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Galactica's Future

What would you like to see happen to Galactica?

  • Keep the Galactica Theme

    Votes: 3 1.2%

  • An improved version of air

    Votes: 92 37.4%

  • A new theme to tie in with Nemesis and The Phalanx

    Votes: 133 54.1%

  • Something else

    Votes: 18 7.3%
  • Total voters
    246
Trooper Looper said:
With all this talk of a retheme, and as much as I love the air theme, I don't think that means that fans of its current theme should be ignored, its pretty widely agreed on that the portal is a great and welcomed piece of theming, the problem is that they'd probably remove it for its next theme sadly. I uploaded this on the Art thread, but I did a sketch on how the Galactica portal could be fitted into the original theme. Take the fins off, repaint it to a shiny chrome grey, put some rock work at the bottom to look like it's connected to the ground, and if you're lucky, add a few water effects, and maybe a little pond in front of it. It may look different, but at least there is something for those who were a fan of the Galactica theme while it compliments the new (well, old) theme.
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This is just gorgeous!

Do you have a website, Flickr or the like? I’d love to see more of your artwork!
 
Trooper Looper said:
With all this talk of a retheme, and as much as I love the air theme, I don't think that means that fans of its current theme should be ignored, its pretty widely agreed on that the portal is a great and welcomed piece of theming, the problem is that they'd probably remove it for its next theme sadly. I uploaded this on the Art thread, but I did a sketch on how the Galactica portal could be fitted into the original theme. Take the fins off, repaint it to a shiny chrome grey, put some rock work at the bottom to look like it's connected to the ground, and if you're lucky, add a few water effects, and maybe a little pond in front of it. It may look different, but at least there is something for those who were a fan of the Galactica theme while it compliments the new (well, old) theme.
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Actually, just had an interesting thought that you show the ruin of the portal with the rock work on it. If Nemesis' new theme is of the creature taking over Forbidden Valley with its tentacles and such, maybe you could have a mirror image of a returning Air with it taking over its area of Forbidden Valley (or dare I say all new themed area) in a more positive sense in which nature takes over technology which can be a snarky nod of the Galactica theme being taken away.
 
QTXAdsy said:
Actually, just had an interesting thought that you show the ruin of the portal with the rock work on it. If Nemesis' new theme is of the creature taking over Forbidden Valley with its tentacles and such, maybe you could have a mirror image of a returning Air with it taking over its area of Forbidden Valley (or dare I say all new themed area) in a more positive sense in which nature takes over technology which can be a snarky nod of the Galactica theme being taken away.
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If its just as a tonally thing for marketing and not some story or narrative, I think it could work really well! I think air is better as a theme and brand than an actual story, and leaves a lot of openness for ideas and marketing stylistically.
 
WillPS said:
Forget about the fact Nemesis needed a retrack at 28; 30-35 years old is a pretty grand age for a medium-large steel rollercoaster of any sort.

There's a reason there's not many Schwarzkopfs about any more, and it's not that they were bad rides, nor that they weren't appreciated by their riders. They're just knackered. Same goes for early Vekomas/Arrow rides to a lesser extent.

The complexity of a powered family coaster vs a flying coaster (a pioneering one at that) isn't only measurable in number of trains.

Whether it's track or something else, a day will come when Air will eventually need a large investment to keep it going. In my view, it's highly likely the park would call it a day at that point rather than make the investment (as they did with Nemesis, but opted not to do with Black Hole/Corkscrew).
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We are talking specicially re track here. Don't forget other rides with very similar track, specifically Shockwave at Drayton, have just opened with a newer train, 30 years old, still going strong. Nemesis needed the work because year on year maintenance costs were climing, mainly due to the intensity and it's location in the put. Two things Galactica doesn't suffer with. I would hedge my bet it is a long time before the track needs replacing. They might want to spend money yes, very different from a track replacement though.

Early Vekoma, Arrows and to some extent Schwarzkopfs, almost destroyed themselves over the years. The ride experience was so rough that contributed to the overall demise and destruction of the track. Along side fundumental weaker designs than moden box section track, it is no suprise non exist.

Your orignal argument was that the track would need replacing.

"Presumably there's only 6-10 years before Air's current track will be life expired, and presumably the whole thing ready for scrap?"

This is why myself and another member are "focusing exclusively" on the track, that was literally your argument point.
 
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The only people who may know the approximate amount of time untill a retrack is needed, is the park and B and M, we have not seen this type of ride need a retrack yet and it may be that the trains are significantly heavier than inverted trains, increasing the stress on the track, reducing the lifespan, like wise it the lower G-force parts of the ride may be experiencing lower stress increasing lifespan, it is also highly dependant on the level support of the coaster its self.
Saying X ride has lasted X amount of time using this track so this ride will probably last X amount of time isn't going to be accurate.
 
jibbsie said:
The only people who may know the approximate amount of time untill a retrack is needed, is the park and B and M, we have not seen this type of ride need a retrack yet and it may be that the trains are significantly heavier than inverted trains, increasing the stress on the track, reducing the lifespan, like wise it the lower G-force parts of the ride may be experiencing lower stress increasing lifespan, it is also highly dependant on the level support of the coaster its self.
Saying X ride has lasted X amount of time using this track so this ride will probably last X amount of time isn't going to be accurate.
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Also external engineers who do non destructive testing. The track isn't close to needing to be replaced I am left to believe.
 
I don't think I would ever bet my life on a coaster retrack...or not, as the case may be.
You may be haunted by this quote years in the future, with the grim reaper calling your name, quoting towersstreet.
 
rob666 said:
I don't think I would ever bet my life on a coaster retrack...or not, as the case may be.
You may be haunted by this quote years in the future, with the grim reaper calling your name, quoting towersstreet.
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I hope you’re right!!

DiogoJ42 said:
I think its safe to say that Nemy was the exception. For every other ride on park, once it's gone, it's gone.
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That’s my point. If I look at from a few angles only Nemesis and Vampire are candidates if you ask me.

Nemesis was or still is one of the best coasters in the world. It is Alton Towers.

Vampire to a similar extent does the same at Chessington.

No other coaster in the UK is at that level.

What may happen, or I’d say is likely to happen, is a technical upgrade to extend the life.
 
Vampire is wishfull thinking mate. Chessie is a dying park. When Vampire goes, it'll be on the Lightwater / Camelot death spiral. (As much as it pains me to say it).
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Vampire is wishfull thinking mate. Chessie is a dying park. When Vampire goes, it'll be on the Lightwater / Camelot death spiral. (As much as it pains me to say it).
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Maybe…. Universal will probably kill off at least one big park when it comes.

I’ve always thought Thorpe would be the one Merlin ditch first
 
There's already enough Doom, Gloom, and use of the colour black at Alton. There's plenty of wars on the evening news every night. I'm not as adverse to dark and depressing themes as others tend to be, yet there seems to be a consensus that Air should also now carry this new, oppressive warzone theme?

In my view, it's bad enough that Nemesis has adopted the theme of a short lived ABC drop tower situated nearby within an ugly corrugated shed. Presumably they're only getting away with it because so few people got to ride Sub Terra, which was so short lived originally, that hardly any sod got to ride it.

The last thing an expensive SW situated in a corner of the park needs is to adopt the second hand theme of another nearby coaster. Like it's Nemesis' younger sibling, forever living in it's sisters shadow, achieved slightly less desirable GCSE results, and is always told "why can't you be more like your sister?".

The thought of downgrading Air with tins of Merlin standard issue black paint, shipping containers and helicopters seems quite depressing to me.
 
Personally I don’t see Galactica getting a retrack because I think that nice area that it covers is more valuable to Merlin in terms of what could potentially be built on it than the draw from having a retracked Galactica.

Parks need to evolve and refresh their line ups and as said already it’s rare that rides get retracks, Nemesis got one because it’s a star attraction (and an arguably world class ride) in an awkward spot to build anything else on but even then it seems that there was serious thought given by Merlin to the idea of scrapping it and replacing it with another invert. Something we’ll all have to get used to unfortunately is that as the years go on some classic rides that we love from the mid 90s to the 2000s are going to start getting removed at some point, not just because the parks will have issues with the tracks or hardware, but it may just be because they want to introduce new rides and feel that removing a ride that is becoming long in the tooth is the best way to do that. Parks only have a finite amount of space and resources that they can use and some difficult decisions will have to be made at some point (for example look Thorpe reclaiming land for Swarm island). I don’t see Towers putting a new coaster on the Spinball site, so at some point, say half a decade in the future, when the park are looking at what to do after Project Horizon it could well be that Galactica, which would be approaching 30 years old at that point, gets the chop.
 
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