It will be interesting to see the forbidden drone shots of this going up in the off-season. Not much room for lifting gear in the immediate vicinity so there's going to have to be some strategic crane placement.
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[2025] Project Ocean: New Forbidden Valley Flat Ride
- Thread starter Adthoms
- Start date
A network of Youtubers working as a spotter network all the way from the manufacturing plant in Hungary
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ride To Happiness
Deep In Africa at Phantasialand is so much fun but I’d imagine that if Towers had something similar it would be a lot more toned down due to health and safety.
djtruefitt
TS Team
Having seen it in person, I believe there will now be a walkway either side of the coffee shop, as they were removing the fences/rocks outside the coffee shop seating area today and putting paving slabs down which will make a path at the side of the coffee lounge.Depending on where the walls are, there’s either one or two routes around the construction
The yellow route is a possible bypass depending on the extent of the construction walls. The pink leaves the most viable through route. Both the construction site and the blocking of the Galactica lift bypass are shown with the️
If they’re planning ahead I think the goal may be to get the underpass constructed as soon as possible to reopen that route, spend the rest of the season working on the queue area, theming and electrics, then in the winter install the ride system itself.
Alternatively, is it possible that the mysterious construction in the planters behind the Freestyle unit could be for a temporary path?
Then of course you can still walk behind it as well near to the nemesis exit.
It will be very interesting how they access this site for construction, because the only way in to that area will be from the gate next to galactica. So anything major will have to be done out of hours (but you’ve also got RCR open every evening now as well to contend with).
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
It does seem early for construction to start, but there appears to be a lot of concrete involved for the base of the ride so it does make sense to get this done during the summer months when, in theory, the weather should be better.
Has all of the outside seating for Coffee Lounge (or whatever it is called these days) been removed, or have they been able to relocate it?
Has all of the outside seating for Coffee Lounge (or whatever it is called these days) been removed, or have they been able to relocate it?
This may be controversial, but does anyone else think this project seems very over engineered? Looking at the plans, it’s certainly going to be a tight squeeze and I just can’t work out why they’ve flipped the plot on it’s side, when there was a perfectly usable path in between Ripsaw and the coffee lounge before.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m over the moon we’re getting a permanent flat ride but all this concrete just to put a ride on a plinth and an underpass which is not needed had the ride been designed to go in the previous location seems a tad overkill.
I would also argue that FV is the last place a new flat should go right now. The area already has 2 coasters, a flat and a dark ride whereas X Sector and Dark Forest only have 2 coasters and that’s your lot.
Maybe I’ve just woken up in a bad mood this morning…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m over the moon we’re getting a permanent flat ride but all this concrete just to put a ride on a plinth and an underpass which is not needed had the ride been designed to go in the previous location seems a tad overkill.
I would also argue that FV is the last place a new flat should go right now. The area already has 2 coasters, a flat and a dark ride whereas X Sector and Dark Forest only have 2 coasters and that’s your lot.
Maybe I’ve just woken up in a bad mood this morning…
Well the rumour is that more flats are coming next year if the multi ride deal with Huss is to be believed. Both Dark Forest and X Sector badly need them.
Matt.GC
TS Member
X Sector is desperate for 2 rides before anything else. It's terrible now they've blocked that area off. One hopes that this new FV flat is one of 3 or 4 new additions next year, it's just that the X Sector ones don't require planning so this is the only one we actually know about? Or that could just be wishful thinking and they'll end up cramming FV choc full or rides and leave X Sector as a depressing dead end.
I also think the amount of work going into this is a bizarre decision when they have a ready made site that would require little development. I hope that it's because this is going to be something special, something of a visual set piece that will make sense once built. But at the moment it all looks rather bizarre from what we know. Another intriguing time will tell situation. Interesting to see where they intend to go with this.
tayspru
TS Member
Are we really complaining that they’re doing more than the bare minimum with this addition?
Does it need a plinth and underpass ? No
Is it a cool idea that makes it a more unique addition ? Yes
People are so used to accepting and defending the bare minimum (*hyperia*), we should be raving that they’re doing something beyond that!
Does it need a plinth and underpass ? No
Is it a cool idea that makes it a more unique addition ? Yes
People are so used to accepting and defending the bare minimum (*hyperia*), we should be raving that they’re doing something beyond that!
Plinth and structures implies long-term permanent whereas if they just slapped it down on the bricks it would just look like a trucked-in fairground ride that everyone seems to hate.
I like the idea of it being a portal structure to the area and let's face it the planning documents are so vague with their cylinders and cubes that no one could possibly tell what it's going to look like.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
I must admit, I never even questioned the choice to have a path under the ride, so I just rolled with it. But now that I think about it, what is the point? It's not as if they are going to let you walk under a moving, swinging flat ride. It'll have to be a solid floor / roof between you. Even a steel mesh wouldn't be allowed.
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Steve74
TS Member
I think the footprint of the ride (if it is a Top Spin) includes the maximum dimensions when the ride is horizontal. And this footprint is what is stated in the plans I believe. So if it is a Top Spin, the arms and gondola will not overhang the base. I suspect the same is correct for any flat ride.
Theming tunnels up is a sore subject point here…
Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
There must be a reason why they haven't just re-used the exact site for Ripsaw. They wouldn't be going to all this trouble if it wasn't necessary. This is still Merlin afterall.
Would the new ride being elevated help with the maintenance checks I wonder? It could just be to do with that.
Either way....I'm just happy that there's something new coming. Even though I'm not a huge Flat kind of person I didn't mind Ripsaw too much and it was a real spectacle for the area I feel. Without it the area has always felt undercooked.
Would the new ride being elevated help with the maintenance checks I wonder? It could just be to do with that.
Either way....I'm just happy that there's something new coming. Even though I'm not a huge Flat kind of person I didn't mind Ripsaw too much and it was a real spectacle for the area I feel. Without it the area has always felt undercooked.