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Drayton Manor Park

See, I didn’t dislike Shockwave at all; yes it’s not my favourite coaster, yes the standup riding position felt a tad weird, and yes it isn’t the smoothest or most earth-shattering layout-wise, but I didn’t dislike it at all, and it was actually a very pleasant surprise for me!

Personally, I didn’t think it was overly rough; probably not much more so (if any more so) than Nemesis in its present state, to be honest. And while the standup riding position was strange, and a sit down train would certainly have been preferable for me, I didn’t think it was the deal breaker that it clearly is for some. And putting that aside, I actually thought the layout had some good sections; the zero-g roll in particular is possibly among my favourite inversions, as it flings you out the train with some brilliant negative g’s!

Although this is based on 1 front row ride from 2018, so I’m unsure how I’ll feel about it when I reride in June this year…
 
Shockwave isn't bad. Yeah they were unlucky they didn't become mainstream but that means they had a unique attraction so pros/cons to it. I think Maelstrom, Stormforce 10 and Apocalypse, Accelarator were all unique attractions when they opened and wouldn't consider any of them duds. I'd agree on G Force but based on RMCs track record on the coaster circuit I couldn't see a junior RMC being a dud either so on the whole I don't think Draytons track record on unique attractions is that bad. It's just there hasn't been a unique attraction since Accelerator.
 
Shockwave is integral to Drayton manor imo, even with it’s more family orientated feel these days. Family parks still need some thrills for the older kids and adults who visit. It’s not a world beating coaster by any means but it’s a solid addition to the line up, a good introduction to inversions for first timers and it’ll be a sad day if/when it ever goes.
 
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Visually, Shockwave is very impressive when you see it from across the lake. Clearly it is the weakst of the '94 coasters, but it was also by far the cheapest. Because it runs above the rapids and the midway, it also has a small footprint.

G Force did have some unfortunate design flaws. They had to have a minimum number of riders in case the trains stalled, which was common in earlier rides, but by 2005 it felt like a bit of an oversight. There was also the issue of the restraints tightening which made it uncomfortable. By the time Maurer built Rip Ride Rockit, they'd resolved this problem. If Drayton Manor's finances had been better, maybe they'd have been able to upgrade the trains, but by then the money was obviously very tight. Having said all of that, G Force cost less than Shockwave and was built over a decade later, so it was never likely to be as good. There probably are better coasters they could have gone for, though.
 
Hmm interesting, well since the 'Big' project is now slated to 2024 and the lead time for an RMC coaster and guessing it was been planned since early 2021 (coaster challs 5 year plan source) or not long since the park was purchased, if Loopings want to make a major impact on their flagship park I can't think of a much better way then the first Junior/Family RMC. If 2024 becomes the new year of the rollercoaster with Thorpe Parks slated for 2024 I would find it very amusing if they are beaten to the best coaster of 2024 by Drayton Manor after 1994 :D
 
I suppose it depends on what you count as another '94. 2002 is perhaps the closest we've come since? Air, Colossus and Jubilee Odyssey! 2006 was also a very good year, with Speed, Stealth, Cobra and Kumali. These days two major coasters in one year would feel pretty special.
 
My only concern with the RMC is that RMC's USP is a large thrilling and unique coaster, and i'm just unsure how well this market would transition to a family coaster. If it is too intense thats gonna be a big blow to the park for marketing terms.
 
immelmanloop said:
My only concern with the RMC is that RMC's USP is a large thrilling and unique coaster, and i'm just unsure how well this market would transition to a family coaster. If it is too intense thats gonna be a big blow to the park for marketing terms.
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They offer three standard off-the-shelf layouts for the family model. One of them is shown here;

 
immelmanloop said:
My only concern with the RMC is that RMC's USP is a large thrilling and unique coaster, and i'm just unsure how well this market would transition to a family coaster. If it is too intense thats gonna be a big blow to the park for marketing terms.
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If an RMC's easier to maintain than a traditional wooden coaster, then that may in itself be an argument for building one. Are they also quieter, given Drayton Manor's noise issues? I've never ridden one. But I do agree, that a family RMC might not be doing anything you couldn't have done with a traditional woodie.
 
Funcone said:
If an RMC's easier to maintain than a traditional wooden coaster, then that may in itself be an argument for building one. Are they also quieter, given Drayton Manor's noise issues? I've never ridden one. But I do agree, that a family RMC might not be doing anything you couldn't have done with a traditional woodie.
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The lift hill anti-rollbacks are very loud if Iron Gwazi is anything to go by! Can @MakoMania confirm?
 
Weirdly seems to vary, Steel Vengeances lift hill makes an awful racket compared to Untamed and Zadra.

Regarding maintenance Arie Force One I'm pretty sure will be entirely steel structure so even less maintenance for the park if they did something like that.
 
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