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Alton Towers | Wicker Man | GCI Wood

I'm intrigued by this. I tend to enjoy GCI coasters but they do tend to age poorly. The plans make it look very short but could make for a good family ride. Then again they could be pulling a Smiler where we don't really see the real plans for the actual ride and just a general gist of the location of things. The station building doesn't look all that exciting either. Still just very intrigued rather than excited/disappointed.
 
Lofty said:
I've never been this 'over it' for a coaster project before, but I just can't get excited about this whatsoever. Mainly due to the fact it screams GCI and has such a small footprint of predominantly long sweeping curves - yes, it may have some small gimmicks such as a launched lifthill or an inversion, but every single product that GCI have come out with in recent years has been VERY same-y as their old stuff, you rarely see their track work altering that much and showing variation unless it's a coaster that has large terrain elevation differences, to which this won't.

So yeah. If it is GCI, I won't be excited about it.
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So you say they're same-y but then dismiss them putting the second ever Wooden launch on there and some hoops as 'small gimmicks'?

Come on Mark, what exactly do you want this ride to do?

IF it does launch and hoops, this will be really cool. We really don't know anything, and the plans don't show much. I have faith in GCI IF They've been given a good brief to work on. End of the day, if it's a crappy family coaster that responsibility sits with the park.
 
They have all that space where the flume meandered, why arn't they using it?! WHYYYY.

With all that space they could have added a double launching Helix-type/terrain hugging wood coaster. Then you'd have your worlds first gimmick and you'd have an awesome ride too. But nooo.

743ec0fadd900e13d8ed291b960e2cfc.jpg

Look at all that space!
 
That sound tunnel does seem to be in a really odd location, perhaps an inversion, perhaps a simulator style light tunnel or perhaps the launch is located there like a small speed boost or something. Very intrigued!
 
If The Smiler taught us anything it is to not trust plans that air in the public domain. That originally had 8 inversions and then they were like "SURPRISE, here's another four".
 
Lofty said:
If The Smiler taught us anything it is to not trust plans that air in the public domain. That originally had 8 inversions and then they were like "SURPRISE, here's another four".
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And even then they chucked in another 2 on top of that for good measure ;)


The site for SW8 is covered by their GDO, so officially they don't need to submit plans for the coaster itself. They might need it for the station / theming elements, but that's about it. So there could be changes to the layout. But if they're planning on reusing many of the footers from Flume like they said in the plans, then I'd guess the layout should be reasonably accurate.
 
Crazycoaster said:
They have all that space where the flume meandered, why arn't they using it?! WHYYYY.

With all that space they could have added a double launching Helix-type/terrain hugging wood coaster. Then you'd have your worlds first gimmick and you'd have an awesome ride too. But nooo.

743ec0fadd900e13d8ed291b960e2cfc.jpg

Look at all that space!
Click to expand...

I've just read through alot of the proposal and it seems they want to use the fact they arn't building in that area as a positive thing in the hope it helps grant planning permission. IT is a shame though, the site could've been huge. Either way, I'm still excited to see this thing appear, even if it's looking like another Thirteen style coaster (tame family ride dressed up like an intense thrill)

"The coaster track layout has been carefully designed so that it is located within an existing developed site and avoids the woodland area to the south. The LVIA concluded that landscape character effects would be nil, neutral or beneficial, largely due to the design of the ride and the removal of an attraction from the Registered Park and Garden which would allow this area to be returned to natural woodland."
Click to expand...
 
Martyn B said:
I'm guessing this is going to have a hefty theme, with a pre show room and a dark ride section!
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Don't forget the VR headsets and live actors walking around.
 
I'm far more excited about the Blackpool ride we'll get the same year. This just seems like a wasted opportunity.
 
So Someone has spotted this, these look a lot more like inversions then the other picture I posted, its looking more likely that we could be seeing inversions on this! They could also be heavily banked turns if i were to be really pessimistic but, if it does have inversions and a launch I could very much see merlin market this as the worlds first launched woodie with inversions.

13310331_10154259382702430_1487488573370108231_n.jpg


Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1014160 ... 0172705175
 
That definitely looks like inversions.

So is this a family coaster or not? As far as I'm concerned, anything with inversions is not a family ride, but the small layout has really screamed "family coaster" up until now. I'm so confused. I smell another Thirteen.
 
^ looks inversiony to me! Surely not?
 
Looking at this plan it looks like the flume site just falls outside the GDO area (purple boundaries), so it seems these plans have to be legit?
6XveW8e.jpg
 
Crazycoaster said:
They have all that space where the flume meandered, why arn't they using it?! WHYYYY.

With all that space they could have added a double launching Helix-type/terrain hugging wood coaster. Then you'd have your worlds first gimmick and you'd have an awesome ride too. But nooo.

743ec0fadd900e13d8ed291b960e2cfc.jpg

Look at all that space!
Click to expand...

Be optimistic. They may be setting it aside for some future development.

Very silent future development, if the strict focus on noise is anything to go by, but development nonetheless. Possibly.
 
Re: Inversions, Nice that GCI are being pushed onwards and upwards. Makes it more intriguing why they hadn't gone for RMC as it seems to be less and less 'family' as more details emerge.

Crazycoaster said:
743ec0fadd900e13d8ed291b960e2cfc.jpg

Look at all that space!
Click to expand...
 
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I'm not convinced by these 'inversions' at all. Whilst I'm confident there will be a launch I just think the lines on these plans are being read into way too much, I'll happily eat my own words as I'd love to see inversions but not getting my hopes up at all.
 
Even without a launch and inversions I figure this could still be quite fun. But a launched lift hill and a zero g roll or two in the dark sound like some good stuff.
 
Yeah I'm sure on these inversions either, probably just be perception. Standard twisty sections if track I bet.

Or at least I hope.
 
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