[2024] Thorpe Park: Hyperia - Mack Hypercoaster

[Josh555]

I can’t help but shake the feeling we’re missing something with these plans.

Yeah, the second half of the ride.

 

[Benjsh]

Yeah, the second half of the ride.

I have already said this. The plans look like a ride you used to make on RCT and you finish it quickly just to see how the first half rides before going back to complete the rest. Hahahaha

 

[Matt N]

On a side note, why is it that everyone is expecting this to be incredibly intense, out of interest? I'll admit that the more I look at the layout, the more I'm not personally seeing it myself; don't get me wrong, I'm sure Exodus will be a great ride that'll be great fun and really well-received, I am excited for it, and I think it'll be a great addition, but I'm not sure that it'll be overly intense or an absolute airtime machine, personally.


I know it's both tall in height and fairly short in ride duration as far as hyper coasters go, but a lot of the elements seem very high and drawn-out (all the big inversions/elements pre-splashdown didn't seem too far from the lift height based on the images I saw), which leads me to believe that a fair bit of momentum could be burned off negotiating them, and at those elements' highest points, there won't be a ton of speed, or at least, not blisteringly fast pacing. I remember reading the comments of the most recent (and often considered to be most accurate) NL2 recreation of the plans, and the only part of the ride pre-splashdown that the creator described as having "strong ejector" was the first drop; they described there being strong ejector on the first drop, moderate airtime exiting the immelmann, floater on the outerbank and hangtime in the dive loop. Admittedly, they did describe the outerbank and final hill after the splashdown as having "STUPID ejector" (I believe this is where the alleged -1.8G came from), but this was without any kind of trim or equivalent speed removing device; my personal suspicion is that the splashdown could be akin to Diamondback's or SheiKra's, where the ride scoops the water out of the lake and shaves some speed off the train. I'm sure you'll still get decent airtime there, but I don't think it'll be quite as strong as some are expecting.


I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here; I'm as excited as anyone to see this take shape, I think it could ride very well, and given the brief, site and budget, I'm not sure they could really have done any better! However, I'm not sure that I'm quite subscribing to the belief that it'll be obscenely intense or an absolute airtime machine from start to finish, personally. Don't get me wrong, it seems like it'll have a fair bit of airtime in places (more than most, possibly all, current UK coasters), but perhaps controversially, I don't think it looks to be an absolute airtime machine myself; other sensations look to take centre stage, with the airtime more being sprinkled in as a side dish. Or at very least, it doesn't look like a coaster designed solely with the purpose of delivering airtime in the same vein of many other hyper coasters.


I'm not saying that's a bad thing by any means (it certainly makes the ride stand out compared to other hypers!), but that's just my personal take.

 

[Jb85]

@Matt N i love your enthusiasm my friend. But I feel this will be another bank average coaster for Thorpe

I’m actually more excited for Chessingtons new coaster right now

 

[AstroDan]

I have removed a post and subsequent replies from the discussion. If posting/embedding videos within topics, please ensure they contribute to discussion, rather than just promoting a specific page and/or being somewhat random in content.

Cheers all.

 

[Matt N]

On a side note, I've actually been having a look at Old Town on Google Street View, and that made me realise that even if they don't retheme Old Town when Exodus opens, it will totally change the dynamic of that entire section of the park to a far greater extent than I'd previously anticipated... currently, Saw & Colossus absolutely tower over the section where Exodus is going, and Exodus will be more than twice the size of either...heck, every element before the splashdown is taller than the highest point on either!


Looking at the concept images, you think it's just going to be another coaster on the skyline, but when you actually look at the area and visualise the ride there... this is going to look nothing short of absolutely monstrous, and I'll admit that does rather excite me! I know size isn't everything by any means, but it must be said that in my opinion, pure size does add something to a ride's presence!

 

[Tom]

Big is good, just hope they don't ruin it with excessively-slow elements.

 

[Matt N]

To back up my point, here is a current view into Old Town (well, a view from April 2017, but this particular view hasn't changed hugely since then):

Taking into account that Exodus' station is going around where Timber Tug Boat and the old Canada Creek Railway station are located, this is, roughly speaking, what the same view will look like when Exodus opens:

To put this into some perspective, every pre-splashdown element on Exodus is taller than the highest points on both Saw and Colossus by a fair margin.

The current view of Colossus (98ft) from this point is:

And if we go a little further into the area, the current view of Saw (100ft) is:

Given that these coasters look fairly towering now and they're less than half the size... I think it's safe to say that Exodus will well and truly redefine the skyline of this section of the park!

 

[Matt.GC]

On a side note, why is it that everyone is expecting this to be incredibly intense, out of interest? I'll admit that the more I look at the layout, the more I'm not personally seeing it myself; don't get me wrong, I'm sure Exodus will be a great ride that'll be great fun and really well-received, I am excited for it, and I think it'll be a great addition, but I'm not sure that it'll be overly intense or an absolute airtime machine, personally.


I know it's both tall in height and fairly short in ride duration as far as hyper coasters go, but a lot of the elements seem very high and drawn-out (all the big inversions/elements pre-splashdown didn't seem too far from the lift height based on the images I saw), which leads me to believe that a fair bit of momentum could be burned off negotiating them, and at those elements' highest points, there won't be a ton of speed, or at least, not blisteringly fast pacing. I remember reading the comments of the most recent (and often considered to be most accurate) NL2 recreation of the plans, and the only part of the ride pre-splashdown that the creator described as having "strong ejector" was the first drop; they described there being strong ejector on the first drop, moderate airtime exiting the immelmann, floater on the outerbank and hangtime in the dive loop. Admittedly, they did describe the outerbank and final hill after the splashdown as having "STUPID ejector" (I believe this is where the alleged -1.8G came from), but this was without any kind of trim or equivalent speed removing device; my personal suspicion is that the splashdown could be akin to Diamondback's or SheiKra's, where the ride scoops the water out of the lake and shaves some speed off the train. I'm sure you'll still get decent airtime there, but I don't think it'll be quite as strong as some are expecting.


I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here; I'm as excited as anyone to see this take shape, I think it could ride very well, and given the brief, site and budget, I'm not sure they could really have done any better! However, I'm not sure that I'm quite subscribing to the belief that it'll be obscenely intense or an absolute airtime machine from start to finish, personally. Don't get me wrong, it seems like it'll have a fair bit of airtime in places (more than most, possibly all, current UK coasters), but perhaps controversially, I don't think it looks to be an absolute airtime machine myself; other sensations look to take centre stage, with the airtime more being sprinkled in as a side dish. Or at very least, it doesn't look like a coaster designed solely with the purpose of delivering airtime in the same vein of many other hyper coasters.


I'm not saying that's a bad thing by any means (it certainly makes the ride stand out compared to other hypers!), but that's just my personal take.

Pardon me if I've completely missed something: but who's saying this will probably be an intense airtime machine? All I can see is loads of comments about it's short length, not it's intensity or airtime credentials.

I don't think there's many who expect this coaster to be anything other than (height record aside) unremarkable and short. Seems like you're trying to answer a question no one is asking?

 

[The Big Mack]

I think it looks like it will pack a punch. Despite its short length, the layout is constant action and is always doing something. There are at least 4 airtime moments on this thing and there will no doubt be some great hangtime through the stall/immelmann.

Just to quote the maker of the best precreation in regards to how it will ride "My thoughts on this in its current form? Easily the best ride in the UK. If the forces inside NL2 are the same in person, this thing will be a top 5 coaster in Europe easily. Insane first drop, ejector out of the non-inverting immelmann, consistent strong floater on the outerbank with some nice whip on the inversion coming out of it, sustained hangtime on the dive stall, and STUPID ejector on the wave turn and final airtime hill. Now if the pacing is killed due to some trims on the drop, the ride will become poor. It will NEED to rely on the speed and intensity to be world class"

The short length should have been expected Thorpe Park don't exactly have all the space in the world. There is no way that they can fit a massive out and back layout that most people were expecting. Heck it doesn't even look that short anyway, the ride time from the first drop til the breaks clocks in at 40 seconds, on the precreations I've watched anyway.

 

[Matt N]

Pardon me if I've completely missed something: but who's saying this will probably be an intense airtime machine? All I can see is loads of comments about it's short length, not it's intensity or airtime credentials.

I don't think there's many who expect this coaster to be anything other than (height record aside) unremarkable and short. Seems like you're trying to answer a question no one is asking?

Admittedly, these people might be elsewhere on the internet as opposed to on here in hindsight, but I've heard numerous people talking about how Exodus will be super intense, super fast-paced, and how the intensity will be so great that the ride would be too long if it went on for any longer.

This could well end up being true, and I wouldn’t want to judge the ride before riding of course, but while I think Exodus looks like an excellent addition, and I think it’ll be a really fun ride, I’m not sure I’m personally seeing the obscene intensity aspect of it, and having rewatched the NL2 recreation last night very much reaffirms my previous thought. It looks to focus a lot on those big, drawn-out elements; it reminds me a lot of Steel Curtain at Kennywood, but slightly shorter and wackier in element design, and I get the impression that Steel Curtain isn’t generally thought of as super intense. That’s not a bad thing by any means (in fact, as someone who values rerideability over raw intensity, I’d quite like it if Exodus wasn’t super intense), and it may not be like this in reality, but that’s my personal observation based on what I’ve seen.

While I’m sure that Exodus will have airtime, and fairly strong airtime in places, it doesn’t look like a ride built solely to deliver airtime like many other hypers are. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (the type of ride Exodus is certainly makes it stand out; have you seen how much international attention it’s getting?), and I’m sure it will have more airtime than most (if not all) UK coasters, but that’s just my observation.

 

[The Big Mack]

It doesn't need to be too intense anyway, it needs to be fun like Fury at Bobbejaanland. That is also a very compact coaster that is full of unique elements, airtime and hangtime. Personally I'm expecting Project Exodus to be similar

There seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the ride's length. It's similar in length to Fenix at Toverland, I see a lot of people across the community raving about Fenix despite its short duration.

 

[Skyscraper]

Admittedly, these people might be elsewhere on the internet as opposed to on here in hindsight, but I've heard numerous people talking about how Exodus will be super intense, super fast-paced, and how the intensity will be so great that the ride would be too long if it went on for any longer.

This could well end up being true, and I wouldn’t want to judge the ride before riding of course, but while I think Exodus looks like an excellent addition, and I think it’ll be a really fun ride, I’m not sure I’m personally seeing the obscene intensity aspect of it, and having rewatched the NL2 recreation last night very much reaffirms my previous thought. It looks to focus a lot on those big, drawn-out elements; it reminds me a lot of Steel Curtain at Kennywood, but slightly shorter and wackier in element design, and I get the impression that Steel Curtain isn’t generally thought of as super intense. That’s not a bad thing by any means (in fact, as someone who values rerideability over raw intensity, I’d quite like it if Exodus wasn’t super intense), and it may not be like this in reality, but that’s my personal observation based on what I’ve seen.

While I’m sure that Exodus will have airtime, and fairly strong airtime in places, it doesn’t look like a ride built solely to deliver airtime like many other hypers are. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (the type of ride Exodus is certainly makes it stand out; have you seen how much international attention it’s getting?), and I’m sure it will have more airtime than most (if not all) UK coasters, but that’s just my observation.

The first time I saw the concept images my first thought was "Steel Curtain". Even the supports look similar to its own too. My money is still on Mack, but I'd be equally happy if it was S&S. Just imagine the hangtime with Steel Curtain's lap restraints!

 

[Skyscraper]

It doesn't need to be too intense anyway, it needs to be fun like Fury at Bobbejaanland. That is also a very compact coaster that is full of unique elements, airtime and hangtime. Personally I'm expecting Project Exodus to be similar

There seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the ride's length. It's longer than Fenix at Toverland, I see a lot of people across the community raving about Fenix despite its short duration.

That's a good point actually. I think Exodus is getting more stick at the moment as it's more compact than Fenix.

 

[Matt N]

It doesn't need to be too intense anyway, it needs to be fun like Fury at Bobbejaanland. That is also a very compact coaster that is full of unique elements, airtime and hangtime. Personally I'm expecting Project Exodus to be similar

There seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the ride's length. It's longer than Fenix at Toverland, I see a lot of people across the community raving about Fenix despite its short duration.

I’ll admit that I agree that the ride’s length isn’t really an issue for me, either; it looks to pack a lot into the length, and within Merlin’s limited budget and the space given, I don’t really think they could have done any better, personally!

I also agree that the ride looks like great fun; for me, intensity and fun don’t necessarily go hand in hand with one another (perhaps controversially).

 

[jon81uk]

The short length should have been expected Thorpe Park don't exactly have all the space in the world. There is no way that they can fit a massive out and back layout that most people were expecting. Heck it doesn't even look that short anyway, the ride time from the first drop til the breaks clocks in at 40 seconds, on the precreations I've watched anyway.

I think they could have still added to the length if they really wanted to, the old railway line provided something that possible could have done out and back, or they could have used the lake more. Yes it may not be cheap but its not impossible.

 

[Benzin]

Do people really wax lyrical about Fenix? Most opinions on the coaster (including mine) is that it's ok and nothing more. The area around it is very pretty though.

I see we've already hit the "this will be the best coaster in the UK" remarks though.

The problem with the design of the ride is that it's conflicted. They clearly wanted to beat the height record, but didn't believe that a traditional hyper coaster would be marketable. Hence the additional inversions for a ride with Colossus next door. It's very much a ride designed by marketing rather than considering the park's needs.

Much like with Chessie's nonsense. It's building a new coaster for having a new coaster sake.

 

[Matt N]

Perhaps controversially (on here, at least), I actually really like the layout for this, even if it’s not the most airtime-focused.

Yes, my personal hope was for an airtime-focused B&M Hyper, or when the Mack Hyper was first revealed/hinted towards, something akin to DC Rivals or Flash, and I’ll admit I was a touch unsure upon first seeing the layout, but it’s grown on me a lot, and it looks like many of the elements could ride very well and be great fun, even if the ride isn’t packed to the brim with airtime per se (don’t get me wrong, I think Exodus will have airtime, and some very good airtime at that, but I don’t see it as a coaster designed solely to provide airtime like hypers typically are). The length doesn’t personally bother me too much, and overall, I think it looks like a very creative, unique, fun ride that fits the brief (height record breaker, visually imposing) and works within the constraints (small space for a hyper, Merlin not having the financial means to build a ridiculously huge ride like you get abroad) very well, personally!

Also, just as an observation, I’ve noticed that this site seemingly has a somewhat more apathetic/negative opinion on this coaster than other sites do. I’ve already heard others on the internet declaring it “a world top 20 coaster”, “one of the best coasters in Europe”, “by far the best coaster in the UK” and “better than any B&M Hyper ever made”! Whereas on here, the reception seems far more negative and apathetic… I wonder why others like it so much more than the folks on here do, in general?

 

[Skyscraper]

Perhaps controversially (on here, at least), I actually really like the layout for this, even if it’s not the most airtime-focused.

Yes, my personal hope was for an airtime-focused B&M Hyper, or when the Mack Hyper was first revealed/hinted towards, something akin to DC Rivals or Flash, and I’ll admit I was a touch unsure upon first seeing the layout, but it’s grown on me a lot, and it looks like many of the elements could ride very well and be great fun, even if the ride isn’t packed to the brim with airtime per se (don’t get me wrong, I think Exodus will have airtime, and some very good airtime at that, but I don’t see it as a coaster designed solely to provide airtime like hypers typically are). The length doesn’t personally bother me too much, and overall, I think it looks like a very creative, unique, fun ride that fits the brief (height record breaker, visually imposing) and works within the constraints (small space for a hyper, Merlin not having the financial means to build a ridiculously huge ride like you get abroad) very well, personally!

Also, just as an observation, I’ve noticed that this site seemingly has a somewhat more apathetic/negative opinion on this coaster than other sites do. I’ve already heard others on the internet declaring it “a world top 20 coaster”, “one of the best coasters in Europe”, “by far the best coaster in the UK” and “better than any B&M Hyper ever made”! Whereas on here, the reception seems far more negative and apathetic… I wonder why others like it so much more than the folks on here do, in general?

Think that's because us sensible lot will wait until we've ridden it in 2024 before we declare it the best (or not).

 

[JAperson]

Perhaps controversially (on here, at least), I actually really like the layout for this, even if it’s not the most airtime-focused.

Yes, my personal hope was for an airtime-focused B&M Hyper, or when the Mack Hyper was first revealed/hinted towards, something akin to DC Rivals or Flash, and I’ll admit I was a touch unsure upon first seeing the layout, but it’s grown on me a lot, and it looks like many of the elements could ride very well and be great fun, even if the ride isn’t packed to the brim with airtime per se (don’t get me wrong, I think Exodus will have airtime, and some very good airtime at that, but I don’t see it as a coaster designed solely to provide airtime like hypers typically are). The length doesn’t personally bother me too much, and overall, I think it looks like a very creative, unique, fun ride that fits the brief (height record breaker, visually imposing) and works within the constraints (small space for a hyper, Merlin not having the financial means to build a ridiculously huge ride like you get abroad) very well, personally!

I would agree with you with it wasn't so short and lacked clear airtime opportunities. Don't get me wrong I think it will be a good ride but its a bit of a wasted opportunity as the layout currently stands. If the ride had got what its planning to have as well as more of it with some big airtime hills I genuinely think we'd all have a different opinion. I suppose it just looks underwhelming so maybe we will all be surprised when we ride it, who knows?