THE SWARM is now open at Thorpe Park - to get our full review, along with exclusive photos and video, take a look in the Park Guide!
To see how The Swarm came to fruition, take a look at our month-by-month construction gallery below:
It would be fair to say that the below plans detail one of the most exciting projects Thorpe Park has taken on in recent years. On 31st January 2011, the Park submitted a detailed planning application to Runnymede Borough Council for their new £18 million "apocalyptic" 2012 rollercoaster, and those plans were approved by the Council just 2 months later, on 31st March. Here are the facts:
"The Swarm" (codename "LC12"), the new Wing Walker rollercoaster, built by Bolliger and Mabillard (of Nemesis Inferno fame), will sit 38.6 metres (127 feet) in height on the newly created island C (to the north of Stealth). At 38.6 metres, the ride will be the second tallest ride in the Park, second only to Stealth (62.5 metres).
Wing Walker coasters place the rider on either side of the track (4 passengers per row of the train, 2 on either side) with their legs dangling. It is a new ride for both B&M and the UK, the prototype being "Raptor" at Gardaland in Italy in 2011 (see more on Raptor here).
The ride contains a series of twists and turns which range from between 30.6 and 20.2 metres in height. There are 4 inversions in total.
The ride and associated themeing has been designed to provide a fly-through experience through a scene of devastation. "The Swarm" appear to be an alien race who have landed at Thorpe Park and annihilated everything. The buildings will be themed with a derelict appearance and the themeing objects include a crashed aeroplane and helicopter. The planning applications state that the "themeing is a vital to the success of the ride". Thorpe's official website explains:
"Be picked up and dragged on the wings of THE SWARM as you’re left exposed and vulnerable to the extreme near misses and gut wrenching inversions as it rips through the sky on its
mission of complete annihilation.
Experience the unique head first, inverted drop from 127ft as you are flung into this merciless flight for your life".
The only access to the new island will be via a bridge, situated next to the Flying Fish and the Lake View Hospitality Centre.
The coaster track will be "Mouse Grey" (light grey) in colour, with the supports sporting an "Umbra Grey" (green grey) finish!
Track Colour
Support Colour
The length of the new coaster will be similar to that of Nemesis Inferno's, and it looks to be one of the most extensively themed rides in the Park. Even the planned new games outlet has been themed, situated in an upturned "crashed" lorry! B&M is also highly regarded as one of the highest quality, most reliable rollercoaster manufacturers around. And all this means that 2012 is going to be a good year...
In April 2011 Thorpe Park launched a teaser website (http://lc12.net/) as the start of an intriguing marketing campaign to promote the ride. Flyers and posters had appeared all over the Park (on ride supports, fences, themeing - everywhere) simply stating "The End is Coming / Uncover The Truth / LC12.net". An actor calling himself "Les Coogan", wearing a sandwich board displaying a similar message, was walking about the Park, warning guests of the future dangers...
This exciting start to the marketing campaign was followed by the ride name announcement on 1st August 2011, which unveiled the name "The Swarm". The theme appears to be that "The Swarm" are an alien race, and have landed at Thorpe Park with the intention of destroying everything. Guests will ride on the wings of "The Swarm" as it swoops through the scene of destruction. "Les Coogan" was still on Park following the name announcement, and warned guests of a government cover up of the impending doom. Police guards appeared with Les in front of a scene designed to promote the new ride next to Stealth. Blood-splattered boards tell of the "The Swarm" being the "UK's First Winged Coaster" - see our video below for more:
Wing Walker coasters place the rider on either side of the track (4 passengers per row of the train, 2 on either side) with their legs dangling. It is a new ride for both B&M and the UK, the prototype being "Raptor" at Gardaland in Italy in 2011 (see more on Raptor 
