Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Thorpe Park | Hyperia | Mack Hyper Coaster | 2024

Matt N said:
I'll admit that that alternative proposal is more what I personally had in mind for this project (as many of you know, I was a keen advocate for a B&M Hyper during the rumour stage), but the jury's out on whether it would have been more well received than the Exodus we got. It's hard to tell what it would have been like from an overhead view, even though you can get some ideas.
Click to expand...
If we didn't know what the other options were, I think a B&M hyper would be received pretty well would be received really well. A straight-up airtime focused coaster is something Thorpe (hell, you could probably even say the UK as a whole) lacks, and with how highly regarded the new-gen hypers are (Candy, Mako), I think it would go down well.

If, in that alternative timeline, we did find out they turned down the Mack for a B&M hyper, there would be hell to pay.
 
On a more general note, though; good to finally have this locked into a full planning application!

I've got to say, I have personally warmed to this coaster a fair amount since it was first unveiled. I was initially a bit skeptical, as I'll admit that I was a big advocate for a more airtime-focused ride during the rumour stage (you'd have heard "B&M Hyper" come out of my mouth a lot...), but having let the layout sink in a bit, I actually think it's an excellent-looking layout with some really great-looking elements, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to riding! Some particular highlights of mine include the drop and the overbank into an inversion, but to be honest, most of the elements look really fun! Yes, this probably won't win any awards for the most airtime on earth or anything (while I'm sure Exodus will have some airtime, and some quite strong airtime at that, it doesn't look to have an overtly airtime-focused layout; I think the airtime will be more sprinkled in there as a side dish alongside other types of forces as opposed to being the main focus of the ride like some were perhaps hoping for), but it looks like a really fun, unique layout in my opinion, and certainly a phenomenal use of the space and Merlin's limited budget given the presumed brief (tall with lots of high elements)!

Bring on 2024; I can't wait to ride Exodus!
 
Sorry to double post, but I decided to have a bash at building the alternative layout in Planet Coaster, if anyone's interested. Here's what I came up with based on what Thorpe have provided:
For some idea, this ride is 236ft/72m tall, the exact same height as Exodus. It hits 82mph/132kph, has 4,446ft/1,355m of track, and has 2 trains with 7 cars/28 riders. I managed to get 4 airtime hills in there (2 big camelbacks, 2 lower hills), alongside a hammerhead turn, a mini version of Mako's turnaround, a mini treble clef, and what I guess you could call a mini hammerhead (of sorts).

I apologise for some slightly off profiling in places (I smoothed the hell out of it, but some parts wouldn't budge), but I hope that gives you all a basic idea of what it could have been like. If you're wondering why I varied the colour scheme in places, it's because the planning application mentioned the high points being painted light colours, so I did a bit of a Stealth on anything above about 80ft, as the application mentions.

I hope you find this interesting!
 
Matt N said:
Sorry to double post, but I decided to have a bash at building the alternative layout in Planet Coaster, if anyone's interested. Here's what I came up with based on what Thorpe have provided:
For some idea, this ride is 236ft/72m tall, the exact same height as Exodus. It hits 82mph/132kph, has 4,446ft/1,355m of track, and has 2 trains with 7 cars/28 riders. I managed to get 4 airtime hills in there (2 big camelbacks, 2 lower hills), alongside a hammerhead turn, a mini version of Mako's turnaround, a mini treble clef, and what I guess you could call a mini hammerhead (of sorts).

I apologise for some slightly off profiling in places (I smoothed the hell out of it, but some parts wouldn't budge), but I hope that gives you all a basic idea of what it could have been like. If you're wondering why I varied the colour scheme in places, it's because the planning application mentioned the high points being painted light colours, so I did a bit of a Stealth on anything above about 80ft, as the application mentions.

I hope you find this interesting!
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I imagined when I saw the top down...

No thanks, pleased they went with something a little more adventurous and a whole lot more original.

JoshC. said:
I know this is part in joke, but as the curly fries stand is being ripped out anyway, I don't think it's that ;)

-Project cost is estimated to be about £18m
Click to expand...
Yes it was a joke :)

I think that's good value, considering some of the prices 'apparently' paid in the UK lately. Not much more than Wicker Man.

Also... Seems public access has been removed from the planning files at the moment, site was running very slow earlier so probably just temporary.
 
Howie said:
Given how long Thorpe thoosies have been publicly clamouring for a B&M hyper - we're talking years here - I'd guess it was the sheer momentum behind that particular rumour that prompted park management to consider it in the first place, rather than a leaked plan starting the rumour.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I remember watching NoLimits concepts of a B&M hyper coaster replacement for Loggers as far back as early 2016, so today's revelation that they were even involved at one point has had me in stitches.
 
^... I truly believe anyone saying this is just upset their prediction was wrong lol. I'm excited to see the mental gymnastics some will perform to justify it being too intense after they get off of their first ride on it! For a group of enthusiasts who is so unbelievably desperate for a new coaster I would have assumed a hyper with a beyond vertical twisting drop, a ginormous outerbank with a roll exiting it(!!), a dive loop with nearly a full on zero g stall at its entrance, a layout where *unironically* every element on the layout has a direct focus on airtime or hangtime, and built by a manufacturer that has consistently been building more and more intense rides over time, would have been a pipe dream for them! But I guess I was wrong :/ Let's pick it up and give it to a park where it would actually be appreciated and let y'all have diet Shambhala lol
 
I think whether the other hypothetical layout would have been stronger than Exodus is difficult to tell, simply because it was never built (and Exodus hasn’t been built yet, either… I think we still can’t conclude quite how Exodus will ride). The top-down view gives little away; yes, it could have been a straight airtime hill-type layout like I built, but it might not have been. One of the hills could have been a big outerbank or something. Or that whole length might just have been straight track. My point is that we don’t really know.

On the one hand, the other layout is more what I personally had in mind during the planning process. I think a big airtime machine like that would have gone down really well. I do think it would perhaps have filled a void within the UK and Thorpe more than Exodus appears to (non-inverting airtime machine is something the UK as a whole lacks, and Thorpe lacks a non-inverting thrill coaster of any substantial length; their only current one is Stealth, which is over in less than 10 seconds), and I do think the tried and tested, fairly appealing nature of a B&M Hyper might have been nice to depend upon after the slight wildcard of DBGT. It’s quite hard to go wrong with a B&M Hyper, and they have fairly universal appeal.

On the other hand, however; I’m at peace with the fact that we’re not getting a B&M Hyper. Exodus looks like it could be a great ride, even if it doesn’t appear to have an overt airtime focus like a B&M Hyper might have, and it’s certainly very unique and novel; it’s grown on me a lot, and I think it could ride well… I was initially skeptical, but having had a few months looking at the layout upon closer inspection, I think Exodus looks like it could be excellent, and I can’t wait to ride it! Not to mention, it’s totally unique; rightly or wrongly, one thing often said about Merlin coasters is that they’re stunted versions of ride types already done better abroad, and that’s something you certainly can’t say about Exodus. As much as other Mack hypers exist, Exodus is a totally different proposition to any of the existing ones. With a B&M Hyper on the other hand; anything vaguely sub-par would have drawn unflattering comparisons with Silver Star, Shambhala, Mako et al.

I’ve never known a new ride divide opinion quite as much as this… you either seem completely amazed by it or completely non-plussed by it, with little in between! Let’s hope the skeptics are won over when Exodus opens and we see how it rides, because I think we could be in for a treat!
 
Last edited:
Yea definitely softens the blow of missing out on the B&M hyper seeing that rather dull looking layout.

Definitely rather Exodus over that.
 
I've gone from size length queen disappointment to actually feeling quite excited about this. Even though it is short, it's gonna be wild and we need that in the UK. It actually looks like they've designed this with the intention of it simply being a good coaster. I did not think this would ever happen at a Merlin park. I'd be optimistic that this was the start of a new era for them if Chessington weren't about to get a coaster consisting of two left turns and a barrel roll. Baby steps!
 
To me, the length really doesn't matter. It's more about quality, not quantity. Every element on this looks like it will deliver some great moments of either airtime or hangtime. And that first drop....dang!

Also, it's worth noting that as the train crests the top of the lift hill, it'll only be roughly 8 seconds shorter than Zadra 😂 (I know they're two totally different ride types, but similar in that they can pack a punch in such a short time)
 
A twitter account has posted an aerial show showing work has started on what looks to be a construction access road.

PSA - Don't fly drones over theme parks. tp.jpg Source
 
I managed to work out that the coaster will likely have a similar 4-block setup to Wicker Man and should be able to run 3 trains if a variable-speed lift hill is used (which the other Mack hypers have anyway). So I don't have to re-write what I have already written on Discord, I'll just post the screenshots of my evidence here:-

Screenshot_20220315-132303.png
Screenshot_20220315-132314.png

And here is the likely block zone setup, courtesy of ElToroRyan:-
Exodus Blocks (ElToroRyan).png
 
Last edited:
The first drop could well be up there with Skyrush for airtime. Looks wild.

The length is an issue, shame Merlin are so tight. Just as well they didn't go with B&M really, on their budget it could have been one of the worst hypers out there.
 
Impressive. They've made me even less enthused by showing me what could have been. It's like winning a weekend in Paris on a quiz show only to be told behind the other door was a 2 week trip to Mauritius.

Yeah I'm sure it will be fine and good to see the height record finally going after all these years. But I look at Parc Asterix, Walibi Belgium and probably Warner Bros Madrid soon and feel excitement and then I look at this thing and just feel they blew it.

And I'm usually an optimist. Maybe it's the COVID.
 
While it is possible that Exodus could be set up to run three trains, I am more leaning towards a Stealth situation which also has three trains, but only has two in service, and the third in strip down maintenance. I think Thorpe/Merlin will want Exodus on most days to be on two trains, especially in it’s first couple of years of service.

The other possibility, is this could be the forward thinking by Thorpe if it was to become an all year round park, but I think that will only come to be if the London Resort ever happens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top