[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation

[Tim]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I think that pretty much confirms that the plans are not accurate... Unless anyone one else can work out what piece of track that is...?

um it's the two duelling inversions which is the rides signature element. They look exactly how they do in the plans minus the track that's missing.

 

[GaryH]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Just going back to the "World Beating" debate for a minute and people suggesting this could be in terms of the most inversions....... Really, World beating could mean absolutely anything that Alton want to make it mean. It could have a larger exit shop, better onride cameras, longer queue line, it could be absolutely anything so I wouldnt read too much into this, its just marketing speak but with little substance.

What I do find interesting is that initially when SW7 was announced to the community it was called "World First". I definately remember this - sooooo, it makes me think, has another park recently introduced a similar ride but with the world first element and as such beat AT to the post?

 

[Sammy]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

*Cough* Staffordshire Knot *Cough*

Prepare for more amazing paint skills

Also, going back to Tower's original picture... I like the sneaky camera angle, that has blatantly been used to sort of disguise the piece of track that is sitting behind the two inversions, diving into the hole!

 

[Stern John]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

LOL. Given that a lot of Alton's guests have never heard of Thorpe Park (I kid you not*), they would probably believe that 9 inversions is a record

*Several times, I have been unable to stand by and let queuing morons claim Rita is the fastest coaster in the world. I laugh and point out that it's not even the fastest in the UK, which naturally leads to "Oh. Well what is then?" ... "Stealth at Thorpe Park." ... Seriously, plenty of times people have said "Never heard of it." And once, even "Where's that? Somewhere in America?"

It's not even the fastest at Alton according to RCDB!
Anyway, I really hope SW7 doesn't just have inversions for the sake of it like Collosus which, for me, is one of the worst coasters in the country.
Can't they just make a great coaster with a good layout and brilliant theme without going for novelty's which will eventually be surpassed?
Nemesis was not a worlds first yet is still one of the best rides in the world nearly 20 years on.

 

[BarryZola]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

"Can't they just make a great coaster with a good layout and brilliant theme without going for novelty's which will eventually be surpassed?"

I think you know the answer to that...

 

[KingNemesis]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Email from Alton Towers:

It's Coming.

 

[Tom]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Their progress is clearly nothing to worry about.

 

[Nemesismad]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I thought it was the Batwing/Cobra Roll combo, but the closest piece doesn't look like a Batwing to me ???

Also, has anyone who signed up not received this? I signed up way back when and haven't received this in either my inbox or junk folder. Super sad :'(

Check you're spam folder, I couldn't find mine in my inbox, it took a littl searching. You can then hit "not spam" and from then on it will appear in you're inbox

 

[BarryZola]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

This better not be just really 'twisty' and not 'fasty' or I will officially throw my toys out of the pram. Joking aside, I'd rather have no new ride for 2013 than a mediocre one just for the sake of it. Honestly speaking though, I reckon Alton might pull a decent one out of the bag here.

 

[Stern John]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'm sure this will be a good ride, I just don't think they need to go for worlds first/beating/whatever in order to get people to ride it.
They just need a good ride with a good theme and good marketing which is what they seem to be doing.
Wether the building work is on track or not, I am yet to be convinced!

 

[Dave]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

It's not even the fastest at Alton according to RCDB!
Anyway, I really hope SW7 doesn't just have inversions for the sake of it like Collosus which, for me, is one of the worst coasters in the country.
Can't they just make a great coaster with a good layout and brilliant theme without going for novelty's which will eventually be surpassed?
Nemesis was not a worlds first yet is still one of the best rides in the world nearly 20 years on.

Nemesis was very unique when it opened, no one in Europe had seen one so the same principle of "compelling proposition" existed.

If they go for the inversion count its clear they are doing it with a varying layout rather than Thorpes.... "Ohh just stick a load of heart line rolls into the layout"

IF this doesn't have gerstache I think we will get a solid, long thrill coaster which Towers lacks as well as a neat marketing gimmick to tempt non-geeks in.

EDIT: and you can see the station and first drop in that pic too (if someone has already mentioned that then sorry)

 

[Stern John]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

It's not even the fastest at Alton according to RCDB!
Anyway, I really hope SW7 doesn't just have inversions for the sake of it like Collosus which, for me, is one of the worst coasters in the country.
Can't they just make a great coaster with a good layout and brilliant theme without going for novelty's which will eventually be surpassed?
Nemesis was not a worlds first yet is still one of the best rides in the world nearly 20 years on.

Nemesis was very unique when it opened, no one in Europe had seen one so the same principle of "compelling proposition" existed.

If they go for the inversion count its clear they are doing it with a varying layout rather than Thorpes.... "Ohh just stick a load of heart line rolls into the layout"

IF this doesn't have gerstache I think we will get a solid, long thrill coaster which Towers lacks as well as a neat marketing gimmick to tempt non-geeks in.

Well unless the layout is completely different from the plans I fail to see how they are going to achieve the inversion record without something similar to Collossus' inversions for the sake of it.
Either they have thrown a red-herring with the outdoor layout plans which I find hard to believe or they are going to cram a load of inversions inside somewhere which I think will detract from what looks like a good ride.
The other option is that they are not going for inversion record which I personally hope is true.

 

[Rob]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Hmmm that camera angle is incredibly annoying!! Great to see another step up in marketing though, this is exactly the type of stuff they need to be doing whilst the coaster is being build as it is guaranteed to develop more excitement. That does look like the cobra roll/batwing element, I just wish we could see slightly lower down.

Also, anyone else noticed the bit of track sticking up underneath the "camera 5:14://active"?

 

[Sammy]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Hmmm that camera angle is incredibly annoying!! Great to see another step up in marketing though, this is exactly the type of stuff they need to be doing whilst the coaster is being build as it is guaranteed to develop more excitement. That does look like the cobra roll/batwing element, I just wish we could see slightly lower down.

Also, anyone else noticed the bit of track sticking up underneath the "camera 5:14://active"?

I know what you mean about the angle, it's very very hard to tell where the actual ground level is relative to everything that's going on in the picture, it would probably help if you could see something like the top of the construction fence etc.

Good spot with the section of track sticking up though, I hadn't noticed that, I'd only see the other track at the very back, coming from what we presume to be the station. I really can't tell how low that piece is though, is it literally just poking out of the pit or is the pit much lower down. It's so hard to tell, the perspective is a nightmare in this photo! My guess is that it is the bottom the half loop that will exit the cobra roll though?

 

[GAGrathea]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Anyone who hasn't got it, probably best to check your spam folder, it's in there for a lot of people!

This is very exciting, and for Towers I'd like to say a first promotionally? Have they ever released photos of track construction officially before? Either way it's clear from this that getting the track up is well underway, and there are still 85 days to go until opening Also, this coaster towering over X sector is going to look so impressive!

I'm really bad at visualising track from plans; do the other little bits of track visible in this correlate to the (obviously totally wrong) plans?

 

[Rob]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Good spot with the section of track sticking up though, I hadn't noticed that, I'd only see the other track at the very back, coming from what we presume to be the station. I really can't tell how low that piece is though, is it literally just poking out of the pit or is the pit much lower down. It's so hard to tell, the perspective is a nightmare in this photo! My guess is that it is the bottom the half loop that will exit the cobra roll though?

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, I'm pretty sure it's the piece of track that you can see sticking up in one of my photos from the other day. It is impossible to say whether or not it is coming out of the pit or not. And if it is coming out of the pit, it would be time to wave goodbye to one of my theories; that the whole of the pit will be an enclosed underground section. A photo update from onsite and we still don't know exactly what's going to happen, Towers are doing a very good job!

 

[Rob]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

This is very exciting, and for Towers I'd like to say a first promotionally? Have they ever released photos of track construction officially before? Either way it's clear from this that getting the track up is well underway, and there are still 85 days to go until opening Also, this coaster towering over X sector is going to look so impressive!

They did construction updates with Thirteen, which can be seen on Facebook here. Though looking at those photos is concerning, and really shows how far behind they are with SW7. They'd starting putting theming into place on Thirteen by now, and we all know it was only just finished on time with the queueline done the night before opening.

 

[Dylan]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, I'm pretty sure it's the piece of track that you can see sticking up in one of my photos from the other day. It is impossible to say whether or not it is coming out of the pit or not. And if it is coming out of the pit, it would be time to wave goodbye to one of my theories; that the whole of the pit will be an enclosed underground section. A photo update from onsite and we still don't know exactly what's going to happen, Towers are doing a very good job!

I think that piece of track is the lower section of the cobra roll that will join up to the 'middle' piece of track in the photo.
I can't see any way of this being a fully enclosed pit, I think landscaping will have been altered and the section around this element will be non-accessible to guests.

 

[Sammy]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Hmmmmm, my reckoning is, all that zigzag metal frame for poured concrete is going to be for the roof of the pit, this will be placed over the hole, to form not only the roof for below, but the plaza floor above. Now comes the complex part, the supports for all the above ground stuff however, will all have to slot down through that and into the physical ground below, with the support work for any underground track also being attached onto the same supports. This would be the best explanation for all the truly bizarre supports that we have seen.

God this is complicated, I will try to do a paint mock of of what I mean... Though I may confuse myself trying to do so

Anyway, in the mean time, have some more of my amazing paint work. I have done this to try and get my head around all the different sections of track in the picture!

... SW7 really is the best form of procrastination

 

[Alastair]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Yep, can't deny that the track that's visible in that photo does look exactly like that which is on the plans. You can't help but feel that the particular angle that they've chosen there was meant to hide something though...