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Oblivion: General Discussion

Changing the subject slightly.

Was Oblivion originally supposed to be grey?

The reason I ask is because as can be seen on the documentary the magic factory and construction photos. The ride track arrived on site grey, it was then repainted black on site, in some cases with the track in situ. You can see in some of the testing footage from the magic factory, some of the track after the tunnel and before the break run is still grey, waiting to receive a black coat.
 
DistortAMG said:
Changing the subject slightly.

Was Oblivion originally supposed to be grey?

The reason I ask is because as can be seen on the documentary the magic factory and construction photos. The ride track arrived on site grey, it was then repainted black on site, in some cases with the track in situ. You can see in some of the testing footage from the magic factory, some of the track after the tunnel and before the break run is still grey, waiting to receive a black coat.
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I think it's fairly normal for B&M to supply track with primer/basecoat isn't it? Certainly the same happened with Nemesis (both when it was built and when parts of the track were redone a few years back).
 
WillPS said:
I think it's fairly normal for B&M to supply track with primer/basecoat isn't it? Certainly the same happened with Nemesis (both when it was built and when parts of the track were redone a few years back).
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That's interesting I wonder why they do that? It just seems odd surely the would be better off painting it all before it all goes up.
 
JAperson said:
That's interesting I wonder why they do that? It just seems odd surely the would be better off painting it all before it all goes up.
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I can fully understand for transport reasons why they wouldn't paint track before it arrives on park.

I suppose onsite it's probably easier to spray in situ? Every piece has to be lifted by crane and of course getting it in place correctly would always be top priority over asthetics. I'd imagine it's easier to send some blokes up some scaffolding with spray cans than it is to lift a piece of track up by crane, paint it and then wait a day or 2 for it dry before lifting in to place.
 
Matt.GC said:
I can fully understand for transport reasons why they wouldn't paint track before it arrives on park.

I suppose onsite it's probably easier to spray in situ? Every piece has to be lifted by crane and of course getting it in place correctly would always be top priority over asthetics. I'd imagine it's easier to send some blokes up some scaffolding with spray cans than it is to lift a piece of track up by crane, paint it and then wait a day or 2 for it dry before lifting in to place.
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I suppose it must differ based on logistics and timings to ensure the build stays on time, spraying the track can really be done at any time whereas other parts of the construction could be bound by other things - perhaps with Oblivion they needed to deliver track to site earlier than they did in other projects. I definitely remember Air’s track (also B&M) already being painted when it was delivered to site for example so it isn’t one rule fits all.
 
The thing is, Nemesis default colour looks almost like a base coat, so that could be potentially confused. Air certainly arrived on site already painted in it's blue, and most B&Ms you see arrive at their site pre painted. You can see plenty of track at the Claremont fabrication plant in the USA finished and pre painted waiting for shipment. Some of it destined for China.

From what I have seen the usual procedure is for track to arrive pre painted, then touch ups are done as and when required after assembly. There are countless photos of countless coasters over the decades all arriving at their sites pre painted.

It's a wierd one for sure. Maybe it was a timing issue. But, you can get a better paint job done in a proper paint shop. This is why track usually arrives pre painted. I remeber in 2003, the 5 year old ride looked pretty much grey again, all the on site applied black paint had worn off. Far far less durability than when it is shop painted. Compare that to Galactica, which I believe is still on its original factory applied paint job, over 19 years later.

Things like the Nemesis fx paint such as the fake grime and rust onnthe track, that will be done on site. As it is more a theming element than anything else.

It could be something as simple as B&M changing their policy. But I would not rule out anything else either. It could even be something as simple as they asked for it not to be painted.
 
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WM on 2 trains was actually doing pretty well the day I went; throughput was around 800-850pph, and the queue never stretched further back than the queue line shop!

If crowds are still like they were on Monday, then I don’t think 3 trains on WM and 2 stations on Oblivion is really needed; queues were pretty short even with reduced throughputs on Monday.
 
Matt N said:
WM on 2 trains was actually doing pretty well the day I went; throughput was around 800-850pph, and the queue never stretched further back than the queue line shop!

If crowds are still like they were on Monday, then I don’t think 3 trains on WM and 2 stations on Oblivion is really needed; queues were pretty short even with reduced throughputs on Monday.
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Monday Thursday it should be fine but Friday-Sunday it should be full capacity on every ride
 
I'd say oblivion is amazing and smooth in both rows but am I the only one who finds I get a little headache when I sit on the back row but never on the front.
 
George Williams said:
I'd say oblivion is amazing and smooth in both rows but am I the only one who finds I get a little headache when I sit on the back row but never on the front.
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I've noticed that Oblivion on the back row outer seat is perhaps a touch more rattly than on the other seats, so I can see why you might find it a bit headache-inducing.

I wouldn't say either is anywhere near rough, though; Oblivion is generally still pretty smooth, from my experience, and I'd certainly say Nemesis can be rougher than Oblivion in any seat, myself. Although I don't think any of Towers' B&Ms are really, really rough.
 
djtruefitt said:
I’ve always found Oblivion to be one of the smoothest coasters around, even now years after it opened.
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I agree oblivion is butter smooth especially for the intensity on the drop and it really does pack a punch, just to clarify I don't get a bad headache only a slight one for a couple minutes and only a couple times and it's only ever happened on the back row for me though.
 
JAperson said:
I'd say oblivion is probably the smoothest coaster at Towers. Closely followed by Galactica and then nemesis. Although there's not much difference in the B&M's.
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See, I'd probably go for Thirteen as the smoothest Towers coaster myself; that literally glides along the track with such wonderful grace, and I think it's aged tremendously!
 
Matt N said:
See, I'd probably go for Thirteen as the smoothest Towers coaster myself; that literally glides along the track with such wonderful grace, and I think it's aged tremendously!
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Yes I suppose that's a contender but it's just not the same smooth silk feeling of a B&M.
 
Matt N said:
See, I'd probably go for Thirteen as the smoothest Towers coaster myself; that literally glides along the track with such wonderful grace, and I think it's aged tremendously!
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It's half the age of the youngest B&M, and it is subject to way less weight/forces the B&Ms pull (which is why it gets away with such simplistic track/supports). The fairest on park comparison would probably be Octonauts.
 
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