Cover story
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the time we had reached the assembly stage, restrictions were being eased and the team could work together in our testing facilities to see the Stargazers really come to life as the motion-bases were assembled and tested, the floors added, and finally the seats and vehicle theming. At the beginning of April, they were all shipped to Norway, where a member of our install team arrived on site after going through quarantine for 10 days. We spent the next month working with the team at Hunderfossen to install all four of the Stargazers before its grand opening on May 22nd.”
Fom concept to completion
“It was Hunderfossen that first approached us with the idea of a ‘Super Sledding’ type ride, they had created a story concept with the media providers, Qvisten Animation to begin with. They then came to us with the idea and through a collaborative effort between Simworx, Qvisten and Hunderfossen we were able to create a simulator design that the client loved, hit the right tone of the brand and we knew could be developed without any issue,” says Terry.
While Simworx worked on the ride system, Qvisten continued to develop the story for the ride’s custom produced media, featuring plenty of plot points that could utilise its 4D effects. The award winning film-maker already knew the characters of the story very well, having previously created animated features centred around Aukrust’s books.
Renowned theming company Farmer Attraction Development worked on creating the beautiful theming for the pre-show area that would set up the story for guests prior to the ride. Made up of all sorts of knick- knacks and inventions, illustrations from Kjell Aukrust, and a demonstration of Reodor Felgen’s Hydrogen fuel harvesting process compete with burping animals, to enhance the immersive storytelling of the whole attraction. Terry continues: “The biggest challenge we faced on this project were the COVID-19 travel restrictions. When a last minute restriction was applied by the Norwegian Government, we were only able to send one of our team to site instead of our full installation crew, who thankfully were able to support remotely. Hunderfossen arranged for their technical staff and local labour to assist him, and they arranged for a specialist local company to install the hydraulic system etc. Despite this our wonderfully professional install supervisor - Michael, did a fantastic job at supervising the install and ensuring it all went smoothly for the park resulting in a fantastic ride the park can be proud of.
“Unfortunately, as we’re still unable to travel to Norway despite us really wanting to be there for its opening, only our installation supervisor was able to ride it at Hunderfossen so far. He however, loved it and thinks it’s a brilliant experience, one of the best that utilises our Stargazer motion simulators. We’re all incredibly proud of this project, with a brilliant collaborative effort between Hunderfossen, Qvisten, Farmer Attractions and Simworx where despite the challenges, we have all managed to pull off such a stunning attraction. We’re all in love with the theming, film and story and how everything was tied together so perfectly between us and the other suppliers.”
Park and guest reaction The Hunderfossen team is incredibly proud of its wonderful SUMMER PART 2 2021
new investment for the park, and even had an official grand opening with Norway’s minister of trade and industry as well as other VIP guests such as the Chairman of Hunderfossen group, Chairman of Aukrust foundation, Qvisten animation, Mayor of Lillehammer and many more. Hunderfossen CEO, Hogne Høstmælingen comments: “From the very beginning I had a very good feeling for this project. All the documentation seemed very well worked out, and now that the ride is operating I can tell that the feeling was right. It is a fantastic ride that the Simworx team and Hunderfossen can be proud of but we’re extra proud to release this attraction in the middle of a pandemic situation!”
Hunderfossen, looking to build up anticipation for the opening ran an online competition for ‘Test Pilots’ and their family to come along for a preview day to experience the ride before any others. Excitement for the attraction was evident by the over 750 applications that the park received resulting in a lucky few getting to come along the day before opening for a private tour and experience. The winners of the preview day were delighted by the attraction, they commented that “It was very fun and exciting and had lots of elements that made the experience feel real, we give it a 10 out of 10!” The attraction is one of Hunderfossen’s top three investments in its history, and with a yearly attendance of 250-300,000 guests is a fantastic addition to the Norwegian park that will surely be welcomed after a year of closures. The ride boasts a capacity of around 320 passengers per hour and features a curved screen that is among the largest in Scandinavia: measuring 16×5 metres. The building is approximately 400 sqm, with a ceiling height of 7 metres inside. Reodor’s two funny friends, named Solan and Ludvig are part of the greatest movie success in Norway; Flåklypa Grand Prix (Pinchcliffe Grand Prix with Il Tempo Gigante, with more than 5.5 mill tickets sold in a country of 4,5 mill inhabitants). Terry concludes: “Reodor Felgen’s Hyperakselerator is a great example of how to do a dynamic media attraction well, with high-quality 3D media that captures the story perfectly with relatable and quirky characters that appeal to the whole family providing lots of humour along the way. It has beautiful theming that starts from the outside of the building, though a stunningly themed pre-show area and carried through to the elaborate ride vehicle theming - allowing it to seem like a completely new attraction that looks and feels unique despite it being a standard Simworx ride. All pulled together by a phenomenal ride system that brings thrills and laughter to the whole family and encapsulates the beautiful stories from a Norwegian Icon.”
Reodor Felgen’s
Hyperakselerator is a great example of how to do a dynamic media attraction well, with high- quality 3D media that captures the story perfectly with relatable and quirky characters that appeal to the whole family providing lots of humour along the way.
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