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Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Dave said:
It’s a discussion forum people will discuss, that’s nothing to do with “this community” and everything to do with discussion forum dynamics.
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This Community = the roller coaster enthusiast community, not TS especially.
 
Another interesting confirmed statistic is that the ride will be 1,250ft long, making it the world’s 3rd shortest B&M coaster; only Oblivion and its clone in Taiwan are shorter, at 1,222ft. The ride is also going to be 27m (88.5ft) tall.

Most intriguingly of all, the project is allegedly only costing £3.5million!
 
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A Switch Track or Turntable Station on a Wing Rider could actually work really well! You could board each side from a single queue without having to cross over the track. It would need some creative thinking to get the trains between the air gates but it could be done.

Not that I think this ride has one, the station clearly isn't big enough.
 
Matt N said:
Another interesting confirmed statistic is that the ride will be 1,250ft long, making it the world’s 3rd shortest B&M coaster; only Oblivion and its clone in Taiwan are shorter, at 1,222ft. The ride is also going to be 27m (88.5ft) tall.

Most intriguingly of all, the project is allegedly only costing £3.5million!
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Not a chance it'll be a B+M if its that price.

More than likely Vekoma if its that cost, not quite the next generation Vekoma we all want but if it means there's a possibility Thorpe gets something like Lech/Fonix in the coming years I'm all for it, maybe something like Abyssus at Towers as well.
 
It's a strange concept for sure but I'm glad the area has some accompanying flats. It should actually be quite a nice little area. My biggest concern is definitely capacity and I'm not keen on the use of an IP at all, but I'm not exactly the target demographic for Chessington. It'll be interesting to follow developments for sure, but I know for a fact that the next three years are going to be huge for enthusiasts down south.
 
Matt N said:
Another interesting confirmed statistic is that the ride will be 1,250ft long, making it the world’s 3rd shortest B&M coaster; only Oblivion and its clone in Taiwan are shorter, at 1,222ft. The ride is also going to be 27m (88.5ft) tall.

Most intriguingly of all, the project is allegedly only costing £3.5million!
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£3.5m - that to me adds to the theory it could be a prototype
 
If it is a B&M, they will be as eager as anyone else to get more on their order books at the moment, but it seems a waste of money on the surface of things if they are the manufacturer. @Matt N - where did you find the £3.5m figure?
 
Jb85 said:
£3.5m - that to me adds to the theory it could be a prototype
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Don't prototypes typically cost more due to the additional R&D required by both the park and manufacturer?

I seriously doubt that figure being correct, especially given the inclusion of a large theming element as well as two flat rides. £13.5 sounds more like it but even that seems quite low.
 
Rick said:
It's from a quality manufacturer, it's not replacing something better than itself and it's not a repaint/refresh or an existing ride, for starters. It's a line drawing at this point.

I'm not banging the drum for it, I just don't understand the negativity. It's like Wicker Man all over again.

If it did 1000pph we'd want it to do 2000, it's just the nature of this community.
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I dont think that is fair, it's not negativity for the sake of it without any thought. I think it's fairly universally acknowledged Chessington has big issues with throughputs and capacity as whole, with confused and indistinct themes, and with the replacement of their only remaiming thrill ride with a very weak drop tower they've just solidified the direction their target market has been heading in for decades.

This doesn't seem to solve those issues, and doesn't fit the visitor profile they have very deliberately gone for.

The negativity is just from concern. We want the parks to succeed, to thrive, to deliver. In the context of a company who's last two big developments in the UK were DBGT (an unmitigated disaster) and WickerMan (which while not as bad as the plans suggested is still one of the weakest woodies out there rescued by theming), and a park who's last development was an overgrown kiddie drop tower which replaced their only true thrill, that concern is probably well placed.

Once the money is spent it is spent. It's not unreasonable to want it spent well.
 
If it is £3.5m couldn't that just be the price in with a few other B&M's Merlin has done this quite a few times. Buying a prototype and then sticking it in 3-4 of there parks. They could be buying a B&M for all the resort theme parks making that price seem quite reasonable with the total amount they have been spending.
 
JAperson said:
If it is £3.5m couldn't that just be the price in with a few other B&M's Merlin has done this quite a few times. Buying a prototype and then sticking it in 3-4 of there parks. They could be buying a B&M for all the resort theme parks making that price seem quite reasonable with the total amount they have been spending.
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Thorpe's next coaster is not a B&M so this can't be the case, I doubt Towers' next coaster will be a B&M too. I seriously just think the number is wrong.
 
TheAverageNerd said:
Thorpe's next coaster is not a B&M
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Fair point.
TheAverageNerd said:
I doubt Towers' next coaster will be a B&M
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I think there's a good chance it could be and there's no major reason to suggest why it couldn't.

Also I'm talking long term here this deal could be for over 5 years, probably more.
Edit: Wanted to make clear I too think the number is wrong however I was just making a suggestion as to why it would could so little.
 
Right; now I’ve had some time to digest these plans, I think I can make a more informed judgement. I obviously don’t want to be too hasty in judging it straight away, as I’ve certainly had my hands burnt in this regard before (Wicker Man says hi), but I do have some definite initial thoughts brewing. I’ll start with a list of pros & cons, and then move onto my overall opinion so far.
Pros
  • Hurray, Chessington’s finally getting a new coaster! By the time this opens in 2023, Chessington will have gone 19 years without a coaster, so at this stage, I think anything is quite applaudable!
  • B&M are a great manufacturer who will ensure that the ride is built to a good quality and pleases crowds. If there’s one thing B&M consistently provides, it’s quality.
  • It’s very unique, and has the potential to be a very interesting ride!
  • It’s a Wing Coaster; given that the UK’s current wing coaster is one of my favourite coasters in the country, I certainly see personal grounds for me to get excited!
  • The lion thing certainly looks like an impressive piece of theming.
  • The IP could be quite interesting. I rather liked the first Jumanji film, and I think it lends itself well to Chessington as a park!
  • The inclusion of support rides could be really good, and provide some variety to the park’s lineup, as well as some queue soakers to ease the burden on the main coaster.
  • The fact that this is a 1.4m height restriction coaster could present some rather exciting new opportunities for the park, and will widen its appeal a fair bit, which is always good! This will give the park an advantage over Paultons, who currently lack a coaster of this caliber. It also looks to be quite a good starter thrill ride, offering something that has a more thrilling edge over any of Chessington’s current coasters, while still not going full-on with the intense thrills; a good stepping stone from family to thrill, if you like!
Cons
  • While 720pph is by no means a horrendous theoretical capacity, it certainly won’t be the throughput monster that many wanted, and that the park arguably needed.
  • While I’ll admit it’s possibly too early to judge this too intensely, as rides can surprise you in terms of how they ride, I think it looks to lack many of the things that I personally think make the wing coaster a really great ride type (or should I say, makes The Swarm a really great ride). The really huge, floaty inversions, the huge wing over drop with the great hangtime, the raw size & sensation of speed of the thing, that amazing in-line twist that gives surprising negatives; I’m not really getting any of that from what we’ve seen so far. I know that it’s supposed to be a tamer ride than The Swarm, aimed at quite a different audience, but it doesn’t really look to channel many of Swarm’s greatest strengths, in my opinion.
  • The ride also looks to lack near misses, which can often really enhance a wing coaster. While I’ll admit that the huge lion looks very impressive, and I’m sure it will provide a very impressive effect from on-ride, I do think the ride might lose a certain je ne sais quois without those near misses (I’m thinking headchoppers & footchoppers like you get on Swarm) being there. Things like ducking under ghe plane wing or the billboard, or narrowly missing the edges of a wrecked church or the propeller of the helicopter, do add to the sense of excitement of Swarm, in my opinion. While I’m sure it’ll be a great, great ride for its audience without these near misses, and the layout itself will still deliver, near misses would have added an extra element to enhance the overall experience.
  • I’m not the biggest lover of shuttle coasters; I’ve ridden Revolution, Acclerator and Velociraptor now, and while they’re good rides, don’t get me wrong, they’re not really my favourite coasters. The sensation and forces produced by repeating the same layout backwards isn’t the most enjoyable sensation, in my opinion.
  • I’m not sure the layout really excites me that much at the moment; it looks more weird & intriguing than something I’m properly pumped & excited by. While it looks very interesting & unique, and it’s not really built to excite an 18-year-old enthusiast, I’ll admit I’m more intrigued and perplexed by it than properly excited at present; in spite of me being a Wing Coaster fan, nothing in the layout really leaps off the page at me, personally. I’m sure it’ll be an excellent ride when it’s done, and I’m sure I’ll end up liking it, but at this moment in time, I’m not too sure on the coaster layout itself, if I’m being honest.
  • While a 1.4m coaster does present an exciting opportunity for the park to diversify, in my opinion, I’m not entirely sure it’s what I would have picked for the park’s next investment (I reckon a 1.2m coaster may have worked better myself), and with the tamer, more “family-friendly” focus of this particular ride, I have concerns that it may end up alienating those that it’s aimed to appeal to; by the time kids hit 1.4m, some will be craving something more exciting and think it’s a bit too mild, while those who don’t may think it’s too scary, being put off by daunting things like the inverting element of it.
Overall Consensus
Overall, I am definitely excited for this project, and I do think it could present a very exciting opportunity for Chessington to retarget itself towards a more universal target demographic! Certain things about it do excite me very much (Chessie’s first coaster in 19 years is certainly exciting, and who’d have thought they’d ever get a B&M? Also, I’m certainly up for another UK wing coaster given how much I love Swarm!), and I’m very, very excited by what it represents, but I’ll admit that I do have some reservations about the coaster itself from what I’ve seen, and I’d say it’s something that I personally find more weird & intriguing than properly exciting at present. I’m sure these will be allayed with time, and as I say, I don’t want to judge it too intensely at present as looks can be deceiving, and I also don’t think it’s productive to be overly harsh, as any investment is applaudable, but these are just my initial thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the ride will be great, and I’m sure I’ll be proved wrong, but I’ll admit that I’m currently more excited by what it represents than the ride itself. Is it OK for me to say that?
 
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Actually I wonder if this could be included in a deal with the heavily rumoured Nemesis re-tracking? That could possibly explain a lower project cost but £3.5 million still seems absurdly low.
 
Matt N said:
Right; now I’ve had some time to digest these plans, I think I can make a more informed judgement. I obviously don’t want to be too hasty in judging it straight away, as I’ve certainly had my hands burnt in this regard before (Wicker Man says hi), but I do have some definite initial thoughts brewing. I’ll start with a list of pros & cons, and then move onto my overall opinion so far.
Pros
  • Hurray, Chessington’s finally getting a new coaster! By the time this opens in 2023, Chessington will have gone 19 years without a coaster, so at this stage, I think anything is quite applaudable!
  • B&M are a great manufacturer who will ensure that the ride is built to a good quality and pleases crowds. If there’s one thing B&M consistently provides, it’s quality.
  • It’s very unique, and has the potential to be a very interesting ride!
  • It’s a Wing Coaster; given that the UK’s current wing coaster is one of my favourite coasters in the country, I certainly see personal grounds for me to get excited!
  • The lion thing certainly looks like an impressive piece of theming.
  • The IP could be quite interesting. I rather liked the first Jumanji film, and I think it lends itself well to Chessington as a park!
  • The inclusion of support rides could be really good, and provide some variety to the park’s lineup, as well as some queue soakers to ease the burden on the main coaster.
  • The fact that this is a 1.4m height restriction coaster could present some rather exciting new opportunities for the park, and will widen its appeal a fair bit, which is always good! This will give the park an advantage over Paultons, who currently lack a coaster of this caliber. It also looks to be quite a good starter thrill ride, offering something that has a more thrilling edge over any of Chessington’s current coasters, while still not going full-on with the intense thrills; a good stepping stone from family to thrill, if you like!
Cons
  • While 720pph is by no means a horrendous theoretical capacity, it certainly won’t be the throughput monster that many wanted, and that the park arguably needed.
  • While I’ll admit it’s possibly too early to judge this too intensely, as rides can surprise you in terms of how they ride, I think it looks to lack many of the things that I personally think make the wing coaster a really great ride type (or should I say, makes The Swarm a really great ride). The really huge, floaty inversions, the huge wing over drop with the great hangtime, the raw size & sensation of speed of the thing, that amazing in-line twist that gives surprising negatives; I’m not really getting any of that from what we’ve seen so far. I know that it’s supposed to be a tamer ride than The Swarm, aimed at quite a different audience, but it doesn’t really look to channel many of Swarm’s greatest strengths, in my opinion.
  • The ride also looks to lack near misses, which can often really enhance a wing coaster. While I’ll admit that the huge lion looks very impressive, and I’m sure it will provide a very impressive effect from on-ride, I do think the ride might lose a certain je ne sais quois without those near misses (I’m thinking headchoppers & footchoppers like you get on Swarm) being there. Things like ducking under ghe plane wing or the billboard, or narrowly missing the edges of a wrecked church or the propeller of the helicopter, do add to the sense of excitement of Swarm, in my opinion. While I’m sure it’ll be a great, great ride for its audience without these near misses, and the layout itself will still deliver, near misses would have added an extra element to enhance the overall experience.
  • I’m not the biggest lover of shuttle coasters; I’ve ridden Revolution, Acclerator and Velociraptor now, and while they’re good rides, don’t get me wrong, they’re not really my favourite coasters. The sensation and forces produced by repeating the same layout backwards isn’t the most enjoyable sensation, in my opinion.
  • I’m not sure the layout really excites me that much at the moment; it looks more weird & intriguing than something I’m properly pumped & excited by. While it looks very interesting & unique, and it’s not really built to excite an 18-year-old enthusiast, I’ll admit I’m more intrigued and perplexed by it than properly excited at present; in spite of me being a Wing Coaster fan, nothing in the layout really leaps off the page at me, personally. I’m sure it’ll be an excellent ride when it’s done, and I’m sure I’ll end up liking it, but at this moment in time, I’m not too sure on the coaster layout itself, if I’m being honest.
  • While a 1.4m coaster does present an exciting opportunity for the park to diversify, in my opinion, I’m not entirely sure it’s what I would have picked for the park’s next investment (I reckon a 1.2m coaster may have worked better myself), and with the tamer, more “family-friendly” focus of this particular ride, I have concerns that it may end up alienating those that it’s aimed to appeal to; by the time kids hit 1.4m, some will be craving something more exciting and think it’s a bit too mild, while those who don’t may think it’s too scary, being put off by daunting things like the inverting element of it.
Overall Consensus
Overall, I am definitely excited for this project, and I do think it could present a very exciting opportunity for Chessington to retarget itself towards a more universal target demographic! Certain things about it do excite me very much (Chessie’s first coaster in 19 years is certainly exciting, and who’d have thought they’d ever get a B&M? Also, I’m certainly up for another UK wing coaster given how much I love Swarm!), and I’m very, very excited by what it represents, but I’ll admit that I do have some reservations about the coaster itself from what I’ve seen, and I’d say it’s something that I personally find more weird & intriguing than properly exciting at present. I’m sure these will be allayed with time, and as I say, I don’t want to judge it too intensely at present as looks can be deceiving, and I also don’t think it’s productive to be overly harsh, as any investment is applaudable, but these are just my initial thoughts.
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Great summary @Matt N and pretty sums up my thoughts on this project as-well.
TheAverageNerd said:
Actually I wonder if this could be included in a deal with the heavily rumoured Nemesis re-tracking? That could possibly explain a lower project cost but £3.5 million still seems absurdly low.
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Very possible. This is just one idea that really could be a massive deal with B&M. Merlin have only every installed prototypes from B&M and a lot of there major coaster additions have been from them. I think they trust B&M more than anyone and having a big deal with them isn't really a stretch of imagination.
I think that price is still too low however I am just guessing here.
 
The £3.5m figure came from Attraction Source, but Jared from Chessington Buzz (who seems to get a lot of inside info about Chessington) said on CoasterForce that he heavily doubts the £3.5m figure, and he suspects closer to £8-10m. For some perspective, he revealed that Croc Drop apparently cost £2.5m.
TheAverageNerd said:
Thorpe's next coaster is not a B&M so this can't be the case, I doubt Towers' next coaster will be a B&M too. I seriously just think the number is wrong.
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With regard to the bolded; how are you able to say this with such certainty? Do you know something we don’t?
 
Matt N said:
The £3.5m figure came from Attraction Source, but Jared from Chessington Buzz (who seems to get a lot of inside info) said on CoasterForce that he heavily doubts the £3.5m figure, and he suspects closer to £8-10m. For some perspective, he revealed that Croc Drop apparently cost £2.5m.
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That figure seems far more reasonable to me.
 
Matt N said:
The £3.5m figure came from Attraction Source, but Jared from Chessington Buzz (who seems to get a lot of inside info about Chessington) said on CoasterForce that he heavily doubts the £3.5m figure, and he suspects closer to £8-10m. For some perspective, he revealed that Croc Drop apparently cost £2.5m.

With regard to the bolded; how are you able to say this with such certainty? Do you know something we don’t?
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The plans for Thorpe’s next coaster will likely start to circulate quite heavily relatively soon, but yes I know what’s happening.

£8-10 million does sound far more reasonable actually, though I wonder if the rights to the IP are included in this figure or if they would be left out given that the IP is being used across other Merlin parks?


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I think it's fair to have reservations about the quality of the final product. Prototypes tend to be average at best. I'm sure it will be a welcome addition to the park but I'd rather Merlin go all out on a world class coaster experience.

The complaints about a thrill coaster not fitting into Chessington is a strange one to me though. Plenty of kids are over 1.4 and a 'scary' ride gives the younger kids a challenge to look forward to. Rameses drew in huge crowds of spectators.

Edit: £3.5 mil?! Maybe it's B&M Bargains building it.
 
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