Thorpe Park: General Discussion

[Connor98]

There should be no doubt already. This is one of Mack’s best ever creations just look at it

Can’t judge a coaster that hasn’t opened, it looks impressive and has some very unique elements but I’m going to wait till I ride it before saying what opinions I have. I am extremely excited to do so.

 

[Matt N]

Don’t think Icon disappointed tbh. It’s on a similar level to Nemesis

That's only in your opinion, though. If we're talking personal opinions, I don't entirely disagree with you seeing as I'm a definite Icon fan (I like Icon more than Nemesis, in fact).

But in terms of general praise and reverance, I'd argue that Icon definitely did disappoint. Expectations of its general standing among UK, European and worldwide coasters were far higher before it opened than where it eventually ended up. I'd certainly say that Icon's average reception now is far weaker than I'd have expected back in 2017/18.

 

[Benzin]

When it opens it'll be declared as "THE BESTEST COASTER EVARZ!" by enthusiasts.

Then come October time the hype will have died down and then we'll have the true standing of it.

Even similar Macks (DC Rivals for example) aren't raved about THAT much. Wonder how highly rated RtH would be without the spinning element.

It might pleasantly surprise and be the best thing since sliced bread. But I don't think I've experienced an intense Mack to a degree of others and there's a lot about the layout where you question why bother with the height when they also then don't take advantage of it?

World leading brake run though.

 

[rob666]

Don’t think Icon disappointed tbh. It’s on a similar level to Nemesis

Now come on, you are just trying to wind people up aren't you.

As a long term happy clapper for the Beach, I think I can honestly say...
1. Icon was a bit of a disappointment. It can be considered my retirement coaster, that says it all.
2. It isn't on a similar level to Nemesis. There are more differences than similarity. The ride experience is nothing like the same, at all.

 

[Ethan]

Now come on, you are just trying to wind people up aren't you.

Ah yes because comparing Icon to Nemesis is silly but comparing Nemesis to Hyperia is fine. It’s put on a pedestal like no ride I’ve ever seen before. It’s a fantastic ride, but it’s hard not to dislike it when enthusiasts act like it’s the best thing in existence

 

[ItsAllGood]

As others has shown the lift hill is going in.

I don't know how steep it is but looks to be steeper than Oblivions?

Lots of drive tires to get to the lift hill

This shows the steepness a little bit

Interesting mount points for the catwalk too

I just love this photo!

Looks like the station golf theming doesn't fully match up on the right hand side?

My money is for it to open mid may

Hyperia Lift Hill Rises Into The Sky | Theme Park Guide

The time has come, the lift hill for Hyperia is finally being installed! The first two sections of the gold lift hill track were installed yesterday a

themeparkguide.co.uk

 

[George W]

Ah yes because comparing Icon to Nemesis is silly but comparing Nemesis to Hyperia is fine. It’s put on a pedestal like no ride I’ve ever seen before. It’s a fantastic ride, but it’s hard not to dislike it when enthusiasts act like it’s the best thing in existence

It's probably put on a pedestal because at the time nemesis was up there as one of if not the best ride in the entire world and it's a very nostalgic ride for many and is still going to be a cracking ride 30 years later.

Comparing it to hyperia in 2024, I think it is fair to say nemesis 30 years later might have finally met it's match with what will be quite likely the most well regarded UK coaster, however it won't have the same impact as nemesis in 1994 because will it even be a top 1 in Europe for lots of people? probably not, I'd say a top 10 contender though on a European scale.

 

[Ethan]

It's probably put on a pedestal because at the time nemesis was up there as one of if not the best ride in the entire world and it's a very nostalgic ride for many and is still going to be a cracking ride 30 years later.

Comparing it to hyperia in 2024, I think it is fair to say nemesis 30 years later might have finally met it's match with what will be quite likely the most well regarded UK coaster, however it won't have the same impact as nemesis in 1994 because will it even be a top 1 in Europe for lots of people? probably not, I'd say a top 10 contender though on a European scale.

So because Nemesis was the best in its time that means it’s better than a ride 10th best in a world full of coasters of significantly higher quality. Times have changed rides have got better it’s a lot harder to reach the same level

 

[AT86]

WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE A BLOODY COMPARISON BATTLE.

 

[Ethan]

WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE A BLOODY COMPARISON BATTLE.

It doesn’t. I pointed out it was great to see a ride of this quality being built in the UK and that we should be happy to see something this good in our country. Someone then said we’ve had similar quality in Nemesis before

 

[George W]

So because Nemesis was the best in its time that means it’s better than a ride 10th best in a world full of coasters of significantly higher quality. Times have changed rides have got better it’s a lot harder to reach the same level

Absolutely not, I just think that's probably the reasoning behind it, when I said it won't have the same impact as nemesis did in 1994 I just meant it's not going to be a big game changer for the entire theme park industry, it will however be sure to impress us all when it opens and be a very popular ride.

I've always backed hyperia though, when it first had a luke warm reception amongst enthusiasts I always thought just wait until it's being built or when it opens, I don't think many people are going to come off this thing disappointed but we'll find out soon enough.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Even similar Macks (DC Rivals for example) aren't raved about THAT much. Wonder how highly rated RtH would be without the spinning element.

The thing is though the spinning is absolutely integral to Ride To Happiness as it’s designed to have elements whereby as you rotate through them you almost lost track of which way is up or down.

Hyperia is built for speed and to be a massive thrill. Obviously the proof will be in the riding but I think there’s a chance that it could even end up actually exceeding our expectations. One of the small criticisms of DC Rivals is that the layout fizzles out a bit and perhaps it could have been a better ride by being a tad shorter. If Mack have taken note of that and have designed this to be the one big exhilarating rush from start to finish then it could be something very special indeed.

 

[Matt N]

That’s interesting. It could be partially because it’s not that heavily ridden by Western enthusiasts, but I’ve never heard anything other than excellent things about DC Rivals. I’ve heard some even refer to it as “one of the best coasters in the world”.

Even Flash and its clone, Hyper Coaster at Land of Legends, seem to get very positive reviews.

As others have said, one of the main critiques I’ve heard given about the two existing Mack hyper layouts is that they have a little too much “filler”. With Hyperia’s shorter layout that looks pretty jam-packed from start to finish, something tells me that it won’t be suffering from that particular problem, which means that it could be a very good ride indeed!

Part of me wonders whether the fact that the three existing Mack hypers are all in places that aren’t that heavily visited by Western enthusiasts affects their wider reputation within our circles. I think that low ridership among Western enthusiasts can affect a ride’s reputation in Western enthusiast circles in both ways.

On one hand, I think that a ride in, say, Asia or Australia might have a certain elusive or “exclusive” status that might make people elevate their expectations for it and think of it as more highly rated than it is. On the other hand, though, low ridership could also make a ride seem to have a more lukewarm reputation than it actually does.

With this in mind, I’m interested to see how Hyperia, as a Mack hyper in a more “pedestrian” location for Western enthusiasts, ends up being received in Western enthusiast circles.

 

[Benzin]

The Americans seem obsessed with it.

Possibly because there doesn't seem to be anything particularly exciting being built there this year though.

 

[TroySmith1]

As others has shown the lift hill is going in.

I don't know how steep it is but looks to be steeper than Oblivions?

Lots of drive tires to get to the lift hill

This shows the steepness a little bit

Interesting mount points for the catwalk too

I just love this photo!

Looks like the station golf theming doesn't fully match up on the right hand side?

My money is for it to open mid may

Hyperia Lift Hill Rises Into The Sky | Theme Park Guide

The time has come, the lift hill for Hyperia is finally being installed! The first two sections of the gold lift hill track were installed yesterday a

themeparkguide.co.uk

I’m scared


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Matt N]

I don't know how steep it is but looks to be steeper than Oblivions?

I can’t think of where I actually heard this, but I seem to remember seeing something stating that Hyperia’s lift angle was 47°.

It’s certainly steep, anyhow!

It actually looks to be coming along very well given that they only started building it a few days ago; I reckon the track could possibly be done by the end of the month!

 

[Ethan]

I can’t think of where I actually heard this, but I seem to remember seeing something stating that Hyperia’s lift angle was 47°.

It’s certainly steep, anyhow!

It actually looks to be coming along very well given that they only started building it a few days ago; I reckon the track could possibly be done by the end of the month!

By the time they’ve sorted landscaping and testing it won’t be open til May. They should’ve really aimed for it being open earlier than that. No one will visit in March and April if they can’t go on the new ride

 

[Matt N]

By the time they’ve sorted landscaping and testing it won’t be open til May. They should’ve really aimed for it being open earlier than that. No one will visit in March and April if they can’t go on the new ride

I think they originally did, but they’ve had a lot of headwinds to contend with. The fracas with the Environment Agency delayed the planning application’s approval for a good few months longer than Thorpe were originally hoping for, and we have had quite poor weather during summer 2023 and this winter as well.

And I also think that it could open a little sooner than you predict. If track is finished by the end of February and they start testing a couple of weeks later in March, then it may be able to open at the end of April. It may only need a month or so of testing depending on how they do it.

I think that the date on which Thorpe Park’s reduced price ticket offer ends, Friday 26th April, can’t be a coincidence…

In terms of how they’re going to get people to visit in March and April; it would appear that they’ve moved Mardi Gras to 29th March-14th April for this year. I actually think that this is quite a smart move on Thorpe Park’s part, as this will give people an incentive to visit before Hyperia opens.

 

[George W]

By the time they’ve sorted landscaping and testing it won’t be open til May. They should’ve really aimed for it being open earlier than that. No one will visit in March and April if they can’t go on the new ride

Probably why they were misleading the public into booking tickets with a hyperia advert that sent them to the booking page where they could book from opening day.

Seems like they've stopped that now and are selling tickets for £29 to entice people to come before hyperia is ready.

 

[Tom]

Don’t think they were deliberately misleading anyone. Major new rides opening in March is always the target for Merlin. It’s just taken them time to realise (reality) that they won’t achieve that this time.