several of the wheel guards have dropped off (I’m sure they don’t actually drop off, but that’s what it looks like). Some of the wheel guards that haven’t ‘dropped off’ don’t have the flame transfers anymore. Remember when they used to talk about immersive entertainment? Letting a coaster get into the state that Inferno’s in is the equivalent of going to see Phantom of the Opera at the theatre and the Phantom comes out wearing jeans and a t shirt, because they’ve been doing the show for quite a few years now and it’s not really worth keeping up the effort. Okay, my analogy isn’t completely fair, but the effect on the experience isn’t dissimilar. No wonder when Merlin open a new coaster quite a few people say it’s their best one yet. Probably partly because a lot of the older ones are a mess and not how their designers wanted them to look.
Painting a roller coaster is expensive and does require a bit more than a step ladder and a few rollers, but there are companies who do this kind of thing. Whittles have painted quite a few major rides around UK theme parks.
https://www.whittleprogrammed.co.uk/images/brochurefiles/27/Whittle Theme Park Assets Brochure.pdf
I’m not sure exactly how much it’d cost to repaint a ride like Inferno, but having seen how much several other British coasters cost to get repainted, I expect it costs less to get a ride like Inferno painted than some of the estimations I’ve seen on enthusiast forums. In the past I’ve always been glad that our major theme parks are operated by a company like Merlin who generally theme rides well, rather than someone like Cedar Fair who can theme rides well (particularly some of the recent efforts at Knott’s Berry Farm), but who often don’t worry too much about theming, but who do tend to keep what they’ve got reasonably well maintained. I can’t imagine Cedar Fair building a ride like Thirteen or The Swarm. But when you look at the state of some of the Merlin attractions, I am beginning to wonder whether there is something in the Cedar Fair style park that has little theming, but well-maintained attractions. Having said that, I still find Alton Towers more visually appealing than any of the Cedar Fair parks I’ve been to.
I’ve just looked on Trip Advisor and they rank it as the 10th best visitor attraction in Chertsey, just behind a farm shop. It’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Now, if I’m visiting Chertsey it will be to go to Thorpe Park, not for anything else. But it’s sad to see rides in such a state. It’s not about being second to Disney. It’s just about having some pride in what you’ve got.
Error
TS Member
Some pictures from Theme Park Guide from the closed season.
The state of this track. Merlin Entertainments, second only to Disney ladies and gentlemen.
Sort of fits the theme for Nemesis I say.