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2025: Toxicator - General Discussion

Indeed. Towers aren’t desperate for a new headline thrill coaster (as much as enthusiasts argue it does. And truthfully it probably needs an immersive family* coaster far more.

I would much prefer another headline flat ride in x-sector and DF - themed to this level - with a few lower level flats to accompany, before anymore mad coaster investment.
The park needs capacity and reliability more than ever. Hopefully Toxicator stays popular and towers can have their arms twisted


*or something to partner up with RMT as there’s not much for kids to look forward to in this height category. Especially if they find hex and curse too creepy.
 
I love all the little flourishes that they’ve put into Toxicator, they didn’t have to make all of those little details with the videos but I think it really adds so much to the ride!

John Burton and his team really has come a long way from The Walking Dead The Ride!
 
Hopefully everything goes a bit smoother today, yesterday I can overlook as a freakishly bad day.

Anyone to report what the smell is like on park today?
 
The_bup said:
Hopefully everything goes a bit smoother today, yesterday I can overlook as a freakishly bad day.

Anyone to report what the smell is like on park today?
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There isn't any smell on park from yesterday's incident.
 
AT86 said:
Surely the fountains are just recycling the water already in the trough? Their operation wouldn’t be having any impact on the drains?
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Islander said:
Of course not. They’ve been testing these fountains for weeks, this wouldn’t have suddenly started now, and as pointed out above the water is recirculated
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I'm surprised to hear that the same water is recycled each time; I'm aware that this is common with decorative displays, but given that the water could come into contact with the riders, I would have thought that there could be a potential risk of cross-contamination? I may be wrong, but I remember reading that Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park has to have its own dedicated fresh water supply (instead of using water from the lakes) for this reason. I also wasn't sure whether the testing cycles were just for the ride itself, or whether the other features (e.g. screens, lights, and fountains) were tested as extensively as well.

(EDIT: Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that the safety standards for water used for washing hands - e.g. final effluent - is not as strict as the safety standards for drinking water - e.g. potable water - so maybe the water with Toxicator is held to the lesser standard, given that it is only used for splashing and not drinking... hopefully!)

(EDIT - Regarding the sewage leak: I'm no expert, but my hunch is that the immediate cause may have been something as simple as a loose push-fit connection and/or a basic blockage, simply because Alton Towers were able to repair it so quickly)

(EDIT: I've heard that Merlin tend to look down upon flat rides because they are perceived to be less prestigious and exclusive than rollercoasters (and probably have a lower throughput as well), but the fact that Toxicator appears to have been received so well thus far (possibly more so than some of their coasters, such as Thirteen) makes me wonder whether AT have entirely misjudged the situation over the past decade (and/or have done a poor job with some of their coasters). My guess is that they were probably correct to prioritise rollercoasters during the B&M era in the 1990s (when they could offer exclusive experiences not found elsewhere), but perhaps less so since then. Some people criticised the Retro Squad, but my guess is that some of this was due to the theming and relatively low specification of the rides themselves, rather than flat rides in general)

Regarding the video screens on Toxicator: I think the 'boot up' and 'shut down' sequences are a great idea, but I am in two-minds about the 'ride broken' video screen; part of me thinks that it's a good idea, but another (grumpy!) part of me thinks that it could potentially be making light of a frustrating situation for some in the queue (on balance, it is probably still worth doing, though).

Regarding the markings on the tunnel (below): I assume that JB is a reference to John Burton, JW is a reference to John Wardley, TXC is a reference to Toxicator itself, Ocean is a reference to Project Ocean, and HTSS is a reference to Huss Top Spin Suspended, but does anybody know what CM, DT, and 8R (or BR/OR) is a reference to?
 

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Secret Weapon said:
I'm surprised to hear that the same water is recycled each time; I'm aware that this is common with decorative displays, but given that the water could come into contact with the riders, I would have thought that there could be a potential risk of cross-contamination? I may be wrong, but I remember reading that Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park has to have its own dedicated fresh water supply (instead of using water from the lakes) for this reason. I also wasn't sure whether the testing cycles were just for the ride itself, or whether the other features (e.g. screens, lights, and fountains) were tested as extensively as well.
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It’ll absolutely still be recycled. You’re right that contamination is a risk, but for example do you think water features etc in a swimming pool are fresh water? Nope.

The water will be treated, both chemically and likely through a UV (and of course filtered), but 100% it’ll be recirculated.
 
Secret Weapon said:
I'm surprised to hear that the same water is recycled each time; I'm aware that this is common with decorative displays, but given that the water could come into contact with the riders, I would have thought that there could be a potential risk of cross-contamination? I may be wrong, but I remember reading that Tidal Wave at Thorpe Park has to have its own dedicated fresh water supply (instead of using water from the lakes) for this reason. I also wasn't sure whether the testing cycles were just for the ride itself, or whether the other features (e.g. screens, lights, and fountains) were tested as extensively as well.

Regarding the video screens on Toxicator: I think the 'boot up' and 'shut down' sequences are a great idea, but I am in two-minds about the 'ride broken' video screen; part of me thinks that it's a good idea, but another (grumpy!) part of me thinks that it could potentially be making light of a frustrating situation for some in the queue (on balance, it is probably still worth doing, though).

Regarding the markings on the tunnel (below): I assume that JB is a reference to John Burton, JW is a reference to John Wardley, TXC is a reference to Toxicator itself, Ocean is a reference to Project Ocean, and HTSS is a reference to Huss Top Spin Suspended, but does anybody know what CM, DT, and 8R (or BR/OR) is a reference to?
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CM and DT are initials of other people who were part of this project I think. And the 8R goes with TXC to create Toxicator, in text-style speak, just like "later" is L8R.
 
I wondered if maybe CM stood for Claude Mabillard (from B&M), but I'm not so sure, given that (A) Toxicator isn't a B&M ride, and (B) I think that Claude Mabillard has retired (although so has John Wardley, I guess).

(EDIT: DT probably stands for Dave Taylor, who - I believe - was the project manager for the ride)

(FURTHER EDIT: There is a name badge on the Hazmat suit lockers by the stairs which says "Craig M", so perhaps this is a reference to "CM")

I'm also a bit surprised that:-

1) Alton Towers didn't produce any "Day 1" Toxicator merchandise, that would only ever be sold on opening day; granted, it may be quite expensive to produce, given that - unlike, say, an Xbox - it probably wouldn't sell in large volumes, but I remember that Thorpe Park handed out "Day 1" certificates for Hyperia last year, and AT could probably get around it by only producing a limited amount and/or offering pre-order discounts (they could even create the full 'Day 1' experience and offer sewage-themed cologne :oops:).

2) Toxicator has 19 riders per row instead of an even number such 18 or 20; I may be wrong, but I would assume that this increases the chances of empty seats at the end (hence the single-rider queue, I guess). I think that Ripsaw had 20 per row, so I'm not sure why the capacity was reduced (maybe to increase the seat size for larger riders?).
 
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Secret Weapon said:
I wondered if maybe CM stood for Claude Mabillard (from B&M), but I'm not so sure, given that (A) Toxicator isn't a B&M ride, and (B) I think that Claude Mabillard has retired (although so has John Wardley, I guess).

I'm also a bit surprised that:-

1) Alton Towers didn't produce any "Day 1" Toxicator merchandise, that would only ever be sold on opening day; granted, it may be quite expensive to produce, given that - unlike, say, an Xbox - it probably wouldn't sell in large volumes, but I remember that Thorpe Park handed out "Day 1" certificates for Hyperia last year, and AT could probably get around it by only producing a limited amount and/or offering pre-order discounts (they could even create the full 'Day 1' experience and offer sewage-themed cologne :oops:).

2) Toxicator has 19 riders per row instead of an even number such 18 or 20; I may be wrong, but I would assume that this increases the chances of empty seats at the end (hence the single-rider queue, I guess). I think that Ripsaw had 20 per row, so I'm not sure why the capacity was reduced (maybe to increase the seat size for larger riders?).
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I can't answer everything but in regards to the amount of seats per side of the gondola, I'm pretty sure that 38 is the standard for all Suspended TopSpins, i know Talocan is 38 and so was Riptide
 
I like the look of Toxicator and it's a great addition for FV. I do however wish the creative team would stop using Nemesis as the basis for all ride storylines in FV. I like X sector for this reason, Oblivion, The Smiler and Enterprise (RIP) are stylistically similar but unique attractions and themes in their own right.

With Sub terra and Toxicator essentially both part of the Nemesis lore, it makes Galactica/Air feel even more disparate and make FV exclusively a Nemesis themed area. FV is also feeling a lot similar to X-sector these days with the colour schemes and industrial facility theming, which takes away from the uniqueness of both.

If they do retheme Galactica/Air, I really hope it has it's own individual theme and isn't another 'supporting experiment' for the Nemesis monster. How about the discovery of a second dormant alien monster or lean into a stranger things inspired portal to a creepy 'upside down' discovered and kept secret by the phalanx?

We've taken her eggs, we've taken her saliva... what will be next? A stool sample?!
 
Visma said:
I like the look of Toxicator and it's a great addition for FV. I do however wish the creative team would stop using Nemesis as the basis for all ride storylines in FV. I like X sector for this reason, Oblivion, The Smiler and Enterprise (RIP) are stylistically similar but unique attractions and themes in their own right.

With Sub terra and Toxicator essentially both part of the Nemesis lore, it makes Galactica/Air feel even more disparate and make FV exclusively a Nemesis themed area. FV is also feeling a lot similar to X-sector these days with the colour schemes and industrial facility theming, which takes away from the uniqueness of both.

If they do retheme Galactica/Air, I really hope it has it's own individual theme and isn't another 'supporting experiment' for the Nemesis monster. How about the discovery of a second dormant alien monster or lean into a stranger things inspired portal to a creepy 'upside down' discovered and kept secret by the phalanx?

We've taken her eggs, we've taken her saliva... what will be next? A stool sample?!
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I suspect it will retain it's space theme but will become part of the Phalanx/Nemesis universe. Remember the line in the fireworks last year:

"...and from tonight, the Phalanx will advance onwards...into the universe!"

Whether or not that was meant to be the beginning of the retheme of Galactica that was planned to have happened this last closed season we'll never know. But its a good link back to the whole Nemesis reborn story of 2024 when it does happen.
 
ShadowTD said:
My social media has never been so busy. First I got asked for a picture by the social team on the way in, and then I'm smack bang in the middle of the TS FB post! (Green haired guy). I'd like to thank the academy etc etc etc.

Didn't get to ride the thing though - was actually in the queue when the poonami happened.
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I think you were also in this video (around the 0:50 mark). I was in the same video later on, as well!


From: https://youtu.be/0Cp5TBxv6Xw?t=50
 
Visma said:
FV. I do however wish the creative team would stop using Nemesis as the basis for all ride storylines in FV
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Been that way for 28 years, since Ripsaw opened. Ripsaw and the Blade were things to cut the Nemisis monster up into pieces. Or maybe Ripsaw was a decontamination device. They were both definitely part of the Nemesis story even 25+ years ago.
 
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