[2024] Nemesis Reborn: Construction and Speculation

[QTXAdsy]

Our problem is that many enthusiasts are all suffering from PTSD from all the bad choices Merlin has made over the years with this regarding black track and a theme that is more or less what many are expecting is looking to be another to add to the list. The fact that over a year before opening that many on here have already sussed out what the theme/story changes might be is telling that we have all developed a sixth sense though not in a good way.

That all being said though, yes, Merlin really can't do a middle ground of theming as its either bleak for kids or too childish for adults but then again I have to wonder that as Merlin seem so into their marketing figures, I do have to wonder if the themes they are going for is down to the fact is that is want public want at large? If so, it does make business sense as to why they'd want to go down that path as if it makes them money then ofc you'd go for it though you'd think in these troubled times that you'd want more escapism at a park rather than be reminded of the bleakness of reality but it seems that if Merlin's marketing studies seem to indicate that is what the public want then it likely tells you more about society than anything else.

Ok, that was more deeper than I anticipated but regarding the possible story and theme of the ride, likely we're thinking about this too much as one example of this is in JW's book regarding the promotion of Thirteen, he and some of the Merlin PR team were taken aback about how so many fans were trying to work out what was the meaning of the little girl in the advert was with all the theories of how she'd be part of the plot when in truth it was only just a marketing idea that seemed cool and had nothing to do with the ride in the end. God knows what some of those same team members are looking at these fan forums and thinking the same of all the theories of what will happen with Nemesis; could all be the same thing here.

 

[Matt N]

No it is not a case of I don’t like it so I don’t believe it. I think the general opinion is 50-50 at present. Ask every single avid Nemesis fan out there and most will probably opt for the original theme - although to conduct a poll on that scale would take some doing and probably impossible.

If we are seeing the compromise of Nemesis being the same profile and layout but on a different theme, then one has to take me yet again back to John Wardley’s quote of “you don’t mess with Nemesis”. Because if we end up with a different colour track and different station theme then we are going against those words and betraying the hardcore fans. Typical Merlin are again trying to change something that isn’t broke and has been fine up until now. They have ruined several good rides in their parks over the years.

If we end up with a different theme all round, including music, this along with the possible different ride experience could drive the enthusiasts away, and they won’t come back.

We are promised the same experience all round. Early indications are not pointing to that.

For most who loved the original Nemesis, I doubt the theme or the track colour really came into it a lot. Ultimately, Nemesis is a roller coaster, and it’s the layout and ride experience that really made people fall in love with it. Provided that is staying the same, I’m sure that most fans of the ride will be happy.

Even among enthusiasts, I’d imagine it’s only a minority who care so much about the theme of Nemesis that they’d jettison the park and consider Nemesis to have been “removed already” or whatever because of the decision to go with black track and a slightly different theme. Most enthusiasts I’ve heard are willing to accept black track and any thematic changes under the pretence that the ride itself is remaining exactly the same because the ride is ultimately what matters to them.

And that’s before we consider that enthusiasts comprise only a very small percentage of park visitor figures to begin with… I’d be surprised if enthusiasts even represent 1% of Alton Towers’ annual guest figures.

Whatever thematic changes or track colour changes are made, the new Nemesis will ultimately still be a B&M Inverted Coaster in a pit with the exact same layout, and that is probably enough for most fans of the ride. In fact, I’m sure many would actually support thematic changes, as these may make the ride resonate more with a contemporary audience. Nemesis was built nearly 30 years ago; the demands of the modern day guest are bound to have changed since then, and adjusting the theme to fit those new demands may secure the ride’s longevity and reputation for longer.

 

[jmc]

First time I have heard nemesis was "at the end of its life"...
I heard a few supports and track sections needed repair and replacement, but not that the whole ride needed closing or completely renovating.
Anyone confirm it actually needed a "full pull ", so to speak?

If I recall correctly it had some fairly extensive work done to the helix not very long (in rollercoaster terms) into its life. I think a couple of sections of rail were removed and replaced. You could also see where it had been chopped up at numerous points (its still weird talking about it in past tense!) although I cant remember if this is where the rails had been replaced or if its something else. EDIT: it does indeed seem to be where rails have been replaced, note there is no track join on the rails between pieces

I know they are adding additional supports to the helix but it will certainly be interesting to see how v2 copes with the stress and whether it will end up needing similar work at some point in its life. Its not something I’ve seen on other coasters.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Matt N]

If I’m remembering correctly, didn’t Nemesis also have supports replaced by the loop?

I know one of the loop supports was certainly problematic in the ride’s later years because that was where a crane was often sited during one of the ride’s periods of downtime…

 

[AT86]

If I recall correctly it had some fairly extensive work done to the helix not very long (in rollercoaster terms) into its life. I think a couple of sections of rail were removed and replaced. You could also see where it had been chopped up at numerous points (its still weird talking about it in past tense!) although I cant remember if this is were the rails has been replaced or if its something else.

I know they are adding additional supports to the helix but it will certainly be interesting to see how v2 copes with the stress and whether it will end up needing similar work at some point in its life. Its not something I’ve seen on other coasters.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Was 2004 when it was done, here is a pic of it from the time:

2003 - 2004: March 16th 2004

The best, most reliable and user-friendly source on Alton Towers, the UK's number 1 theme park.

gallery.towersalmanac.com

 

[Dave]

That's not really how entertainment works.

Can't blame people for wanting parks to try. Plenty successful small-medium parks in Europe where youd find some great imaginative themes

I don’t disagree with wanting the parks to try, and I have often been frustrated with Merlin’s lack of effort when it comes to a themed experience. Where I get frustrated is when enthusiasts state that unless a park (no matter who that park is) don’t do what that particular enthusiast says then it’s terrible and everyone will boycott the park/ attraction/ continent.

The fact is IF (and it’s a big if) MMM create a coherent, fun, engaging theme with black track, phalanx theming and what ever else they throw at it then it will be a success. The fact the Phalanx comes from a 1995 comic is irrelevant, if they pull it off then great, if it looks naff then the creatives at MMM should consider their skills (or the budget got slashed) but the fact is at this moment in time we don’t know what the outcome will be and I think with the known mediocre budgets MMM have proven themselves capable of creative themes in the last few years.

Theme parks are not museums and I have no issue with parks adapting rides and themes, I may hate the outcome of all of this and I reserve the right to do so; but the hyperbole in this topic around something we haven’t seen yet is getting a bit much. Yes I can see with Merlin’s past that there is cause for some mild concern, yes there are things to discuss but I also don’t believe in turning Nemesis into a time capsule.

 

[rob666]

Its not something I’ve seen on other coasters.

You've not been to Blackpool then?

 

[Rob]

Been away since Boxing Day and there is no way I am reading 20 pages of new discussion! Have I missed anything...?

 

[Matt.GC]

I haven't read many comments from those criticising the potential new theme also stating they wouldn't be open to any changes whatsoever? I haven't read a single comment about someone promising to stage some silly fanboy boycott as a result of it either? Assumptions being made maybe?

 

[rob666]

Been away since Boxing Day and there is no way I am reading 20 pages of new discussion! Have I missed anything...?

Nothing at all mate.
Likewise with Haunted House and the new shed.

 

[Log Flume's Dennis]

some decent new bench developments though

 

[Matt N]

I haven't read many comments from those criticising the potential new theme also stating they wouldn't be open to any changes whatsoever? I haven't read a single comment about someone promising to stage some silly fanboy boycott as a result of it either? Assumptions being made maybe?

I think the comments talking about that stemmed from this comment:

No it is not a case of I don’t like it so I don’t believe it. I think the general opinion is 50-50 at present. Ask every single avid Nemesis fan out there and most will probably opt for the original theme - although to conduct a poll on that scale would take some doing and probably impossible.

If we are seeing the compromise of Nemesis being the same profile and layout but on a different theme, then one has to take me yet again back to John Wardley’s quote of “you don’t mess with Nemesis”. Because if we end up with a different colour track and different station theme then we are going against those words and betraying the hardcore fans. Typical Merlin are again trying to change something that isn’t broke and has been fine up until now. They have ruined several good rides in their parks over the years.

If we end up with a different theme all round, including music, this along with the possible different ride experience could drive the enthusiasts away, and they won’t come back.

We are promised the same experience all round. Early indications are not pointing to that.

The poster who wrote this implied that they thought that a change in theme “could drive the enthusiasts away”, and could possibly have inferred that the poster is resistant to major change to Nemesis in general, in part due to Wardley’s previous comments.

 

[Dave]

I haven't read many comments from those criticising the potential new theme also stating they wouldn't be open to any changes whatsoever? I haven't read a single comment about someone promising to stage some silly fanboy boycott as a result of it either? Assumptions being made maybe?

No assumption, it was actually said, though I don’t blame you not wanting to read back through the topic to find it….

 

[Matt N]

I apologise if this is an unwanted tangent, but I did have a thought about something that could potentially come from the Nemesis retrack.

My thought was; could Galactica possibly be rethemed or refurbished alongside the Nemesis retrack? I personally like the Galactica theme, but it has never really fitted in with Forbidden Valley, the VR (the main reason for its implementation) is long gone, and there were photos from the end of last season showing the Galactica theming looking a bit worse for wear.

With this in mind, might they use the Nemesis retrack as an opportunity to make Forbidden Valley more cohesive and integrate Galactica into whatever new story Nemesis has? The area will be back in the limelight when Nemesis reopens in 2024, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Merlin did use the revamp of Nemesis as an opportunity to do work to Forbidden Valley as an overall area.

What do you guys think?

 

[Danscott22]

Alton Towers and cohesive in the same sentence? I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance to retheme Galactica, look how well Rita and Roller Disco fit into Dark Forest, and how Spinjam and Mixtape fit in X Sector. The same park that also clashed pirates and a giant burning man? I think not.

 

[Tibble]

Would a retheme of Galactica not just be flogging dead horse?

can feel @Craig watching this going off topic, whip in hand

 

[Matt N]

Alton Towers and cohesive in the same sentence? I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance to retheme Galactica, look how well Rita and Roller Disco fit into Dark Forest, and how Spinjam and Mixtape fit in X Sector. The same park that also clashed pirates and a giant burning man? I think not.

It’s just a thought I had… while Rita might not be the greatest fit in Dark Forest, they did at least try to integrate it into the area when Thirteen opened, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did something similar when Nemesis V2 opens.

Also, I’d argue that the RetroSquad rides were never designed with theme in mind due to them being intended as temporary attractions.

Would a retheme of Galactica not just be flogging dead horse?

can feel @Craig watching this going off topic, whip in hand

If it were to be done on its own, you could argue that.

However, the Nemesis retrack could be a catalyst to do it without needing to market it. As Nemesis V2 is already functioning as the big, marketable attraction for that area, they could do work to Forbidden Valley that involves a minor retheme of Galactica without needing to market it.

I thought it might be on-topic because it was discussing the wider area and how it might be affected by the Nemesis retrack, but if the moderators disagree, I apologise and I respect their judgement.

 

[Tibble]

I thought it might be on-topic because it was discussing the wider area and how it might be affected by the Nemesis retrack, but if the moderators disagree, I apologise and I respect their judgement.

Im just joking with the off topic comment <3

My other 'concern from their side' is if it was to be done at the same time, does it water down the big relaunch of Nemesis

 

[James]

I would rather see a flat ride on the Ripsaw site over a Galactica refurb/retheme.

 

[Matt N]

I would rather see a flat ride on the Ripsaw site over a Galactica refurb/retheme.

Dare I say that we could even see both depending on how much of a budget Merlin allocates to Alton Towers in 2024?

Admittedly, I don’t see it being too high given that Project Horizon is planned for 2025, but I could possibly see them getting enough to do a fair thematic enhancement on Nemesis as well as some work to the rest of Forbidden Valley.