Secret Weapon 7 Discussion

[Tomahawktom]

Got a few pics a couple of days ago. Some are similar to others already posted, so I wont put all of them up.

Me is looking forward.

 

[JB1985]

thats some hole in the last picture

 

[Ian]

Yep, the change is just astounding! I reckon measuring up from the very bottom of the hole to the toilet block there must be getting on for 25 foot difference at least!

It's unbelievable when you think less than a year ago that was a perfectly flat piece of concrete with a tent on it. It also makes you realise just how much space this coaster is being given

 

[thefatone]

That truck looks really cute in the last picture, kind of hiding, and getting its back rubbed by the digger!

 

[Prometheus]

Starting to get quite excited now. The difference in height from one end of the site to the other now is so drastic, if this is the final depth then this could pack a real speed punch at that Enterprise/Submission end. Even those little hills at the end of the ride may have potential for good forces with the speed gained at that end.

Unless they are going to fill some of that hole back in later on, this pit/sunken area is going to look very deep and ominous from the main walkway down to the ride too. Good stuff.

 

[CrazyTowers]

I'm going to Alton Towers on monday for the day so I'll do my best to take pictures of construction, (if I remember!) Hopefully, somethin even more interesting will be added!

 

[Sku]

Hey There

I'd like to add some pure speculation, on whether the large spider will have "special effects".

I went to Boomtown Fair last weekend, where they had a stage called "Arcadia Spectacular". This stage is a giant spider, with mechanical moving arms, and dozens of special effects. Needless to say it reminded me of the spider in the SW7 plans.

Here is their official video from the weekend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5_75WO6nBw&fs=1

Here are a list of some of the special effects I can remember seeing:
-Mechanical moving arms
-Arms release fog/mist
-Arms release fireworks
-Fire ball effects
-Lasers
-Flashing lights/search lights
-Sound effects
-General misters/fog

I am not at all suggesting that what we are going to get at Alton Towers is going to be like this. Some of these special effects are designed for use at night time only, so therefore are very unlikely. However, could we maybe see mechanical moving parts, fog machines, flame effects, flashing sirens?

The Arcadia stage was extremely striking in appearance, and very memorable for me. Maybe with a couple of special effects, this SW7 spider could make for a very dramatic center piece, setting the atmosphere for the whole area, and really making this ride something very special indeed.

Just some speculation, but you can't deny the similarity between the two structures:

 

[Alexsutton]

I believe the planning documents specified that the spider centrepeice was completely static.

 

[Scott]

Yep... It wont be moving unfortunately. Of course that doesn't mean that there won't be any special effects involved. I'd speculate that they would be likely considering the stuff installed on The Swarm this year.

 

[Prometheus]

A part of me is hoping that Merlin have some kind of large special effect planned for that spider, whether it happens or not, hmmm, unlikely since we know it's static.

Wasn't there mention of tv screens in the middle section / main body? The planning documents deffo mention some lighting effects on the legs too so it should be good for afterdark operation. At least it's a funky piece of scenery even if it doesn't do much other than stand there I guess.

 

[Sku]

I'm definitely not suggesting the spider is going to get up and walk around or something!

I also remember the planning documents saying that it was static, I don't think this stops it having moving parts though. The Arcadia spider only has those 3 arms tacked on to the top which move, but overall the structure is static. It doesn't take away from it's impressiveness though! I think the planning application is just trying to specify that it's not a moving structure, e.g. make clear it's not a part of the ride itself for the sake of the application. I would fully expect that the structure is going to be static, but I don't think it rules out a small number of moving parts.

Even just a small amount of movement, maybe with some smoke and electric sparks (e.g Hex octagon room power generator) would really add something to it.

It's all just speculation and wishful thinking largely, but I just wanted to dredge it up, because it hasn't had much discussion, when it seems to me it's going to be the focal point of the ride.

If it can generate even a 10% of the atmosphere and visual impressiveness of the video I linked, I think it would be something very special indeed. Just trying to keep the possibilities open... we have seen with Swarm, that Merlin are not adverse to installing special effects, so I think we should be expecting them, and discussing what they might be

 

[Rob]

Here are some photos from today. I did get photos from the top of the site as well as these ones posted however you really can't see much in them due to a line of 4 dumper trucks blocking the view!

Please don't use these photos without permission, however as usual with my photos TowersStreet can use them as part of the site if they wish!

 

[Nick]

Thanks for the pictures Rob.

The hole's are looking massive now, and it seems to have happened overnight.

Also, it looks like the station will have part of it underground- due to the holes shown here.

 

[Rob]

The hole looks even deeper when you see it for yourself, photos don't really do it justice! They've done a lot more digging than I expected them to and it has happened very quickly. The best view of the site is from riding Oblivion, but obviously you can't get photos from up there.

 

[Sku]

I looked through the SW7 speculation topic on another forum, and I'm actually the third person to draw comparisons between the SW7 spider and the Arcadia spider.

And when I looked closely, there are a lot of small details which seem very similar. For example the pistons just inside the bend of the legs, the angle and shape of those legs, and the tower in the middle.

I'm starting to think the similarities, which seem to have been noticed by several other people, are surely more than a coincidence.

So the designer and artist of the spider drawings on the SW7 planning application is a "B Dowson". I'm sure some people here may be aware of Ben Dowson, as he has worked on a lot of big projects over recent years for Merlin, including theming for The Swarm, where his name also appeared all over the planning app. What happens if I google "Ben Dowson Arcadia" to see if there is any link between the two?

A wild Pinterest profile appears! Seems legit.

Scroll down to the beginning of March 2012, and I see two photos from Glastonbury. Note that he has filed them under "Inspiration" and "Places I Love". Wasn't the Arcadia Spider at Glastonbury in 2010 and 2011? Guess he has probably seen it, or heard of it then. And I wonder why he has Glastonbury on his mind in March 2012, a year with no Glastonbury festival?


2 weeks later, in mid-March 2012, and he still has Glastonbury on his mind for some reason...

But this time, it's a more direct hint. 2 photos of the Arcadia Spider, and also "Lords of Lightning", another piece by the Arcadia crew. These photos were posted on Pinterest over the course of 1 week, rather than all in one go, suggesting it's been on his mind over a period of time.


So why is he spending so much time thinking about Glastonbury and Arcadia?

I think we can come to one of two conclusions:
-That his work has been heavily inspired by the Arcadia spider
-Merlin are actively working with Arcadia on the design of this piece. Arcadia describe themself as a "sculpture-based organisation" who "take military scrap and turn it on its head". And guess what? They take commissions: "If you have any wild ideas for your event\film set, please get in touch."

All information above is already in the public domain, available from the planning website and public image sharing service Pinterest.

 

[delta79]

Looking at the photos, i wonder if the plant room for this ride will be underground.

 

[Thomas]

Nope, I'm saying that the only true inspiration for the spider would be this:

and maybe a shipping container underneath. #obviousjoke

 

[Stevie]

Ben Dowson sounds like a joke name to be honest, like "Ben Dover"... (I know it's not)

He has a Twitter, so go on and stalk him and ask him about the project.

https://twitter.com/ben_dowson

 

[Danny]

I feel sorry for this poor bloke. I'm assuming somebody will/has already obtained his personal phone number soon enough and begin text bombing him?

 

[Stevie]

I feel sorry for this poor bloke. I'm assuming somebody will/has already find/found his personal phone number soon enough and begin text bombing him?

Look at the bloke who is the Site Manager,when his mobile number got leaked, everybody was bombarding him with texts about SW7.

You know what us enthusiasts are like, we're ruthless. We'll do anything for a bit of info.