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Thorpe Park | Hyperia | Mack Hyper Coaster | 2024

If this does end up being a X retheme... Have an extremely far-fetched idea that won't happen.

In 2017 the Walking Dead Living Nightmare scare maze was introduced to Fright Nights; in 2018 the nearby X was rethemed to Walking Dead.
In 2021 the Black Mirror Labyrinth walkthrough was introduced as a replacement to LN; in 2022... a Black Mirror/futuristic retheme to TWDTR? I wouldn't be against it to say the least.

When I first saw "X:\ODUS" I first thought it was just a stylisation of 'exodus' into the X:\NWO format just for fun and as a little easter egg. But people seem convinced that this is indeed an X retheme...
 
RobCoasters said:
If this does end up being a X retheme... Have an extremely far-fetched idea that won't happen.

In 2017 the Walking Dead Living Nightmare scare maze was introduced to Fright Nights; in 2018 the nearby X was rethemed to Walking Dead.
In 2021 the Black Mirror Labyrinth walkthrough was introduced as a replacement to LN; in 2022... a Black Mirror/futuristic retheme to TWDTR? I wouldn't be against it to say the least.

When I first saw "X:\ODUS" I first thought it was just a stylisation of 'exodus' into the X:\NWO format just for fun and as a little easter egg. But people seem convinced that this is indeed an X retheme...
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I wouldn’t say ‘convinced.’ Wouldn’t be surprised is the vibe I’m getting mostly, and is certainly the way I feel.

But after just 4 years, and only 2 full seasons of continuous operation, I would be severely disappointed if this was what they were planning. Fingers crossed it is just a red herring.

It wouldn’t explain the tree clearing, and ‘area under development’ stuff either! And no, the earlier tongue in cheek comment about using the wood inside X is not a realistic prospect either… At least I don’t think it is! 🙈😂

RMC hybrid # 22 in the world, built at loggers, in 2024, with the name exodus… I’m still preying 🙏🙏🙏
 
I apologise if this is a controversial take, but; I actually kind of hope that this isn’t an RMC.

The reason why I say this is because I feel like other parks in the UK could build an RMC if they got creative, whereas Thorpe is currently the only park in the country that could pull off a hyper, the other popular option. All of the other UK parks are bound by either planning restrictions (Alton & Chessington), space (Blackpool), target market (LEGOLAND) or money (all of the others).

Also, I’d also like to see something properly big built in the UK; I’d love to see the UK height record broken, and again, I think Thorpe is really the only place where that could feasibly happen. I’m not necessarily sure an RMC would provide that size, whereas you have to build a hyper to a certain size to “get your money’s worth”, so to speak. I know size isn’t everything, but I do think that it would be cool to see a park break our height record again!

Not to mention that hypers are popular, well-liked rides on the whole! I admittedly haven’t done an Intamin or Mack hyper, but I loved the B&M hyper I’ve done!

In terms of whether Merlin would stump up the money for a hyper; DBGT’s budget was allegedly hyper coaster level, and I’d personally argue that a hyper would be considerably more marketable than DBGT, so I could see them going for it. According to Making Thorpe Park, one was actually considered for 2012’s B&M instead of Swarm, and the only reason Merlin vetoed it was because of their eagerness to push the newly invented Wing Coaster model (neither B&M nor John Wardley actually wanted a Wing Coaster, but Merlin were very keen on one). Nothing to do with cost, for what it’s worth!
 
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Matt N said:
According to Making Thorpe Park, one was actually considered for 2012’s B&M instead of Swarm, and the only reason Merlin vetoed it was because of their eagerness to push the newly invented Wing Coaster model (neither B&M nor John Wardley actually wanted a Wing Coaster, but Merlin were very keen on one). Nothing to do with cost, for what it’s worth!
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I might be wrong on this, but didn't the MTDP back in the day state that the 2012 coaster could/would not exceed 40m in height, and a 2015 coaster wouldn't exceed 50m? If that's the case, I'm not sure how they were ever planning a hyper.
 
Matt N said:
I apologise if this is a controversial take, but; I actually kind of hope that this isn’t an RMC.

The reason why I say this is because I feel like other parks in the UK could build an RMC if they got creative, whereas Thorpe is currently the only park in the country that could pull off a hyper, the other popular option. All of the other UK parks are bound by either planning restrictions (Alton & Chessington), space (Blackpool), target market (LEGOLAND) or money (all of the others).

Also, I’d also like to see something properly big built in the UK; I’d love to see the UK height record broken, and again, I think Thorpe is really the only place where that could feasibly happen. I’m not necessarily sure an RMC would provide that size, whereas you have to build a hyper to a certain size to “get your money’s worth”, so to speak. I know size isn’t everything, but I do think that it would be cool to see a park break our height record again!

Not to mention that hypers are popular, well-liked rides on the whole! I admittedly haven’t done an Intamin or Mack hyper, but I loved the B&M hyper I’ve done!

In terms of whether Merlin would stump up the money for a hyper; DBGT’s budget was allegedly hyper coaster level, and I’d personally argue that a hyper would be considerably more marketable than DBGT, so I could see them going for it. According to Making Thorpe Park, one was actually considered for 2012’s B&M instead of Swarm, and the only reason Merlin vetoed it was because of their eagerness to push the newly invented Wing Coaster model (neither B&M nor John Wardley actually wanted a Wing Coaster, but Merlin were very keen on one). Nothing to do with cost, for what it’s worth!
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That’s a fair take…

But remember they ‘could’ build a hyper RMC… I’d like a B&M hyper but they’ve more than had their day, and are kind of boring in comparison to what RMC do… I’d take a hyper RMC over a B&M hyper any day, I’d take any RMC over a B&M hyper…

Now an Intamin hyper is another matter altogether!!!
 
Matt N said:
P.S. I know you're a member on here @JoshC., so I hope you don't mind me promoting your content. If you do object, I sincerely apologise and I will remove this post immediately; I just thought it would make for an interesting talking point.
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No worries at all! I wasn't planning on posting it here as I thought it was such a stretch in speculation that that it wasn't worth posting here...how wrong I was!

But yeah, Matt's done a good job at explaining my shameless speculation based off a word that's appeared in two places (and thanks for the plugs too ;) )

I'm hesitant to say it means something, because I know Thorpe know how to push people's buttons. Sticking in a random word in two places, they'll know someone is bound to notice sooner or later, and someone will start speculating. It gets people talking with the park having to do next-to-nothing.

But equally, it could mean something.
tbf, a Walking Dead retheme is not something I had considered. I certainly see the link, but I'm not quite sure. I still think there's some mileage in that incarnation of the ride yet (I don't know when the licence is due to expire, but a 4 year contract doesn't match up with previous Merlin agreements from what I understand).

If it's a project name for a future investment, it's pretty inconsequential. Projects can be shelved. Project names can be very tangentially related to the rides themselves. But hey, it's a decent reference to throw in if that is what it is.

Ethan said:
I might be wrong on this, but didn't the MTDP back in the day state that the 2012 coaster could/would not exceed 40m in height, and a 2015 coaster wouldn't exceed 50m? If that's the case, I'm not sure how they were ever planning a hyper.
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The MTDP submitted to the council in 2010 said that they were thinking about two coasters yes, with those maximum heights yes.

I haven't read the Making Thorpe Park book, but the first I heard about a B&M hyper for Thorpe 2012 was when someone referenced that book. From my understanding, a B&M wingrider had been locked in place for Thorpe since the MTDP had been submitted, which would mean that plan had been about since early 2010.

So it's possible they had considered a hyper in, say, 2009. Then as discussions went along, the wingrider became Merlin's preferred option. The restrictions in MTDP are - in some sense - self-imposed by the park. So if they say "There will be a 2012 coaster that won't exceed 40m", that's because they're not planning on building something that exceeds 40m, not because the council won't approve something bigger.
In any case, I don't think a hyper was very far along the line for Thorpe 2012.
 
I'm picturing in my head what Thorpe Park might look like with a humungous great B&M hyper in it and you know what? I think it looks a bit weird.
I mean... I'd love one, dear lord I'd love one, but something the size of Shambhala at Thorpe would absolutely dwarf everything else and completely dominate the skyline from literally anywhere else in the park.
It just might look a little bit, what's the word? Silly. Yeah, it would look silly.
There was a time when Dragon Khan looked huge and imposing from anywhere in Port Aventura but now Shambhala is there it looks tiny and pathetic and sh*t. Imagine what Thorpe's piddling little selection of medium sized creds would look like with a Shammy B towering over them? 🤣
And also, even though Thorpe may have, as someone said, 'good relations' with Runnymede council, I can still see a 235ft+ hyper coaster raising a few eyebrows at the planning office.
 
Howie said:
I'm picturing in my head what Thorpe Park might look like with a humungous great B&M hyper in it and you know what? I think it looks a bit weird.
I mean... I'd love one, dear lord I'd love one, but something the size of Shambhala at Thorpe would absolutely dwarf everything else and completely dominate the skyline from literally anywhere else in the park.
It just might look a little bit, what's the word? Silly. Yeah, it would look silly.
There was a time when Dragon Khan looked huge and imposing from anywhere in Port Aventura but now Shambhala is there it looks tiny and pathetic and sh*t. Imagine what Thorpe's piddling little selection of medium sized creds would look like with a Shammy B towering over them? 🤣
And also, even though Thorpe may have, as someone said, 'good relations' with Runnymede council, I can still see a 235ft+ hyper coaster raising a few eyebrows at the planning office.
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I guess it’s no different to the Big One at BPB, possibly less dramatic even. Blackpool’s next tallest coaster barely clears 100ft (and that didn’t even exist in 1994; at the time of the Big One’s construction, Blackpool’s next tallest coaster was only about 60-70ft tall!), whereas at Thorpe, Stealth is a whole 205ft and Swarm is a not insignificant 127ft! Big One would also have looked more imposing simply due to how tiny Blackpool Pleasure Beach is, I’d argue.

I won’t deny that a huge B&M hyper would redefine Thorpe’s skyline. But I’d personally argue that that is exactly what they need. Something big and eye-catching that will really grab people’s attention. If they built something that literally dominated the park, I think it would really grab people’s attention and generate brand awareness for itself very easily; people would instantly be drawn to it.

Also, I’d argue that similarly to Shambhala, it might be something that would seem a bit silly before it was being built, and then when it was up, you wouldn’t be able to imagine the park without it!
 
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NGL when it comes to an RMC in the UK, at this point I'd take a family hybrid at Thorpe for their next coaster. In fact I would take literally anything within a certain degree.
 
Howie said:
I'm picturing in my head what Thorpe Park might look like with a humungous great B&M hyper in it and you know what? I think it looks a bit weird.
I mean... I'd love one, dear lord I'd love one, but something the size of Shambhala at Thorpe would absolutely dwarf everything else and completely dominate the skyline from literally anywhere else in the park.
It just might look a little bit, what's the word? Silly. Yeah, it would look silly.
There was a time when Dragon Khan looked huge and imposing from anywhere in Port Aventura but now Shambhala is there it looks tiny and pathetic and sh*t. Imagine what Thorpe's piddling little selection of medium sized creds would look like with a Shammy B towering over them? 🤣
And also, even though Thorpe may have, as someone said, 'good relations' with Runnymede council, I can still see a 235ft+ hyper coaster raising a few eyebrows at the planning office.
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Since when would their biggest coaster and first in over 10 years dwarfing everything else in the park be a bad thing for them and their promo team!? wasn't that exactly what they used to promote stealth back in it's day, it'd get great word of mouth from that as well

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I feel like a 200+ rmc with the simplistic goliath/gwazi lift hill structure could possible help with planning permissions possibly?
It's a pipe dream but 🥴
 
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I think the great thing about a B&M hyper would be that even if it were the UK’s tallest coaster, each of Thorpe’s existing thrill coasters still has something to stand out beside it:
  • Colossus: 10 inversions
  • Nemesis Inferno: Inverted seating position
  • Stealth: Fast launch (0-80mph in 1.8 seconds)
  • Saw: 100 degree drop and Saw IP
  • Swarm: Winged seating position
So in terms of the worries about such a ride removing the spectacle of any of the others; I wouldn’t worry.

As I’ve said before, I think Thorpe could really do with something big and eye-catching. Something like that would sell itself almost effortlessly, and would draw people to it instantly by raw virtue of its size, especially if it did steal the UK height record. Rightly or wrongly, I think rides like the Big One and The Smiler prove that records do sell in Britain, and although it’s not a given that “the UK’s tallest coaster” would do that, I’d say it would have a fair shot at being very successful, especially given Merlin’s ability to market rides and create strong brand awareness!
 
I’d doubt that. Purely because of the amount of time that’ll be needed to clear Loggers. I’m still estimating 2024. Also, if it is a Hyper coaster as expected, chances are they’ll need more time to put it up and clear the area that it’s going to occupy. I’d wager planning early next year, for a late spring approval and construction starting in the summer for a 2024 opening.
 
I guess we don’t really know; the common rumour I’ve heard is 2024, and that would make sense given that Chessie is getting 2023, but nothing is confirmed, I suppose.

If it were to be 2024, it’s either going to be a pretty huge project if planning goes in early next year, or the current clearance is completely unrelated.
 
Won't SW9 also be in the works around 2024? It would be interesting seeing the timeline of events and what ends up coming first.
 
RobCoasters said:
Won't SW9 also be in the works around 2024? It would be interesting seeing the timeline of events and what ends up coming first.
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I’d personally guess that Thorpe will get something before Alton. They”ve gone longer without a major investment (2016 for Thorpe compared to 2018 for Alton), and there are no current rumours of anything in the works at Alton, whereas there are starting to be rumours about Thorpe.
 
Matt N said:
I’d personally guess that Thorpe will get something before Alton. They”ve gone longer without a major investment (2016 for Thorpe compared to 2018 for Alton), and there are no current rumours of anything in the works at Alton, whereas there are starting to be rumours about Thorpe.
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I'm thinking that Thorpe Park and Chessington will get investments in 2023 followed up by Alton Towers in 2024, just a thought, seen as both Thorpe and Chessy haven't had big investments for quite some time.
 
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