Thorpe Park |"The Swarm"| B&M Wing Coaster

[Mark]

Guys, I seriously wouldn't place any stock in the 'layout' we saw on the MTDPs and all that. Those layouts are only ever put in place to give a rough idea of the size and scale of the thing with the finer details being ironed out and confirmed in full planning applications. EG. Stealth was originally shown as having Xcelerators (KBF) layout on the MTDP of the time...

The layout itself is something I don't think anyone can really speculate on until the planning permission is up and then there will be very little reason to specualte

 

[MouseAT]

And yet, you forget Air - the last prototype B&M made for them.

You mean the ride type with a significantly more complex train design, requiring a more complex restraint system, along with a means of actually lifting the train into position in the station and locking it into place? There's certainly room for stuff to go wrong there.

What's so special about the wing rider, really? It's a standard train that just happens to have seats mounted on the side rather than above the track and a fairly standard restraint system that shouldn't significantly differ from anything else they've built. Mechanically it shouldn't be much different from their other sit down coasters, most of which are phenominally reliable, so what's there to break?

I'll concede that the track layout and heartlining will need to be different for a wing rider, and that is new territory for B&M, but this is a company with a reputation for doing their homework. I can't see them messing up the maths on this.

 

[Ethan]

agreed, but maybe it's a Raptor at Garda, mixed with a stand up, so it would be a stand up wing-rider thing...i don't know...

and please don't have a go at me becasue of my ideas..

 

[furie]

It doesn't really matter how complex a prototype is, or what Merlin's experience with them is (in terms of B&M or Intamin (though it could be argued Merlin has had no dealings with B&M prior to this season)).

Current evidence is that it is a new form of ride type/style not seen before. Until any other evidence comes to light, we have to assume that this is the case.

As it stands, Thorpe Park are getting a prototype or new coaster design off B&M. All question of their relationship with manufacturers and experience of prototype rides is utterly moot.

 

[andrus]

Isn't this already confirmed, or at least semi-comfirmed, to be a 4D/wing walker design? I am quite certain that it has been stated both in an interview with john wardley and in the "three B&M deal" topic that said Heide would get a DM and Gardaland and Thorpe a wing walker/4D each, and so far those rumors have been correct.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Given the height of this is no where near what it was on the MTDP, I'd say that stock layout isn't indicative of what the ride will turn out like. However, why would they have made that mock layout when all the others on that plan were stand-ins by existing coasters? So maybe it does tell us something, or maybe it was an idea that was scrapped.

I recon it'll be the same ride type as X-Raptor, just because it makes sense, but it hasn't been confirmed by Wardley to my knowledge that it is. Wardley said he's working with B&M again and he's working with Heide, Gardaland and Thorpe. Heide and Gardaland have received their B&Ms, both different ride types and both (technically?) world's firsts of their kind.

I think it's interesting that even though it's no where near the 170ft height marked on the MTDP, 130 is still pretty damn big, and X-Raptor isn't very tall at all.

Regardless, it's a ****ing B&M... Which means it's going to be decent no matter what Thorpe do to it,

 

[neo]

The MTDP plan was just an outline. It shows where the previously discussed high-point and station building zones are located. After that, Merlin can pretty much do whatever it likes providing those boundaries are obeyed.

 

[Inverse]

Just on the MTDP argument:

The MTDP showed two coaster sites. The one you're all debating stated a coaster height of 50m. The other site said it's hold a coaster of 40m. That's the height stated on the Press Release. Maybe we're all looking at the wrong site?

I can see an argument that the nuclear blast image was approximately in the location of site 1. But we don't know if that's official. Even if it were it could be said that site 2 (nearer the front of the park if I recall correctly) could look to the right of stealth from most angles. Plus maybe they released that image before knowing which site they were going to use. It's possible they wanted the 50m site but knew the council would reject so are now looking at site 2.

 

[Ian]

I'm going to add to the speculation (sorry, UC ).

In the little amount of email correspondence I've had with the park about this ride, they referred to it as "LC12".

Now, could that mean "Looping Coaster for 2012" or code for "Looping Coaster 12" as in 12 inversions? It's probably not the latter because that would require a HUGE footprint, particularly with a B&M.

A lovely nugget for fanboys to cream over.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

^ Ugh if it were, they need to stop with their looping coaster crap. Colossus is pooooo.

Seriously though, everyone hates on Thorpe, but from the perspective of myself, who went there with an open mind rather than assuming it would be crap just because of what everyone says, I actually found nothing wrong with it, and this addition will just add to it. The coasters are decent, it's not a hideous park by any means (aside from the bit where they're doing construction near X:NWO but that's to be expected), and there was enough to do to last the day. The flat rides also all seemed decent, besides Rush which just sucked.

But yeah, a B&M will only make it better . I agree with the Wing Rider speculation, too.

 

[bezzzzzer]

Knowing the trend with coaster prototype names (such as X-Raptor becoming Raptor, Project Rita becoming Rita, Project Stealth becoming Project Stealth) this coaster will probably end up being called LC. Or 12. Take your pick.

I'm doubtful the name has any relevance to the coaster, and I await to be corrected.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

Well Project Dylan didn't turn out to be called Dylan. It was later named 'Saw'.

 

[MouseAT]

Seriously though, everyone hates on Thorpe, but from the perspective of myself, who went there with an open mind rather than assuming it would be crap just because of what everyone says, I actually found nothing wrong with it.

That's because you caught it on a good day. The operations seem to have been better in 2010 than in previous years. Try going on a day when one of the major rides is down all day, and half the rides on park have downtime. Trust me - in previous years, that was the norm. That's where my complaints came from.

Credit where credit's due - I actually like most of the rides at Thorpe and have no real problem with the park itself - just with the clientele and with the abysmal operations that STILL aren't as good as they should be.

 

[AJ]

Well Project Dylan didn't turn out to be called Dylan. It was later named 'Saw'.

Nor did Project Odyssey or Project Calypso.....

 

[bob_3_]

I wonder if they'll have to paint the lift hill white. Stealth (I presume the reason it got it's name!) has the colour scheme it does, so that the white blends into the sky. This will be the only other ride in the park that breaks the 100ft barrier. Only by 30ft I guess, but yunno what UK planning is like..

 

[AJ]

I'm sure it'll be able to be whatever colour they choose.

Stealth you only see in the sky every so often, this will be a permanent slow moving train up a lift hill (i assume). Therefore it wouldn't really make a difference if it was white or if it was blue, you're gonna see a train on it longer then Stealth's Tophat, that's 75ft higher?

 

[Ollie]

Just went on Thorpe's website and saw this.
Why are they advertising the ride already?

Edit: Oh it's gone back to Storm Surge now. How odd. :?

 

[kir]

WHAAAAAT?! TP are getting a 12 looping 4D coaster from B&M?! I might just become an enthusiast again!

 

[Ben]

Why are they counting down to the start of the year as well? I think 2012 is going to play into the theme more than we realise.

 

[Martyn B]

Why are they advertising the ride already?

The sooner they advertise, the sooner the hype starts...