Paultons Park: General Discussion

[TedShatner10]

Smiler isn't a Euro Fighter.

The Smiler's now a ageing Infinity coaster (making me hope the Paultons Eurofighter will be more refined than SAW and the defunct Speed No Limits, etc).

If the Drakon is taken as the flagship coaster for Paultons, it could be seen as underwhelming and tad outdated, but more realistically taken as one coaster out of a broadening roster of big rides for Paultons (and a companion to the dramatically revamped Cobra and the bigger, more elaborate 2027 project) it's perfectly fine for most folks (if a bit of a stop gap for hopefully a couple more ambitious rides by the late 20s/early 30s onwards).

 

[Dave]

I reckon that Paultons might give Gerstlauer more time/budget to *hopefully* yield a slightly less janky coaster. I could be wrong, but let's remember that Tivoli Friheden isn't quite in the same league of park that Paultons is. Their janky Eurofarter replaced something lethally janky.

You don’t get a better quality build because you give an individual manufacturer more money. Their build quality is set by their construction processes so it’s fixed in.

If you have money to spend to get a smoother ride you pick a smoother manufacturer.

 

[TedShatner10]

Yeah, the inverted Drakon thrill coaster is possibly going to be a bit mid and janky compared to the more innovative 2020s thrill rides, with its saving grace or staying power being all the dramatic Valgard set dressing and landscaping (plus the giant station seen in the concept map hinting at a Wickerman style pre-show). I'm still excited about all this, Drakon will be a solid workhorse alongside the Cobra/Raven, and Paultons is easier for me to get to (compared to Blackpool and Altons, etc).

 

[Bowser]

the bigger, more elaborate 2027 project

Have they stated either of these things?

Considering 2026 is a new coaster, new flat, retheme coaster and accompanying land whilst 2027 is a new ride for said land, I’m expecting this to be a considerably smaller and less elaborate project.

They certainly don’t seem like a park that will be dropping £12m on consecutive years.

We should be looking at Farmyard Flyer as a more realistic trajectory.

 

[Europa Matt]

This weekend I went to Paulton’s fan day, the park certainly put on a lovely event.

Several tours/BTS were carried out throughout the day, from seeing Cobra’s ride workshop, Storm Chaser’s OP cabin/train workshop process, the new construction area and much more.

We had over an hour of ERS in Tornado Springs and Ghostly Manor (more on that soon) as well as a lovely buffet in Mel’s Diner and a Reveal/Q&A with park management.

The biggest news/reveal of course was the new Vikings area (Valgard), which will include a new coaster, flat ride, restaurant and also re-themed Cobra (soon to be Raven). Surprisingly, the new coaster will be a Gerstlauer eurofighter, but hopefully the park will carry it off well, I find the smaller ones the better rides usually.

Vague hints of a new water ride the following year were revealed, but not much else. Very exciting still. Magma will be a goner later this year. At least for Paultons. The lodges are several years away still.

They also did a Q&A and showed how they build Ghostly Manor, which given the areas footprint/show building is impressive they got that all in. They also did a silent disco, but I left at that point.

So, Ghostly Manor? My thoughts? It’s a lovely compact dark ride mixing screens and scenes nicely (they have 10 of them), plus the queue line is nicely done too. Whilst it doesn’t hit the same way as Alty Mans or Danse Macabre (which I did days earlier), it’s a decent addition to the park and great to see them finally obtaining a dark ride. Should suit the park nicely.

Interesting times ahead perhaps.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Have they stated either of these things?

They have not. A few excited commentators here have suggested that 2027 is now the "real" big investment, but that is the extent of it.

Much in the same way that Thorpe Park's beach was definitely closing last season, and the whole area was going to feature a Mack Splash or GCI Woodie, with construction already supposed to be underway.

 

[Poisson]

Is the station even that big? By time you've got maintenance and a few blocks in, what space is left?

 

[Benjsh]

They definitely hinted at the 2027 project being taller. That doesn't mean it will be the most expensive project though.

I'd imagine a new land, coaster, flat ride, retheme of Cobra and brand new restaurant will be the more expensive of the two.

 

[TedShatner10]

Have they stated either of these things?

Considering 2026 is a new coaster, new flat, retheme coaster and accompanying land whilst 2027 is a new ride for said land, I’m expecting this to be a considerably smaller and less elaborate project.

They certainly don’t seem like a park that will be dropping £12m on consecutive years.

We should be looking at Farmyard Flyer as a more realistic trajectory.

Paultons are doing Valgard in two phases, with the mystery 2027 water ride perhaps being more elaborate than the already contentious Drakon (they compromised with the selection of more affordable Eurofighter stock).

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

they compromised with the selection of more affordable Eurofighter stock

You think. This is entirely a theory. You have stated it as fact, but it's important to highlight that this hasn't been confirmed by the park.

 

[The Big Mack]

If you have money to spend to get a smoother ride you pick a smoother manufacturer.

Thing is though, Gerstlauer do have demonstratable experience of providing other parks with silky smooth thrill coasters. For example, Fury at Bobbejaanland. It's a butter smooth Infinity Coaster. Whilst it's a different model to a Eurofighter, it demonstrates that Gerstlauer are no strangers to manufacturing coasters that are very comfortable and comparable to some of the best coasters in the European continent.

 

[Dave]

Thing is though, Gerstlauer do have demonstratable experience of providing other parks with silky smooth thrill coasters. For example, Fury at Bobbejaanland. It's a butter smooth Infinity Coaster. Whilst it's a different model to a Eurofighter, it demonstrates that Gerstlauer are no strangers to manufacturing coasters that are very comfortable and comparable to some of the best coasters in the European continent.

Yes but that’s my point, that’s not a Eurofighter.

Gerst can do ok rides, but no Eurofighter has been good, some are tolerable but none are good.

 

[TPick]

I think I am in the minority in not finding Saw that rough, and thinking that Curse at AT is a bit dull .

I do not have the in-depth knowledge of coasters/rides that many on here do. Is it possible that those in the know will find or look for roughness on the new ride, where as 99% of the riders would not?

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Is it possible that those in the know will find or look for roughness on the new ride, where as 99% of the riders would not?

Yes, they will look for it. I legitimately heard the following conversation between a vlogger and a ride technician yesterday:

"Do you work on Pterosaur?"

"Sometimes"

"Have you ridden it recently? Cos..."

"We don't actually get to ride them as much as we should. We keep being told that we ought to but we never have time..."

"Cos it's starting to develop a bit of a rattle"

"Sorry?"

"*Deep breath in, sips beer* Yeah, hate to brake it to you. Beginning of a bit of a rattle, y'know? I only have my rides from last year to go on, but definitely starting to get a rattle. It's not that bad just yet, but you should probably get them to check it out before it becomes a problem. Y'know what I mean?"

"Thanks for that"

 

[Bowser]

I think I am in the minority in not finding Saw that rough, and thinking that Curse at AT is a bit dull .

I do not have the in-depth knowledge of coasters/rides that many on here do. Is it possible that those in the know will find or look for roughness on the new ride, where as 99% of the riders would not?

Whilst that is definitely true, objectively i still think some rides can be rough enough that most people will experience it in some form to the point of acknowledging it. Theme parks will also acknowledge it, hence why many rides are modified.

Personally i've only ever been on SAW once and found it unpleasant. My barometer is that generally Bowser Jr wants to spend our trips going on the same ride repeatedly. So i'd happily go on say Mandrill Mayhem indefinitely whereas if he made the same request for SAW i'd have to decline due to the risk of physical harm. Now i accept my one ride could have been unlucky (we'll get to that) but based on my personal experience with a similar ride in Rage and widespread opinions that would not seem to be the case.

I think there's a line where a ride crosses from amusingly shaky to headache inducing or otherwise physically painful. That will vary from person to person of course and for some is even part of the appeal, be it bravado etc. By your own admission you say SAW is "not that rough" which to me implies it is at least somewhat rough by your tolerance level.

Another consideration, as i briefly alluded to, is there are other variables at play. Seat position, weather, ride warming time etc. Most people will probably only experience these rides once per visit. What if my one ride of SAW had been great? My opinion would be completely different. As you say, the approach of a enthusiast who experiences a ride repeatedly, learns the layout, figures out the best seating etc simply isn't reflective of the general public but if a ride is consistently getting enough negative feedback then evidently there is smoke where there is fire.

So, whilst i agree people tend to make hyperbolic claims of roughness to the point of actively seeking it out, i think there's a compelling case that Eurofighters are a particularly rough type of coaster. Not enough to cause physical harm but certainly to be the type of ride that people only go on once.... which of course for the vast majority isn't an issue.

 

[TedShatner10]

You think. This is entirely a theory. You have stated it as fact, but it's important to highlight that this hasn't been confirmed by the park.

It's still mainly an assumption, but the general aim of Paultons we've got concrete confirmation of now is that they're going ahead in dramatically redeveloping the remaining section of the park that has been mostly barren since the mid to late 2000s, with the Cobra being revamped and given a companion coaster that is a meaningful step up as a thrill ride.

Here is the best fan made CGI footage I found on YouTube of the Drakon in action alongside the Cobra/Raven and how they both may look in the upcoming Valgard landscape:



Drakon may disappoint as a leading star on its own but may be fine as part of a elaborate ensemble cast on a well presented stage.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

It's still mainly an assumption, but the general aim of Paultons

I'm not letting you twist this, sorry. You wrote:

they compromised with the selection of more affordable Eurofighter stock

You stated it as fact, not "mainly an assumption".

We do not know for certain why Paulton's chose a Eurofighter model for this ride, we do not know if it's a compromise, we do not know if it's for affordability reasons. We can only theorise. It is important, when theorising, to state so. Especially as some people here may actually take it as fact and run with it.

 

[Hid]

Something I found out about Gerstlauer speaking to the maintenance workers is they do things old school rather than Mack companie design they do things by hand instead.

Also Cobra is gonna have some changes to like lift hill gonna be altered and metal parts of Cobra train removed ad well as new wheel bogeys as the trains apparently jump when in the final airtime hills