[2024] Nemesis Reborn: Construction and Speculation

[coasterverse]

Theme park enthusiasts showing enthusiasm for something theme park related

I couldn't care less, if anything I welcome, the enthusiasm. It's the pessimism that I just frustrated at. Merlin are a multi-million pound company - they know what they're doing. People are far too quick to judge a vastly unfinished project.

 

[Zeock]

I couldn't care less, if anything I welcome, the enthusiasm. It's the pessimism that I just frustrated at. Merlin are a multi-million pound company - they know what they're doing. People are far too quick to judge a vastly unfinished project.

Some people, given recent Merlin developments, are definitely pessimistic about all this. I wouldn't say I am one of these people, because I welcome the increased amount of scenery which John Wardley has said will come in 2024. A cohesive backstory, as hinted by Wardley, is more of a double-edged sword. On one hand, I am a fan of story-based attractions. On the other hand, this will remove the original backstory which is very unique, although very 90s.
I think there are a few people on this forum who would debate with you that Merlin 'know what they're doing'. They would probably point out TWODW or the shocking decrease in food quality and how the hotels have decreased in quality as the prices have increased. The Luxury Treehouses, despite actually being good hotels, cost more than the famous 5 star Savoy Hotel by a good margin, (£1250 a night most days compared with £882 a night for probably a far more luxurious experience.) The problem with this comparison is that theme park hotels are almost always overpriced- the VIP 'Bella Vista' suite at Hotel Colosseo in Europa Park is £2500 a night! Anyway, over pricing something does not show that they do not know what they're doing. Being clueless about one of their own projects is (sounds like BPB), and I don't think this applies to Merlin.

 

[ChristmasPud]

Bigger things in the world to get annoyed about.

John Wardley really did sum up enthusiasts when he said "Get a life" didn't he?

I come here to pretend the only problems in my life is a rolly coaster maybe getting made slightly worse

Also people love to trot out the get a life thing but it was a knowing joke. John Wardley was really annoyed at the air tunnel as he's said often and clearly seems happy to talk to 100000 enthusiasts and their weird suggestions when he's on park.

He clearly put a lot determination into making Nemesis a themed experience including theming the track.
So actually, props to him for going above and beyond in the first place

 

[Benzin]

I get annoyed about bigger life problems every day, I come here to pretend that the only problem in my life is a rolly coaster at a theme park getting made slightly worse

Different track colour is not going to affect how the ride rides though.

Anything else changing can't be judged until we actually know what's being changed.

 

[James]

But seeing as the black track appears to have had gloss applied, as well as the fact that the ends and joins are still grey (a typical primer colour), surely that would suggest that the black coat isn’t a primer coat?

It could well be Matt, can't argue with your logic. However, I would still remain optimistic until we see track appearing at the park later this year/in 2024.

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Ultimately the colour does not matter as it will still be Nemesis, it will still be great. If it does end up being black track, one thing is certain, it will not be maintained and age terribly, like all the other black-coloured tracks at Alton Towers. It would look good for one season and then age far worse than the previous colour scheme.

 

[ChristmasPud]

Different track colour is not going to affect how the ride rides though.

This reminds me of how the same enthusiasts, not necessarily on here, upset that Nemesis will never be the same ride despite being exactly the same layout, are often those who mock anyone that questions theme changes (the only changes).

I guess some people just don't get theme, fine, but no need for them to get all mocking.

It's a theme park, where theme is half the fun, well that's the idea. Of course people should care about it

 

[Zeock]

This reminds me of how the same enthusiasts (not necessarily on here) who complain loudly about how Nemesis will never feel the same despite being exactly the same layout, are often the same ones who irately defend and mock anyone who doesnt like the actual changes ie the theme.

I can see why some people complain about a change in track colour (imagine if the track for The Smiler was pink!) but if those people are going to mock people who don't like theming changes that don't fit in as well as the previous theming (think Phantom Manor 2019) then those people are utter hypocrites.

 

[Craig]

If people want to be critical about a potential colour change, or on the opposite be positive about it then feel free. It’s ultimately on topic discussion.

However let’s not go turning this into an argument about whether having those views is right or wrong. We’re already 138 pages deep and I don’t think I can take 15 months plus of that

 

[Steve74]

Ultimately the colour does not matter as it will still be Nemesis, it will still be great. If it does end up being black track, one thing is certain, it will not be maintained and age terribly, like all the other black-coloured tracks at Alton Towers. It would look good for one season and then age far worse than the previous colour scheme.

Ignoring the fact that the track may or may not be cleaned regulary, will it age terribly though just from the weather and environment? I'm guessing this is the first B&M track installed at Towers with proper B&M spec paint since Galactica 20 years ago (were any repaints done using manufacturer's recommended paint?). I'm no expert in metal paint but you'd hope that paint technology has progressed somewhat in 20 years meaning that it should withstand the Great British weather for a good number of years - hopefully more than the original paint on Nemesis, Oblivion and Galactica.

 

[Matt N]

It isn't confirmed and I see the dead cert posts are continuing into 2023.

Not that boring, bog standard black track would surprise me at all to suit their new copy and paste Sci Fi "sinister organisation" retheme. But I note that a frenzy of confirmations has ensued based on a sticker. A sticker I might add that no one has seen on any piece of black track (look again) or seen in person. Track that's currently on the other side of the world.

It’s not confirmed by any means, but I’d say it seems likely. The track with the “IC-DR” sticker, while itself unpainted, is next to the black track and grouped with it, which would suggest that the black track is pretty likely to be associated with it, in my opinion.

The sticker with the code on it almost definitely alludes to the unpainted track being for Nemesis, in my view. “IC-DR” is a code that has also been seen on bolt boxes at Alton Towers, and that coding system is one that B&M have been known to use to denote their rides for the last 30 years (if you’re wondering what it means; IC-D alludes to Nemesis being the 4th Inverted Coaster contract that B&M signed, while R alludes to it being a retrack). Just because someone on here hasn’t seen it in person, it doesn’t mean that the sticker isn’t there or that it doesn’t point to it alluding to Nemesis. These types of stickers are official shipping stickers from B&M that have often been used to ascertain facts about a project in the past. This is hardly an enthusiast prank or something made up by enthusiasts to try and fool people, this is something that B&M officially uses.

Of course, the track may have thematic detail or something applied before it arrives at Alton Towers. There is a very remote chance that the black track may be unrelated to Nemesis, although I’d say that that’s relatively unlikely given that the “IC-DR” labelled track is grouped alongside it.

 

[Steve74]

If it is to be black, we'll soon see the brake run and lift hill seeing some activity (stripping off parts and/or covering them up ready for spray painting) - either in the drone footage or during the open season.

Either way, I hope the blue gear box at the base of the lift hill gets painted to match the colour!

 

[Poisson]

Get the gearbox picked out in red, why not

 

[Zeock]

What about the white 'tentacles' on the station? If this is to be black track, they will have to change that, won't they?

 

[Matt N]

What about the white 'tentacles' on the station? If this is to be black track, they will have to change that, won't they?

They might well theme those to something else that isn’t the track.

Alton Towers’ current interpretation of the lore seems to be that the track is the steel pinning down the monster, so they may alter the station to reflect this. As per Alton Towers’ website:

The Legend of Nemesis
Nemesis comes from another dimension, a dimension beyond our imagination! Deep beneath the ground at Alton Towers Resort lived a strange being…

After being disturbed during maintenance, the monster that lay dormant was unleashed, wreaking havoc on the surrounding area. The Phalanx immediately launched their extreme security division to pin down the creature and disable it.

It took 250 tones of steel, bent and twisted around the monster, to hold it down. We converted the steel that imprisons the creature into the tangled roller coaster you see here today.

The monster of the Forbidden Valley is dormant once again - but there’s no knowing when it’ll next break free. Was that g-force you felt? Or something sinister from much deeper beneath the ground?

Source: https://www.altontowers.com/explore/theme-park/rides-attractions/nemesis/

With this in mind, black track would actually be quite befitting of this version of the story.

 

[rob666]

I heard lime green and Merlin purple, from two different people, so it must be true.
This is very closed season.

 

[Zeock]

They might well theme those to something else that isn’t the track.

Alton Towers’ current interpretation of the lore seems to be that the track is the steel pinning down the monster, so they may alter the station to reflect this. As per Alton Towers’ website:


With this in mind, black track would actually be quite befitting of this version of the story.

Perhaps they will remove the station's tentacles then if they are completely committing to the Phalanx theme?

 

[Steve74]

What about the white 'tentacles' on the station? If this is to be black track, they will have to change that, won't they?

Maybe because of the "is the track the alien or is it the metalwork pinning it down" quandary this potential colour change will confirm the track (if black) will be pinning the monster down and extra theming and effects we've been promised may help with this illusion. Then the alien station can be kept the same but tidied up.

 

[Matt N]

I heard lime green and Merlin purple, from two different people, so it must be true.
This is very closed season.

This isn’t an unfounded rumour, in my view.

Black track has been seen grouped alongside track labelled with a project code that has also been alluded to on site at Alton Towers. While that’s not confirmation of black track, I’d say that’s a fairly strong piece of evidence to point towards it.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Bit off topic but to add on to several above saying that if it's black track then most likely it'll never TLC in the long term, I do have a question in which the exception of Nemesis TLC job a few years back and Oblivion's repaint when Smiler opened, has Merlin ever done general upkeep on any of their coasters?

Don't know if they are just lazy, think black means less work for upkeep or both? The park has done such a bad job keeping their coasters look presentable which I'd argue goes back to the Tussauds days.

 

[Matt N]

Bit off topic but to add on to several above saying that if it's black track then most likely it'll never TLC in the long term, I do have a question in which the exception of Nemesis TLC job a few years back and Oblivion's repaint when Smiler opened, has Merlin ever done general upkeep on any of their coasters?

Don't know if they are just lazy, think black means less work for upkeep or both? The park has done such a bad job keeping their coasters look presentable which I'd argue goes back to the Tussauds days.

Wicker Man has had a fair bit of TLC done. In 2021, for instance, they replaced all of the smoke machines in the ride tunnels, pre-ride room and brake run shed. That ride effectively still looks as good as new almost 5 years on.

It’s not like Tussauds did an awful lot more TLC than Merlin, even back in the Pearson days. Wasn’t the reason for the demise of much of the original Chessington theming attributed to Tussauds’ poor maintenance of it?

I don’t think that is exclusive to Merlin, and I also don’t think it’s fair to say that Merlin do nothing in the way of general upkeep, as they have maintained things.