New attractions at Paultons Park

[Ethan]

Ngl the OTSRs and the fact it's a Eurofighter has killed all excitement for me but I hope it's successful for the park. Really want the best for them!

 

[TPoseOnTantrum]

-Magma is leaving the 7th of Sep but going to a different UK park.

I reckon it's probably more convenient for them to have Edge on the old log flume site, would fill a gap in that part of the park and be closer to the center.

 

[Matt N]

So, we finally have this thing revealed!

First things first, I’m really happy to see Paultons taking that next step into something more thrilling coaster-wise. It will really widen the park’s appeal and ensure that they can appeal to demographics beyond their bread and butter young family demographic!

The area looks and sounds really nice, and given the high quality of Tornado Springs and Lost Kingdom, I’m sure it will be a real hit thematically! The flat ride looks like an interesting choice; while I haven’t ridden one of those before, it looks like good fun and looks like it will have good all-round appeal! It’s also great to see this blander area of the park getting rethemed; Cobra and the surrounding area finally receiving a proper theme is brilliant news!

If I’m being picky, however, I’ll admit that I’m slightly disappointed in the choice of a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter as the main attraction. I’m trying to put aside the fact that I’m not personally a massive fan of Euro-Fighters… but I’ll admit I’m struggling to and will also admit that my excitement for the coaster aspect of this has definitely fallen with today’s announcement.

Even putting aside my own personal preferences, however, I’m, rightly or wrongly, a bit disappointed that they haven’t taken the opportunity to go for something a bit more unique and/or ambitious. This will be the 4th Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter installed in the UK, and while the layout looks fun enough, it doesn’t look to majorly reinvent the wheel or do anything new with the model compared to the existing three, and it does look like a more conservative layout. Perhaps irrationally, I’ll admit that I had hopes that this might be the ride that was a real statement piece to truly show the public that Paultons Park is more than just Peppa Pig and means business, and from what I can see of it, I’m not sure Drakon is that statement headline attraction. This very much looks like a continuation of the park’s prior strategy of “well-themed, but conservative”, and while that strategy has clearly worked for the park and is not necessarily a bad one, I do feel that it’s maybe a missed opportunity to go for something that will really grab the headlines and get people flocking. As much as I’m sure Drakon will be a hit with Paultons visitors and be very well-themed, I think something slightly more ambitious and unique that was more of a statement piece could have really propelled Paultons into that very top tier of UK parks and gotten people talking in the way that the ambitious installs at the likes of Alton Towers did back in the day. As much as people can talk about the high quality experience of Alton Towers back in the day, the thing that really earned the park its name was those ambitious and unique statement attraction installations that came flying in throughout the 90s. If I’m being hypercritical, I feel like Paultons’ installs maybe miss some of that statement factor, and I feel that that is maybe the thing holding them back.

I don’t know; maybe I’m being far too picky and evaluating Paultons through an unfairly critical lens here. I’m sure this will go down very well with park guests, and I’m really happy to see Paultons going down the more thrilling coaster route! The news of another major addition in 2027 is also really exciting; if it is some form of large water ride, I think that would be brilliant!

 

[Coaster Cam]

Or….it’s to make way for the new accomodation lodges that are earmarked to go in the area just beyond where the new Viking’s land will be?

I doubt they would encroach on “amusement park zone” land after the legal battles when Cobra and the edge were built, Paultons has limited space and with the New Forest Council being rather strict with park extensions.

The accommodation lodges are planned for outside the current “amusement park zone” the otherside of the hedge by the Edge. There will be an accommodation entrance as shown on the plans but plenty of expansion space around the planned attractions!

 

[Bowser]

So, we finally have this thing revealed!

First things first, I’m really happy to see Paultons taking that next step into something more thrilling coaster-wise. It will really widen the park’s appeal and ensure that they can appeal to demographics beyond their bread and butter young family demographic!

The area looks and sounds really nice, and given the high quality of Tornado Springs and Lost Kingdom, I’m sure it will be a real hit thematically! The flat ride looks like an interesting choice; while I haven’t ridden one of those before, it looks like good fun and looks like it will have good all-round appeal! It’s also great to see this blander area of the park getting rethemed; Cobra and the surrounding area finally receiving a proper theme is brilliant news!

If I’m being picky, however, I’ll admit that I’m slightly disappointed in the choice of a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter as the main attraction. I’m trying to put aside the fact that I’m not personally a massive fan of Euro-Fighters… but I’ll admit I’m struggling to and will also admit that my excitement for the coaster aspect of this has definitely fallen with today’s announcement.

Even putting aside my own personal preferences, however, I’m, rightly or wrongly, a bit disappointed that they haven’t taken the opportunity to go for something a bit more unique and/or ambitious. This will be the 4th Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter installed in the UK, and while the layout looks fun enough, it doesn’t look to majorly reinvent the wheel or do anything new with the model compared to the existing three, and it does look like a more conservative layout. Perhaps irrationally, I’ll admit that I had hopes that this might be the ride that was a real statement piece to truly show the public that Paultons Park is more than just Peppa Pig and means business, and from what I can see of it, I’m not sure Drakon is that statement headline attraction. This very much looks like a continuation of the park’s prior strategy of “well-themed, but conservative”, and while that strategy has clearly worked for the park and is not necessarily a bad one, I do feel that it’s maybe a missed opportunity to go for something that will really grab the headlines and get people flocking. As much as I’m sure Drakon will be a hit with Paultons visitors and be very well-themed, I think something slightly more ambitious and unique that was more of a statement piece could have really propelled Paultons into that very top tier of UK parks and gotten people talking in the way that the ambitious installs at the likes of Alton Towers did back in the day. As much as people can talk about the high quality experience of Alton Towers back in the day, the thing that really earned the park its name was those ambitious and unique statement attraction installations that came flying in throughout the 90s. If I’m being hypercritical, I feel like Paultons’ installs maybe miss some of that statement factor, and I feel that that is maybe the thing holding them back.

I don’t know; maybe I’m being far too picky and evaluating Paultons through an unfairly critical lens here. I’m sure this will go down very well with park guests, and I’m really happy to see Paultons going down the more thrilling coaster route! The news of another major addition in 2027 is also really exciting; if it is some form of large water ride, I think that would be brilliant!

I feel the same. It's not a bad reveal but it's ultimately not what i was hoping for. Feels quite similar to Gold Rush at Drayton, in that my expectations were higher than what we got. That's not the parks fault, i don't think either set those expectations and Gold Rush is a lovely ride in of itself but with Paultons especially i think there was the hope of them replicating what Plopsaland did with Ride To Happiness, a coaster that people will specifically come to the park for and unfortunately this isn't it. I have no doubt it will be a good ride and a great new area though.

 

[noojas]

Two thoughts:
ART Engineering Wild Swings are amazing flat rides with a really wide target audience. There is a reason they are selling like crazy, perfect for Paultons imo. Easy to underrate until you ride one too.

While the Eurofighter seems like the main addition right now for all we know the 2027 ride will be a bigger investment by a decent margin. The way I look at it they chose the budget option for the thrill coaster in order to be able to afford another big ride the year after that directly targets their main audience.

 

[Ian]

Apparently Ghostly Manor has a minimum age restriction of 5 years old. Why the restriction?

Going to go in a few weeks with a 4 year old who was looking forward to it.

This was asked. It’s regarding their core target market and what’s appropriate for them. They don’t want upset to upset young kids. There’s also evaluation and safety reasons.

Anyway! A great day. Ghostly Manor looks brilliant. It wouldn’t seem out of place in somewhere like Hansa. The queue line is nicely done. The ride experience is fun, but I felt the transitions between rooms need ‘something’. My gun was also a bit off (but I still won in my group!) Overall it played well, the theme and scenes were great, and most of all, it was fun.

Was a bit initially disappointed with Drakon/Gerstlauer Eurofighter but then I considered it in the context of the park. It’ll fit in that space well and give them their first “big” thrill coaster with inversions. It’ll interact well with Cobra/Raven. 1.25m height limit. It will have OTSR (booed by the crowd). OTSR again with their target market in mind- give younger riders confidence to experience thrills. They also teased a water ride for 2027 (which we all strongly think is Mack…).

Asked if a woodie would ever appear, they said they would t rule it out, but no plans right now.

I just love the way Paultons is true to itself but is willing to push the thrill barriers bit by bit. It’s the birthplace for many new goons to come! And what’s best of all, is it’s run by coaster enthusiasts who make themselves accessible.

 

[Nitefly]

Gerst the worst, RMCs the best, B&Ms the ones with the restrictive vests.

Shame they went with that, as a giant 4D-coaster would have spiced Paulton’s line-up nicely.

 

[Coastiesaurus]

I doubt they would encroach on “amusement park zone” land after the legal battles when Cobra and the edge were built, Paultons has limited space and with the New Forest Council being rather strict with park extensions.

The accommodation lodges are planned for outside the current “amusement park zone” the otherside of the hedge by the Edge. There will be an accommodation entrance as shown on the plans but plenty of expansion space around the planned attractions!

The zoning notwithstanding, maybe they just felt that moving it was for the best given the placement of some of those lodges (at least in the concept images we saw). I honestly am surprised they are keeping it, I thought it was for the chopping block.

One thing I’m interested to see with this new area is what kind of extra theming they will utilise. Tornado Springs is full of theming items that really bring the area to life, but it’s hard to see with the concept images what kind of theming details will be used. I’m intrigued to see what kind of vibe they go for.

 

[Matt N]

I know that someone will inevitably come along with something much better within the next couple of days, but I've had a quick bash at trying to recreate Drakon based on the fleeting glimpses and stats we have at present. Here's what I came out with:

Planet Coaster 2 seems to think that the ride is 1,799ft long and will reach 47mph (albeit I admittedly built to 82ft rather than 75ft due to the station height necessitating either 69ft or 82ft as a lift hill height). The positive g-force peak is also 3.9G, with the negative g-force peak being -1.2G over the initial drop, and the ride has an estimated 2 airtime moments, with the first hill providing around -0.1G to -0.2G of airtime.

In absence of any more accurate NoLimits renderings, I thought this was interesting! I hope you all like it!

If you'd like to download and play with my creation, the Frontier Workshop share code is 1N0RS9JTZ.

 

[Shrek-Racer]

For the people who's blaming the park for choosing a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, it would be worse if the park chose a Zamperla Volare. Now that would get them alot of hate by enthusiasts and would have probably be the next hero (at Flamingo Land) in the UK

 

[Ian]

Been giving this some more thought and Drakon’s stall needs more attention. How brave is it for a park aimed at families with young kids, that has never flipped riders before, to sustain such upsidedowness.

I wonder if Chessington’s decision to invert inspired them to go one step further.

 

[JoshC.]

I also believe (though maybe I misheard) that T'Edge is staying in its location, just not becoming a part of the land. So it'll literally just be...on the edge.

Anyways, Eurofighter. Glad we got a custom layout. I like the look of the layout too; as Ian says, the stall is cool. Cobra retheme is nice; colour scheme I like very much.

I disagree with the park about OTSRs being needed to help it be less intimidating / more approachable. I think having OTSRs can make it 'feel' like a bigger ride, and thus make it more intimidating. I also think as is, having a vertical lift hill (which makes sense space wise admittedly) adds a layer of intimidation over other coasters. I guess we'll see what happens.

I hope 2027 isn't a water coaster, but let's take it one step at a time

 

[Niles]

I have had a good think and yes i am disappointed, the land, flat ride, dining and everything looks brilliant.....apart from the coaster. The layout i think is fantastic, short enough the kids dont freak out but has some great elements with an awesome interaction with Cobra*. Pearents can sit either side of their kid for their first inversion, considering it had to be compact a Eurofighter makes perfect sense.

But its not Paultons personally, stick an infinity train on there and i would be happier but considering they have a good relationship with Mack and are mabey getting a water coaster from them why not have gone for a Big Dipper. They are to me Macks modern take on the Eurofighter, while im not sure on vertical lifts they are super compact and can do pretty much everything a Eurofighter can do. Yes the height restriction seems to be 1.30m but i would argue that comfort is better than possible headbanging OTSR with a 1.25m restriction.

Ive seen kids do Hyperia at 1.30m and if they can do that, they can do this. I allways liked while their bigger coasters were clones they were unique to the UK in a way.

Cobra is similar to Wild mouses but its so much better being are only Gerst bobsled.

Storm Chaster is our only Mack spinner so its very different to the Maurers and Reverchons you see around.

Petrosaur is a comfy and good suspended coaster with only Vampire really being of note but thats not so comfy.

And then Drakon, we already have Eurofighters so that little something unique or personally better quality is not there. A Big Dipper has the same purpose and more comfortable ride experience, even with a similar layout it would have stood out on the UK stage. Cost wise they have and likely are working with Mack so mabey they could have got a little discount? Helios was €7m.

I am yet to ride a Euro fighter or Infinity i think is great, so far they are somewhere between ok and ahhh f*** my head so im biased (Gerstlauer family coaster are brilliant and i love them however)

Interestingly their last coaster was a miss for me too, great theming but a bit rough and unnecessary. I trust Paultons will make the most of it and theme it brilliantly but yea, not my first pick of coaster.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

The 4th Eurofighter to be installed in the UK, with OTSRs... Not exactly inspiring. It's not going to drive repeat visits from people up and down the country, I probably wouldn't bother especially for the coaster, I'd wait for a live, or until I'm already in the area.

But it's not for 'us' is it? Will it increase footfall generally? I guess we'll find out.

Goon tears aside, what else could you get for that kind of money that is compact, allows a somewhat lower height and sends the message, "we're now a thrill park too?" I think Mack are some of the most expensive manufacturers out there, would people really want them to assign more of the budget to the coaster, and less to everything else? Paultons is incredible precisely BECAUSE they're putting two thirds of the budget into the rest of the area, the theming, and other rides. As a complete package, this looks fantastic.

Eurofighters though With OTSRs Even a 'stall' doesn't have the same appeal when it loses that smooth, floaty feeling, to be replaced with violent, neck snapping, headache inducing vibration.

 

[roomraider]

I have had a good think and yes i am disappointed, the land, flat ride, dining and everything looks brilliant.....apart from the coaster. The layout i think is fantastic, short enough the kids dont freak out but has some great elements with an awesome interaction with Cobra*. Pearents can sit either side of their kid for their first inversion, considering it had to be compact a Eurofighter makes perfect sense.

But its not Paultons personally, stick an infinity train on there and i would be happier but considering they have a good relationship with Mack and are mabey getting a water coaster from them why not have gone for a Big Dipper. They are to me Macks modern take on the Eurofighter, while im not sure on vertical lifts they are super compact and can do pretty much everything a Eurofighter can do. Yes the height restriction seems to be 1.30m but i would argue that comfort is better than possible headbanging OTSR with a 1.25m restriction.

Ive seen kids do Hyperia at 1.30m and if they can do that, they can do this. I allways liked while their bigger coasters were clones they were unique to the UK in a way.

Cobra is similar to Wild mouses but its so much better being are only Gerst bobsled.

Storm Chaster is our only Mack spinner so its very different to the Maurers and Reverchons you see around.

Petrosaur is a comfy and good suspended coaster with only Vampire really being of note but thats not so comfy.

And then Drakon, we already have Eurofighters so that little something unique or personally better quality is not there. A Big Dipper has the same purpose and more comfortable ride experience, even with a similar layout it would have stood out on the UK stage. Cost wise they have and likely are working with Mack so mabey they could have got a little discount? Helios was €7m.

I am yet to ride a Euro fighter or Infinity i think is great, so far they are somewhere between ok and ahhh f*** my head so im biased (Gerstlauer family coaster are brilliant and i love them however)

Interestingly their last coaster was a miss for me too, great theming but a bit rough and unnecessary. I trust Paultons will make the most of it and theme it brilliantly but yea, not my first pick of coaster.

The thing is that Mack Big Dippers over eurofighters are only a big draw for us and we are such a minor part of the visiting numbers that no park in their right mind would care.

Evidence if it is needed would be my mates sister who recently told me they had the same type of ride as Saw in New York. Took me a moment to realise she meant Thunderbolt.

The GP wouldn't know the difference at all. And it's just us and the more well informed out there who have any idea.

This will be a decent addition for paultons. None of their additions have ever been awesome inspiring but they've all been solid and have moved the park forwards. It's clearly a really well managed park with a management team who care about it and use their limited resources well.

when compared to the travesty that is Merlin I am more than happy for them to continue their current trajectory.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Evidence if it is needed would be my mates sister who recently told me they had the same type of ride as Saw in New York. Took me a moment to realise she meant Thunderbolt.

Not Shellraiser?

NJ / NY... Same thing, right?

 

[Serena]

when compared to the travesty that is Merlin I am more than happy for them to continue their current trajectory.

Merlin builds tallest fastest coaster in the UK in 2024. Said coaster is modern, unique and truly thrilling. Merlin gets called a "travesty."

Paultons build a small Eurofighter (lol, what is this, 2009?!) and gets...praised for it?

Now, I understand there's a bit of a David and Goliath perpective here. Where Merlin is viewed as the big corporate giant, and Paultons is the plucky lil independent park. I understand why people want to root for Paultons.

But if this coaster were being built at any other UK park, I feel the reaction would be far more (rightfully) critical.

It's just a bit of a wasted opportunity, isn't it? You have the rare chance to build a big new coaster and you purchase a model so un-remarkably common that it can be found in Southend, ffs.

From a marketing perspective, a single rail coaster would have been far more unique and eye-catching.

I would also argue that a Hot Racer is far less intimidating to kids than a Eurofighter beyond vertical drop is. Plus, Hot Racers look like toys, making the inversion aspect way more approachable.

A single rail would have made Paultons stand out. A Eurofighter doesn't.

But then, Paultons has never really been about standing out in the first place. I'm not going to knock Paultons for playing it so painfully safe, because that's what this park always does and it works for them. Can't mock the formula.

 

[PaultonsLover]

Its just slightly annoying they could've done much much better things that would have fit the park so much better, and also WHEN ARE THEY GETTING A LAUCNH COASTER imo this coaster should have been a launch, I was 100% expecting the result to be a Hot Racer - Do you guys have any opinions on why Mancy chose this instead of a launch - maybe he thinks it won't fit the park?

 

[Flash Shift]

For the people who's blaming the park for choosing a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, it would be worse if the park chose a Zamperla Volare. Now that would get them alot of hate by enthusiasts and would have probably be the next hero (at Flamingo Land) in the UK

Saying "at least they didn't get a Volare" isn't exactly inspiring praise

I bet it was a Eurofighter as it was cheaper than other options. Two of the other eurofighters in the UK are in the South as well, Thorpe isn't even that far away. I was really hoping for something new and original for the UK.