Shockwave

I loved Flamingoland back in the day before all the new generation of rides. The Bullet And Magnum Force were incredible. The Bembom Brothers/Dreamland brochure makes me quite curious to see how the place was before its recent difficulties, especially back in the early 1990s. I visited in 2004 after a lot of the rides had departed, and the Scenic Railway was pretty much the only thing of note. Like a lot of seaside resorts, Margate had seen better days since the proliferation of cheap flights to Europe.

1984.

Here's a few from my early years. 1 Hour Old. Mum, stop squeezing me! No chocolate. Honest.

It was a nice little park. Nothing spectacular but it was a quirky place to hang out for a couple of hours. I'll miss the dark ride!

I think those two will be sticking around for some while, they are the centerpiece of the amusement area. Thunder Dolphin looks really cool, especially lit up at night, but it doesn't quite go as good as it looks. Still not a bad ride by any means though.

I went this a year ago and had a lot of fun. Makes me quite tempted to go back and try it again in a couple of years time!

Paul: The Ride is going to be amazing.

No big loss really. It was pretty terrible!

^^According to the website, the park will open on 4th November at 12 noon. ^There will be a number of reasons for the use of lapbars. Passenger comfort and safety is just one, but other factors such as the physics involved in the ride itself, the cost, reccomendation from the designers/manufacturers/consultants, and so forth will result in a decison as to what restraint sytem is used and why.

Nice to see this is all coming along very well. Touch wood I'll be getting a chance to go there when it opens next year!

Nice photos! I love quirky rides like this. I remember seeing this on RCDB's random roller coaster button ages ago, and I'd love to give it a try someday. Tray, meet track!

^A holiday lodge in Coatbridge? Govan? Kirkcaldy?

It was a nice little park, but it didn't really stand out or try to make itself different. The Danish parks such as Djurs or Farup have a wide variety of activities contained within them to keep people entertained for a day. Loudoun and M&Ds are not places which have pulling power to make them worth going to for more than a few hours (or minutes with the latter of those two places). I am interested to see how the Landmark park up at Carrbridge develops, as that comes across as if they are trying to do something a bit different to get families to spend a whole day out there. I couldn't see it developing into a Djurs or a Farup, but certainly somewhere that's more enjoyable than Loudoun or M&Ds could ever be. Whenever I've been to Blackpool around the start of the Scottish school summer holidays, there's always plenty who've made the journey down from Scotland.

I finally got on Thirteen on Thursday when I went to Alton Towers with a couple of mates. The ride itself was a lot of fun, but I have to agree with the sentiment expressed by those who thought the theme and marketing were completely unbalanced and dare I say inappropriate for the ride. And whilst I wasn't expecting Hollywood-esque production values, even a couple of smoke machines at the low points of the track could make the ride that bit more intimidating. At Halloween, it'll be a much better experience in the dark, but in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't make up the rest of year. And here's some sacrelige - I honestly preferred the area when Ugland was there! And I never thought I'd say that.

According to the bulletin, until the first test has taken place, the ride cannot operate. Once the first test is complete, if there are defects found, the ride won't be able to operate until a short term fix has been carried out. If no faults are found, the test needs to be carried out very 3 weeks or 200 operating hours, whichever comes first, to further determine whether any faults have occurred. The permanent fix is estimated to be ready in 2-3 months time.

Saw Craig Charles of Red Dwarf fame whilst I was filling up last night. Craig Charles as Dave Lister in Red Dwarf, a cult sci-fi comedy (pictured left).

Some shots from Saturday and Friday night. Two of Polly's best customers. My new work buddy! Rockin' the decks at Sound Control.

That ride holds 40 people, so they have with one train full. One of my mates went down there and did that, he's a braver man than I am!

This website could do with a few more vuvuzelas. http://www.vuvuzela-time.co.uk/www.themeparkreview.com

Funny how Drogba's actually injured this time, instead of faking it like he usually does. But that aside, I agree Ivory Coast will miss him big time if he doesn't get to appear. Add Brad Jones (Australian goalkeeper) to that list. He's gone back home due to a family illness. John Obi Mikel (Nigeria midfielder) is also out with a knee injury. That's a big miss for them, he's pretty much their best player.

Got the bottom half of my arm done the other week.

Voted earlier on. My bet is a hung parliament (no one party securing a majority), with another election not too far down the line.

^^You've only yourself to blame for any grief from England fans in London. And the Algerians. And the Slovenians.

It's a very odd ride. Looks much more intense than it really is. If this ride was sold on sheer excitement alone, I can see why this is the only one ever built. But the maintenance issues sound like they provide a better reason.

Great report Divv! At least Andrew didn't have to suffer the Corkscrew of Pending Lawsuit on Tornado. I'm praying that random Inverness credit is powered. Codona's nearly killed me last time! If it is a proper coaster, I'll be well up for a road trip to go for it!