thedazza

I think they probably go for the ramshackled/abandoned theme to save money on upkeep. As it's theme is already an old abandoned building they won't need to do any maintenance work on the outside of the building. The older it gets the more ramshackled it will become, and that will just add to the theme.

I think it fits it fine, as contrary to popular belief Nemesis' track is actually supposed to be a bone-like exoskeleton, not metal. It's the supports that are the metal that restrains the monster.

Haven't seen this posted here so thought I would share it with you. Fans of Hex at Alton Towers may find this interesting. When Hex originally opened it was a bit different to what it is now. The ride hardware was the same as it is now, and the storyline was basically the same as it is now, although the way the story was told and the actual experience was rather different. Hex opened at the beginning of the 2000 season but due to poor reviews closed for improvements part way into the season, much like Nemesis: Sub-Terra did when that opened. The British Dark Rides project have released the original film that was shown at the beginning of the ride, as well as an audio mix of the full original ride experience. Here is the original full audio mix. https://soundcloud.com/electricblll/hex-original-audio-mix The original cinema show video. [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/153953338[/vimeo] Here is the cinema show video that is shown now. Thought some of you may find it interesting, just a shame Hex will be SBNO this season.

Mandy's tweeted that there's no new ride next year but she has said that a new ride would interact with the new bridge over the the lake! Nick said in the interview that construction work had begun and would take 18 months, that would mean the beginning of 2017 season. And Amanda posted a tweet about how nice the weather was in Blackpool and that she didn't need to wear wellies and a Mack. Which I think wasn't a typo but a big hint as to who the manufacturer is.

I think the reason for that is because most enthusiasts are dumb and terrified of change. I have all the respect in that world for Amanda because she isn't afraid to change things up and do what she believes is best for the park and her family legacy. The park does have a surprising amount of room left to install new attractions when you think about it. There is this new area, the area behind Infusion, fountain garden by Ice Blast and if they removed Grand Prix there would be a huge amount of space. Apparently Grand Prix is being removed to fit the new coaster in. And if the coaster is a Mack launch/multi launch that has been rumoured then that will certainly help her popularity with enthusiasts.

I agree about Blackpool with how much they have done to tidy it up and am really looking forward to their new coaster next year (hopefully). Although it was recently voted the 6th best park in the world, so can't be that underrated.

Did they run out of black paint when it came to that turn or is there a story as to why only those supports are yellow, as well as the full turn being yellow as opposed to alternating colours?

I doubt that will happen due to the amount of modifications Rameses has had over the years. On another note Alton Towers released this teaser video yesterday which confirmed to me that Air will have its name changed to "Space" and thats the whole update! [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] I think the name is more likely to be "Galactica" seeing as Merlin have trademarked that name, and yes VR seems very likely.

Looks like a beyond vertical drop. And a weird zero g/wave turn hybrid element. As well as other craziness.

That is just for the pull through to check the clearances.

The sky coaster at blackpool is quite cool, it's on the edge of the pier so you swing out over the sea. But of the 3 bungee jumping is definitely the best.

Well today wasn't the day but looks like it will be open at some point this week.

Rumour has it that The Smiler will re-open tomorrow. Hopefully these rumours are true.

I don't really get why this irks so many people so badly... you obviously know what they mean, just let it go. Did you even bother reading the rest of the post. They had just got off Rougaru, which was Mantis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S4sE2LImck Edit: Sorry just seen it's already been posted, will leave it here anyway. Delete this post if you want to.

It's LTCI (Leisure Technical Consultants Limited) that have been testing the ride, apparantly this is an independant company that check all the rides after their winter maintenance to make sure they are ok to be opened to the public. So nothing to do with HSE. Also Rattlesnake at chessington world of adventures, which has also been closed since the Smiler accident, re-opened today. So I would say The Smiler re-opening is imminent, I personally wouldn't be surprised to see it open at some point this week, if not then definitely before the end of the month.

I think the idea is most likely to get it open before scarefest, as you say re-opening it during scarefest would probably be in poor taste. The media are going to be all over it once it opens, and even the slightest bit of "normal" downtime will be reported as being another major incident so it would be best if they could get all of the negative press out of the way this year and have a fresh start next season. That will hopefully give a bit of closure to the whole incident, and that would make it a bit easier when submitting the plans for SW8 later this year without having too much bad press about them.

Great news! They're replying to people on facebook asking about the testing with this quote: Does this mean the testing recently seen is still to do with the investigation or is it just standard we don't want to confirm anything just yet PR? There have been some new safety features features fitted over the last week, extra sensors and a box on the fence where the batwing is, which I assume is to confirm visual checks of the area before the ride is restarted after a breakdown. They may be running it with HSE to show them the new features in action. But I think if they weren't planning on getting it open again this year then all of this could have been done in the close season. Also they aren't going to confirm anything just yet, and ofcourse are cooperating with the HSE investigation and will continue to do so until their report is released, but I don't think that should be far off now.

The Smiler is testing today, looks like it should be re-opening soon.

Yes there is a fair bit of room near infusion, roller coaster and the big one area, certainly enough for a decent sized launch coaster to weave it's way around the existing rides in the area.

I would absolutely love a megalite in the UK but blackpool don't have room for one unless it was a custom layout. I think most likely is either an RMC conversion, or Mack Launch.

Blackpool could do with a decent launch coaster, also I would love it if Grand National got an RMC makeover. As RMC have just started making launches it could kill 2 birds with one stone. They could make it similar to Twisted Colossus, but with launched lifts like Lightning Rod.

So, they could be going head to head with an Alton Towers Secret Weapon with a big new ride (most likely a coaster), if they are teasing it already then it is likely to be something big. Last time they went head to head like this we got Nemesis and The Pepsi Max Big One. Could the year Alton Towers finally build a woodie also be the year Blackpool finally build "The Bigger One"?