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The Smiler - General Discussion

Pixie-Ro said:
I totally disagree, I love the old school way of everyone having the same chance of getting front row.
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On any other ride I'd agree with you, but I won't ride this unless I get the front. It is just too rough for me :(
 
Given the size of the station it was always going to be a choice between having a front row queue or a SRQ. As Gerstlauer restraints are heavy and slow to close, so an empty seat adds a few seconds to loading - reducing throughput and making the queue even longer. It's safe to say they made the right choice in not having a front row queue.
 
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As concept art these graphics are obviously thrilling in that they ooze a very gritty mood and look chilling. However, these days such concept art is mostly used to promote the ideas to big wigs in order to get them commissioned, rather than to be used as a construction reference. So we have no real way of knowing if Alton Towers ever did intend to actually create all the details seen in these graphics. For a start they would have needed a lot more time and a larger budget for hiring set designers/scenic artists and some of the ideas shown look amazing but would be totally impractical (sometimes even unsafe).

And anyway, who wants Holocaust: The Ride? It's sad to look at. Perhaps the most miserable creation ever planned for a British theme park. I'm so glad Swarm's "awesome destruction" theme was a flop, or they woke up and realised people come to theme parks to have fun and not feel like they're about to be executed, or marketing research or whatever caused them to drop this plan, thank goodness. Had this version of SW7 gone ahead, it wouldn't have even looked artistic (or remotely good) because of the way Merlin Studios always stumbles with turning concepts into reality.

Still, it's a fascinating insight into how SW7 evolved throughout its planning. SW7 is definitely one of the strangest ride projects I've come across. I'd love to see more of the new concept art after the more bombastic black/yellow theme took over to see what they were really going for.
 
Great pictures - amazing just how tight the space is for that first inversion. Also amazing you can see rust on the track in one of those indoor photos!!!
 
Plus the indoor section is dark, and there were strobes in there until they broke after a few months in typical Merlin style. The "cant see a thing through it" glass window is the best bit though.
 
spinba11 said:
The strobs were working on Monday.
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Are you sure you aren't referring to the strobes in the indoor queue line? Their use is frequent as opposed to the strobes on the indoor drop of the ride which I've actually only ever encountered on the day the ride opened.
 
The smoke, as far as I know, hasn't been used since opening as it was affecting fire detectors on the indoor section.
 
I prefer it with the strobes off. Seeing bare concrete and metal flash at you as you start isn't the most attractive thing to see.
 
Danny said:
Are you sure you aren't referring to the strobes in the indoor queue line? Their use is frequent as opposed to the strobes on the indoor drop of the ride which I've actually only ever encountered on the day the ride opened.
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I was there yesterday and both the strobes and smoke was on, the smoke screen in the station dispatch however was not.
 
Danny said:
Are you sure you aren't referring to the strobes in the indoor queue line? Their use is frequent as opposed to the strobes on the indoor drop of the ride which I've actually only ever encountered on the day the ride opened.
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Yes, the indoor drop, they were working today as well.
 
The strobe has always worked for me inside. But after a year the smoke is now working inside where the inversion is? Good news if that is true, as it was so much better on opening day full of smoke.
 
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