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Post by Stu on Dec 2, 2004 14:54:25 GMT
It has been reported that Flamingo Land are looking to add a custom SLC coaster from Vekoma
the ride would feature a cobra roll and a zero g roll
i can't help thinking why can't they spend that little bit extra and go for a much better product, i.e the B&M,
i've never tried a supersized SLC, however from the standard versions the rides just seem to get very bumpy and uncomfortable after 4/5 seasons, it surely makes more sense to spend that little bit extra and ensure the ride is still comfortable as it was in the first season (at least) 10 years down the line
the latest B&M inverter, silver bullet at Knotts berry farm cost $16m which roughly converts to £8.3m, traumatizer, the uk's standard SLC cost around £5m,
however it could be interesting to see if vekoma will apply their new hydraulic launch technology to their suspended coaster range,
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Graeme
Looping Coaster Rider
Posts: 71
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Post by Graeme on Dec 4, 2004 16:59:35 GMT
i've never tried a supersized SLC, however from the standard versions the rides just seem to get very bumpy and uncomfortable after 4/5 seasons, it surely makes more sense to spend that little bit extra and ensure the ride is still comfortable as it was in the first season (at least) 10 years down the line To be honest, I think Jubilee Odyssey will remain the only truly giant one. I thought these news ones were only about 10ft taller than the usual SLC? If my theory about this being the "SLC II" and not just all custom designs is correct, that is. That does put it into perspective. There's no doubt that the B&M is the better product. I can only assume, even if they can technically afford it, they can't justify it in the budget. After all, they probably have a set budget that must pay for a whole line-up of new rides, including three coasters. That's my theory anyway. I'd be really disappointed if Tussauds built an inverted coaster that wasn't a B&M (like I was with their looping coaster, Colossus), but I just can't be as hard on a company trying to get its first park in the big league. Perhaps that'll be the "SLC III". I'm quite optimistic about trying this new design of SLC. However, I can't disagree with your main point that it'd be a heck of a lot more exciting to have a B&M there instead. Especially a 6- or 7-looper like Top Gun: the Jet Coaster, or at least one like Talon with an immelman. |
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Post by Stu on Dec 7, 2004 9:51:59 GMT
The thing is Flamingo Land are in the big league, they get more visitors than Legoland Windsor, and Thorpe Park, they just don't present themselves as a "big player" mainly because they are not interest in investing to satisfy the consumers, they're only interested in taking money from the consumers
Visit Britain 2003 Report . . . .
Free Admission parks
Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6200000
Pleasureland Theme Park 2100000
Pleasure Beach (Great Yarmouth) 1500000
Paid Admission parks
Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo 1398800
Legoland Windsor 1321128
Paultons Park 550000
Camelot Theme Park 395000
Blackgang Chine 200400
oddly drayton manor, lightwater valley, pleasurewood hills, oakwood, and none of the tussauds parks got a mention!
1 398 800 admissions paid at least £7.50 (the adult admission was £15.50, children were £11.50, disabled guests, and group rates varied but the least they could pay was £7.50) meaning the park took at least £10 491 000 on admission sales alone! okay you have staff and bills to pay, but that kind of turn over is enough to pay back any major investment fairly quickly
I got really excited when the park announced it was getting rid of its fun fair rides to become more of a real theme park, i though that maybe the park was going to change for the better, but it'll just be the same, only with less rides (and therefore reduced operating and staff costs), which will have some cheap decoration as an excuse for themeing, i hope they prove me wrong but i'm gonna stop getting my hopes up for anything half decent from this park
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Post by Yeah 7 on Feb 1, 2005 22:57:37 GMT
I carn't help but think people are also getting worked up over nothing about the additons to FL. A large Disc 'O' will be alright, but it oozes cheapness. Had they gone for a ride from Huss or Mondial, or even KMG, you may be a little more optomistic. The SLC is a terrible choice. Inverted coasters bring no novelty factor anymore, and Vekoma cannot build good ones to save their lifes, and I've ridden enough not to want to ride another ever again, no matter what the layout. I'm worried with how Vekoma trains will handle the Zero G Roll. These elements are all about being elegant, and Vekoma havn't quite mastered elegant. Even their smoothest coasters (argueably their mine trains) are not glass smooth, and can be a little jaring at times. The Booster bike will fair well in that it will be novel, however, reports i've seen from Toverlands one suggest that its an excellent ride, but can be quite uncomfortable in the riding position and will start to be a pain after a few rides. Has anyone read any reports of their recent 24 hour challenge? Half the people gave up just after 2 hours on the booster bike? Some were even pulled off due to medical reasons!  |
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Graeme
Looping Coaster Rider
Posts: 71
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Post by Graeme on Feb 6, 2005 14:23:54 GMT
A large Disc 'O' will be alright, but it oozes cheapness. Had they gone for a ride from Huss or Mondial, or even KMG, you may be a little more optomistic. Well, that's true. The two Disk'Os I've been on have been very poor rides compared to any Frisbee, Afterburner etc. Hopefully the extra height and steepness of the Flamingo Land version will redeem it, although I still don't think it'll match the aforementioned rides. Millennium Coaster at Fantasy Island is, in my opinion, glass smooth, and as elegant as any B&M. OK, it's not an inverted coaster, but it shows Vekoma can get their profiling perfect. Whether they've perfected the inverted coaster trains and their relationship with the track is another matter, but I still don't think the standard SLC is completely awful. I wouldn't seriously worry about that! People aren't going to ride it for hours! Anyway, never mind the seating position - it has a good layout and is just as interesting as Rita, I feel, if not more. I agree none of these three rides is particularly inspiring on its own, but what is encouraging is the fact the park has an agressive redevelopment plan, as opposed to just not bothering to take on its rivals. For me, the real excitement of Flamingo Land is that they are allegedly planning a woodie. Let's hope they build it. |
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Post by Stu on Feb 6, 2005 14:45:19 GMT
Have to agree with Graeme, the excitement comes from the fact that the park is completely redeveloping it's collection of rides,
Since 2001, FL have been season by season themeing sections of the park, admitedly their first efforts were very poor (little monsters square) but they have been improving with lost kingdom and seaside adventure, which is a very individual theme, a lot more imagination than a typical wildwest or space area
despite these improvements the rides in the park have remained the same, tatty ex-travelling or second hand rides, until now, they getting rid of nearly all the travelling rides and bringing in customised flats and their first fixed coasters!
this is a drastic move for the park to make, and i think a very big gamble the park has a lot of very loyal customers who come back year after year to the holiday village purely because of the rides
the excitement for me personally is it's nice to see a non tussauds park in UK expanding is such a large scale way, okay they may be using cheaper companies, however it will give us something totally different to what other parks here are offering
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Post by Liam on Aug 2, 2005 1:14:45 GMT
Flamingoland just seems to ooze potential, yet I still dont think management are forfilling it. You can add as many Vekomas as you like, but I think the crutial thing is the surroundings. Flamingoland needs to straighten right up and buy a Topple Tower.
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Post by Stu on Aug 5, 2005 13:12:42 GMT
That's your answer for everything!
I think Cliff Hanger is quite a popular, wellknown tower based attraction and the park would be foolish to try and add another type of tower ride, although they are quite loyal Huss customers, purchasing
Flamingo Land
- Voodoo (Pirate)
- UFO (ufo – removed 2004)
- Flamingo Star (tri star – removed 2004, came second hand from Alton Towers)
Pleasure Island
- Alakazam (fly away)
- Pendulus (frisbee)
- Condor (condor – but I think this came second hand from great yarmouth)
So I don’t think they’re always cheap, especially with the case of Pendulus, there are a lot of cheaper alternative Frisbee type rides available yet they paid more to have the Huss quality
I agree with you on the coaster front, they are been a bit cheap there as they could realistically afford a B&M coaster, but Vekoma do have some interesting products at the moment and Booster Bike has been a smart move on the part of Flamingo Land
I really don’t mind the SLC2 as it will be interesting to experience the new layout, I’m just nervously anticipating to whether the woodie coaster will materialise or not
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JaiB
Ladybird Coaster Rider
Posts: 4
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Post by JaiB on Dec 30, 2005 0:14:40 GMT
I think it could be quiet intresting too see what FL pulls out the bag and to be honest as Stu said its intresting to see a some what "small operations" park expand so quickly... So what that there not using B+M they might be using the little slush money left over for some other project we dont know about just yet.... It seems to be a fairly intensive investment program there working on and good for them.... Ill deffinatly be making a trip up north this year....  JaiB! |
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