Park News
parkworld-online.com
Second Fox park planned in Asia
Billed as Korea’s first international- branded theme park and
destination resort, 20th Century Fox World
has been earmarked as part of the 700 acre (285 hectare) Ungdong Entertainment Complex in South Korea. It will be the second park of the same name in Asia, following the planned opening in 2016 of 20th Century Fox World at Resorts World Genting in Malaysia. A memorandum of understanding was signed in Seoul on 16 July between governor of the Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Hong Joon-pyo,
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products president Jeffrey Godsick and Tim Fisher, CEO of the Australian company Village Roadshow Theme Parks.
Initial plans for the project include a theme park spanning more than 75 acres of land featuring some of Fox’s most recognised TV and film properties such as Alien, Ice Age and Planet of the Apes. The 700 acre (285 hectare) Ungdong Entertainment Complex will be located in the Ungdong area of the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone. “Korea provides a unique opportunity for an international theme park destination that will be incredibly attractive to both a thriving domestic consumer as well as a quickly growing tourist
Thomas Land USA Thomas and Friends are coming to Edaville USA Railroad, South Carver, Massachusetts. Set in a lush New England landscape, the new Thomas Land area will cover 11.5 acres (4.6 hectares) of Edaville’s 250 acres and boasts 14 rides and attractions based on the popular kids’ TV series.
A highlight will be the 20-minute long, scenic train ride featuring a life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine, plus themed versions of amusement park favourites
including a rollercoaster, drop tower, Ferris Wheel, soft-play area and much more. The grand opening will be in the Summer of
2015.There are two existing Thomas Lands, at Fuji-Q Highlands in Japan and Drayton Manor in the UK , plus smaller Thomas-themed attractions in the USA, UK and Malaysia. This will not only be the largest of them all, but also a massive undertaking for Edaville USA Railroad, which is a much more modest facility than either Fuji-Q or Drayton Manor.
Operating as a tourist railroad since 1947, after Ellis D Atwood bought abandoned railcars from a defunct railroad to carry cranberries and workers across Backer’s Hope, Edaville’s original train was named using Atwood’s initials: EDA. But the arrival of Thomas could be transformative – backers hope Thomas Land will drive annual attendance from about 250,000 to one million or more.
edaville.com
Condor flies again!
The first Condor to be built since the turn of the century by Huss Park Attractions is now in operation at Happy Valley Beijing in China. Marketed by Huss as the Condor 2G, the 31m-tall ride features four main arms, at the end of which are stars-shaped steel frames with seven, 2-seater gondolas each. The cars swing out as the frame rotates, before the main structure is winched to a height of 24m.
What distinguishes this next generation ride apart from the 30 Condors sold by Huss in the 1980s and ‘90s is the new gondola design and striking LED light package. A second Condor 2G attraction is due for opening in late 2014/early 2015 in the China’s Shandong Province. “We are particularly pleased with the interest shown in the Condor 2G, which has justified its reintroduction to our active portfolio of products,” notes Huss CEO, Mirko Schulze. “Here we can demonstrate our experience in creating attractions that combine reliable technology with excellent design.”
hussrides.com
14 AUGUST 2014
market from China, Japan and across Asia,” believes Godsick. “Our efforts in working with the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government for a 20th Century Fox World theme park illustrate our commitment to growing our global entertainment destination brand.” According to the Los Angeles Times, Fox is planning to invest about $3.5 billion to complete the project.
Once the theme park is completed in 2018, Governor Hong says he expects more than 10 million foreign and local tourists will visit and the local economy will be boosted by the creation of 30,000 jobs. Village Roadshow is on board as a design and development consultant, and will also manage the studios-style park.
SkyQuest goes wireless! Irvine Ondrey Engineering (IOE) recently installed a wireless network to
provide communication with the gondola ride vehicles on the new SkyQuest cable car style attraction at Indianapolis Zoo, USA. The Michigan-based firm more often creates custom control systems for rollercoasters (old and new), but was happy to help ride manufacturer Chance find a solution for the project in Indianapolis, its first SkyQuest installation worldwide.
The elevated trolley ride was installed as part of the zoo’s new Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, allowing passengers amazing views of its inhabitants. Like any prototype attraction, it had unique challenges. IOE needed to programme checks into the system to confirm the ride’s main PLC system communicates properly with each gondola’s PLC drive and RFID reader. “This gave us the ability to track each trolley’s location as it travelled the course,” explains IEO president Brian Ondrey. “It was encouraging to see the advantages of using RFID technology in a ride first-hand and I can see it being the future for many types of attractions.”
irvineondrey.com
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