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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Tom said:
That looks quite cool and slightly better than I expected. It sure is a hell of a lot of steam that needs to be taken out of the ride over such a small circuit - hopefully they don't do the Thirteen model and start the process on the first drop.
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The splash down should slow it down a bit, assuming it is an actual splash down like on the B&M's. And judging by the difference in height between the dive loop and that last outer bank I am guessing it will be.
 
So I've had some time to look through all the information and here are my thoughts:
  • I'm glad it's taking the height record and I think that will be great for marketing the new coaster.
  • This ride isn't exactly what I wanted from this project nor what the UK needed however it will probably be one of the best coasters in the UK.
  • The layout is short however the ride looks to pack an insane punch. Some of those elements really do look crazy and that airtime hill at the end looks insane.
  • Airtime overall isn't really that impressive but I certainly think they'll be a some ejector airtime in a few moments. I doubt you'd get much floater riding it like you would on a B&M hyper.
  • It really does look like something Mack would do. It looks a setup crazy wise from some of there other rides however I think it will provide a solid ride experience.
  • You can clearly see some inspiration has been taken from Steel Curtain and I don't think that's a bad thing. As much as the reviews of Steel Curtain aren't that positive I think this has the potential to be significantly better. To me it looks like a much better attempt at what Steel Curtain was trying to achieve and it's by a quality manufacturer
  • The throughput needs to be really good and I hope they go for three trains but even on two it should have the best throughputs in the park because it is going to be by far the most popular ride on park.
  • I'm not sure about the look of it on the skyline by the provided pictures. The lift hill looks fine but the rest of the layout seems to have a very dense support structure which I'm not sure about.
Overall I think it'll bring the visitors to Thorpe for it's opening year and it will be a solid addition. It has the potential to be a top tear coaster however it is far to short. I'm really looking forward to watching the development of the ride over the next 3 years.
 
Tim said:
I get hints of a Mack Big Dipper at a supervised scale. I think it'll have regular length Coaster trains but probably ride more like one of those than a Hyper.
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This makes me feel a bit better. I saw Premier rides skyrocket... but Mack Big Dippers look insane so I'm trying to see this as something similar...
 
JAperson said:
Overall I think it'll bring the visitors to Thorpe for it's opening year and it will be a solid addition.
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I think that would be my concern though, that it might bring people in for that first year (no doubt drawn by 'the tallest coster' marketing) but will it keep the general public coming back?

Most folk on here who know me, know that I'm not much of a coaster person (I enjoy a good coaster... but I prefer my theme parks to have a good mix of different attractions). I looked at the proposals this morning and my initial reaction was - 'that's a nice coaster, looks a bit short and it's a shame it's not as tall as Stealth'. Which I'm not sure is the reaction Merlin would be hoping for.

And that thought about Stealth was despite knowing full well that this is designed to be the tallest coaster in the UK. It's just rather unfortunate that because of the distance between them it is very difficult to do a visual comparison and so this new coaster this going to look shorter from almost all angles.
 
Jb85 said:
The more I look at this the more I’m thinking meh

what the park needs is a massive airtime machine. What’ it’s getting is a compact coaster, albeit at height with two large inversions.
As other have said, SAW and colossus cater for this already..,

really disappointed from what’s been shown so far. Can only hope the final product offers more…

mad for AT’s comments on social media, interesting….probably banter but is that an early indication that a thrill coaster is on its way?
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I can't help but agree. Part of me has mentally moved on to Alton Towers' next investment.

But we can't give up hope yet; it does look intense and impressive. It also occurred to me that the whole layout may not necessarily be visible in the concept art, as it aims to show the coaster from a visitor perspective. And obviously it's new investment in Thorpe, which is much needed.

Speaking of investment, this comment by the park on the consultation website, in the transport section, caught my eye. Quote: "Visitor numbers to Thorpe Park remain well below the peak levels experienced in 2010. The graph below demonstrates that visitor numbers fluctuate and that without investment in new rides visitor numbers will decline. Following the last developments at Thorpe Park - The Walking Dead Ride (2018) and Bouncezilla inflatable (2019) - there was no significant impact on the highways network and visitor numbers did not rise above the 2010 peak.
Visitor numbers are in the gradual process of recovery post COVID-19 restrictions. Taking these factors into account, it is not anticipated that the development will have a negative impact on the surrounding highways network."

While they are addressing concerns about traffic here, it does tell us that visitor numbers did not dramatically increase following their recent low-level investments (Bouncezilla didn't spike attendance, what?!). Maybe this coaster could be the start of a refurbishment of Thorpe's attractions from Merlin, just like the huge amounts of additions we saw in the 2000s, who realise they need to invest to recover from covid and hopefully increase attendance beyond that.

I'm not saying RMC 2026 or anything, but I'm hopeful we won't see another decade wait between coasters, and generally some more focus from Merlin.
 
Squiggs said:
I think that would be my concern though, that it might bring people in for that first year (no doubt drawn by 'the tallest coster' marketing) but will it keep the general public coming back?

Most folk on here who know me, know that I'm not much of a coaster person (I enjoy a good coaster... but I prefer my theme parks to have a good mix of different attractions). I looked at the proposals this morning and my initial reaction was - 'that's a nice coaster, looks a bit short and it's a shame it's not as tall as Stealth'. Which I'm not sure is the reaction Merlin would be hoping for.

And that thought about Stealth was despite knowing full well that this is designed to be the tallest coaster in the UK. It's just rather unfortunate that because of the distance between them it is very difficult to do a visual comparison and so this new coaster this going to look shorter from almost all angles.
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Yes me and @Thameslink Rail was saying this last night. I believe it will bring visitors for the first year however I'm not sure that it will be sustained visitor growth. I think people will visit to ride it and then not bother for the next year. I just don't think people will be that impressed by the rest of the park.
 
As ever, the theming may well make or break it (I’m hoping it’s been deliberately excluded from those artists impressions). Wickerman was subject to similar criticism in its planning stages and particularly when the layout was revealed, hopefully this follows suit although admittedly it’s harder to theme a coaster of this height and scale.
 
Josh555 said:
As ever, the theming may well make or break it (I’m hoping it’s been deliberately excluded from those artists impressions). Wickerman was subject to similar criticism in its planning stages and particularly when the layout was revealed, hopefully this follows suit although admittedly it’s harder to theme a coaster of this height and scale.
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Think it's safe to say the theming is going to be minimal/unobtrusive otherwise it'd have been included in the consultation. If they go and spring some elaborate or large theming at the planning permission stage they'd probably come up against some opposition.
 
Squiggs said:
Given the project name, I'm hoping that Thorpe are planning to theme the ride to the Book of Exodus from the Bible - complete with Moses' Splashdown of the Red Sea.
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As much as I sense this is a joke that would actually be quite a nice theme to go with. I imagine it'll probably have a loose western theme to fit with old town as I think that'll be easiest and cheapest for them.
 
Fuct said:
Think it's safe to say the theming is going to be minimal/unobtrusive otherwise it'd have been included in the consultation. If they go and spring some elaborate or large theming at the planning permission stage they'd probably come up against some opposition.
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Perhaps but only if it’s visible from outside of the park surely?
 
I think the main issue with this investment is that sure, it will bring in huge crowds in its opening year, what happens beyond that?

This screams ‘short term fix’ and I’m not so sure it’s the answer to all of Thorpe’s problems.
 
Squiggs said:
I think that would be my concern though, that it might bring people in for that first year (no doubt drawn by 'the tallest coster' marketing) but will it keep the general public coming back?

Most folk on here who know me, know that I'm not much of a coaster person (I enjoy a good coaster... but I prefer my theme parks to have a good mix of different attractions). I looked at the proposals this morning and my initial reaction was - 'that's a nice coaster, looks a bit short and it's a shame it's not as tall as Stealth'. Which I'm not sure is the reaction Merlin would be hoping for.

And that thought about Stealth was despite knowing full well that this is designed to be the tallest coaster in the UK. It's just rather unfortunate that because of the distance between them it is very difficult to do a visual comparison and so this new coaster this going to look shorter from almost all angles.
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This ride will definitely look taller than Stealth when inside the park. The pictures on the planning site are sort of misleading, but also technically correct because of the angles they've chosen. 3 of them are from the side of the park where stealth is located, so of course it looks taller. The last is from the other side of the park but it has been intentionally chosen to show that the trees will cover the ride. Remember that the whole point of the planning document is to prove that the ride won't be visible (or at least an eye sore) from key areas outside the park.
But when viewed from the Car Park, it and Stealth will be roughly the same distance apart. When the rides are on full show this will be noticeable taller (and bigger in size) than Stealth is.
 
JAperson said:
  • I'm not sure about the look of it on the skyline by the provided pictures. The lift hill looks fine but the rest of the layout seems to have a very dense support structure which I'm not sure about.
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Yeah, I hadn't thought about those supports on the skyline. It's definitely gonna be a whole different story to Stealth's top hat; might lead to more problems with visual pollution that white track can fix.
 
James said:
I think the main issue with this investment is that sure, it will bring in huge crowds in its opening year, what happens beyond that?

This screams ‘short term fix’ and I’m not so sure it’s the answer to all of Thorpe’s problems.
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To be honest they could have cloned the Volicicoaster and this point would still be valid as it’s 1 ride amongst a park which has seen far better days. I could go on all day about the shortcomings (but suffice to say they won’t differ massively from many thoughts on here about AT) but the fact you will have to walk past a load of neglected theming elements and a poor entrance/dome area will mean that Thorpe will never be the scale that it should be despite the good work which goes into some of the attractions.
 
Out of interest, how do we think this could stack up to other hypers around the world based on the layout we have?

I've already heard some people declaring it "one of the best coasters in Europe", "one of the best coasters in the world", "unquestionably the UK's best coaster" and "better than any B&M Hyper apart from Fury"; praise indeed!
 
Matt N said:
Out of interest, how do we think this could stack up to other hypers around the world based on the layout we have?

I've already heard some people declaring it "one of the best coasters in Europe", "one of the best coasters in the world", "unquestionably the UK's best coaster" and "better than any B&M Hyper apart from Fury"; praise indeed!
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The more I think about this, the more and more I like it. Yes it's a bit shorter than we were all expecting, and not an out-and-back, but it could have serious ejector airtime and forces. Could be a very intense ride! That last airtime hill before the brakes could be insane if the train goes as fast as the various NL2 mockups show. Plus, as well as the tallest, it could also be the fastest coaster in the UK as well. :)
 
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