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Phantasialand | F. L. Y. | Vekoma Launched Flying Coaster | 2020

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
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^While Phantasialand's individual rides are more themed, many feel that Europa Park has some better themed attractions and is a better themed park overall. They're two of the best themed parks in Germany, if not in the whole of Europe.
I'm hoping to visit both this season, so looking forward to seeing both for myself!
 

zazobo

Hyper Poster
I've been to Europa a couple of times, I loooove the themeing there. Although if I was to offer criticism, I think some of the themeing at EP is a little bit 80's with some slightly clunky animatronics, for example. I've never been to Phantasialand but I get the impression from photos that their themeing is a little bit more modern and perhaps updated a little more often? I could be totally wrong though...!
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
^While Phantasialand's individual rides are more themed, many feel that Europa Park has some better themed attractions and is a better themed park overall. They're two of the best themed parks in Germany, if not in the whole of Europe.
Really? I've never heard anybody say that Europa is better themed than Phantasia? I'd also disagree that the individual rides are more themed at Phantasia - the difference here is that the rides at Phantasia are incorporated as part of the theming, so generally you can't tell where the land ends and the ride begins, they're all twisted into one. And that is an example of how Phantasia is better themed than Europa, the way everything is integrated.

I've had this conversation with Joey a few times actually. The difference between the two is that, for the most part, Phantasialand is a fantasy theme. Even Berlin, Africa and China are fantastical versions inspired by real locations. Europa is kind of of the EPCOT school of theming in that it is essentially representations of existing architectural styles from across Europe. And whilst with things like Arthur and Wodan they have more recently pushed into the fantasy style, it is still overwhelmingly representational of actual style rather than a fantastical imagined one like Phantasialand. I think that's what gives Phantasialand the edge, alongside the theming literally swallowing you up from every angle and physically immersing you more than Europa does.

That's not to say Europa isn't well themed, because it does look excellent and the queue for Wodan is one of my favourite pieces of theming ever.
 

SilverArrow

Certified Ride Geek
Never been to either but until taron et al I had always thought that phantasia was lacking in quantity of rides. Europa always had a much larger quantity of creds and attractions but few looked "top of their class" all just "good". Taron now seems to be "top of it's class" so the tables have turned in the last year or so from what I can gather.

Both parks are still high up on my bucket list though and the new steampunk area at Phantasialand sounds awesome!
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Flying Coaster built by Vekoma anyone?

http://www.looopings.nl/weblog/7351...aland-wordt-spectaculaire-flying-coaster.html
Dutch theme park news site Looopings claims the new ride will be a brand new spectacular flying coaster from Vekoma.

They could just be speculating that since it isn't known what the new Vekoma prototype Flying coaster thing being worked on at Vlodrop Vekoma HQ is. I'm also not sure I trust Looopings as a site, I'm not a fan of it, but they were first to report on the River Quest refurb during the construction of Klugheim.
Many people, if not the majority of the PhantaFriends forum, don't think this will be a coaster because they've just added two! And that was after a 10 years with no coasters because it isn't a coaster park.

Also early during these projects all sorts of rumours fly around - When they started Taron all the forums were sharing a rumour from Screamscape that it would have Skyrush trains and a drop track like Thirteen.

But then it could be possible because
- If is more of a dark ride than rollercoaster perhaps then I could see it. The park needs a new modern dark ride. Perhaps this is their version of Arthur at Europa.
- Phantasialand worked a two ride deal with Intamin for Chiapas (2014) and then Taron (2016). Perhaps this was another deal with Vekoma for Raik (2016) and the new ride for 2018.
- The park's teaser for Rookburgh mentions the area is in use both day and night, if that does refer to the dinner show Fantissima moving that means most likely Hollywood Tour and Temple of the Nighthawk are next to be demolished. Perhaps this serves a replacement of sorts for Nighhawk (an indoor coaster).
- The Rookburgh teaser said it would be unique in the world. At Vlodrop they are testing some new unique concept.
- The Rookburgh concept art and the wall blocking the view from Wurmling Express both have Zeppelins on them - suggesting flight plays a role - Flying Coaster? Also in the concept art on one of the buildings it says 'Air rail' perhaps a hint at a Flying Coaster....
^ But then Looopings does refer to the Zeppelins and Air Rail sign in their article so they could be speculating I like am!

Not sure what to think... Well only time will tell.
 
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Lofty

CF Legend
I think that has some legs to go on and Looopings are usually bang on the money with most of their rumours.

^ Just have to say that your comment regarding the airships linking to a flying theme is somewhat redundant, though. Airships are synonymous with the steampunk theme in general, so I wouldn't bet too much money on that aspect.
 

Chris Brown

Mr CoasterForce 2016
Great detective work there @CSLKennyNI I think the air rail speculation has legs, as does the Zeppelin idea. I'd imagine we'll see multi level attractions akin to the triple stack of Hollywood Tour, TOTNH and Fantassima. Hoping for a dark ride / coaster similar in style to gringotts or even forbidden journey.
 

peep

CF Legend
Yeah, the Zeppelin could just be a piece of general steampunk imagery to get the theme across? I think a suspended rail attraction that meanders around everything else could be quite neat. If it's yet another flying theatre though I'll cry.

It's Phantasialand with a large plot of land, very unpredictable. However I think one thing we can count on is that it'll be a massive shed, lots of service areas to hide and noise to keep within the park walls.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Continuing the improvements for this season the park have been working on Wakobato. They are experimenting with a new disk mechanism. On a few converted frogstones you shoot at a plastic disc, which folds backwards against metal contacts which set off the fountain. According to people on the PhantaFriends forum the new system is a massive improvement as it means the targets actually now work (only took 9 years...)
So
Hopefully soon all the targets will be re-equipped.
Some of the theming items around the lake have been renewed as well.

^ Also with regards to the whole Rookburgh Zeppelin thing. Yes it is typical steampunk imagery. The park's teasers usually do always have meaning. And on the concept art/teaser image the only bits of writing that are clear and visible to read is the 'Air Rail Company' sign on one of the buildings and under the pressure gauge being held by the steampunk man it says 'Spassiometer' - literally means fun meter.
And the massive temporary wall cover blocking the view of the site is totally grey other than the Zeppelin on it. It seems too much of a coincidence. Especially now with the rumours of a flying coaster.

But I'm sure we'll find out in due course. The park will probably announce/further tease what attractions will be inside at some stage.
 

nealbie

CF Legend
Good point. I had overlooked Europa Park! Whilst you do make a valid point, I do wonder if Europa is generally ranked as highly as Phantasialand though? It may have high visitor numbers, but I suspect it's less well rated overall. I haven't been to Europa (or Phantasialand for that matter), but you don't often hear it praised for it's immersive theming? I've always pegged Europa Park as more akin to the better regional parks in the USA.

If they were Roller Coaster Tycoon creations, both parks would have been built by people of equally brilliant skill; but the one who built Phantasialand would have a far superior imagination to the one who built Europa Park. And that's why Phantasialand is the one that gets the love in my opinion. Europa is a very good park painted by numbers, Phantasialand is just by definition exceptional.

Very excited to see this latest edition. Then all we need to do is revamp that godawful movie boat ride! :p
 

peep

CF Legend
That odd new contraption over at Vekoma has started testing. Really get a feeling this is for Phantasia...

 

Gazza

Giga Poster
Could you do a Forbidden Journey type ride with that system?

Do away with robotic arms, instead its a glorified Arthur ride system in theory...just with the track oriented differently.

Basically youd have the sideways track as seen on the lift hill, but could bank it a bit and rotate the cars to get similar ride movement as potter.
And you could stop the car in front of a screen and rotate it a bit for a rudimentary flight simulator section.

Theoretically you could do some actual crazy stuff that potter cant do, like a vertical drop, or a full inversion.

I hope it's this!
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Just thought I'd leave this here: The park last week released an interesting article about Klugheim's theming. I done my best to translate it.

A WORLD FULL OF LIFE
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Large wooden barrels, dark brown, and full of traces of their annual use, stack themselves against the stone wall, as if they were just waiting to be hauled into Rutmor's tavern. On the massive anvil the last hammers sound still - one almost expects the blacksmith champion Klinghammer to come around the corner to correct the worn horseshoes. Freshly-laundered linen fluttering under the windows, the plaited wicker baskets still standing on the steps of the wooden houses, as if the village ladies had just left them there.

Discovering the new themed world of Klugheim, you can discover wonderful elements of life in this unique environment at every corner. Everywhere there are traces of the villagers, their tools, their bedding, their beer barrels - Klugheim is alive.
Annette Pieck has breathed life into Klugheim. She has been responsible for the creative implementation of the theme worlds for many years, and has also ensured that the mystical world is filled with life between the dark basalt rock, the tremendous tracks of the roller coasters Taron and Raik and the wooden village buildings.
Each house and fence gave her team a unique character - as authentic as possible. "In many of the buildings, we are using old wooden beams, which we brought to us from farmer's barns in southern Germany," she says. "They have been partly weathered wind and rain for several centuries, bringing their very own, very old history to Klugheim."
"We wanted to create an overall experience that would allow visitors to enter a completely different world."
A total experience for all senses.

This is a story which is carried on in detail in the theme world. Here every window and apparatus tells of the life of its industrious inhabitants. There is one of the beautiful windows with the deep green glass that sits a little open, as if there was just aired. The big ropes and cables, unusual equipment from the village's inventors, let you guess how easy it is to tackle the daily tasks of Klugheimers.
"Klugheim's thematisation is a unique combination of uncommonly many elements. Here, music and sound effects, smells and tastes, construction methods and decoration elements seamlessly blend into each other and tell a common story. We wanted to create an overall experience that would allow visitors to enter a completely different world. "

Annette Pieck spent several months working intensively on old craft trades. "History books and old photos have given me a good impression of how it used to look in a blacksmiths. But to simply draw things pretty, without reproducing the real realities was not a question for us, "she explains. "I have, for example, explained to myself how the individual tools were actually used in order to be able to use them in a professional manner."

It was exactly these, really used tools, which she wanted to have for the area: "For Klugheim, I was looking for real old things. Beautiful antique pieces which also clearly show signs of years of use."
For weeks, she searched markets, online auctions, and even visited the barns of her neighbors for the authentic remnants of old village life. Thus, gradually, a collection came together that could turn Klugheim into an inhabited village of ancient times: dark wooden barrels, in which Chardonnay and Starkbier had been stored years ago. Knarzig carts, in which the goods were already offered in the Middle Ages. Knee-high tongs, with which blacksmiths had long ago adapted their glowing ironware.
That was sometimes very tricky, says Annette Pieck: "Who is selling an ancient hammer with a broken handle or an old copper boiler with loud dents? This is exactly what I wanted to have, but only in this way can one feel that real people live in Klugheim."

As if the blacksmith had just left.
This was exactly what was required when it came to positioning the many elaborately sought-after consumer goods in Klugheim: it had to be life-like. So when visitors explore Klugheim, they get a feeling, as if the villagers had only just left or went away for a short time.
In addition, the set dressers - those who distributed the decoration elements in the backdrop of Klugheim - received clear specifications from Annette Pieck and the theme designer. In precise sketches the two determined how many barrels would stand at the brewery of Mälzer & Söhne, where to set Mr. Kornmüller's flour sacks for his crêpes and which tools had to go in the carpenter's workshop.
Klugheim has become more and more a world in which life can be felt at every corner with every seemingly randomly placed but nevertheless deliberately positioned hammer, basket and cart. And then, when the scent of freshly baked bread blows over the village square, the smell of hammer and anvil ring, and the candles flicker behind the windows, they can be seen in front of them: the industrious craftsmen at work, the villagers merrily celebrating in the tavern, the brave hikers on their journey through the rough rock landscape.
Then all the details of the elaborate thematisation come together and bring Klugheim to life with all your senses. In sounds and smells, lights and decorations - and above all in the imagination!


http://magazin.phantasialand.de/eine-welt-voller-leben/

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On the Rookburgh front there is no real news - they are still working away on the site/massive pit.
Don't believe it has been mentioned here yet but the pressure gauge on the Rookburgh sign is called the Spaßometer (Fun Meter) and it actually randomly every now and then moves and lights up. Its nice how they've made some effort with the theming of something that is only temporary!
- The German forums for a while were awash with people theorising whether the numbers or movements meant anything. But it turns out they don't.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
50 years of Phantasialand.
Today (30th April 2017) is the 50th anniversary of the opening of Phantasialand. This really interesting video is in German however it is a detailed look at the first ever park map from 50 years ago - things have changed a hell of a lot.
The park will be celebrating this anniversary by holding 4 Celebration event days in the summer where the park is open until midnight and there will be fireworks displays.

Happy Birthday Phantasialand!
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
Over the past few months the park have been refurbishing the theming around the lake in the Fantasy area. The park have now made a blog post about this work:

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Zu neuem Leben erweckt: Die Häuser der Wasser-Wuze
The village of Baumbergen is located in the bay of Lake Mondsee, deep in the Fantasy themed area. Here at the enchanting idyllic water lives a special group of fishermen and collectors: the water-Wuze. They spend a relaxed life in harmony with nature, go fishing, gather the fruits of the lush vegetation or simply let their feet dangle in the lake.
You have not seen them yet? No wonder, because the water-Wuze are nocturnal and people very shy. During the day, they sleep and spend soothing hours in their homes, which are located along the paths above the Mondsee and on islands in the lake itself. These houses are quite unusual: with their window eyes and the door-mouth, with their green grass hair and the powerful roots on which they stand, rising like strong arms and legs from the ground, they look really lively. And they are! It is said that when the water-Wuze are out of the house, they socialise with each other, and are happy to walk in the Bay of Mondsee. But do not worry, they are completely harmless and do not move a bit during the day when their inhabitants are resting in them.
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Now the wet environment and the general weather over the years have effected the houses. And when the water-Wuze return from fishing in the early dawn of the morning, they are somewhat careless with their damp clothing and also carry a lot of mud from the shores. All this has been detrimental to home comforts. We would like to remedy this situation, and we have taken over the renovation of the sympathetic-looking dwellings, so that the Wuze can still feel comfortable here.
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"With the new wooden paneling, the houses of the Water-Wuze are getting new a long-lasting façade," says Annette Pieck, project manager at Phantasialand. "We use very dense, resistant and therefore stable wood - oak, larch and Douglas fir." Exactly the right, high-quality material selection for the local conditions. For additional protection, the beams are specially flamed before installation and final painting. With a gas burner, just like roofers use, the carpenters carefully work the wood, glide with the flames on all sides, until the surface roughened by the sawing finishes and creates a warm and homely patina.
In other respects, the wood is also visually appealing to the houses. Through the elaboration of the characteristic facial forms, they awaken to a whole new life and exude the friendly nature which corresponds to them. But all of the work is done by Annette Pieck and her team. "The atmosphere in Baumbergen is unique and invites you to linger. We do not want to break this mood. And of course we do not wish to awaken the water-Wuze. That is why we are involved here with small teams over a longer period, "explains Annette Pieck. The first houses already shine in rich honey-brown in the midst of the green plant shining in countless greens. At the moment, the first house on Lake Mondsee is undergoing careful changes. For the craftsmen, the swaying island can only be reached by way of an extra bridge.

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Further cosmetic work on the "hairstyles" and gardens of the houses will once again increase the quality of life. Until the time has come, the water-Wuze still have to have some patience. But then they will be all the more pleased with their carefully renovated dwellings and they will be able to enjoy the tranquility and security in Baumbergen.

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Over the past couple years the park have really embraced their website's blog, social media and Youtube for behind the scenes content. Long may it continue!
 
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