Thirteen, Intamin ''psychoaster'' - Alton Towers 2010

[furie]

I can't believe this...

Alton really missed out on an opportunity here!

No over the shoulder restraints - then it could have got the hat-trick of disappointment

It's a Mega Lite! Nope, it's a Family Mine Train!
It'll have Mega Lite trains! Nope, Family Mine Train trains!
Lap bars???

See, put some OTSR on this bad boy Alton and we can be as sad as can be!

 

[A-Kid]

1080 - 1188pph (MAX) on a 30-ish second dispatch, if it had 3 trains of 18 then. Not including fasttracks and delays obviously and other unpredictable stuff...

I really like it. I wonder if they did a Saw wedding thing and just sat it out on the track for the photo though. I doubt he actually went around at this stage.

Edit: I can now see the empty 2 seats at the back = 20 riders. So thats roughly 1320 pph then.

 

[Martyn B]

I mean, how can 6 black padded seats, cater for 18 people?

Exactly what I was thinking, you can clearly see just 6 rows of seats, so where all these random numbers are coming from I dont no!

Anyway, I like it, a lot! Nice to see Alton theme the trains properly, instead of just paint (Rita, Air, Nemesis, Oblivion, Spinball..)

And I like Rita's overhall too. They're kind of keeping the racing theme, but its been taken over by the demon!

This must be the most effort Alton have put in for one ride, its almost Disney-like!

 

[Darren]

http://www.altontowers.com/thirteen/

The website has been updated to include this 'bootcamp' event for the launch of Thirteen.

Determined thrill seekers are invited to test their metal with an application process that makes Big Brother seem like your little sister!

To kick-start the ultimate search, the Alton Towers Resort has put together a team of experts including Celebrity Big Brother winner Alex Reid who will put wannabe riders through their paces in a series of gruelling tests including:

* Psychometric testing
* Interrogation interview
* Rollercoaster endurance
* Midnight 'bootcamp'

Applications are invited from midnight on Wednesday 3 February 2010... so watch this space!

TH13TEEN is the ultimate rollercoaster and every theme park ride you’ve ever dreamed of in one. The ride will join a long line of world-first attractions at the Alton Towers Resort including Nemesis, Oblivion and Air. Based on the discovery of an old burial ground, visitors will be invited to take a ride into the Dark Forest, where they will have to try and escape the all-consuming power of the creeping forest.

Applicants must be over 18 and will need to sign a disclaimer regarding physical and mental health. Applicants must be available on 2nd and 3rd March 2010 to attend the assessment and boot camp at the Alton Towers Resort. The best application videos will be showcased on www.facebook.com/altontowers resort for public comment.

Don't worry, we'll never share your email address with third parties. View the Merlin Entertainment Group privacy policy.

 

[Brookes]

^18+ boo. But I think the trains look pretty good, theming looks great. Don't know what they've got Alex Reid for though.

 

[ciallkennett]

^ The 'boot camp' as he's a 'tough man'

The trains look...erm..nice... :?

 

[gerstlauer]

Trains look nice, but a bit of a dissapointment. Still cant see how this is going to be any good. I mean; what can they do with the indoor section, especially with just a family car?

 

[Ollie]

I'll definitely be signing up for that. lol

 

[Mark]

What exactly were people expecting?

It was clear early on that this could be a family coaster pimped up to be something bigger. That it is...

For me, the trains and the general feeling of the whole project is similar to what they do with Disney coasters. They take a "family" coaster which is essentially a Vekoma Mine Train coaster and beef it up with special effects, track novelties, decent theming and a story and voila, all of a sudden you have Expedition Everest.

Personally I wasn't the hugest fan of Expedition Everest but I know that a lot of other people rave about it... There is no reason that Thirteen wont have the same effect. Alton are no Disney, BUT they have had some very successful projects in the past. Hex is a great example of how much a story and decent theming can do for a ride; a Vekoma Madhouse is turned into an all round fantastic experience (that can be enjoyed by families may I add, providing they aren't too scared etc).

I think people need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and at least wait to see how this ends up. The fact they aren't mega-lite trains does not equate to it being a crap coaster!!!

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^But didn't you know Mark, Mega-Lites are the BESTZ!!!!11

Ahem...

Erm yes, it'll probably be better than Saw at least... Hopefully the inside bit will be interesting and make it all different... This is as Mark said, a coaster version (hopefully at least) of Hex, aimed at the family market (or more tween if we're gonna be pendantic, considering the PR machine), and hopefully not exactly terrifying (though Hex will always be excessively creepier to me than any other ride in existance), it will no doubt be a hit, and Towers are expecting it to be if what I've heard their expectant figures to be in the busy days...

 

[tks]

Looks like 20 people to me! 5 cars per train, each holding 4 riders.

The bob speaks sense. It's a 20 person train, 10 black bits of the seats and 2 people per row.

Trains look good. And Rita looks fabb <3

 

[Ollie]

I don't get why everyone's saying Rita looks great now. All they've done is stuck some ivy over the tyre and repaint the control box. I don't get why everyone is hyping it up so much when it's just a Family Mine Train coaster with a custom car design that goes inside a tin shed with fake brick walls. The only bit I'm looking forward to is seeing if there'll be a bit of airtime going down that backwards drop.
I'm not having a go but it seems everyone is bumming Alton too much just because it's another Alton SW6 so they're only looking for the good points of the ride. But when it's a park like Thorpe everyone's only looking at what they can bitch and complain about the rides.

 

[Mark]

In case you hadn't noticed, not everyone was bumming it ollie. Some people had actually said they were dissapointed by the trains etc... I think you have definately missed a few posts somewhere...

But when it's a park like Thorpe everyone's only looking at what they can bitch and complain about the rides.

That is because you have so much enthusiasm for the Thorpe that it annoys the hell out of people to the point that they are sick to death of hearing about the place. You have done it again right here keep going on about Thorpe and bringing up Thorpe when they really isn't any need to.

 

[nealbie]

I don't get why everyone is hyping it up so much when it's just a Family Mine Train coaster with a custom car design that goes inside a tin shed with fake brick walls.

Says he who had a sig set of the very same coaster for several months and made a Facebook group about it.

Rich Ollie, really really rich... :roll:

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

I don't get why everyone's saying Rita looks great now. All they've done is stuck some ivy over the tyre and repaint the control box.

Because it looks better than it did before? And it's actually be fitted into the new theme... Yes more could be done but hell it's better than nothing...

I don't get why everyone is hyping it up so much when it's just a Family Mine Train coaster with a custom car design that goes inside a tin shed with fake brick walls.

You mean like Inferno goes into a tin shed with fake volcanic walls? And various other rides...

People are only hyping it up because it's a Secret Weapon, and Intamin... And all those things people were praying for have kinda been ruined, hell, this isn't even a bloody custom car, where's that come from?

The only bit I'm looking forward to is seeing if there'll be a bit of airtime going down that backwards drop.

Only bit I agree with, and from seeing it back in Halloween, we bloody should...

I'm not having a go but it seems everyone is bumming Alton too much just because it's another Alton SW6 so they're only looking for the good points of the ride. But when it's a park like Thorpe everyone's only looking at what they can bitch and complain about the rides.

So far what bad points has this ride given us? Oh no it's a family mine train designed for FAMILIES!!! Unlike a family ride given a theme for adults...

Alton's not perfect, and neither is this ride, but it's better than the **** that Thorpe Park has given us...

 

[marc]

^Well said.

Just a shame yet again the topic has been turned to Thorpe

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^Ollie started it......

AGAIN... :roll:

 

[marc]

Yes sorry never meant you.

 

[10WaTT]

I don't get why everyone is hyping it up so much when it's just a Family Mine Train coaster with a custom car design that goes inside a tin shed with fake brick walls.

I don't get why some people don't show a little more (coaster) enthusiasm around here... Including Thorpe

 

[Ollie]

I wasn't intending to turn it to Thorpe. I was just using it for comparison. It's just that here everyone seems to except Alton are going to make a great ride which I'm sure it will be. It's just some people think it's amazing when it's not.
The main thing that made me say this was Rita. All they've done is put some ivy over the tyre entrance and repainted the control box green and called it a re-theme and most people here are saying they're loving the re-theme and it looks amazing. This is why I'm saying the fact it's in Alton seems to effect peoples opinions on things which are clearly just lazy re-themes.

I wasn't intending this to turn into an argument or change the topic about Thorpe it's just imo nothing they've done yet with both Th13teen and Rita has impressed me much.

this isn't even a bloody custom car, where's that come from?

I didn't say it was a custom car. I just said it was a custom design where they've got the standard train and just spruced it up a bit.

but it's better than the **** that Thorpe Park has given us...

You can't say that for sure and it's just your opinion. Saw isn't ****. Yes it's not the best coaster in the world or even in the park but they put alot of effort into it and it's easily one of the best themed coasters in the country. I don't want to do a huge comparison as this topic isn't about Saw or Thorpe but I don't get why everyone decided to say Saw was **** before it even opened and when it did everyone liked it but then one person said they hated it and everyone decided to jump on the band wagon. Yes it's not amazing but it's hardly bad.

Anyway back to Th13teen...