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2018: Wicker Man - General Discussion - SPOILERS! - Part One

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I think this is the closest we are going to get to 1994 for some time I reckon.

Both parks are building two major coasters, which are needed to fit the gaps of their lineup. Icon will give BPB a sleek, modern and (hopefully) glass smooth steel thrill coaster featuring plenty of interaction within an interesting layout.

SW8 (Wickerman), could've well featured a better layout, but given how it looks in the flesh and similar new GCI's ride, the ride could still be something. Hopefully it will also provide ATR with a much needed family attraction p, especially with the loss of the flume and Charlie.

Who knows what will happen with Drayton now. I would like to see them receive a major family/thrill coaster in the near future. However whenever that may be it certainly won't be next year.
 
Matt Creek said:
Who knows what will happen with Drayton now. I would like to see them receive a major family/thrill coaster in the near future. However whenever that may be it certainly won't be next year.
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We know they are supposed to be getting a "first of it's kind" from S&S, because the park has said. but, as you said, it certainly won't be happening next year.:(
 
Dave said:
Blackpool pleasure beach and Alton Towers opened a rollercoaster in the same year as each other in 1994, they are doing so again in 2018. Sounds pretty similar to me.

Though to be fair you have a point... Drayton isn’t opening anything!
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Matt Creek said:
I think this is the closest we are going to get to 1994 for some time I reckon.

Both parks are building two major coasters, which are needed to fit the gaps of their lineup. Icon will give BPB a sleek, modern and (hopefully) glass smooth steel thrill coaster featuring plenty of interaction within an interesting layout.
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What I mean is that the scenario, beyond the fact that two of the nation's biggest parks are getting large rollercoasters, doesn't match up to that of 1994 at all, particularly in terms of anticipation.

In '94, you had three up-and-coming parks in the UK suddenly investing in immediately exciting projects all at once. Nemesis was the first inverted coaster outside of the US and one of the earliest in existence, and this coupled with the known intensity of Batman meant that there was a lot of anticipation over how unique and exhilarating it could be. Shockwave was in a similar position as a hard-to-come-by and growingly-popular model, and of course Big One was Europe's first hypercoaster and had a bunch of world records going for it - a rare scenario for a ride in our country back then. Then consider the fact that all three were leagues ahead of almost any other coaster in the UK at that point, and that Nemesis was receiving the kind of thematic and marketing attention that Disney would apply to one of their rides. Within a year our country went from being a point of curiosity to a place of major interest for parkgoers worldwide, with one of that year's rides being so good that it still gets a lot of international attention today, long after our country's theme park golden age. 1994 was literally a turning point for the UK in regards to theme park rides.

Like I say, I understand that there's hype for SW8 and particularly Icon, but I can't agree with lumping the two together and claiming they represent the same for the UK's theme park industry as what happened in 1994. That said, hopefully SW8 will be the charming family adventure needed to improve Towers' lineup, and Icon looks worthy to be considered the next chapter of the park's esteemed coaster history.
 
Sorry Olivius, I have to disagree.
Having been about in '94, and having watched both Nemesis and the Big One being built, and this year watched SW8 and the beginnings of Icon, I can honestly say, with the benefit of being a right old git, that 2018 is going to be very similar to 1994.
And by the way, I bet 99% of the general punters didn't even know of Shockwave's existance until 1995.
Next year is going to be a very good year, the queues for the other rides should generally be nice and short, but the queues for the new rides will generally be hell!
 
rob666 said:
Sorry Olivius, I have to disagree.
Having been about in '94, and having watched both Nemesis and the Big One being built, and this year watched SW8 and the beginnings of Icon, I can honestly say, with the benefit of being a right old git, that 2018 is going to be very similar to 1994.
And by the way, I bet 99% of the general punters didn't even know of Shockwave's existance until 1995.
Next year is going to be a very good year, the queues for the other rides should generally be nice and short, but the queues for the new rides will generally be hell!
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We'll need to agree to disagree then, because I think the coasters of '94 kicked things off in a way that I don't expect the duo of SW8 and Icon will (though I'm sure both will be very popular) :)
 
A two meter tall wicker man statue themeing was spotted. Photo taken from TT site (Credit to Bugertaster)

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I'd hazard a guess that's the top of it? Difficult to gain a size perspective from that angle.
 
Danny said:
I'd hazard a guess that's the top of it? Difficult to gain a size perspective from that angle.
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Apperently the guy who took the picture said it was 2m tall, So I guess this is an extra theming feature rather than an extension to the existing theming structure, I'd imagine the actual theming structure will be a bigger size of this though.
 
The theme park geek said:
Guys who thought the theming on this coaster wasn’t going to be good I think your being continually proven wrong. I think this might be the best themed coaster in the U.K. once it’s completed. The real test is what they do with the pre-shows and the stories.
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I personally agree. I think Merlin have pulled out all the stops to make the most complete experience coaster in the whole park from what we have seen so far, and if the ride turns out to be a great family woodie, then Merlin could have a hit on their hands with both enthusiasts and the public. It could even open the doors for some other, bigger woodie projects in the UK. On a side note, where could this newly discovered theming piece go? I was thinking that they could put that as the entrance. They could do something sort of like Tonnerre De Zeus at Parc Astérix where you enter under a statue.
 
Looks promising! Wonder where this will end up and how it will link with the bigger structure. Possibly in the station / preshow building? Also completely gives away what the main wickerman will look like. That's bigger than 2m tall!
 
The theme park geek said:
Guys who thought the theming on this coaster wasn’t going to be good I think your being continually proven wrong. I think this might be the best themed coaster in the U.K. once it’s completed. The real test is what they do with the pre-shows and the stories.
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Whilst a nice thing, it wouldn't exactly be difficult for a ride to become the best themed coaster in the UK, the competition isn't particularly strong...
 
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