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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

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Matt N said:
I’ve got a question; if this were to be a cost-saving measure, why do you think they wouldn’t they have done it when Loggers closed back in 2015? Surely it would have made sense to cordon off that entire area in one hit, not least because it would have saved more money?
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I'm not sure but I did here that on of the directors down at Thorpe at the time wanted the park to be more family based and removing the only family area wasn't what they wanted. Also when Loggers closed I believe the park was under the impression they would be re-opening it with a refurbishment. But to be honest I don't know and I'm guessing.
 
I believe the budget that was allocated for the refurbishment of Loggers was instead thrown at DBGT in 2017 to try and overcome the issues it had/has.

In terms of closing off Old Town, it may well be that a planning application is imminent for this area, I can’t see them spending much money on preparations (such as this landscaping work around Loggers) if they haven’t secured planning for any new ride.
 
I would expect that Old Town has been closed for a retheme. When we return to The Island Like No other,I expect there will be a new Family area.

As Thorpe are relocating the mechanical elements to Chessington,it would not be unrealistic to think that Rocky Express may be transferred. Back in 2005 Thorpe relocated Eclipse (Peeking Hights) to Chessy. As Rocky Express has recently had a refurbishment,I am expecting Chessington’s new ride for 2021 to be Rocky Express. If this doesn’t happen,I think elements of the ride will be used on Seastorm a similar ride which has also closed.
 
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Prof Burp said:
As Thorpe are relocating the mechanical elements to Chessington,it would not be unrealistic to think that Rocky Express may be transferred. Back in 2005 Thorpe relocated Eclipse (Peeking Hights) to Chessy. As Rocky Express has recently had a refurbishment,I am expecting Chessington’s new ride for 2021 to be Rocky Express. If this doesn’t happen,I think elements of the ride will be used on Seastorm a similar ride which has also closed.
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I severely doubt they are sending the rusty, worn and weathered mechanical parts of Logger's Leap to Chessington. As others have said, Tiger Rock's parts were up upgraded during it's re-theme, so there's no reason why they need Loggers Leap's old parts. Those will most likely be headed for the scrap heap.
 
Has there been anything (other than baseless speculation) to suggest the 2 zamperla rides in Old Town are also closing?
 
John said:
Has there been anything (other than baseless speculation) to suggest the 2 zamperla rides in Old Town are also closing?
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Thorpe have only confirmed the closure of Rocky Express, so I think the others are safe for now.
 
AT86 said:
I believe the budget that was allocated for the refurbishment of Loggers was instead thrown at DBGT in 2017 to try and overcome the issues it had/has.
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Great, another reason why I hate Derren Brown's white elephant :rolleyes:

I'm actually sad that Rocky Express is closing (partly because it's the best train themed ride in the park), but now as others have said, the place barely has anything to do for kids and has been a huge issue for a while. The most stupid move perhaps in the park's 42 year history was retheming X to Walking Dead and upping the height limit just 5 years after it's refurb to reduce it. The park hasn't got a clue what to do and hasn't for the past 10 years. It's embarrassing, especially considering Chessie has big plans and Towers have gotten back on their feet since Wicker Man.

If the park gets a B&M Hyper or a RMC, then great. But that would just be papering over the cracks.
 
I would also say that going with a VR based attraction was a very stupid move for the park. They could have built a far better tracked dark ride and made something more family friendly for teenagers and their parents rather than another horror attraction that barely functions.
 
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jon81uk said:
I would also say that going with a VR based attraction was a very stupid move for the park. They could have built a far better tracked dark ride and made something more family friendly for teenagers and their parents rather than another horror attraction that barely functions.
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I think it's easier to say that with hindsight, I know the final product isn't great, but there's some pretty great parts to it. It's a swing and a miss. I do think that in this industry you sometimes have to roll the dice.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
 
Rick said:
I think it's easier to say that with hindsight, I know the final product isn't great, but there's some pretty great parts to it. It's a swing and a miss. I do think that in this industry you sometimes have to roll the dice.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
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But the other issue was that if they remove the VR headsets then it’s really just a train simulator, most other attractions that have had VR can at least be repurposed if the headset tech dies off.
 
jon81uk said:
But the other issue was that if they remove the VR headsets then it’s really just a train simulator, most other attractions that have had VR can at least be repurposed if the headset tech dies off.
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Right, but again, hindsight ... it was designed to run with VR. That's literally the point of it.
 
Rick said:
Right, but again, hindsight ... it was designed to run with VR. That's literally the point of it.
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Yeah if the VR fails then the ride system is useless. The fact that there are red and green lights in the carriage to tell the staff when certain scenes are playing on the headsets is more than enough evidence that it was designed specifically to work exclusively with VR.
 
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Rick said:
Right, but again, hindsight ... it was designed to run with VR. That's literally the point of it.
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But my point was also it’s poor future planning for an investment as it is hard to re-use.
Gruffalo is now the third version of that boat ride, Duel is a retheme and now almost 30 years old, the boat ride at AT has been through four versions now.
Yes they could probably use a new video on the VR but once that tech isn’t going well it’s not easy to repurpose and doesn’t feel like it has a significant life span like coasters do.
It’s the short term planning not the hindsight of a poor attraction.
 
I not been to Thorpe since 2011 waiting for my daughter to hit 1.4. Im surprised that they still got lots of areas aimed at young kids with the beach/pool and slides, Flying fish and depth charge. Old town area only good for the Halloween event. There’s 2 areas that could be used for the next 2 big projects.
 
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