New attractions at Paultons Park

[owenstreet7]

I think a new gen vekoma was the main one that popped into my head when I asked the question. Looking at Lech, and it's 'rumoured' price tag, something like that would possibly have been the very best option.

Maybe (with an eye on the reputation EL has earned) they decided that 2 modern vekomas was enough.

I thought a clone of Formula (Vekoma Space Warp) or a 25m near clone of Abyssus (Vekoma Shockwave - Lite) would've been perfect for what Paultons were trying to achieve

Lech would've been incredible but it could be on the more intense side.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

I thought a clone of Formula (Vekoma Space Warp) or a 25m near clone of Abyssus (Vekoma Shockwave - Lite) would've been perfect for what Paultons were trying to achieve

Lech would've been incredible but it could be on the more intense side.

Yeh Lech is quite intense. Formula would have been perfect, and is tiny too. It's (mostly) low to the ground layout also makes it seem less scary to any youngsters nervous of height.

Would it have drawn criticism for being another Vekoma though? It would have left 6 out of 8 coasters being Vekoma or Zierer... Knowing how us goons like to moan about the stupidest little things, I do think it would still have drawn criticism.

 

[Intamin Forever]

So. I have given the news some time to set in, and I don't quite think it has just yet. But here are my personal thoughts about Valgard: Realm of the Vikings.

Obviously speculation began almost a year ago, since the teaser at the 2024 Superfans Event. Knowing that Paultons were going to open a Vikings themed area in 2026, just 2 years after Drayton Manor opened theirs, slightly made me doubt their creativity, going for a "common" themed area, one that already existed in the UK. However, upon the reveal yesterday, I feel confident Paultons will create a unique area, with its own "twist".

The smaller bits:
Retheme of Cobra to Raven - Although this was expected, I am very happy to see Paultons first major coaster getting some much needed love! Its new colour scheme will contrast very nicely to the fiery colours of Drakon, plus the new station area getting a good overhaul!
Relocation of Edge - This is the best option in my opinion, as 2 Viking themed Zamperla Diskos in the UK would be a bit overkill. Where it will end up, who knows, however I am happy to see that Paultons are hanging on to it!
Removal of Magma - I am incredibly happy to see this ride leave the park. Its one of the most irrelevant rides at Paultons Park now, with an underwhelming ride experience, and unpredictable spinning (whether it actually works or not).
New Dining Venue/Play Area - some nice little additions to the major additions... nothing else to say

Now the biggys:
Vild Swing - what an awesome addition to Paultons flat-ride portfolio. ART Engineering's Wild Swing is quickly becoming their answer to the Zamperla Nebulaz, but with a better ride experience Having done Wilde Gautsche at Tripsdrill, I can confirm these are a lot more fun than people expect, even for the whole family with is open air design, and quite thrilling motion! Well done to Paultons for making the right decision on this one!

Drakon - oh, what can I say about this. To say I am thoroughly disappointed with this addition would be an understatement. Obviously, Paultons want to go in a new direction with its portfolio, adding new thrills to expand its demographic. However, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter was the most unexpected option, as typically Paultons like never done before in the UK attractions. I am happy that they have gone for a custom layout, plus the interaction with Raven. But again, as a forward thinking park, buying into a model that is 23 years old, is odd. I understand the idea behind the OTSRs, however, as quite a seasoned enthusiast, I have seen many kids riding rides such as Karacho at Tripsdrill, etc, so its a choice I find slightly uneducated. Lawrence Mancey is even an enthusiast, I am actually shocked he even signed off a Euro-Fighter, so with that, thats my thoughts for now.

2027 is looking to be another big year, Phase 2 of Vangard, with the addition of an awesome MACK Rides Watercoaster! I will try to keep myself reserved ahead of opening, as I plan to be there opening day! Lets hope Drakon doesn't end up like Vindfald

 

[Graeme]

Would it have drawn criticism for being another Vekoma though? It would have left 6 out of 8 coasters being Vekoma or Zierer... Knowing how us goons like to moan about the stupidest little things, I do think it would still have drawn criticism.

New-gen Vekoma? No, I honestly don't think so. I think people would have been ecstatic for the UK to get one.

I do think anything even similar to the Space Warp would have been off-scale for Paultons, though, same goes for the Mack and Intamin equivalents. Formula would only fit in if they removed Cobra and didn't want the restaurant and Wild Swing (which sounds like a good choice of ride, by the way). The nippy little wedge-shaped Eurofighter does make more sense, or, as @Serena says, Lynet/Anubis.

Personally, I'm confident Drakon will ride well, and there are quite a few things that suggest it's actually a new-gen Euro Fighter. If you want a compact extreme coaster on a budget, it's one of the few choices there is.

 

[Kingda kas ghost]

Totally agree-I’m not sure if any other ride type would fit along with the rest of the rides. Paultons needed a cheap, compact thrill coaster- a eurofighter fits the bill. To those worried about it being unoriginal, I think that was the idea. People will see this and recognise that Saw looks similar, which may make people take Paultons seriously? Not sure if you catch my drift.

I’m sure they will aim to make Drakon as smooth as possible. £12 million is a lot for a retheme, wild swing and eurofighter so I bet Paultons will want to pay a premium for a smoother experience so as mot to pit families off.

 

[Bowser]

And although it's very, very rare, Rage has broken down on the lift hill a few times recently, which wouldn't be fun if you were riding at the time.

I think of positions to get stuck on a coaster it's probably the most comfortable! Though less so if the sun is in your eyes. Or its raining.

I believe the new Eurofighters have a magnetic system that means the cars can be lowered rather than evacuated?

 

[PaultonsLover]

Every ride at Paulton's is smooth - Cobra for some reason I expect this 20 year old ride to hurt every time and it just doesn't so I do believe that Paulton's will try to get this Eurofighter as smooth as possible its unlike them to have a rough ride.

 

[PaultonsLover]

Also - is anyone working on a NL2 or PC2 recreation, that would be nice to see.

 

[Matt N]

Also - is anyone working on a NL2 or PC2 recreation, that would be nice to see.

I did this yesterday:

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.

Someone will inevitably come out with something better, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless!

 

[MannekenPis]

I get the point that most people don't care precisely what it is, they just see a roller coaster with an inversion. But they will care after they ride it and the whole family has a headache. Unless, have newer installations got noticeably smoother?

 

[Jamesss]

Everyone's complaining about the Eurofighter, but ultimately, there's nothing that can be done now. The foundations are in. It's being built.

What could still be changed, maybe, is the trains. Have they even been built yet?

Come on, Paultons. Lap bars would vastly improve the ride experience!

 

[Graeme]

I think of positions to get stuck on a coaster it's probably the most comfortable! Though less so if the sun is in your eyes. Or its raining.

I believe the new Eurofighters have a magnetic system that means the cars can be lowered rather than evacuated?

Ah, that makes sense. Beats rolling over into a cherry picker!

 

[PaultonsLover]

Yeah but if you roll on the cherry picker you get gift cards if it lowers you back into the station stress free you get nothing!!!!

 

[roomraider]

Haha it's all good, more like David vs Serena!



...do we? Please see exhibit A:

View attachment 37543

This piece of theming is outstanding.

And if we want to go even more recent, there's the Toxicator soundtrack, voice overs and tube screens that sync perfectly with the ride cycle. And the lights in the tunnel that change.

As for Hyperia, we all know it's hard to theme a coaster over 200ft. No one expects a hyper to be fully themed.

Now, back to Paultons.

It's interesting to hear how important it is for families to sit together. This was admittedly not something I had considered, but interestingly it didn't seem to be an issue for all the kids riding the single rail at Luna Park Sydney when I was there. I guess it's completely subjective, to some kids it will matter, but others maybe not.

So, with that in mind, what ride model would have struck the perfect balance of: sitting together but delivering a relatively cheap, modern, unique 1.2 height, inverting family thrill coaster experience in the UK?

Maybe a new gen Vekoma? Maybe a ride like Lynet at Farup?

On another note, there's a difference between critiquing and complaining.

I'm not complaining that Paultons are getting a new coaster. Good for them. They just opened a shooty dark ride when other parks are removing guns on rides. So you know...that's just how Paultons roll, isn't it. They're a small local park they can afford to be a bit behind on the times because they're not trying to attract visitors from all over. I was never expecting them to build something to my extreme tastes. That's not what the issue is here.

I'm just surprised they didn't get something more marketable? I also would have loved to see a theme a bit more unique to the UK than vikings.

Side note: with a fourth Eurofighter being built in the UK, will that make it the most common extreme ride type we have in this country?

I'll give you the Nemesis themeing. It was a nice surprise.

But Hyperia's is a joke. Sure its hard to make hyper themed nicely but its not hard to make a station themed nicely, or at all. And even when i went in July there were fence posts with caps missing and rubbish stuffed in them, Random bits of tubing sticking out of flower beds and that god awful looking "Splash Down" that didnt splash.

Its a joke.

I stick with a single rail being an excellent idea for their next coaster. Just not this one.

Vekoma would have been great but again they are super busy, the lead time on one of their bigger rides is years at the moment. And would any of their rides fit in?

The compact looping 500 is the smallest standard model i've seen Vekoma offer recently (custom would cost more but an option)


And the 2 train version of this layout comes in at 100m x 55m (I'll leave someone else to figure out if that would fit but i suspect it might not without removing other rides)

As a final note, dont we only have 3 Eurofighters now? Don't see Speed ever reopening without some serious push.

 

[CrashCoaster]

The fact that it's a Euro-Fighter I'm honestly fine with, the layout looks awesome. What I am heavily bothered about is the restraints, and the fact that OTSRs lead to a rougher ride experience. Euro-Fighter OTSRs have the restraint cylinders in the back of the seats as opposed to under the train floor in the lap bar variants, which raises the train's centre of gravity and thus leads to a rougher ride alongside having the earbashers next to your head. I pray they see all this negative feedback and change their minds before it's too late.

 

[Chris Brown]

A collection of thoughts after another great event held by Paultons, the fact that Paultons even holds these events for us enthusiasts is exactly why we favour them over the likes of Merlin and co. Paultons don’t need to let us all in for free, put on a buffet, give us all ERT on the best attractions, take us behind the scenes on our chosen rides or present the parks future plans whilst offering Q&A sessions with the parks leadership team.

Ghostly Manor.

Nearly everything about this ride has been executed extremely well, the new small courtyard area with the fountain and the entrance gate are the perfect blend between cute, quaint and spooky. I absolutely adore the branding and graphics for the signage. The entrance path, even on opening, just feels so finished already, there is are no obvious gaps in theming, no waiting for shrubbery to establish, it just feels so bedded in already. The small pre show / internal queue line is great, I do feel like the classic scare maze smell pod was a little off and unnecessary.

The ride itself is fab, the duration is great, it’s quite amazing how much they’ve packed into what is essentially a turntable system. The mixture of screens and physical sets is welcomed. My only criticism would be the shooting system didn’t feel as refined as some of the other available dark ride offerings, it’s leagues above some of the old lazer systems but doesn’t feel as refined as Maus au chocolat or Popcorns Revenge. Realistically, I think my expectations were slightly too high here and the system they have is more than enough to satisfy riders.

Lastly, I think Paultons should really look into how they manage the transitions between sets / scenes. This is a really simple fix that would help the pause in both sound and set, when transitioning from one scene to the next. I think an update from Dr Kinley or a small musical sound track would really smooth these out.

Valguard.

I’m a little torn on this one, and I’m probably going to end up repeating alot of what’s been said by other posters. Firstly, on paper, what they’re getting / developing for £12 million is pretty insane. I have no doubt that we’ll see something very close to the concept art which will be remarkable in itself. Breaking it down, a unique flat ride, a major thrill coaster with 2 inversions, a major play park, a complete retheme of Cobra, a new major eatery / restaurant and the level of theming shown in the concept art, you can see exactly why Paultons have made the decision to potentially go for ‘cheaper’ ride hardware, and it’s to ensure they don’t detract from the overall area given their ultimate overall budget. Essentially, as mentioned numerous times by others, Paultons will allocate budgets to ensure that they’re able to deliver a balance between the ride, the area, the theming and any accompanying elements such as restaurants and play parks. Not digging at Thorpe but it’s almost the polar opposite of Hyperia and ‘fearless valley’ which houses a box shop, a standard pop up dessert kiosk, a scrapped splash viewing platform but a world class (ish) coaster.

Do I think Paultons could have chosen better than a Gerst Eurofighter? Absolutely. Even trying my hardest to park my enthusiast entitlement, I still think there are better many better or similar options. Personally, I think the Paultons justification of the choice is a little confusing. They have confirmed the utilisation of OTSR’s due to the perception of safety, but I’m not entirely convinced by this, is a 1.25m child going to feel more safe getting there head pummelled by the OSTR’s or by sitting in a seat with a nice comfy but safe lap restraint? The ride features a vertical lift with at least a vertical drop, Paultons said this space saving feature was a key point for their decision, but it’s arguably about as intimidating as you can get regardless of what restraints they’re using.

When discussing the Wild Swing they were very quick to highlight how well they’d sold recently and how they offer a completely unique and surprising ride experience, no mention of this with the Eurofighter. I can only assume Paultons staff, self confessed enthusiasts, have ridden some of the newest Eurofighters and found they ride better than most of the older offerings.

I think Paultons should have gone for a slightly less thrilling main addition that would have served as a more unique and marketable attraction within the UK. I standby a small wooden coaster would have been a hit, an intamin family launch, an intamin lift and launch, a small vekoma sit down thrill, an infinity like mystic, even a small hot racer (I’ve always had my reservations on this as you essentially ride alone), whilst I’m not going to pretend to know how much these cost I can’t see them being leagues apart from a custom eurofighter. It makes me wonder if a key requirement for this ride, with it easily being the most intense in the park, is the ability for it to seat 4 guests together (IE the most common family size?). I’d heard from a ride op that on storm chaser, families are encouraged to ride in separate opposing vehicles so they can spin to face eachother for an enhanced ‘together’ feeling. No idea how true this is.

I do feel that this will be the most intense addition for at least the next 10 or so years. From their messaging, brand and continual reference to being a family park I just see no need to offer anything more thrilling.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Anubis.

Anubis at Plopsa? That's massive, (4,000 m2) and properly intense. One of the most back punching launches I've done. I quite like Anubis actually, for a gerst, don't shoot me.

As a final note, dont we only have 3 Eurofighters now? Don't see Speed ever reopening without some serious push.

Did you see this.

'Oakwood was a rite of passage and I plan to re-open it'

A local resident is behind a plan to revive the once thriving theme park, saying: 'I grew up in west Wales. I remember every queue, every hill climb, every first drop'

www.walesonline.co.uk

Reminds me of the madness around here when American Adventure closed... Somebody actually started an online petition to have it reopened... By whom I don't know, but "They wanted it reopened, damn it!"

 

[Matt N]

Did you see this.

'Oakwood was a rite of passage and I plan to re-open it'

A local resident is behind a plan to revive the once thriving theme park, saying: 'I grew up in west Wales. I remember every queue, every hill climb, every first drop'

www.walesonline.co.uk

Reminds me of the madness around here when American Adventure closed... Somebody actually started an online petition to have it reopened... By whom I don't know, but "They wanted it reopened, damn it!"

Going off topic a tad, but I think that AA petition was over 10 years after it closed and the entire park had been removed…

This Oakwood thing, on the other hand, does sound like someone has a legitimate plan of some description and has presented it to the current owners. There’s at least some semblance of a theme park still standing at Oakwood, so there’s a chance (however remote) that the right person could still save it!

 

[Serena]

The fact that Paultons even holds these events for us enthusiasts is exactly why we favour them over the likes of Merlin and co. Paultons don’t need to let us all in for free, put on a buffet, give us all ERT on the best attractions, take us behind the scenes on our chosen rides or present the parks future plans whilst offering Q&A sessions with the parks leadership team.

Chris, via CF, you and I have experienced multiple VIP / press days at Alton / Thorpe featuring:

- Free admission to the park
- Free food and drink
- Access to all the rides in the park with minimal / 0 wait
- Free access to upcharge horror mazes
- The opportunity to ride brand new attractions before the general public

The Paultons Fan Day is a fairly similar to a press day in that it's still a barter - just a less exclusive one.

A free fun day for enthusiasts to generate positive word of mouth / spread the news of their announcement. The incentive behind Paultons Fan Day is basically the same incentive behind Merlin press days - give a special experience to people, to get people talking positively.

While yes, Merlin do not do Fan Days for everyone (I'd argue they are too big for that) Alton Towers Content Creator programme offers a similar thing where enthusiasts can attend previews of rides etc and there's not much of an entry requirement for that programme either.

Now, I'm not knocking Paultons for doing this lovely event and it's fab that anyone can attend.

But it's a little disconcerting to hear that this Fan Day would cause 'favour over' Merlin, when we have been invited to multiple VIP events at Merlin parks every year for over a decade now - where we do get treated exceptionally well!

The only difference is that one event has a guestlist and one doesn't. Which is understandable given one is a massive world-renowed theme park, and the other is a family friendly regional park. But the incentive - good publicity, is the same for both.

In many ways, the sensible conclusion appears to be that comparing Merlin with Paultons is rather arbitrary and illogical. Its kinda like comparing a Ford Ka against a Range Rover. While Paultons and Thorpe are both theme parks, they serve different purposes for different people. Just now they have lil Eurofighter matching friendship bracelets.

Off-piste, but relevant: the director for the video game Helldivers 2 once said "a game for everyone is a game for no one."

The same philosophy can be applied to theme parks. Trying to please everyone rarely works out. The fact that there is such contrast between Paultons and UK Merlin parks is good. What one gives, the other lacks and vice versa.

I guess my main bug bear, is that I wish for more nuance and consideration in the "Paultons good, Merlin bad" subject of discussion.

I'm going to add a smiley face at the end here to clarify friendly tone

And I'd like to add, Eurofighter or not, it's nice to see so much discussion and healthy debate popping off on the forums over this!

 

[CineramaMax]

I've given myself a day to think this through before posting.

Firstly - Ghostly Manor is the bees knees for what it is. A pacey and elaborate wee dark ride. It balances whimsy with spooks, practical sets with gameplay and projections. I thought it was absolutely class for a first ever dark ride at a park. It feels like it's been there for years. Thoroughly impressed with the number of scenes they squeezed into such a tight space!

Now onto Valgard. Visually, it appears to be quite the spectacle. Paultons are no strangers to crafting beautifully themed and landscaped themed lands, and they admitted yesterday that they learn from every new themed area/ride. So I believe this will be a significant step-up from Tornado Springs. Vild Swing is a breath of fresh air, I personally adore Wild Swing at Fantasiana, so completely overjoyed that we'll have one closer to home. Cobra being rethemed to Raven is very very welcome, it's already a brilliant little coaster in its own right, and lots of new theming will elevate the experience even more....

Drakon.....

I want to be excited and positive. It could be really decent ride. I really like the layout, appears very modern for a Eurofighter. But it is still a Eurofighter.... a Eurofighter with OTSR's. Granted that some Eurofighters do ride more smoothly than others, especially newer versions. But it's the fact we aren't guaranteed a smoother coaster this time around that really disappoints me. Yes, Paultons do take very good care of their rides. They all ride smoothly. But it's out of Paultons hands whether or not Gerstlauer fabricate a truly smooth Eurofighter.... they are not known for their smoothness. There's footage of newer Eurofighters that have an obscene level of jank to their transitions. I very much would have preferred an Infinity Coaster over this.

As for the 2027 addition... my gut instinct tells me we're in for a Mack water coaster. What with the blatantly obvious Mack ground pins on the former go carts site. Very excited for that.