Alton Towers - SW7 - "The Smiler"

I can count 8 inversions in the large elements, and I see opportunities for at least 4 more (corkscrew after batwing, barrel roll and corkscrew after cobra roll, and a pre-lift inversion(s?) in the building). I suppose it's possible they just haven't shown exactly what the track banking will look like in these particular images. I mean, all of the turns do look completely flat.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Looks like something all the 14 year olds will find rough

Nice one.
Awesome ride BTW.

nemesis sub-terra (as awful as the name is. yeah i prefered what lies beneath) has no horror walk through elements other than the preshow room to the ABC drop towers that will be inside. however there are plans to have a scarezone in that area this year for scare fest along the lines of the zombie scare zone from last year which was a huge sucsess.

anyway the more i look at this thinking "OMG its a beautiful eurofighter" which is it going to be no dougt and the colour scheme is to match basically everything in the X-secter which is all grey and black with hints of orange.i think it will look very cool. my only concern is it will pull attention away from oblivion. could this be the slow demise of oblivion?
it will never be an Xcar because alton towers have bad relations with Maurer S?????????hne just like they also now have some tedious relations with intamin after th13teen for some reason?.

y only concern is it will pull attention away from oblivion. could this be the slow demise of oblivion?

Well people said that about Air and Nemesis when the plans came out, but I think it's seperate enough to stop it stealing the lime-light. If you look at the plans, the high points are above the toilets, which does not the ruin the view of Oblivion. Also consider this will kinda be in abit of a pit kind of similar to Nemesis. So yeah, i don't think you should worry.

Infact I really hope this means the X-Sector get's abit of a spruce up, like when Rita was built. Oblivion's in dire need of some TLC.

Personally, I really hope that they don't stick some more corkscrews in instead of the turns, as with all the other corkscrewy inversions (batwing, sea serpent, cobra roll) there it'll feel just redundant. They probably will, though, as the turn radius after the cobra looks way too small for just a regular turn.

[mkingy]

Personally I think pulling more people over to that area of the park will help Oblivion get more riders. There's just nothing of interest in that area other than oblivion.

Originally posted by Adrenaguy

well I don't know if there is a ride that has broken the 10-looper record yet (citation plz) But if it DOES have 11 inversion, then that does make it a world first. it beats collosus if it does, and its little 8-looper cousin in china. Is there any confirmation on car-type whatsoever?

There's a ride to come out in China (surpreeeze) next year that will have 11.

http://www.rcdb.com/9821.htm

Quad heartline roll... *gag*

OH plus another heartline roll... honest to god. Just looks like a sickening rip-off of Intamin's classic multi-looper. Lame!

Originally posted by GerstlCrazy

Originally posted by Adrenaguy

well I don't know if there is a ride that has broken the 10-looper record yet (citation plz) But if it DOES have 11 inversion, then that does make it a world first. it beats collosus if it does, and its little 8-looper cousin in china. Is there any confirmation on car-type whatsoever?

There's a ride to come out in China (surpreeeze) next year that will have 11.

http://www.rcdb.com/9821.htm

Quad heartline roll... *gag*

OH plus another heartline roll... honest to god. Just looks like a sickening rip-off of Intamin's classic multi-looper. Lame!

Well The 8-looper cousin in China is a clone of Collosus without the last barrel roll, and with one less during the spin cycle.

I can only assume their general tactic is to design most of the ride, run out of money, and put Barrel Rolls wherever there's space...

^Hahaha right? I think those looper styles have really a lot of potential; beautiful drop, loop, intense cobra and corks with some air in there... It's too bad their only real objective is to load the layout with inversions. I would get a headache lol.

they're... ok. There are definitely better rides, but it's good fun if you're in the front two seats of the car. The back seats are clearly designed for people without legs.

just for all your info

the management at alton towers have now confirmed it will be a eurofighter but decline to comment on the full theme other than it will tie in with the existing X-sector and will encorperate a full area revanp and clean up

[gouldy]

i would think they haven't commented about the theme of it, because they don't quite know themselves yet. They are probably at the stage where they know what kind of theme they're going to be going for, but the theming has not yet been actually designed. On the drawings, you'll notice that there are just dotted lines that mark suggested postions for theming objects, so it appears they want certain parts of the track to interact with stuff... they just don't yet know what it's going to interact with

indeed gouldy, i was over there today and got into a discussion with adam from entertainments and the theme will correspond with the X sector thats all he would tell me so they got a base but not a full blown story or anything it would seem like you have surgested.
no dought it will be to do with digging something up and descovering somthing that seems to be the reacuring theme through every ride since, well nemesis lol

im pretty excited about this coaster but very excited to see the whole area clean and looking great again like when it first opened

Originally posted by gazag


no doubt it will have to do with digging something up and discovering something that seems to be the recurring theme through every ride since, well nemesis lol

Hahaha well it's a good theme. What has been 'dug up' in the past?

I wish there was an animated POV but I know it's too soon yet. If they haven't made solidified plans of theme, let alone began to design them, do you think 2013 or 2014 is more realistic for a year? I guess they could still make next year if the theming doesn't include anything too complicated, but I'm guessing it will...

I'd say at least 2013. There's no way they could get this done by summer this year if all they have now is a layout.

Yeah, well Gouldy said '13 or '14 so that was my referral, but I think 2013 makes more sense than '14.

it will be 2013, construction starts september

[gouldy]

Looks like this is going to be a good place to keep up with construction etc.: http://www.sw7heaven.co.uk/

This link is an interesting argument that points out that it might not actually be a Eurofighter and that it could be a Maurer X-car - which I have to agree makes sense when you look at the vertical section and the LACK OF a more than vertical drop.

I can't think of a single eurofigther without a more than vertical drop - why start that trend now?

http://parkthoughts.com/2012/01/07/alton-towers-secret-weapon-7-revealed/

The interesting point is the lack of MCBR, which would somewhat rule out the Euro-Fighter when you think about it. I dunno, there may be one hidden in there but how would capacity be with small cars and no MCBR?

I guess the MCBR is the brake before the second lift (as I'm sure there will be one), but I dunno. Very fishy.

[gouldy]

I don't think it's hard to see it probably isn't Gerstlauer, just by looking at the drawings of it. It much more closely resembles HRRR. Which to my mind still makes it much more likely to be Mauer Sohne, as I think a few people have said (including whoever wrote article alton_ linked). It could still be Gerstlauer, though. Gerstlauer could have even developed a new track type and car type (highly unlikely, certainly not without showing it off at IAAPA first).


Still no indication from the drawings as to what makes it a world first (Unless what I said about Gerstlauer having a new track style is true, although it's blatantly not). I would hope Alton Towers won't claim this a world first just because it would have 2 lifts, but the first in the world to have a normal lift and a vertical lift in one layout. That would be the lamest thing.

[TheArchitect]

^

a) I thought it had already been confirmed by park staff as a Gerst

and b) I thought it was a worlds first because it races/duels with its self. Hint two lifts, you duel with the alternating car.

[gouldy]

Originally posted by TheArchitect

^

a) I thought it had already been confirmed by park staff as a Gerst

They also confirmed it has a beyond vertical drop...
The article that alton_ posted confirmed some on my own feelings about it, too. Not saying that it's defnitely not a Gerstlauer, it's just that one or two things don't add up, and then the drawings also lend themselves to being a Mauer Sohne rather than a Gerstlauer.

Originally posted by TheArchitect



and b) I thought it was a worlds first because it races/duels with its self. Hint two lifts, you duel with the alternating car.

There's no doubt that will happen, but... is that really a world 1st? Are there really no other coasters in the world where 2 trains on different block sections might appear to interact on the occassions when the timing was correct? And I bet it would only actually 'duel' with the train on the other block about 10% of the time, surely? What with differing loading times and all, I really don't know how they could claim that a world first. But knowing Alton Towers, they probably would do, so you're probably right

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