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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Alsty said:
I must admit I was expecting something a bit more "out-and-back". Perhaps all the talk of a B&M hyper set my expectations along the lines of Silver Star or Shambhala. This does look much more compact than that, and I do wonder if it's going to be able to take advantage of that height.
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This was why I was a little worried last week when everyone was sure it would be a B&M hyper.
A B&M hyper or a ride like DC Rivals would have been a perfect addition to Thorpes line-up. The UK needs something of moderate length and filled with Airtime.
However Merlin don't tend to build rides like this.

But although this ride might not be what the UK needed that doesn't stop it from being an incredible ride. This could offer 30 seconds of the most insane mix of elements we've seen on any ride. And based on how much speed it'll still have entering the final hill I imagine you'll still be getting ejected out of your seat as it hits the break run!
 
The really long brake run must be due to the fact they haven't got enough money for the second half of the layout. Hahahaha.

It will no doubt ride well but can't say I'm not disappointed. Shambhala is safe as houses from looking at this.
 
That POV isn't quite right. Looking at the plans, the first drop looks like it goes beyond vertical then twists to the left. The third element is an outerbank turn before twisting into an inversion at the exit of it. The next element is a dive loop rather than an immelmann, but it twists into it pretty early so looks like it will be like a zero g stall that exits into a dive loop. The element before the last hill into the breaks doesn't invert from what I can tell, looks like the last element on Pantheon with a turn out of it.

All the elements look nothing like anything Mack has ever done, they look very RMC to me, is it possible it could be a T-Rex? Either that or an Intamin. I know the track looks nothing like it, but remember The Smiler's plans had Maurer track.
 
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That POV although not accurate makes this look even worse

I only say that as I was hoping for a proper out and back coaster

here is praying for an AT valley coaster
 
dazza4783 said:
That POV isn't quite right. Looking at the plans, the first drop looks like it goes beyond vertical then twists to the left. The third element is an outerbank turn before twisting into an inversion at the exit of it. The next element is a dive loop rather than an immelmann, but it twists into it pretty early so looks like it will be like a zero g stall that exits into a dive loop. The element before the last hill into the breaks doesn't invert from what I can tell, looks like the last element on Pantheon with a turn out of it.

All the elements look nothing like anything Mack has ever done, they look very RMC to me, is it possible it could be a T-Rex? Either that or an Intamin. I know the track looks nothing like it, but remember The Smiler's plans had Maurer track.
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This, if this was generic track and the no one had said anything about noise testing a ‘similar’ ride in turkey, I never would have put this down to Mack. I know they like to add some wild elements but this is quite extreme for Mack. Intamin would probably do a layout like this but the question you raise above, ‘could this a T-Rex’, doesn’t sound too daft. The RMC-22 (trailers), exodus (trailers). I know Thorpe like a wind up but Merlin do have a history of using concept rides. Something doesn’t add up with this.
 
OK, so I've had a chance to have a look at the plans, and here's my honest reaction.


Is it what I was expecting? No.


Is it exactly what I wanted, and what I would personally have gone for? No.


Do I think it has the potential to be an excellent ride, and is it something I'm excited to ride? Definitely!


Do I think this will be a great, successful investment for Thorpe, and really give them the new zap of momentum they arguably need? Almost certainly!


If you want specifics, some initial thoughts of mine include:

  • The UK height record finally being broken is huge news, as is Thorpe Park finally getting a new coaster; put those two things together, and I can't really complain! I'm extremely grateful to Merlin that even one of those things is being done, let alone both, so in that sense, that renders any complaints I have overly nitpicky and totally pushing my luck!
  • There are elements on this that look like they could ride very well; the drop looks superb, as does the big overbank!
  • As much as this isn't a B&M Hyper like I was hoping for, Mack build some excellent stuff, and when taking target market into account, I think most of the new-gen Mack coasters I've ridden have been excellent rides that I've thoroughly enjoyed, so I don't see why this shouldn't be the same!
  • I've got to say, as much as this won't sprawl and dominate over the entire park in the vein that an out-and-back hyper would have done, I do think this will still look very impressive on the skyline; a 236ft lift hill is nothing to be sniffed at, and I think those big, tall elements will make it look very impressive indeed! I said previously that I felt Thorpe needed a ride that sells itself and makes a statement, and even though it isn't some big, sprawling out and back coaster, the visuals make it look very dominant indeed, and based on that, I think this looks to tick those boxes perfectly!
  • As I think I said before during the rumour stages; even though I was predicting a B&M Hyper, I'm not sure that Old Town is the ideal site for a Thorpe hyper (for a hyper, I would have used the island behind Swarm for a station and had an out and back layout wrap behind Swarm and work its way towards the front of the park, personally). With that in mind, I think they've done extraordinarily well with the space and Merlin's budget; they've packed a lot in to that site (which is quite small by hyper standards)!
  • The length doesn't bother me; it looks to have a fair amount of elements, and the ride duration doesn't seem obscenely short to me by any means based on renderings (it's about 30-40 seconds, isn't it?). If it was like Stealth or Oblivion and literally did one hill before flying into the brakes, I would perhaps identify with the criticism a little more, but as it is, the length of this doesn't bother me; I don't even think it seems overly short myself!
  • If I'm being completely honest, I'll confess to being ever so slightly disappointed that they haven't built something with more of an airtime focus (as much as I'm sure this coaster will have airtime, it looks to be focused more on big inversions and hangtime); the UK lacks coasters that focus strongly on airtime, and this doesn't seem to fill that void based on the layout we have. I think a hyper was the perfect opportunity to give the UK a true airtime machine and I don't think this looks like an airtime machine per se, but in Merlin's defence, I'm admittedly unsure in hindsight if they could have even pulled off such a ride within the site being used and the limited amount of money that Merlin have to work with. Also, that is me being unfairly nitpicky, and I don't know how much the average visitor would really crave a huge airtime machine, so in that regard, it's a moot point; I am completely insignificant in the grand scheme of things, so who cares what I think? I'm sure most people will absolutely eat this up regardless of how much airtime it has!
  • Controversial opinion; I'm not sure if this will be as intense and relentless as some are making out. Most of the elements look very big and drawn out; at first glance, it gives me strong Steel Curtain VIBES, and while that ride has been received well, I'm led to believe it's not especially intense. Pair that with the fact that Mack coasters don't generally tend to be obscenely intense anyway (this is based off the ones I've done, though; I don't know about the newer stuff like RTH or Hurricane), and I'm not sure this will have the strongest positive g-forces, nor will it have nutty pacing; I think the sheer size of the elements could mean that the focus is more on hangtime and sustained floaty sensations as opposed to spine-separating positive g's and relentless pacing, and it's worth noting that the only real low elements on the ride will have had some speed shaved off of them by the water brake (don't get me wrong, I'm sure the ride won't limp through those elements by any means, but it will certainly be slower than if the splashdown wasn't there). I'm not making that out as a bad thing by any means (in fact from a personal preference point of view, I actually think Thorpe could do with something a little more rerideable as opposed to out and out intense, so I'd be pretty happy with that!), but I don't personally think the ride will be phenomenally intense like some are making out. I'm open to being proven wrong here (and I'm sure some of you will prove me wrong on this, as I seem to be in a minority predicting this!), but that's just my initial thought based on what I'm seeing.
That's just a few honest thoughts that leap to mind for me; I apologise if I come across a bit ungrateful and nitpicky in places, but I wanted to provide a balanced opinion and be completely honest with you all, providing both my pros and cons.


But to sum it up; exciting stuff, and while it's not what I personally had in mind, I'm sure it'll be excellent!
 
Take a close look at the concept picture which only shows the rails. I'm guessing they were in a rush when rendering that one because not only is the track incorrectly rendered but there are people floating above the first drop
 
Matt N said:
Do I think this will be a great, successful investment for Thorpe, and really give them the new zap of momentum they arguably need? Almost certainly!
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This is the key for me. We all know the last few years haven't been easy for the parks, and to be honest most of them here in the UK were having a hard time even before COVID. If this is the kick-on Thorpe need then it doesn't need to be world-class, but it's a step in the right direction after years of disappointing new attractions at a park that means a lot to me (flawed as it is).

You can see why they went for UK's tallest, because they need this one to get the guests in and this is probably the closest thing to easy marketing they could get.
 
The supports in the concept art look very similar to the Steel curtain. Could it actually be an S&S? The track definitely looks more Mack or Intamin though.
 
Tim said:
Take a close look at the concept picture which only shows the rails. I'm guessing they were in a rush when rendering that one because not only is the track incorrectly rendered but there are people floating above the first drop
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Haven't other teaser posters for project Exodus featured people floating/flying? I think this image may be a little nod to the theme of the ride.

I think this rollercoaster has the potential to be a bit of a ‘Th13teen’ - the marketing and images of a height record breaking ride will most likely get people through the gates. But the ride experience (and other big issues that Thorpe Park has) might not keep them coming back.
 
AT86 said:
Haven't other teaser posters for project Exodus featured people floating/flying? I think this image may be a little nod to the theme of the ride.

I think this rollercoaster has the potential to be a bit of a ‘Th13teen’ - the marketing and images of a height record breaking ride will most likely get people through the gates. But the ride experience (and other big issues that Thorpe Park has) might not keep them coming back.
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I can't seem to post the picture from my phone, but its definitely not intentional. Looks like they've been accidently dragged there while editing the model.
 
Disappointing that when this opens, it will mean the last 3 unique major coasters built in the UK have been either incredibly short in length, disappointingly tame in ride experience, or a combination of both. The SteVe, Zadra, VelociCoaster seems as though it will eternally elude the UK.
 
Tim said:
Take a close look at the concept picture which only shows the rails. I'm guessing they were in a rush when rendering that one because not only is the track incorrectly rendered but there are people floating above the first drop
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This one.
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Skyscraper said:
Coaster Gen on YouTube has done a rough mockup on No Limits 2, which is pretty good (but obviously not 100% accurate)...



Does have a LOT of speed going into the brakes though! Explains why they're so long. :p
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That looks quite cool and slightly better than I expected. It sure is a hell of a lot of steam that needs to be taken out of the ride over such a small circuit - hopefully they don't do the Thirteen model and start the process on the first drop.
 
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