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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Must admit whilst I don't care about the themeing, the splashdown area does look absolutely awful.

They probably should have scrapped it when they cancelled the viewing area. You can't see it from 95% of the area, only the ride exit. And even then you still can't see it properly because of the fencing.
 
rob666 said:
99% of punters will not notice or care.
Looks to this gardener that all landscaping, and frame planting,has been completed...and probably sown.
Grass grows quickly, spotting some of the other planting, laurel grows very quickly...attractive views will have been set and screen planting is in place.
In my humble opinion.
There will be a more detailed assessment later in the year.
But it looks fine to me, big metal bits, sky and mud.
Fine for now.
Will look better over the next few months and years.
Give me time to get the mower out.
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My guy, it's a totally exposed concrete trough and jets randomly in a mud patch. That ain't finished. The rest of it is a rough building site wasteland as has been seen in multiple videos and POVs. That ain't gonna grow anything nicely without significant work.

Aside from the building site, the goddess(?) story that feels slapped on without really being integrated, random picture boards and off centre text immediately scream "Last minute, what can we get in there quick and cheap???"

Fine if it doesn't bother you, but a theme park ride is more than just hardware; it's a combination of engineering and artistry to create a full experience from the moment you set eyes on it. It's what separates them from fun fairs. Compare to Nemesis and Voltron this year or even Ride to Happiness, which walks all over it when viewed as a simple stylization motif. Hell, even Air was nicely worked into the environment even with the cut backs. Hyperia deserved the full effort and falls short of being exceptional because of it. The wasted potential is galling.

But if none of that matters... we can just bring back the Retro Squad at Alton and call it a day.

This has been my Ted talk.
 
STEJENT said:
I get that they need to get Hyperia up and running again quickly, but to close one major attraction when the main one is already down, to facilitate works, on a bank holiday weekend is going to stick in the craw of many guests, especially when it could have waited until closing to avoid inconvenience.
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Could have waited until closing? Not likely. Hard enough getting resources and people in place on a bank holiday, let alone leaving it until the evening. You also assume that it's a quick job.
 
You've also got to consider the cost of pulling a LOT of advertising of a new coaster and disappointing even more people who are expecting the ride to reopen in the days to come, versus annoying guests today for what is likely a few hours. The longer term gain will win in this case.

Have to agree on the landscaping front, alas it's been a glaring issue with both Legoland and Alton's new additions this year too. It's a shame everything always ends up so rushed, when the surroundings are complete it really adds the finishing touch to the whole experience.
 
Craig said:
You've also got to consider the cost of pulling a LOT of advertising of a new coaster and disappointing even more people who are expecting the ride to reopen in the days to come, versus annoying guests today for what is likely a few hours. The longer term gain will win in this case.

Have to agree on the landscaping front, alas it's been a glaring issue with both Legoland and Alton's new additions this year too. It's a shame everything always ends up so rushed, when the surroundings are complete it really adds the finishing touch to the whole experience.
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You’d think they’d just start building 3 months earlier wouldn’t you….. simple really
 
RicketyCricket said:
Must admit whilst I don't care about the themeing, the splashdown area does look absolutely awful.

They probably should have scrapped it when they cancelled the viewing area. You can't see it from 95% of the area, only the ride exit. And even then you still can't see it properly because of the fencing.
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That's a good point actually. I was very disappointed with the lack of areas to get different views of the ride.
 
Graeme said:
Should’ve gone for a lighting package on the train too.
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The thing I wonder though is why would they not go for lighting package on the trains? I can’t imagine that it would have added too much more on the cost so was it just a stylistic decision to not have the lights, or could there be the possibility that it was something to do with a potential issue over it being more visible at night locally and from the roads if it was running at night with lights on?
 
Mykeprime said:
My guy, it's a totally exposed concrete trough and jets randomly in a mud patch. That ain't finished. The rest of it is a rough building site wasteland as has been seen in multiple videos and POVs. That ain't gonna grow anything nicely without significant work.

Aside from the building site, the goddess(?) story that feels slapped on without really being integrated, random picture boards and off centre text immediately scream "Last minute, what can we get in there quick and cheap???"

Fine if it doesn't bother you, but a theme park ride is more than just hardware; it's a combination of engineering and artistry to create a full experience from the moment you set eyes on it. It's what separates them from fun fairs. Compare to Nemesis and Voltron this year or even Ride to Happiness, which walks all over it when viewed as a simple stylization
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My humble opinion would be worth more if I had actually seen the thing...
Kicks self up ****, again, for the benefit of others.

Thorpe is a funfair though, on an old quarry lake with a concrete bubble.
No theme, just an island like no other.
And done well.
With kebabs.

Projects are hard, timewise, landscaping comes last because of other stuff causing mess and mud...lots of rain, lots of mud.
So they spray seedspray over the lot and run off for a month to let it settle.
 
Jb85 said:
You’d think they’d just start building 3 months earlier wouldn’t you….. simple really
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I'd actually argue time isn't the issue, it's a cultural shift that's needed to consider what is a new attraction.

Sure, extra time helps but it doesn't stop what appears to be a mindset that a new attraction is mainly the ride hardware itself. At present it's almost a case of "when will the ride be ready?". A date is set according to that and the "fit and finish" of theming is squeezed in as much as possible before opening. Not finished by then? Ah it's fine, just tidy it up in the weeks/months/closed season afterwards.

A park should avoid announcing an official opening date until the sum of all it's parts - theming and ride hardware are on track to be finished. Knock yourself out with soft openings/technical rehearsals or whatever else, but many people visit an attraction once a year, for a considerable amount of money. They don't want to see a work in progress.
 
the theming (or lack of!) doesn’t bother me too much as it all looks lovely and fresh right now so the stylised look they’re going for works. However, seeing as Merlin love to go for a “distressed” look right off the bat so that maintenance is kept to a minimum, I am slightly concerned how this is going to look in 5-10 years time.

I imagine that the station building will look absolutely terrible once Mother Nature has her way with it and the project sparkle budget has been eaten up.

I’m hopeful they’ll look after it but past projects don’t give me much hope to he honest!
 
Jb85 said:
You’d think they’d just start building 3 months earlier wouldn’t you….. simple really
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In this particular instance, they originally aimed to, but were delayed by months because of the Environment Agency contesting the application. They originally aimed to start construction by September 2022, but the planning application wasn’t even approved until November 2022 due to the fracas with the Environment Agency. Because of this, I think it was early 2023 before they actually started construction in the first place, which was a good few months behind the original schedule.

It’s very easy to say “they should start earlier”, but sometimes, it is out of the park’s control.
 
STEJENT said:
I get that they need to get Hyperia up and running again quickly, but to close one major attraction when the main one is already down, to facilitate works, on a bank holiday weekend is going to stick in the craw of many guests, especially when it could have waited until closing to avoid inconvenience.
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I mean, it's Thorpe. Most of the rides go down during the day anyway.

Could leave it open and let guests wander in a construction site instead. HSE would love that.
 
Shaggy_Dog_ said:
The thing I wonder though is why would they not go for lighting package on the trains? I can’t imagine that it would have added too much more on the cost so was it just a stylistic decision to not have the lights, or could there be the possibility that it was something to do with a potential issue over it being more visible at night locally and from the roads if it was running at night with lights on?
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Based on nothing I'm going to say NIMBYs
 
Crispy said:
Doesn’t look great, agreed, but I wonder if (hope!) they’re just temporary cables that will be removed. They had some pyrotechnic effects in the wings for opening shows so might be for them?
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One of the security cameras is hanging off the BK facing by its wire, the area speakers cable isn't even pinned properly, just looped over another existing cable. Another camera on the BK has a big loop of cable hanging down and also isn't pinned. The ride and area are a MESS. Makes Nemesis look way better on opening day.
 
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