Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I seriously doubt this is the case.
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ℹ️ Heads up...
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I seriously doubt this is the case.
ChristmasPud
TS Member
Chessington trailing so far behind Paultons Park is something I never expected to see even 5 years ago
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Apparently the official wording is that the ride will be a “family shuttle launched wing coaster”. It will have a 1.4m height restriction (this was confirmed at the meeting), and Intamin has apparently been thrown around as a possible manufacturer (although this is yet to be confirmed; did the park mention it officially at the meeting?). Apparently stuff was said at the meeting that makes a wing coaster of some sort very likely, according to Chessington Buzz.
It certainly looks like an… interesting ride, to say the least, and not what I was expecting at all. Seeing as the park has been (at least, it looks to have been, from an outsider’s perspective) transitioning towards a younger demographic, and milder rides, I find the fact that they’re building a coaster with a 1.4m height restriction very interesting, especially given that they’re referring to it as a “family roller coaster” in the press release. Maybe it’ll be a “starter” thrill ride of sorts to ease guests more gradually into thrill rides, kind of like Air was intended to be when it was built at Alton Towers? On a wider note, could this be the start of the park starting to appeal to a wider demographic a la Alton Towers again, as it did in the early 1990s?
I’m certainly not complaining about another wing coaster being built in the UK, though; heck, Swarm is one of my very favourite rides! I’m interested to see how the concept scales up on a family ride, as I wouldn’t really say we’ve seen a family ride with winged seats before; the closest I can think of is Tranan, the S&S Free Fly at Skara Sommarland in Sweden, but even that’s technically considered a suspended coaster. This ride certainly looks like it could be utterly bizarre and quite unlike anything else in the world from what we’ve seen of it so far, and it’s not what I was expecting in the slightest. Although I guess no Merlin ride is ever truly conventional…
Regardless, I’m just thrilled to see Chessington building a new roller coaster, and I think it could end up very popular and well-received!
Another interesting point to note is that construction is apparently intended to begin in January 2022, which to me would suggest that a 2023 opening is being targeted here.
It certainly looks like an… interesting ride, to say the least, and not what I was expecting at all. Seeing as the park has been (at least, it looks to have been, from an outsider’s perspective) transitioning towards a younger demographic, and milder rides, I find the fact that they’re building a coaster with a 1.4m height restriction very interesting, especially given that they’re referring to it as a “family roller coaster” in the press release. Maybe it’ll be a “starter” thrill ride of sorts to ease guests more gradually into thrill rides, kind of like Air was intended to be when it was built at Alton Towers? On a wider note, could this be the start of the park starting to appeal to a wider demographic a la Alton Towers again, as it did in the early 1990s?
I’m certainly not complaining about another wing coaster being built in the UK, though; heck, Swarm is one of my very favourite rides! I’m interested to see how the concept scales up on a family ride, as I wouldn’t really say we’ve seen a family ride with winged seats before; the closest I can think of is Tranan, the S&S Free Fly at Skara Sommarland in Sweden, but even that’s technically considered a suspended coaster. This ride certainly looks like it could be utterly bizarre and quite unlike anything else in the world from what we’ve seen of it so far, and it’s not what I was expecting in the slightest. Although I guess no Merlin ride is ever truly conventional…
Regardless, I’m just thrilled to see Chessington building a new roller coaster, and I think it could end up very popular and well-received!
Another interesting point to note is that construction is apparently intended to begin in January 2022, which to me would suggest that a 2023 opening is being targeted here.
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Themepark-newbie
TS Member
I wouldn't be too optimistic about 2022 just yet. I suspect there will be a lot of uproar amongst the locals and eco-warriors about this.
I just can't see a 1.4m 'family coaster'. It just doesn't sit together. Someone has already mentioned paultons but pterosaur, velociraptor and storm chaser are all 1m.
I just can't see a 1.4m 'family coaster'. It just doesn't sit together. Someone has already mentioned paultons but pterosaur, velociraptor and storm chaser are all 1m.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
The current plan is apparently for construction to begin in 2022, and for the land to open in March 2023.
Interestingly, in terms of the ride manufacturer, I’m now hearing B&M’s name getting thrown into the ring by various sources as a possible manufacturer for the ride.
Personally, I’m not sure if I see this being a B&M. For starters, I don’t think they’ve ever built a shuttle coaster before (correct me if I’m wrong there), and to be honest, it doesn’t seem like something they’d be too keen on doing, for various reasons. Also, some of the elements in the rendering, namely that weird upside-down spike, don’t look particularly B&M to me… I’m willing to be surprised, however! The ride being a B&M would explain the 1.4m height restriction, and it would also make sense given that they’re the only manufacturer currently actively producing wing coasters!
In fact, while I could be clutching at straws somewhat here; if this defies my current expectation and is a B&M coaster, could it possibly be the elusive B&M Surf Coaster? You could spin the spikes on either end as being a akin to “riding a wave” so to speak (well, they certainly produce a sensation more akin to surfing than anything else B&M presently offers), it’s launched like the Surf Coaster is apparently set to be, and the model was rumoured to be a close relative of the Wing Coaster based on some of the rumours for the prototype at SeaWorld Orlando… what do you guys think?
That’s probably some very outlandish thinking on my part, though; I don’t personally see this being a B&M. It looks more like something a manufacturer like Intamin would do. Or maybe S&S, as I seem to remember them pitching a concept for some sort of shuttle launched wing coaster a few years back?
Matt.GC
TS Member
I was thinking the same myself today. Chessington and Towers in particular need a lot of thoughtful investment now and things can't go on like this. A Junior Boomerang in Chessington? Madness and solves nothing other than the fact it won't break the bank. Just sell the damn RTP business already, I can't think how any other owners could be any worse.
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Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
Could the fact that this is rumoured to be a Wing Coaster possibly get around the capacity pitfalls of the ride being a shuttle coaster? Many wing coasters (at least, the B&M ones do, and I think Furius Baco does too) seat 28 riders per train, and some even seat 32 riders per train, which if we’re assuming a typical Family Boomerang has about 16-20 riders per train, would make for at least a 50% capacity improvement on a regular Family Boomerang, probably closer to 75-100%. Considering these models have a throughput of around 700pph (Accelerator at Drayton is listed as 750pph on RCDB, and I’d imagine the others are fairly similar), that would lead to a throughput of around 1000pph as a minimum baseline, which I think is probably sufficient for Chessington.
There’s also said to be a “maintenance shed” directly next to the station; might this be enabling a sliding/turning station of some sort similar to what the Mr Freeze coasters at Six Flags St Louis and Six Flags Over Texas have? This would allow them to run 2 trains, with one loading while the other goes round the circuit; this would get around the capacity problem that shuttle coasters often pose. A turntable similar to Pulsar at Walibi Belgium would also work similarly well.
There’s also said to be a “maintenance shed” directly next to the station; might this be enabling a sliding/turning station of some sort similar to what the Mr Freeze coasters at Six Flags St Louis and Six Flags Over Texas have? This would allow them to run 2 trains, with one loading while the other goes round the circuit; this would get around the capacity problem that shuttle coasters often pose. A turntable similar to Pulsar at Walibi Belgium would also work similarly well.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I’d imagine the concept art is being purposely quite vague at the moment, so as not to give too much away on the theming front. I’m sure the finished area will have more details!The concept art of the area looks like it’s showing a new shopping mall or the refurb of a beach promenade in Spain. Perfectly pleasant but not escapism or magical in any way.
Matt.GC
TS Member
Of course they're building a shopping Mall, where else is the Amozon Locker going to go?The concept art of the area looks like it’s showing a new shopping mall or the refurb of a beach promenade in Spain. Perfectly pleasant but not escapism or magical in any way.
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So if I've got this right, there's Amazonia, The Rain Forest area, and now there's going to be Amazon Land. Do you think people will find them a bit samey?
I think B&M's plausible. B&M haven't done a shuttle coaster before, but they have done a few 'unusual' projects including:
- B&M trains on Steel Dragon 2000 - https://rcdb.com/1173.htm
- A family suspended coaster - https://rcdb.com/6712.htm
B&M have generally stuck to building big thrill coasters, but with Covid these aren't normal times. A lot of B&M's usual customers are cutting back on those kinds of projects, so I can see B&M looking for ways to get involved with smaller projects like this.
I think B&M's plausible. B&M haven't done a shuttle coaster before, but they have done a few 'unusual' projects including:
- B&M trains on Steel Dragon 2000 - https://rcdb.com/1173.htm
- A family suspended coaster - https://rcdb.com/6712.htm
B&M have generally stuck to building big thrill coasters, but with Covid these aren't normal times. A lot of B&M's usual customers are cutting back on those kinds of projects, so I can see B&M looking for ways to get involved with smaller projects like this.
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Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I think B&M are definitely a possibility if this does end up being a wing coaster, as rumoured… but on the other hand, it still looks a bit too “out-there” for it to be a B&M to me. That weird upside down spike certainly doesn’t look like an element B&M would even come close to attempting, and the general nature of shuttle coasters (lowish capacity, compact, often quite small) seems to go against the whole ethos of B&M; one of their key selling points is that their rides are high capacity, very reliable and very large, majestic creations. A shuttle coaster with lots of moving parts seems like it would go against that, to me, and this creation in particular almost seems a bit too wacky to be B&M, from what we know about it.
As much as I absolutely love a good B&M roller coaster, they’re the last manufacturer you go to if you want something wacky and different. This looks more like something that one of the more… innovative, out there manufacturers would concoct (I’m thinking of the likes of Intamin and S&S, amongst others, here).
As I say, though, I’m open to surprises, and I certainly wouldn’t rule B&M out by any means!
This ride is already proving to be such an enigma of a project! Even though we now know the layout and basic concept, I almost feel none the wiser, in a sense! Even though some of my questions have been answered, I almost feel like they’ve been replaced with new questions…
As much as I absolutely love a good B&M roller coaster, they’re the last manufacturer you go to if you want something wacky and different. This looks more like something that one of the more… innovative, out there manufacturers would concoct (I’m thinking of the likes of Intamin and S&S, amongst others, here).
As I say, though, I’m open to surprises, and I certainly wouldn’t rule B&M out by any means!
This ride is already proving to be such an enigma of a project! Even though we now know the layout and basic concept, I almost feel none the wiser, in a sense! Even though some of my questions have been answered, I almost feel like they’ve been replaced with new questions…
Cheese
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix, Liseberg
My expectations were low to start with when Rowe mentioned this earlier, Chessington being Chessington and all, but having seen the images on the consultation page since for me this a case of "I expected nothing and I'm still disappointed." There's not much to go on yet admittedly but I think this looks like completely the wrong attraction for the park - a coaster designed to do the bare minimum needed to look appealing in marketing and which will get guests to come once, rather than provide a brilliant experience they'll be keen to come back to enjoy again. As others have said, being a shuttle coaster the hourly capacity is likely to be very Chessington (inadequate) too.