In length i assume?
Thorpe Park | Hyperia | Mack Hyper Coaster | 2024
- Thread starter Matt N
- Start date
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- Tags
- 2024 new coaster thorpe park
VonRolland
Giga Poster
thats pushing it now come onIn length i assume?
Matt N
CF Legend
I’ll do a longer review later, but… WOW! Hyperia is quite something! I’ve had 2 rides so far, and am currently waiting for a 3rd in the single rider queue…
I haven’t decided on exact ranking spots yet, but my gut take is currently; easily my top ride in Thorpe Park and definitely my favourite UK coaster!
What a phenomenal addition to this park and the UK theme park industry!
I haven’t decided on exact ranking spots yet, but my gut take is currently; easily my top ride in Thorpe Park and definitely my favourite UK coaster!
What a phenomenal addition to this park and the UK theme park industry!
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
My big question is, do you still think the layout will lack airtime?
Only pulling ya leg, glad you enjoyed it.
Matt N
CF Legend
Earlier in the day, I promised to write a longer review of Hyperia when I got home. Well, here it is!
While it's not exactly the aspect of the project I was most interested in, I'll start by giving a few cursory thoughts on the theming and the area...
The Area
One aspect of Hyperia that has been heavily criticised is the theming and the area. I have to say that I did not personally get the hate for this; the front-of-house areas look fine to me. It's nothing breathtaking, but I think it's functional and looks perfectly fine. I quite like the black and gold aesthetic, I quite like the station, I quite like the plaza, the queue landscaping is nice enough, and the queue is by no means terrible (although not anything overly inspiring either). In terms of some aspects I would critique, however:
Let's now move onto the far more interesting aspect of the project; the ride itself...
The Ride
Now Hyperia has been a ride that I've been excited for for absolutely ages. I watched its build process with great anticipation, and I had high expectations for the ride. But the question is; did it live up to those expectations? Well, dear reader, my answer is; yes, it definitely did! I had 3 rides today, one in row 8 and two in the back row, and Hyperia is an absolutely sublime coaster experience, in my view!
The negative g-forces are absolutely absurd; the ride advertises 14.8 seconds of negative g-force, and let me tell you, I can fully believe that figure! They've designed this ride for weightlessness and I think it delivers; you seem to spend most of the ride duration pinned out of your seat in some capacity!
The speed is also absurd; it's easy to forget just how fast Hyperia is, but let me tell you that you're quickly reminded of just how fast 81mph is when you're actually on the ride! The sense of speed in parts of Hyperia's layout is ridiculous!
For me, an element-by-element walkthrough of Hyperia goes something like this:
As per usual with Mack Rides, the trains with overhead lap bars are immensely comfortable. I think Hyperia's are perhaps the most comfortable example of this train style I've experienced. In terms of smoothness; there is a rattle. It's noticeable. But it wasn't strong enough that it massively bothered me. It was more that I could feel a bit of a shaking sensation rather than that the rattle was actively hurting me or massively detracting from the experience. It's no worse than the mild rattle of, say, Stealth. The ride was overall very comfortable and enjoyable for me, and there were no severe jolts or anything (roughness-wise, I tend to find myself more sensitive to sudden jolts than rattling).
In terms of some comparisons; Hyperia is comfortably my favourite coaster at Thorpe Park (it was previously Stealth), comfortably my favourite UK coaster (it was previously Wicker Man) and also comfortably my favourite Mack ride (it was previously Icon). In terms of my overall rankings; out of 123 ridden coasters, I've conservatively settled on the #5 spot, behind Mako, VelociCoaster, Silver Star and Iron Gwazi (in that order).
If I were to offer up some pedantic hair-splitting critiques that explain why it's not my #1, and why it's not higher than #5:
One legitimate critique I will offer of the ride itself is with regard to the capacity. It's not the highest for a brand new major ride, at 700-800pph, but I think a key reason for that has nothing to do with the park's operations and may have something to do with the brake run. They were operating brilliantly, and stacking was very rare, but the train seems to take a very, very long time to return to the station and moves along the brake run track very, very slowly. This results in more idle time in the station, and if they were able to speed up the train's movement through the brake run, it might improve the capacity. Hopefully this is something the park can look into in the future.
But overall, I absolutely loved Hyperia! It's my favourite coaster at Thorpe Park, my favourite coaster in the UK and sits in my top 5! The weightlessness is sublime, the sense of speed is absurd, the elements are absolutely top-drawer, and all in all, it's just an absolutely sublime coaster! What a brilliant investment for Thorpe Park and the UK theme park industry!
On a side note, here are a few photos I took of the ride:
While it's not exactly the aspect of the project I was most interested in, I'll start by giving a few cursory thoughts on the theming and the area...
The Area
One aspect of Hyperia that has been heavily criticised is the theming and the area. I have to say that I did not personally get the hate for this; the front-of-house areas look fine to me. It's nothing breathtaking, but I think it's functional and looks perfectly fine. I quite like the black and gold aesthetic, I quite like the station, I quite like the plaza, the queue landscaping is nice enough, and the queue is by no means terrible (although not anything overly inspiring either). In terms of some aspects I would critique, however:
- The queue could maybe have had a more interesting and less contained layout. I would have loved it if the queue had wound around the ride Wicker Man-style and offered various different vantage points.
- The ride area itself is quite unsightly at present, particularly the area around the splashdown. The lake with all of the weeds in it looks quite ugly, in my view, and I don't think the actual splashdown area is particularly pretty either. The rust-coloured splashdown track in particular does not look good at all. However, you don't notice this too much on the ride, and the ride area will probably grow to look better with time.
- Speaking of the splash effect, the whole splashdown is an idea that had such promise, but has turned out to be a complete damp squib. It seems to have completely died only a couple of months into operation, but I did see it working on my visit 2 months ago, if I'm remembering correctly, and I think it's a completely redundant effect even when it works. That sort of effect is designed primarily for visual appeal for non-riders, so when it's hidden behind a 7ft fence and no one can see it properly, it completely loses its purpose.
- If I'm being pedantic, I'm not a huge fan of how the maintenance shed looks and I would have preferred for it to parallel the style of the station. That is an extremely pedantic point, however; it's not really a big deal.
Let's now move onto the far more interesting aspect of the project; the ride itself...
The Ride
Now Hyperia has been a ride that I've been excited for for absolutely ages. I watched its build process with great anticipation, and I had high expectations for the ride. But the question is; did it live up to those expectations? Well, dear reader, my answer is; yes, it definitely did! I had 3 rides today, one in row 8 and two in the back row, and Hyperia is an absolutely sublime coaster experience, in my view!
The negative g-forces are absolutely absurd; the ride advertises 14.8 seconds of negative g-force, and let me tell you, I can fully believe that figure! They've designed this ride for weightlessness and I think it delivers; you seem to spend most of the ride duration pinned out of your seat in some capacity!
The speed is also absurd; it's easy to forget just how fast Hyperia is, but let me tell you that you're quickly reminded of just how fast 81mph is when you're actually on the ride! The sense of speed in parts of Hyperia's layout is ridiculous!
For me, an element-by-element walkthrough of Hyperia goes something like this:
- The first outerbanked turn out of the station before the lift hill is utterly pointless; I don't know why this couldn't have just been a regular turn. The outerbanked version seemingly serves no purpose other than to be mildly awkward and uncomfortable.
- The lift hill is very fast. I liked the views from the top!
- The first drop is absolutely unhinged, and probably my favourite part of the ride! I'm a fan of a big first drop, and Hyperia's is truly wild; the ejector airtime is absolutely sublime and surprisingly sustained, and the 180 degree twist adds a really interesting additional sensation! It's definitely right up there as one of my favourite first drops I've ever done, alongside those of Mako and Iron Gwazi!
- The Immelmann is also absolutely sublime! I love the sheer sense of speed you get going up into it, and the sustained ejector airtime you get coming out of it is absolutely top-dollar! You're pinned out of your seat for a good couple of seconds, and the airtime is absolutely sensational! The Immelmann is another element that's right up there as one of my favourite elements on the ride!
- The outerbank into an inversion was a very hyped up element of Hyperia, and I have to say that it did not disappoint; it's absolutely insane! The sustained sideways ejector here is absolutely wild; you are pinned sideways out of your seat for what feels like seconds and seconds, and the negative g-forces are fairly strong in terms of force here as well! I'm not entirely convinced that I prefer sideways airtime to good old straight airtime, personally, but this element is absolutely brilliant nonetheless!
- The zero-g stall is an excellent element, but definitely weaker than the other three big ones for me. With that being said, you still get some very fun hangtime, and it is probably the most convincing example of a zero-g stall I've yet done (the other two stalls I've done are VelociCoaster and Iron Gwazi). I dare say I still find the zero-g stall a slightly overhyped element type based on my experiences of them, but this one did convince me of the merits of the zero-g stall a little more than VelociCoaster's or Iron Gwazi's did; it is a very good element with some excellently fun hangtime! The stall is fun, but not quite up there as a standout moment of Hyperia for me. With that being said, it has very tough competition in this regard; if this element were not on a ride as stacked with brilliant elements as Hyperia, it would probably stand out more!
- The splashdown trim is quite noticeable. I didn't find it uncomfortable enough to significantly detract from the ride, but the braking force is strong enough that it does seem to contort your face a tad...
- The outerbanked turn after the splashdown was a surprisingly excellent element for me! It seemed to start with you getting some really decent sideways floater that then transitioned into a surprisingly strong pop of ejector, and I found that really interesting and fun in terms of how it rode!
- The airtime hill into the brakes is an excellent way to finish with a bang; that hill provides a lovely pop of good, clean, surprisingly strong ejector airtime!
As per usual with Mack Rides, the trains with overhead lap bars are immensely comfortable. I think Hyperia's are perhaps the most comfortable example of this train style I've experienced. In terms of smoothness; there is a rattle. It's noticeable. But it wasn't strong enough that it massively bothered me. It was more that I could feel a bit of a shaking sensation rather than that the rattle was actively hurting me or massively detracting from the experience. It's no worse than the mild rattle of, say, Stealth. The ride was overall very comfortable and enjoyable for me, and there were no severe jolts or anything (roughness-wise, I tend to find myself more sensitive to sudden jolts than rattling).
In terms of some comparisons; Hyperia is comfortably my favourite coaster at Thorpe Park (it was previously Stealth), comfortably my favourite UK coaster (it was previously Wicker Man) and also comfortably my favourite Mack ride (it was previously Icon). In terms of my overall rankings; out of 123 ridden coasters, I've conservatively settled on the #5 spot, behind Mako, VelociCoaster, Silver Star and Iron Gwazi (in that order).
If I were to offer up some pedantic hair-splitting critiques that explain why it's not my #1, and why it's not higher than #5:
- The rattle. Hyperia's rattle didn't overly bother me at all, but the coasters above Hyperia have a more perfect blissfully smooth feel to the point where it's almost an active positive attribute in itself.
- The trim. I didn't find it overly uncomfortable, but it is quite noticeable, more so than on Mako and Silver Star, and as I said, it does sort of contort your face a bit from the braking force, which isn't the case on Mako or Silver Star.
- The fact that the ride lacks straight airtime hills. As sublime as Hyperia's sideways and inverted airtime elements are and as plentiful as the sustained weightlessness is, nothing quite beats a good old straight airtime hill for me, and Hyperia does have somewhat of a shortage of traditional straight airtime moments.
One legitimate critique I will offer of the ride itself is with regard to the capacity. It's not the highest for a brand new major ride, at 700-800pph, but I think a key reason for that has nothing to do with the park's operations and may have something to do with the brake run. They were operating brilliantly, and stacking was very rare, but the train seems to take a very, very long time to return to the station and moves along the brake run track very, very slowly. This results in more idle time in the station, and if they were able to speed up the train's movement through the brake run, it might improve the capacity. Hopefully this is something the park can look into in the future.
But overall, I absolutely loved Hyperia! It's my favourite coaster at Thorpe Park, my favourite coaster in the UK and sits in my top 5! The weightlessness is sublime, the sense of speed is absurd, the elements are absolutely top-drawer, and all in all, it's just an absolutely sublime coaster! What a brilliant investment for Thorpe Park and the UK theme park industry!
On a side note, here are a few photos I took of the ride:
FistedColossus
Hyper Poster
Brilliant review @Matt N
I've always liked Hyperia but in recent weeks it feels like it's reached it's full potential. It really is incredible now, taking the elements with a bit more pace and aggression.
I do have to disagree with your praise for the sense of speed though. For me it doesn't feel particularly fast, especially compared to other Hypers. As soon as you start feeling the speed you're whipped up into the next in element or twatting into the trim brake.
I've always liked Hyperia but in recent weeks it feels like it's reached it's full potential. It really is incredible now, taking the elements with a bit more pace and aggression.
I do have to disagree with your praise for the sense of speed though. For me it doesn't feel particularly fast, especially compared to other Hypers. As soon as you start feeling the speed you're whipped up into the next in element or twatting into the trim brake.
Victor5593
Roller Poster
Crack/hole spotted in the track
Matt N
CF Legend
Are we absolutely certain that that isn't just paint wearing away? Surely it's quite hard to tell from a distance, isn't it?
I'm only saying this because we've had people thinking they can see cracks in the track before, and it's actually just dirt... we don’t want to be causing hysteria about “cracks in the track” without pretty concrete proof.
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I'veGotFourB&MsInMyGarden
Mega Poster
That mark has been there since at least July 13th as that's when I first noticed it and took this (fairly naff) photo.
I'm sure if it was anything more serious than a bit of paint chipping off Thorpe would have been on it by now.
FistedColossus
Hyper Poster
Mack don't crack.
Not disagreeing with you here, necessarily, but I would be surprised if this isn't on the defects list from Thorpe. The paint isn't just aesthetic, it's also providing weatherproofing and if chipped away (especially if the primer underneath is coming off) then this can be the start of corrosion problems that will be much harder to fix in the long term.
I'd wager it gets fixed in the off-season. It's what I'd want to do if I was them.
InvertsAreMyJam
Mega Poster
It doesn’t look like a hole or crack to me.
chrisgeorgiou46
Roller Poster
It's that rare species of spider that halted the construction of the London Resort.
Petition to make Hyperia a wildlife reserve. Thorpe Farm is making a comeback!
Just adding my review, having followed this thread as a "lurker" from day 1.
Made a visit to Thorpe on Tuesday, with this as the absolute reason for going. Have been to Thorpe once previously with my two sons who joined me again for this trip. We've done most of the major UK parks but never anything broad to give some context on where Hyperia may rank for us.
Arrived at park around 45m after opening and already a significant queue (100min advertised i think) - but i was majorly paranoid about possible downtime so was keen to get on it straight away.
It looks great from a distance, but its not until you enter "Fearless valley" that you really get a sense of its scale. The area is fine for what it is, clearly budget was the limiting factor. I would never expect crazy elaborate theming on a hyper anyway - its the ride that does the talking.
Decided to join single rider queue, and walked straight up to the merge point with no queue at all, couldn't believe our luck! took around 15-20m from there, and i got row 9 right seat for my first ride - chuffed with that! Strangely didn't have any nerves going up the lift hill, which seemed to go on forever, however as soon as we started to crest the lift things just went crazy. I was determined to keep my hands in the air over that first drop but they quickly slammed down on the lap bar as i was launched into the sky on what is just the most insane, breathless first drop. Its just brilliant.
The Immelman was possibly slightly underwhelming, i was expecting a bit more on the rise up and with the quick change of direction, however the airtime on the drop exiting the element was sublime. The outward banked roll was just amazing, no idea what forces it had but just an insane moment. I'd never done a stall before, but absolutely loved it, just a moment to catch your breath and scream whilst upside down 100ft in the sky. The drop out of it was probably my 2nd favourite moment on the ride, forceful and sublime. I didn't notice the trims, was just trying to catch my breath. the outward banked turn launched me again, superbly paced, and then into the breaks after a slightly lackluster final hill. I've seen mention of a rattle - i would say it was more a sense of "power". The train felt so powerful going through those elements, it wasn't uncomfortable at all - just a powerful, purposeful train scything through the course.
Went back later in the day for another ride, waited around 45m in single rider this time but got very luck again with a row 10 left seat. Again wasnt brave enough to keep my hands in the air on that first drop. Another astonishing ride. Really, really wanted a front row though.
Overall, i think its a masterpiece, the best rollercoaster i've ever been on. Everything that is on the ride is a joy - i think certainly 2 elements more would have made this even better, but it can stand up as it is as a top-tier coaster. My son's both loved it - first drop in particular was all they wanted to talk about.
Made a visit to Thorpe on Tuesday, with this as the absolute reason for going. Have been to Thorpe once previously with my two sons who joined me again for this trip. We've done most of the major UK parks but never anything broad to give some context on where Hyperia may rank for us.
Arrived at park around 45m after opening and already a significant queue (100min advertised i think) - but i was majorly paranoid about possible downtime so was keen to get on it straight away.
It looks great from a distance, but its not until you enter "Fearless valley" that you really get a sense of its scale. The area is fine for what it is, clearly budget was the limiting factor. I would never expect crazy elaborate theming on a hyper anyway - its the ride that does the talking.
Decided to join single rider queue, and walked straight up to the merge point with no queue at all, couldn't believe our luck! took around 15-20m from there, and i got row 9 right seat for my first ride - chuffed with that! Strangely didn't have any nerves going up the lift hill, which seemed to go on forever, however as soon as we started to crest the lift things just went crazy. I was determined to keep my hands in the air over that first drop but they quickly slammed down on the lap bar as i was launched into the sky on what is just the most insane, breathless first drop. Its just brilliant.
The Immelman was possibly slightly underwhelming, i was expecting a bit more on the rise up and with the quick change of direction, however the airtime on the drop exiting the element was sublime. The outward banked roll was just amazing, no idea what forces it had but just an insane moment. I'd never done a stall before, but absolutely loved it, just a moment to catch your breath and scream whilst upside down 100ft in the sky. The drop out of it was probably my 2nd favourite moment on the ride, forceful and sublime. I didn't notice the trims, was just trying to catch my breath. the outward banked turn launched me again, superbly paced, and then into the breaks after a slightly lackluster final hill. I've seen mention of a rattle - i would say it was more a sense of "power". The train felt so powerful going through those elements, it wasn't uncomfortable at all - just a powerful, purposeful train scything through the course.
Went back later in the day for another ride, waited around 45m in single rider this time but got very luck again with a row 10 left seat. Again wasnt brave enough to keep my hands in the air on that first drop. Another astonishing ride. Really, really wanted a front row though.
Overall, i think its a masterpiece, the best rollercoaster i've ever been on. Everything that is on the ride is a joy - i think certainly 2 elements more would have made this even better, but it can stand up as it is as a top-tier coaster. My son's both loved it - first drop in particular was all they wanted to talk about.
zazobo
Hyper Poster
I got my first few rides on Hyperia yesterday. I found it very hard to know what to make of it, personally I found it a little too intense with little to no let up. I had a headache after each ride which was a shame (and this is very unusual for me). There was a noticeable rattle in places, not enough to have caused said headache, I think that was just from pure intensity.
Had it been longer with more time to breathe I feel I'd have rated it higher. As my husband said 'I like to have something to chew on with my coasters'. It just felt too short and like Merlin had asked Mack to cram too much in too short of a layout. No doubt that the elements are incredible, it's just not very re-ridable for me sadly. Also- no splashdown, boo!
Had it been longer with more time to breathe I feel I'd have rated it higher. As my husband said 'I like to have something to chew on with my coasters'. It just felt too short and like Merlin had asked Mack to cram too much in too short of a layout. No doubt that the elements are incredible, it's just not very re-ridable for me sadly. Also- no splashdown, boo!