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Alton Towers | Nemesis Reborn | B&M Retrack | 2024

It would be cool if the red is just on the loop or inversions and the rest of the track is just that gorgeous black
 
I was upset by the plain black track as it's such an over done scheme especially in the UK and ESPECIALLY in Alton Towers. I was baffled by the lack of creativity when the original bone and rusted track was so iconic.

So I'm super excited to see they're doing something new, creative and original. I'm yet to be fully sold on this looking better than the original, but I have to praise the originality. Remember this is a densely packed layout, so its hard to imagine how the whole ride would look just based on a couple peices, the supports will play a huge part too. I do also have concerns about upkeep and repainting in the future, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it.

All in all, exciting stuff tbh. Keep up creativity please (and I'm hoping the execution looks ok in person)
 
FogZog said:
It would be cool if the red is just on the loop or inversions and the rest of the track is just that gorgeous black
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I think if this is used for the zero G over the station and the section covering the loop, it could look very good if integrated with new theming around that section.
 
Hard to fully judge without seeing the track & supports in context with the new theming.

They're clearly going for a totally different style to the original.

Even if it ends up looking cool, I'm going to miss the old aesthetic.
 
Very interesting and unique(?) style to go for if that goes through the whole track. If it is the whole new track, be interesting to see what they do with the existing lift hill track.

At this stage, too early to judge how it will look. But obviously it will look quite strikingly different, and that was no doubt a conscious choice to help push the whole idea that NemesIIs is something which the wider audience should care about.
 
I really love the commitment they're giving to the story and marketing of this upgrade. It's really making what could be seen as a bit of a boring 're-track' something really interesting to follow - not just for us theme park fans either, I'm sure the public would be just as intrigued.

Some pics show it arriving on-site from Towers Times

https://www.facebook.com/towerstimes/posts/651116170393670
 
I love it! Completely original and unique.

Definitely going to be marmite with such a bold design.

The first rustic white colour was iconic but I was never a fan of the newer rustic look when they repainted it in 2016. This is completely different and really differentiates it for Nemesis 2.0.

Love how much effort they are putting into it all with the viewing platform over the site, the Phalanx guarding the new track with the jeep and the black lorries carrying the track.
 
spicy said:
I love it! Completely original and unique.

Definitely going to be marmite with such a bold design.

The first rustic white colour was iconic but I was never a fan of the newer rustic look when they repainted it in 2016. This is completely different and really differentiates it for Nemesis 2.0.

Love how much effort they are putting into it all with the viewing platform over the site, the Phalanx guarding the new track with the jeep and the black lorries carrying the track.
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Marmite indeed. I’m holding judgement until the track is fully installed. But to me - this feels a bit too blatant if that makes sense. The original track had a subtlety to it. You had to look to see the theme. This feels more like it’s trying a bit too much.

But… it could turn out to look great. So I’ll hold off. But at the moment I’m a bit like hmmm 🤔
 
After having more time to think about it, it still doesn't mix well with me. This isn't the Nemesis I knew and loved, this feels like someone has just done their own thing from the ground up and only kept the nemesis brand and layout the same to keep the enthusiats pleased. If this was being renamed with the new colour, I bet it would've gone down even worse.

Merlin just don't seem to respect their older attraction properly, if they really did respect nemesis, there would be very little change cosmetic wise, but rather like they see it as an opportunity for marketing andnthem to do their own thing. I understand that, but I'd prefer if they kept their creativity and new ideas on new attractions rather than forcing it on classic fan favourites.

I can't see this track colour ageing well and I bet it will look horrendous in 10 years time. I wouldn't be surprised ifbthey'll just repaint it back to its original colour when it looks all worn out.

The only SW from the 90s still in its original form is Oblivion, still the best Theme in the park IMO. Let's hope they don't touch that anytime soon.
 
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Just making sure it has been noticed that the images clearly show it isn't on every piece of track... It may well be by the time it's completed, but since these images seem to have been taken at some point just as the track was being prepared for delivery to the park, I doubt it. But will wait and see.
 
The big red throbbing vein down the spine just isn't for me. They stylistically remind me of the airbrushing you get on travelling ride backdrops, or something 'new, hip, and happening' from the '80s.

How are they dealing with the track left in-situ? It'll be interesting seeing the different sections age at different rates
 
Nicky Borrill said:
Just making sure it has been noticed that the images clearly show it isn't on every piece of track... It may well be by the time it's completed, but since these images seem to have been taken at some point just as the track was being prepared for delivery to the park, I doubt it. But will wait and see.
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Which images are you on about?

The ones of the track arriving at Alton Towers had it covered in black tarpaulin, as far as I’m aware. That would cover the veins on the side.
 
Trooper Looper said:
After having more time to think about it, it still doesn't mix well with me. This isn't the Nemesis I knew and loved, this feels like someone has just done their own thing from the ground up and only kept the nemesis brand and layout the same to keep the enthusiats pleased. If this was being renamed with the new colour, I bet it would've gone down even worse.

Merlin just don't seem to respect their older attraction properly, if they really did respect nemesis, there would be very little change cosmetic wise, but rather like they see it as an opportunity for marketing andnthem to do their own thing. I understand that, but I'd prefer if they kept their creativity and new ideas on new attractions rather than forcing it on classic fan favourites.

I can't see this track colour ageing well and I bet it will look horrendous in 10 years time. I wouldn't be surprised ifbthey'll just repaint it back to its original colour when it looks all worn out.

The only SW from the 90s still in its original form is Oblivion, still the best Theme in the park IMO. Let's hope they don't touch that anytime soon.
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The thing is, I’d argue that they had to change Nemesis to some extent to make the retrack marketable and worth their while. This investment is almost on par with building a brand new major coaster, and indeed, John Wardley suggested that it was done instead of a Nemesis replacement.

I’m fully aware that not every penny spent in a theme park will provide a return on investment. That’s the nature of the beast. However, this project is likely costing the best part of £10m, if not more. When spending that kind of money, I’m sure that most companies would want to see some sort of financial return, and simply replacing the track on its own would have made it hard to generate that kind of financial return. Whereas rebranding the ride to some degree and making marketable changes to it make it a more compelling proposition for returning guests, as well as guests who’ve never visited the park before, would make it more likely to generate a good financial return. It’s not very often that you see a park do a complete, big bang retrack of a ride and not make at least some changes to the theming and visuals as well. Universal did it with Hulk. Heide Park did it with Colossos. Even Disney and Europa Park, who are perhaps more nostalgic than most theme park owners, did it with the retracks of Disneyland’s Space Mountain and Eurosat respectively (heck, Europa even changed the name and basic theme of Eurosat). The projects were ultimately conceived out of a need to replace the entirety of the rides’ track, but the parks also took the opportunity to overhaul the rides’ themes too, and I think that the reason for that is likely to do with marketing and generating adequate financial return from the refurbishment.

Also, I’d argue that the demands of the average guest have changed in the last 30 years, and altering and enhancing the theme of Nemesis as part of this refurbishment helps the ride stay relevant for a modern audience. I don’t deny that the execution of the ride’s theme and story was clearly very successful in 1994, but would the methods used back then necessarily resonate with a 2024 audience? A lot has changed in 30 years. That’s likely why we saw The Curse at Alton Manor instead of a rehash of the 1992 Haunted House, in spite of most of the original HH scenery still being present within Duel; the demands of the market have changed, and the way things were done in 1992 wouldn’t necessarily resonate with a 2023 audience. John Wardley even admitted this in a recent radio interview. I get that Nemesis is slightly different, as the ride was never rebranded and the new iteration will reuse the Nemesis brand to some degree, but I think the same still applies; if you have the opportunity to make the ride as compelling for a modern audience as you possibly could, why wouldn’t you?

If you don’t like the changes they’re proposing or the idea of the ride changing, then fair enough. That’s your opinion, and I can’t argue with that. But Merlin are not simply changing Nemesis for the sake of it; there are plenty of valid reasons why they’re seemingly pursuing a different direction for the second iteration of the ride.
EDIT: Sorry, I never realised I was double posting…
 
I have mixed feelings about this too. My initial gut reaction was ‘ewww, no thanks!’. To me it seems a bit of a pointless way of making a very obvious change to prove this is new, rather than a change for the better.

However, I’m not against the entire concept of the painted veins on the track. If we saw it in certain areas and not others, like the valleys near the water, or perhaps the closest sections to the station. Also, it’s the finish that’s the problem. By painting it only on the sides of the track it looks very flat, and an afterthought. For this to work, the veins should be flowing organically over the rails, the inside of the spine etc. It should look as though the veins are a part of the track. Currently it’s all very 2D, very much an afterthought.

I’ll hold full judgement before we see it in place. The hand painted veins do give me throwback to the nemesis comic book/90s vibe. I’d be happy with a modern/retro nemmy theme. I’m just worried about the execution here.
 
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