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Paultons Park: General Discussion

AT86 said:
There is a podcast episode with Lawrence from Paultons here that covers the reason for going with a Eurofighter.

The fact they have a good relationship with the manufacturer is mentioned, but perhaps more telling is that the decision to build a more thrilling coaster was taken later in the planning process and so they needed a manufacturer that had availability to build the coaster in the time frame they wanted.

Edit: section starts at 40mins in.


From: https://youtu.be/7cjTuWdKVUs?si=4od-EcQY96A68_rI
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Not saying that a Eurofighter is the best choice but for Paultons, it is the perfect step up coaster and to the same effect as Mandrill Mayhem. It is a tried and tested model for the 1.2m+ market and definitely will be a success (I know Saw is 1.4m but in theory, that could be 1.2m)

Very excited for next year and what that brings 😁 It also opens up the park for something along the lines of Baron 1898, Ride to Happiness etc. later on.

spotweld said:
Really Maintaining Confidence that 2027 will bring something world class.
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I'm thinking that the 2027 ride could be something exciting, especially if it's a water ride.

Chances are, it's going to be more like Viking Voyage at Emerald Park but if it's a Mack Water Coaster or a Rocking Boat like speculated, it could be very exciting.

The only thing I'd question is the timeline of Raging River's removal and this and how it's not connected. It may not be in the park's control however.
 
Matt N said:
Having watched some of TPW’s vlogs from Austria recently, I can’t help but think that something like Helios at Fantasiana would have fitted Paultons brilliantly. It’s exactly the same height as Drakon, it’s a similar length to what Drakon will likely be, and it looks like an absolutely brilliant coaster! Fantasiana is also hardly a huge park itself, so I imagine it would have been within Paultons’ price range.
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Yes, I had exactly the same thought when I watched that.

AT86 said:
The fact they have a good relationship with the manufacturer is mentioned, but perhaps more telling is that the decision to build a more thrilling coaster was taken later in the planning process and so they needed a manufacturer that had availability to build the coaster in the time frame they wanted.

Edit: section starts at 40mins in.


From: https://youtu.be/7cjTuWdKVUs?si=4od-EcQY96A68_rI
Click to expand...


That's interesting. About 46 minutes in, they talk about how intimidating a Euro Fighter is, and how it's actually quite a huge step-up from what they've got. That's the only thing I don't understand about this coaster. I like Gerstlauer, but I do think the vertical lift and beyond-vertical drop is quite off-putting compared to the first looping coasters I went on. I (wrongly) though they might go for something with just a few barrel rolls, which would be a much more natural step up.

Still, Euro Fighters exist and people ride them - it's obviously not a huge issue for everyone. After years of being seen as "Peppa Pig World", I think they want to make it glaringly obvious that it's a fully-rounded park. I hope it works for them, but I can see how the appeal dropped off for a lot of people.
 
East Coast Mariner said:
After years of being seen as "Peppa Pig World", I think they want to make it glaringly obvious that it's a fully-rounded park. I hope it works for them, but I can see how the appeal dropped off for a lot of people.
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You see, that’s interesting, because I fear that a conservative choice like a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter won’t grab people’s attention enough to shake off the reputation of the park solely being “Peppa Pig World”.

Without a doubt, Peppa Pig World was, and still is, successful. Hugely successful, in fact. None of the expansions in the last 10-15 years at Paultons would have happened without it, and it has been the making of Paultons as a park. That’s undeniable.

But one thing I do think Peppa Pig has done is limited the park’s appeal among older audiences. Rightly or wrongly, Paultons does have a perception of being “Peppa Pig World” among the general populace (where I live, anyway), so when you say to someone older who isn’t so into parks about Paultons, the response is “isn’t it just full of baby rides?” and they’re put off visiting as an adult group or even as a slightly older family because Paultons equals Peppa Pig in their mind. The rest of the park is currently not well-known enough outside of enthusiast circles to shake that reputation for older guests.

I was really hoping that 2026 would bring a unique, innovative headline coaster that would grab people’s attention and help to reinforce to older audiences that Paultons is more than just Peppa Pig. With Drakon being the 4th Euro-Fighter built in the UK and not exactly reinventing the wheel or bringing anything new to the table compared to the other three, I’m doubtful that it will grab attention sufficiently to do that. Something a bit more unique might have done.
 
Matt N said:
I was really hoping that 2026 would bring a unique, innovative headline coaster that would grab people’s attention and help to reinforce to older audiences that Paultons is more than just Peppa Pig. With Drakon being the 4th Euro-Fighter built in the UK and not exactly reinventing the wheel or bringing anything new to the table compared to the other three, I’m doubtful that it will grab attention sufficiently to do that. Something a bit more unique might have done.
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I'm thinking 2027 will be likely be more important and memorable. Paultons is aiming at being a place more fully rounded than Thorpe Park is now (skewed towards giant thrill rides not everyone can go on for myriad reasons).

Also I'm on a weight loss quest for the next 6+ months and hopefully shift a few inches round by thighs and waist to go on thrill rides more reliably (with Drakon and the Cyclonator being my main targets next May, after the latter humiliated me this year).
 
Hid said:
They have 2 different Zierer Tivolis

Dino Chase Tivoli Small and Cat-o-Pillar Tivoli Large,

And Zierer Force Farmyard Flyer
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To the average guest, however, they will all provide quite similar ride experiences regardless of the exact ride type; the difference between a Force and a Tivoli is just semantics.

I’d argue Farmyard Flyer was a slightly redundant addition for this exact reason. As well themed as it is, it doesn’t do anything meaningfully different to or better than the other two. Paultons already had quite ample coverage in the small coaster space.
 
Matt N said:
To the average guest, however, they will all provide quite similar ride experiences regardless of the exact ride type; the difference between a Force and a Tivoli is just semantics.

I’d argue Farmyard Flyer was a slightly redundant addition for this exact reason. As well themed as it is, it doesn’t do anything meaningfully different to or better than the other two. Paultons already had quite ample coverage in the small coaster space.
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I actually think Dino Chase and Cat-o-Pillar could be on their way out as other Zierer Tivolis without overhaul have been removed.
 
Hid said:
I actually think Dino Chase and Cat-o-Pillar could be on their way out as other Zierer Tivolis without overhaul have been removed.
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It wouldn't surprise me if replacements for those coasters come although Farmyard Flyer could count as one of them.

Let's say if Peppa Pig World got a coaster and Cat-o-pillar became a site for something like a Mack Powered Coaster where it is slightly bigger but for the same target market.

Another option could be something larger as that side of the park seems to have Tornado Springs for Storm Chaser and Cyclonator but not much else for older ones. It is mainly family rides.
 
owenstreet7 said:
It wouldn't surprise me if replacements for those coasters come although Farmyard Flyer could count as one of them.

Let's say if Peppa Pig World got a coaster and Cat-o-pillar became a site for something like a Mack Powered Coaster where it is slightly bigger but for the same target market.

Another option could be something larger as that side of the park seems to have Tornado Springs for Storm Chaser and Cyclonator but not much else for older ones. It is mainly family rides.
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I think what would fit is a Vekoma Sit Down Family Coaster they are good reliable coasters
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
Nothing screams unique like a Zierer Tivoli... Especially when you have three of them.
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How did I know someone was going to make the Tivoli reference? 😂

Perhaps I should have put *recent* major coaster additions, and by recent I would say in the last 20 years- the UK’s first Gerstlauer bobsled, the UK’s first Verona family suspended coaster, the UK’s first Mack spinning coaster and the UK’s second junior Boomerang. I would class this new addition as fitting into the major new coaster category, so a bog-standard Eurofighter with shoulder bars is the exception to the rule. I didn’t think I needed to explain that so specifically, but I have now anyway 😊
 
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