Hey Thrill Seekers,
Last week I was invited to a media event held by Universal at the W Hotel in London as I’d previously detailed the informal style chat was mainly about Skull Island: Reign of Kong, part of the discussions was placed under embargo but today that embargo has been lifted and now I can tell you all a little bit more about the ride vehicles guest will be using to experience Kong.
The major feature that Universal are extremely proud of is that the expedition vehicles, which looks like large off road truck/buses (think the ride vehicles on Busch Gardens Serengeti Safari) are trackless… Yep, usually the realism takes a bit of a back seat when you can see a train track helping the vehicle around but Universal promise that there wont be a rail in sight!
Universal stated that the vehicle will use a sophisticated positioning system to independently navigate rough jungle road and unpredictable terrain. The front and back axles that support the vehicle’s 45-inch wheels can be steered individually, allowing the vehicle to take sharp turns and pull off complicated manoeuvres.
The vehicles themselves are huge, Mike West of Universal Creative told us that they are 40 feet long, 13 feet tall and weigh in at 17 tons and will carry 72 visitors per truck. Universal have 6 of these expedition vehicles with 5 of them running at anyone time.
Now the cool bit; each of the vehicles will be “guided” by 1 of 5 unique animatronic characters each with a distinct personality.
- Becky Callahan: The loose-cannon cowgirl who isn’t fazed by the dangers awaiting her on Skull Island.
- Will Denham: The fresh-faced, adventure-seeking younger cousin of famed movie director Carl Denham.
- Jinks Costanza: A hardened New York City ex-con who is wary of the island’s mysteries.
- Kalana: A mystical descendent of the natives who first settled on the island.
- Charles “Doc” Jordan: A PhD student in palaeontology who took time off from his studies to explore the world.
What does this mean… well it mean’s that guests can ride Kong 5 times and have a different ride experience each time! I love this feature, who do you want as your guide?
Still no official word on when Skull Island will have its first visitors but a soft launch is definitely just around the corner.
Smiles included…
Jamie
