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Paultons | Raptor/FotP | Vekoma Junior Boomerang/SFC

Dave

CF Legend
Wow it looks really really impressive, the rock landscaping around the suspended ride is amazing. That swooping turn over the shop will really wow the kids when they see it.

Lovely to see my 'home' park I grew up at flourish!
 

Mysterious Sue

Strata Poster
'Template Heights', 'underslung coaster'...was someone drunk when they wrote this pr?
But yeah, good job Paultons. It says something when the UK opening I'm most excited about this year is a kiddy area.

They have a ride called Boulder Dash ffs! And you can sit in a dino egg or a rock!!!

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Sandman

Giga Poster
I sincerely wish Paultons the best of luck with their next few seasons. They just seem to be doing everything right, and they sound like such a humble company. This new area looks grand, and I hope I'll get a visit in come end of summer.
 

Ian

From CoasterForce
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
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What I love about Paultons is they are comfortable with who they are. They're not trying to please everybody by one minute promoting themselves as a family park, then a thrill seekers the next. They know they are for families with young kids, but are happy to embrace enthusiasts and thrill seekers.

I was lucky enough to have a construction tour today. I took photos. Here they are with some words. (Sorry about the little black corner in every photo, new case for phone.)

This little building has been built around the big coaster's support so it can be inspected. Yep, instead of leaving a naked support in the middle of the area, they've put a building around it.
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They were finishing off Flight of the Pterosaur's tunnel above the station when I was there. Didn't get any photos because it's all chicken wire and girders at the moment. But here's an image of it's helix in a little enclosed area.
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The rock work around the coaster (and on the various buildings) was being hand painted during my tour. What I particularly loved is that it's not all beige. Some parts are beige but some are red, some are yellow...grey...it looks good!
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More rock work covering supports. This is quite cunning as it is part of the queue line so the trains will be trundling above waiting riders.
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And further in the queue line is a tunnel. And in that tunnel is a hole that offers a well position view. Brilliant!
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Of course there is the other cred, Velociraptor. Name was change for the sake of it. Apparently it has been testing and staff have been on it.
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It's a Cred in a Shed. Well, box. The station is themed to a crate that the Velociraptor has broken from. The queue line has velioiraptors throughout and is almost mazy. Again, it queues around the ride area.
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The photos don't really show how close the two coaster are to one another. I reckon they'll be a sweet spot to stand to get some great action shots.
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The Flying Frog, now called Dino Chase, has had a repaint and some planting. Looking good!
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Here's an exclusive for you, the trains arrived today and I went walked on uneven muddy ground to bring you this image! The Camp Frog is dead, Long Live the Camp Dino.
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Here's where the Dino meet and greets/shows will take place. I was offered a chance to see the changing rooms but I didn't want to spoil the magic.
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What I did spot was the lights in the show area were themed. I love that sort of detail. I'm also expecting themed bins when the area is complete. (If you're reading this, Paultons, themed bins. Got it?)
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The Magic Carpet has had a lick of paint.
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There are some BIG dinosaurs about. They'll move, growl, roar etc. I was told that the rides and the new area will have it's own music scores. Sorry, Imascore fanboys, they have been made by a local composer.
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There's a token young children's play area. I'm glad Paultons put these in, because it gives the little little ones when the bigger little ones are riding the bigger rides. There's a fossil sandpit where we can leave Mysterious Sue all day.
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There were a few other bits and bobs, including a massive gift shop and food places, but I didn't take any photos of them - have to save something for the media day in early May! - but I was rather taken by the Dino Tours track ride. The plants, anamatronic dinosaurs, water effects, the crashed plane, the tunnel where scary (for kids) stuff will happen and the fact that the vehicles colours come in three varying types of 'weathering' really impressed me. Have a some pics!
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So until May, that's the last photo update I'll be doing. I've been lucky to see Lost Kingdom from when it was a concept, shortly after ground breaking right up to this point. I'm exciting about visiting when it's finished, to see everything moving, making noises, watching people on the rides, to really see it come alive.

And yes, we will be doing something special when we visit for the CF-Live in June.

Last image. (Note the non-themed bin!)
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Dave

CF Legend
Excellent update Ian, it's certainly coming together nicely! Love what you said about the ride interacting with the queue and getting the young visitors excited, excactly what the queue is for! Not a cattle pen to force everyone into (like Merlin does)
 

cjbrandy

Hyper Poster
The attention to detail is amazing, you can't ask for more. This park is really going to beome a major key in the UK and I look forward to seeing what they do in future expansions.
 

TheCoasterCruiser

Giga Poster
Great update, thank you.
I hope this will be a success and hopefully show the bigger UK parks that it doesn't all have to be a gimmick and additions like this can go a long way.
 

Jamesss

Hyper Poster
So glad Paulton's are having a really good crack at theming now. More developments like this and they'll surely be one the top UK family parks in the coming years.
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
Looks fab! I'm visiting just before the end of May bank holiday (sadly a week before the CF Live) and really looking forward to it.
 

Shirofukurou

Mega Poster
This looks so nice, I'm glad smaller parks like Paultons are investing in high quality theming in the area. Though the boomerang's color scheme looks a little more Barney than Jurassic Park to me.
 

SaiyanHajime

CF Legend
Other than the off the shelf fibreglass dinosaurs, this looks outstanding.

That window in the queue tunnel is just... That's just great? Such a simple but brilliant idea. Ventilation for the people queueing, a break in scenery and a way to brew excitement for the ride. So good.

Anyone know who the design company is? (Ian?) I believe RockArt is the sculptor?

The dinosaurs are a terrible mistake, though. Them being static means they just look like scenery and not animals and stand out like a sore thumb against the beautifully sculpted scenery. I'd have preferred no static dinosaurs in place of just having sound fx, or maybe a simple rustling bush animation would have been really cool. Not to mention all the dinosaurs are so scientifically out of date it's painful, but that's a lesser issue. I complained the same of static animals with the Gringott's dragon. Just looks daft.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
 

Zac

Roller Poster
Joey said:
Other than the off the shelf fibreglass dinosaurs, this looks outstanding.

That window in the queue tunnel is just... That's just great? Such a simple but brilliant idea. Ventilation for the people queueing, a break in scenery and a way to brew excitement for the ride. So good.

Anyone know who the design company is? (Ian?) I believe RockArt is the sculptor?

The dinosaurs are a terrible mistake, though. Them being static means they just look like scenery and not animals and stand out like a sore thumb against the beautifully sculpted scenery. I'd have preferred no static dinosaurs in place of just having sound fx, or maybe a simple rustling bush animation would have been really cool. Not to mention all the dinosaurs are so scientifically out of date it's painful, but that's a lesser issue. I complained the same of static animals with the Gringott's dragon. Just looks daft.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
They do move around and look alot better in some photos than others. This video shows the animatronic dinos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3D1emFS1IQ .
 
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