Drayton Manor in Staffordshire, UK, is a park full of "firsts" and "onlys". In 1994, they opened Shockwave, Europe's only stand-up coaster. In 2000, the world's first stand-up drop tower, Apocalypse, was unleashed. The popular and immersive Thomas Land opened in 2008 and was the first of its kind in Europe. New for 2011 is Cartoon Network Street, featuring the first ever Junior Boomerang coaster, Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission.
Drayton Manor has successfully dipped its toe in the kids tv themed area water before with Thomas Land, so this should be a walk in a (theme) park for them. Will Cartoon Network Street be as well received as Thomas Land? Is there room in the park for two kids tv themed lands in one park? Most importantly (for us anyway), is the coaster any good? Ian, Nic, furie and Rach went to find out.
Cartoon Network Street is built where the old Sombrero ride once stood.
The area isn't as enclosed as one might expect a new land to be, but it's certainly easy to reconginse where the street beings and ends. It expands from the Haunting ride to the pathway that leads to the zoo.
The main feature of Cartoon Network Street is the rollercoaster, Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission.
The coaster is the first of its kind in the world and was developed by Dutch manufacturers Vekoma. It is known as a Junior Boomerang coaster. Traditional boomerang coasters can be found throughout the world. They involve reversing up a lift hill before plummeting forwards through the station, through a cobra roll inversion and a vertical loop and up an angled spike. The train then travels backwards along the same track.
A Junior Boomerang differs slightly. Instead of inversions, the coaster has a helix (the spiral bit). Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission is the only boomerang coaster in the world that features a helix. It also has a 1m height limit so it's perfect for families.
Today at Drayton Manor, the new coaster was officially opened by Britain's Got Talent runners-up, Twist 'n Pulse. They cut the ribbon with Managing Director, Colin Bryan.
The cutting of the ribbon was followed by a ticker tape explosion, fireworks and streamers. Twist 'n Pulse had a quick ride before treating up to one of their dance routines.
Enough geek talk, what does it ride like?
Above the entrance, there is a stage with live actors, smoke and fire effects to welcome the riders as they enter the queue. Hopefully this will run all year round and not just in busy periods.
It sets a good atmosphere for the ride. Some rides themed to popular brands tend to use the logo and that's it. Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission goes beyond that and tries to immerse the rider in a story to make them feel that they are staring in the cartoon.
If you're not familiar with the cartoon, here's the jist of it in a nutshell. A scientist called Azmuth created a powerful device called the Omnitrix which can transform the holder into several varying alien lifeforms. The bad guy, Vilgax, wants the Omnitrix so he can rule the universe. Ben uses the Omnitrix to foil Vilgax's evil plans, having many exciting alien related adventures on the way.
SPOILER ALERT - If you don't want to read what happens inside the pre-ride queue, scroll down to the END SPOLIER tag, otherwise read on...
The queue leads to Azmuth’s Lab on the Galvan Prime planet, where riders get their first taste of the theme.
Riders then move on to the Alien Chamber, passing the almost hidden "Infinity Mirror" on the way. Models of the different Ben10 aliens surround the waiting riders as dramatic music plays and lights flash.
The models were created by a British company called Meticulous. They look awesome!
In order to stop Vilgax, riders need to activate the laser cannon to destroy Vilgax's spaceship.
This is where the coaster comes in. The coaster train acts as the shuttle to blast cannon. Riding the coaster is the only way to defeat Vilgax. Suits us!
END SPOILER
The ride starts with a backwards climb up a 65ft lift hill.
It then hurtles back through the station at 34mph...
...and through the upwards 3g helix...
...and decelerates up a angled spike. The spike has a bendy part at the end, but is only noticeable in the first three rows.
The train then travels along the track in reverse back to the station.
In all the track is 590ft long, which is quite short for a coaster, but as riders get two goes (once forwards, once backwards), it is effectively two rides rolled up in one.
Stop looking at photos, see the ride in action in our POV video!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxYrTtlT0v4[/youtube]
After the ride, the exit is through the on-ride photo booth. The photo is taken at the start of the helix.
Drayton Manor approached Cartoon Network with the concept of building a themed dedicated street after noticing kids wearing Ben10 t-shirts around the park. Where Thomas Land is aimed at the under 6's, Cartoon Network Street is to appeal to children aged between 5-10. By having the two lands and the big rides, all of the family is catered for. A shrewd move by Drayton!
The area is due to expand over the coming years. The street will eventually incorporate the £80k refurbished ferris wheel, The Haunting (with a possible Scooby Doo theme), the refurbished Hollywood Diner, the 4D cinema and a new ride. Stay tuned to CF for updates as we get them!
Cartoon Network Street isn’t as grand and overpowering as Thomas Land, but it does offer a pleasant experience for Ben 10 fans and those who like rides with a story and theme. The area is a suitable addition to Drayton Manor. The new area is primarily aimed at the family market, but there is appeal for thrill seekers in the form of a unique, well themed coaster, which is more than a "+1" coaster count credit. Some family coasters do not hold appeal for rerides but Ben 10 – Ultimate Mission does.
After Thomas Land, other areas of the park started to feel tired and neglected. Aside from the shiny addition of Cartoon Network Street and the hotel (opening in August), several rides have been treated to a spruce-up. It’s almost as new life is being breathed in the park. Well done, Drayton!
We can't wait until their next sixth new coaster in 2013...
Drayton Manor has successfully dipped its toe in the kids tv themed area water before with Thomas Land, so this should be a walk in a (theme) park for them. Will Cartoon Network Street be as well received as Thomas Land? Is there room in the park for two kids tv themed lands in one park? Most importantly (for us anyway), is the coaster any good? Ian, Nic, furie and Rach went to find out.
Cartoon Network Street is built where the old Sombrero ride once stood.
The area isn't as enclosed as one might expect a new land to be, but it's certainly easy to reconginse where the street beings and ends. It expands from the Haunting ride to the pathway that leads to the zoo.
The main feature of Cartoon Network Street is the rollercoaster, Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission.
The coaster is the first of its kind in the world and was developed by Dutch manufacturers Vekoma. It is known as a Junior Boomerang coaster. Traditional boomerang coasters can be found throughout the world. They involve reversing up a lift hill before plummeting forwards through the station, through a cobra roll inversion and a vertical loop and up an angled spike. The train then travels backwards along the same track.
A Junior Boomerang differs slightly. Instead of inversions, the coaster has a helix (the spiral bit). Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission is the only boomerang coaster in the world that features a helix. It also has a 1m height limit so it's perfect for families.
Today at Drayton Manor, the new coaster was officially opened by Britain's Got Talent runners-up, Twist 'n Pulse. They cut the ribbon with Managing Director, Colin Bryan.
The cutting of the ribbon was followed by a ticker tape explosion, fireworks and streamers. Twist 'n Pulse had a quick ride before treating up to one of their dance routines.
Enough geek talk, what does it ride like?
Above the entrance, there is a stage with live actors, smoke and fire effects to welcome the riders as they enter the queue. Hopefully this will run all year round and not just in busy periods.
It sets a good atmosphere for the ride. Some rides themed to popular brands tend to use the logo and that's it. Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission goes beyond that and tries to immerse the rider in a story to make them feel that they are staring in the cartoon.
If you're not familiar with the cartoon, here's the jist of it in a nutshell. A scientist called Azmuth created a powerful device called the Omnitrix which can transform the holder into several varying alien lifeforms. The bad guy, Vilgax, wants the Omnitrix so he can rule the universe. Ben uses the Omnitrix to foil Vilgax's evil plans, having many exciting alien related adventures on the way.
SPOILER ALERT - If you don't want to read what happens inside the pre-ride queue, scroll down to the END SPOLIER tag, otherwise read on...
The queue leads to Azmuth’s Lab on the Galvan Prime planet, where riders get their first taste of the theme.
Riders then move on to the Alien Chamber, passing the almost hidden "Infinity Mirror" on the way. Models of the different Ben10 aliens surround the waiting riders as dramatic music plays and lights flash.
The models were created by a British company called Meticulous. They look awesome!
In order to stop Vilgax, riders need to activate the laser cannon to destroy Vilgax's spaceship.
This is where the coaster comes in. The coaster train acts as the shuttle to blast cannon. Riding the coaster is the only way to defeat Vilgax. Suits us!
END SPOILER
The ride starts with a backwards climb up a 65ft lift hill.
It then hurtles back through the station at 34mph...
...and through the upwards 3g helix...
...and decelerates up a angled spike. The spike has a bendy part at the end, but is only noticeable in the first three rows.
The train then travels along the track in reverse back to the station.
In all the track is 590ft long, which is quite short for a coaster, but as riders get two goes (once forwards, once backwards), it is effectively two rides rolled up in one.
Stop looking at photos, see the ride in action in our POV video!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxYrTtlT0v4[/youtube]
After the ride, the exit is through the on-ride photo booth. The photo is taken at the start of the helix.
Drayton Manor approached Cartoon Network with the concept of building a themed dedicated street after noticing kids wearing Ben10 t-shirts around the park. Where Thomas Land is aimed at the under 6's, Cartoon Network Street is to appeal to children aged between 5-10. By having the two lands and the big rides, all of the family is catered for. A shrewd move by Drayton!
The area is due to expand over the coming years. The street will eventually incorporate the £80k refurbished ferris wheel, The Haunting (with a possible Scooby Doo theme), the refurbished Hollywood Diner, the 4D cinema and a new ride. Stay tuned to CF for updates as we get them!
Cartoon Network Street isn’t as grand and overpowering as Thomas Land, but it does offer a pleasant experience for Ben 10 fans and those who like rides with a story and theme. The area is a suitable addition to Drayton Manor. The new area is primarily aimed at the family market, but there is appeal for thrill seekers in the form of a unique, well themed coaster, which is more than a "+1" coaster count credit. Some family coasters do not hold appeal for rerides but Ben 10 – Ultimate Mission does.
After Thomas Land, other areas of the park started to feel tired and neglected. Aside from the shiny addition of Cartoon Network Street and the hotel (opening in August), several rides have been treated to a spruce-up. It’s almost as new life is being breathed in the park. Well done, Drayton!
We can't wait until their next sixth new coaster in 2013...
