Detonator,
Thorpe Park
When the
infamous Italian ride manufacturer Fabbri announced that they were to
attempt a freefall tower, few people starting whooping with delight or
doing cartwheels in anticipation. The reason is that the freefall
machine is a genre that many manufacturers have attempted, but few have
mastered. Intamin, S&S, and Huss have all been relatively
successful, while Maurer and Zamperla’s efforts have been poor and
abysmal respectively. Likewise, a quick look through Fabbri’s back
catalogue of rides reveals a similarly worrying level of inconsistency.
Almost all of their products are cut-price clones of existing rides, of
which many are good, a few are excellent, and the rest are downright
appalling. Nevertheless, against all odds, Detonator is by far the
finest freefall machine you could ever hope to try.
Detonator was
installed in 2001, as part of the triple-whammy of new rides that made
up the park’s “Sensory Overload” campaign, and marked the start of
the conversion of Thorpe Park from ultra-conservative kiddie park of to
an all-out refuge for thrill-seekers. Standing at 100ft, it is one of
the shortest freefall towers around, and from a distance lacks visual
impact, thanks to its position between the more imposing Nemesis Inferno
and Tidal Wave. Furthermore, its dark colour and undecorated peak mean
that it looks distinctly industrial, resembling some sort of crane
protruding from a far-away building site.
Looks can be
deceptive, and a closer examination of Detonator reveals its true
personality. Although it won’t win any awards for architectural flair,
it somehow manages to turn faults to its advantage. No effort is made to
disguise the fact that it was designed as a travelling ride, and the
heavy base that anchors it to the ground is plain to see. However, this
base doubles as a very effective “stage”, allowing viewers to see
the reactions of riders as they board and leave the ride. The sound of
the motors that hoist the car to the summit may seem ungainly, but the
noise creates a unique sense of drama, suggesting that everything is
working flat out to give you the most extreme ride imaginable.
The sense of
drama is heightened further by the ride’s excellent presentation.
While not themed as such, the whole area around the ride reverberates to
what must be the catchiest ride music ever devised – I defy anyone to
ride Detonator and not have its ditty running uncontrollably through
their mind for at least a week. Swooping sound effects abound as the car
lifts from the platform, and a loud countdown echoes around the vicinity
to make sure everyone knows to look up and watch the car plummet.
Overall, the presentation strikes a superb compromise between the
unabashed mania of a travelling fair ride, and the more relaxed
atmosphere of the average theme park.
For those who
want to star in the show, the entrance path makes its way through an
area close to the first drop of Nemesis Inferno, offering fabulous views
of this B&M inverted coaster, before turning upwards to the loading
platform. As if inflicting a cruel psychological torture on nervous
riders, the path now works its way at close quarters around the foot of
the tower, the floor vibrating menacingly as the lift motor goes through
its exertions, then forcing a close-up view of the car dropping almost
on top of you, and of riders’ expressions as they return to Surrey
soil. As if to mock the more technologically complex freefall machines,
the catch car then lowers and emits a satisfying “clunk” as its
giant metal hooks latch onto the car once again.
And so it’s
your turn to ride. Unlike travelling versions of the Mega Drop (to use
Fabbri’s generic name for the ride), Detonator’s twelve seats are
arranged in a circle, rather than four rows of three. This obviously
helps capacity, as groups of whatever size can be accommodated without
undue fuss, but also has a huge advantage in terms of the psychology of
the ride, namely that you are totally isolated from your eleven co-Detonatees,
and can see nothing of the ride’s structure other than the large
overhead restraints. Anxious first-timers can’t look to their friends
for support – this is one challenge you have to face solo.
Although the
tower doesn’t look tall, it feels surprisingly high from the top.
Depending on where you sit, you’ll have a great view of Nemesis
Inferno or Tidal Wave, as the now-familiar countdown plays aloud,
punctuated by stabs of orchestral strings to heighten the tension. Right
on zero, the hooks loudly release themselves, and the ride reveals its
secret weapon. You see, this freefall tower doesn’t exactly let you
freefall; instead, it uses pneumatics to thrust the car downward,
meaning the drop is slightly faster than a pure freefall. Statistically,
the extra speed may not be huge, but it certainly makes its presence
felt, as riders go flying up out of their seats in what must surely be
the finest such drop in existence. As you fall, the restraints do a
perfect job of catching you and pulling you to the ground, and then
thrusting your airborne backside down into the seat as the magnetic
brakes bring the car to a G-force packed halt. As the phrase
“Detonation complete” is heard all around, the spectators and queue
begin to scrutinise your reaction, and it’s difficult to do anything
but give them a huge approving smile in return.
One possible
criticism is that the countdown detracts from the ride’s element of
surprise, by telling you exactly when to expect the drop. While this is
true, it has to be said that the overall influence of the various sound
effects is far more positive than negative. They enable the ride to
build on its sense of drama, and allow both riders and spectators to
stretch the enjoyment of the ride well beyond the half-second of the
actual drop. Compare this to the travelling versions of the ride, where
it is not uncommon to hold the car at the peak for anything up to two
minutes, and where the eventual drop can come not as a pleasant
surprise, but as a rather unwelcome shock. If any criticism can be made
of the soundtrack, it should be that it is identical every time the ride
runs, and so can grate on the nerves slightly if you have to wait in a
long queue. While a little variation would undoubtedly be welcome, the
soundtrack nevertheless deserves a huge thumbs-up.
As with all
freefall rides, Detonator can be labelled a one-trick pony. While this
is undoubtedly true, it delivers that trick infinitely better than its
competitors. Even the unthinkably more expensive and high-tech Oblivion
fails miserably in its endeavour to out-do Fabbri’s “bargain
basement” equivalent. The question is simply whether you are prepared
to queue for such an unashamedly short ride. Personally, I wouldn’t
generally recommend queuing for freefalls, as they offer too little to
justify the wait. In Detonator’s case, things are slightly different,
and even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, it is still certainly
worthy of a longer wait than any other freefall ride.
Detonator is a
wolf in sheep’s clothing, and despite initial low expectations, offers
a fabulous ride, pleasant surroundings, and an unparalleled sense of
drama. The fact that such an unashamedly “cheap & cheerful” ride
should end up giving its high-tech rivals such an unreserved caning
gives it an almost heart-warming sense of David beating Goliath, and
proves once and for all that there is more to Fabbri than just
second-rate clones other firms’ rides. In short, please do visit
Thorpe Park, and please do ride Detonator; just don’t blame me if you
spend the rest of your life humming the ride’s theme tune.
JP 11 July 2004
Good points:
▪
Very powerful drop
with great freefall effect
▪
Very roomy seats and
restraints
▪
Good atmosphere
created by music and countdown
▪
A good view of either
Tidal Wave or Nemesis Inferno
Bad points:
▪ Theming is a bit out
of place and sparse
▪ A short ride
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