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Alton Towers | The Smiler | Gerstlauer Infinity

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Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

This ride is stunning from every picture, It would be nice if the station wasn't so box like, but it may look better once it's finished.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Smithy said:
They've got an awful lot of work done on the station since the last pictures I saw.

And I hate to bring up 'that' argument, but from that picture it looks as if Oblivion's track coming out the hole isn't painted. Lul.

Shhhh...I can see Joey going down with a tin and finishing it off himself before the park becomes like Compton. :wink:
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

So as far as trackwork is concerned, is it only the lift segments that need installing now?
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

What is left to construct -

Track: Both inverted drops, both lift hills & final turn into brake run.

Theming: The Hypnotiser leg.

Unsure whether still happening: Stilted Jetty, two near misses near Cobra Roll & Batwing.

TheSmilerProgress9thApril2013_zpsb5c8db5d.jpg

(Click for larger image - Orange items are unsure whether they are still happening)
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Just some pictures of the theming going on the Marmeliser.

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Image from TowersStreet FB

Got the Giggler, Flasher, Innoculator theming on there.

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Image from TowersStreet FB

Close up of The Innoculator

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Image from TowersStreet FB
And of The Giggler and Flasher

And finally, the top of one of the lifts and the chains for both have arrived on site.

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Image from TowersStreet FB
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Top picture is unreal

Wait. Same picture.

There's an access ladder, some brackets under the track and a walkway. I'm sure that's the same part of the track people were questioning something on it, would that confirm it's a block brake prior to the vertical lift?
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Such an amazing tangle of metal!

Are the bin things meant to be lights?
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1


I like those variances of 'Toxic' icons. It seems so obvious, but I did not think about that idea. It's nicely sinister. I just wish the uniform for the ride operators wasn't so clowny. I find clowns disturbing because of their face paint, not because of their awful fashion sense.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Even if a person finds the individual components (girders, barrels, etc.) to be cheesy looking, now that it is nearly assembled, it must be said that the Marmalizer is a pretty impressive piece of theming.

Way back when it was first hinted that there was a spider-thing in the middle, I pictured and was hoping for something like the contraption from the Will Smith Wild Wild West movie, but this isn't bad either, considering the backstory.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

To be fair, I was just after the cheap gag - I actually adore the tongue-in-cheek theming.
It seems to be deliberately made to look naff - silly colours, wires hanging out, comedy outfits - it's like a real-life cartoon. Thorpe may have done well with Swarm, but I love that Alton has not taken itself seriously at all, yet at the same time, produced something visually stunning. It's like the coaster version of a self-aware anime.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Is this a Merlin first? Construction is almost done, and we're yet to see a shipping container or scaffold theming...!
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

I don't think the spider thing looks great atm. It just looks a bit cardboard and tat-like. I think that's because it looks like obvious painted grey, rather than metallic? Spose it's hard to tell until we see it insitu and complete.

I'd like to think they've learnt that shipping containers, scaffolding and other "it's meant to look awful!" objects are detrimental regardless of thematic relevance. If even Disney can't make that work (Dinoland USA), then Merlin should certainly stop.

Though they really would have had no relevance in this clinical theme... But, I always assumed their thematic subjects were chosen from a list of "what can we use a shipping container for..."

I also always hoped that shipping containers were a running in joke cameo.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Joey said:
I also always hoped that shipping containers were a running in joke cameo.

I wouldn't be surprised if some designer at Merlin probably saw the enthusiast OUTRAGE at Saw's shop and decided to keep sneaking them in where they could for the lulz...
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

The ultimate Merlin troll would be creating a ride themed around being kidnapped and being exported as human cargo in shipping containers.

Or an indoors coaster which runs through endless shipping containers. Or the building is made from Shipping container panels.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

Back again with another photo.

This one is from TTF, the support for one of the lifts is finally going into place. So far it looks nothing like a standard Gerstlauer vertical lift hill support.

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From TTF FB
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

This one doesn't have the drop going down the other side, so it was always going to be different.
 
Re: Alton Towers | The Smiler | Unknown Gerstlauer World's 1

^ Not true. Think about the first lift of Mystery Mine. Oh, and the second lift. The lift and drop are separated yet it still has the normal Gerst tower...

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However I'd imagine a tower like that would struggle to take the weight of a whole train.
 
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