Area 51 - Top Secret
| Area 51 - Top Secret | |
|---|---|
View of Area 51 - Top Secret before the re-theming in 2019 |
|
| Data | |
| amusement park | Movie Park Germany |
| place | Bottrop-Kirchhellen |
| Type | Spillwater |
| Drive type | Chain lift |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| opening | 1996 |
| height | 10 m |
| Travel time | approx. 7 min |
| Boats | 13 |
| Rows of seats | 4th |
| Seats | 3 |
| capacity | Max. 800 people per hour |
| elements | 2 shots, rotating platform |
| Subject area | Hollywood Street Set |
| Theming | Area 51 , science fiction |
Area 51 - Top Secret is a ride from the manufacturer Intamin in Movie Park Germany , which opened in 1996 as The Bermuda Triangle and was renamed Bermuda Triangle - Alien Encounter in 2004, before opening in 2019 today's name. It is located in a hall, but it is not visible because an artificial volcano hides the front. There are many special effects during the ride that were extremely noticeable at the time of opening. As with many other dark rides , the time intervals between the boats and the route are adjusted so that eye contact is not possible.
Until 2019, the trip was thematically based on the Bermuda Triangle, in which, according to seafaring stories, ships and aircraft have repeatedly disappeared without a trace.
At the beginning of 2019, Bermuda Triangle - Alien Encounter was converted to Area 51 - Top Secret ; the volcano became a simple mountain. The new ride is thematically based on Area 51 , in which, according to conspiracy theories, UFOs and aliens are to be found. Operation with up to 12 boats is planned.
The converted attraction was inaugurated on August 6th and opened to all visitors.
history
In what was then Warner Bros. Movie World , the attraction has been in operation since the park opened. Since Warner also owned a theme park on the Gold Coast in Australia, Sea World , a decision was made to build the attraction in both parks to reduce costs, so that two almost identical attractions were created. However, the completely different climatic conditions were not taken into account, which had a negative impact on the crumbling facade of the volcano in the German park. As part of the takeover of the park in 2004 from Six Flags by StarParks the attraction was The Bermuda Triangle in Bermuda Triangle - Alien Encounter renamed. Since Warner was breaking new ground with the special effects at the time, these had not yet been sufficiently tested and therefore did not work for a long time. It was not until the takeover of the Parques Reunidos park that many of them were repaired.
In the 2006 season, the ailing red-brown facade of the volcano was renovated. It was replaced by a gray one with indicated orange lava flows.
In October 2010, the ride in Australia was demolished due to ongoing technical problems.
In the course of the construction work on the Star Trek: Operation Enterprise roller coaster, the third decorative volcano, parts of the bamboo in the waiting area and the volcanic theme at the film museum were removed during the 2015/16 winter break.
Since the start of this construction work, Bermuda Triangle - Alien Encounter has often been operated with reduced capacity. The ride is only operated with up to six boats. This can lead to very long waiting times, especially on warm summer days.
Boats
Area 51 - Top Secret has 13 boats with four rows of seats for three people each. Lap bars are used as restraint systems, which extend over the entire row of seats. The boats are labeled “Research Probe” followed by the wagon number (1–13). Each boat is guided by four rollers on the underside and four rollers on the side in the channel.
In the meantime, several (converted) boats from the “Ice Age Adventure” attraction are being used as additional capacity.
Since the boats do not have a drain, park staff have to remove the splashed water at regular intervals with the help of a wet vacuum cleaner .
Course of the journey
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After leaving the boat from the round loading station, it approaches the first chain lift that leads into the volcano through an S-curve directed to the right. In front of this lift there is a device that stops the boat briefly in order to ensure the specified time interval to the previous boat. After passing this device, it is first pulled into the interior of the volcano by a conveyor belt, then by a chain lift with anti-return mechanism. After the shot run on the much wetter of the two runs, the passengers are initially in the dark. After a right turn the boat steers towards a laser. Now the passage follows a backdrop with numerous animatronics of aliens or the robots they have built, which operate flashing and high-pitched tones of technical devices. After passing through the scenery, the boat is picked up again on a tape and driven into a room with a rotating platform and aliens. The door through which the boat entered the room closes, making it appear to the passengers that they are trapped. The volcano begins to shake and a screen shows a volcanic eruption. The boat is rotated 90 ° clockwise and drives backwards through an opening door. Now water sloshes from left and right towards the boat and columns standing on the side tip over. After a few meters, the boat is turned again and picked up by the last chain lift. Under the influence of dense water vapor, which is additionally heated by red light lamps, it is drawn to the top of the lift and then drives down the downhill run that is visible from the outside, at the end of which the journey photo is taken. Then the boat drives back to the station.
Special effects
- After the first shot, the boat drives towards a green laser , which projects a cone in the direction of the passengers.
- At the beginning of the passage through the scenery, an aircraft glides along a rail over the route.
- A UFO is apparently "beamed away", realized by the Pepper's ghost illusion .
- While reversing before the last shot, the volcano seems to shake and erupt, made clear by the falling water and collapsing columns.
- On the last descent, the boat is wrapped in dense water vapor. The steam is generated in the rear part of the hall in a steam boiler and piped to the lift hill, where it then exits again significantly cooled.
- Occasionally the volcano erupts when a boat goes out. This is realized with a rumble from the numerous loudspeakers in the facade, the water vapor on the last descent and a gas flame at the top of the volcano.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ride Review: Inside Area 51 / Bermuda Triangle - Movie Park Germany - Backstage Report. May 30, 2019, accessed June 28, 2019 .
- ↑ Anika Hinz: Movie Park Germany: New attraction opened - “Area 51” can do that. In: RUHR24. August 6, 2019, accessed on August 11, 2019 (German).
- ↑ The Fog Makers. Movie Park Backstage blog, September 3, 2012, accessed March 8, 2020 .
Web links
- Area 51 - Top Secret on the Movie Park website
- Facts and technical data about the ride
Coordinates: 51 ° 37 '20.3 " N , 6 ° 58' 22.5" E