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KMG unveils its new restraint system and a brand new ride: Mission Space

During the IAAPA Trade Expo which was held from November 15 to November 19 in Orlando, KMG has unveiled on its booth its two last innovations that will be launched in 2011 and which we already spoke several weeks ago on NewsParcs (see over here).

The first is a new restraint system for the Fire Ball ride (also called Afterburner) that was sold to the amusement park Morey's Pier. Developed jointly by KMG and park engineers at their request, the system replaces the conventional over-the-shoulder restraint by a brand new lapbar.

The advantages of this new restraint are many: it is less bulky, more comfortable, fits for a larger number of people (corpulent adults, children, etc.) and allows a greater freedom of movement for passengers! And the thrills experienced on board will be increased tenfold by the replacement of the over-the-shoulder restraint, under conditions of perfectly equal security.

Technically, the restraint will be locked in two movements. The passenger begins with belittling the lapbar to the left or right (depending on seats) before pulling back to tighten. A double hydraulic system will prevent the ride from starting its cycle if one of them is not properly closed. The handles on the sides of each seat, allowing passengers to hold onto, have been redesigned to better suit particular children.

Here are two graphics of this new system, on the gondolas of Morey's Pier's Fire Ball:



The new restraint system. © KMG (Click to enlarge)
The second innovation is the creation of a new thrillride called "Mission Space". This was designed on behalf of the showmen Kroon family in the Netherlands and will be the tallest transportable thrillride in the world.

The ride consists of a mast about 62 meters high supported by 6 supports, two boarding platforms located on either side, and two arms at the end of which a gondola is suspended by cables. Upon departure, a hydraulic cylinder lifts the top of the mast to bring the gondolas to a height of about 75 meters. An engine, located at the base of the structure, rotates the mast itself, while another mechanical device moves the arms up and down over a wingspan of about 10 meters. With the combined effects of centrifugal force and movement up-down, the gondolas swing left to right while making repeated plunge.

Here's a concept art with a design study for the decoration:

Mission Space concept art © KMG (Click to enlarge)
Each gondola can accommodate 10 passengers in two rows of 5, for a total of 20 persons on the ride. The seats will be equipped with the new lapbar restraint which we spoke above.

KMG highlights the ease of installation of the ride, which despite its size, requires only 4 semi trailers, 6 people and 4 to 6 hours of assembly, without necessitating a crane.

Currently under construction, Mission Space will officially be inaugurated in April 2011 in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The ride will travel later to Tilburg (Netherlands) and to the Oktoberfest in Munich (Germany), among other cities.

If the prototype of Mission Space has been designed primarily for travelling, the company has nevertheless indicated that it also wished to draw amusement parks by offering a park version.

Finally, we note that KMG has announced the sale of a X-Factory for the american showman Jim Drew.


KMG team on the IAAPA Trade Expo 2010 booth © KMG
(Click to enlarge)
Sources and images: © KMG
Article by: François Mayné

Click here to read this article in French on http://www.newsparcs.com

Interview with Clostermann Entertainment Group

Clostermann Entertainment is a German company specialized in designing animatronics, theming and scenery primarily for dark rides and attractions with special effects. Recently, the company has worked to design special effects for the interactive haunted house "The House" with Alterface. We have also seen its work in attractions like Atlantis Abenteuer at Europa Park (Germany), Transdemonium at Parc Astérix (France) or Gargoyles Battle Magic Ride at Everland (Korea).

At the Euro Attractions Show 2010 in Roma, NewsParcs had the opportunity to meet Anne Walter Koschwitz who has responded to our questions about the actuality of the company.

NewsParcs : Could you tell us the highlights of your company for 2010 ?

Anne Walter-Koschwitz : One of the highlights of this year was the "Eisberg" project for the Vienna Prater. This dark ride was designed with a peaceful interaction concept: It is an interactive ride through Antarctica, where a team of young explorers sets out to document one of Earth's last untouched lands. Equipped with special cameras, guests are in competition to take as many pictures of penguins, arctic wolfs and whales as possible. By taking the pictures, they trigger special effects and surprising actions.




Clostermann achievements for Eisberg. This walrus sprinkles visitors with water! © Clostermann Entertainment (Click to enlarge)

A W-K : In the last year we have also taken big steps towards becoming an entertainment provider. Besides still providing the services as an entertainment producer, we have developed entertainment concepts for shopping malls and travelling exhibitions, which will give us the chance to grow with our products and keep the values that we produce.

One visible highlight of this development was certainly the premiere of our first travelling exhibition "Bees - Nature's Hidden Heroes" at the Odysseum in Cologne (Germany). For this, we designed and produced various scenic elements such as animatronics, interactive exhibits, models, graphic panels, sound equipments and other decorative elements.

One cannot help but notice that quite some theme parks turn to educational programs, a development that we want to enhance with our products.
 


  « Bees – Nature’s Hidden Heroes » exhibition.  © Clostermann Entertainment
NP : What are your future projects for 2011 and after ?

A W-K : Right now, we are working on the designs and concepts of some very interesting museum projects that are planned to open in October 2011 and in spring 2012. We are also working on the concepts of our next traveling exhibition about Galactic life and the forces of evolution.

Another concept are our Interactive Shooting Galleries, which we are planning on promoting some more over the next year.





Clostermann offers various interactive shooting galleries with theming as varied as a bacteriological laboratory, a seabed, a house of horror "Eyecatcher", and a classic Wild West! © Clostermann Entertainment (Click to enlarge pictures 3 and 4)

Eyecatcher Shooting Gallery 
NP : What are your last products and new developments?

A W-K : We have been intensively absorbed in taking interactivity some steps further. We have found innovative answers to interactivity with the latest theming update of the 5D haunted attraction “The House” and the Jeep Safari Ride that we both presented at EAS this year. Central for this innovation was also our proprietary Modular Shooting System which is a great advancement for interactive rides.

NP : Could you give us more details on this Modular Target System?

A W-K : The Modular Target System is an advanced effects control concept that can be easily adapted to any attractions. Unlike other systems, the effect units of the system work in a decentralized mode. Through this modular assembly, single effects or targets can easily be exchanged, upgraded or integrated into existing attraction..

NP : What could you tell us about the Jeep Safari Ride?

A W-K : The Jeep Safari Ride will also work with this system. It is based on the Fun Car Rides by FAB, where the driver can steer the car  within a rail and determine the speed of the vehicle. Now, other passengers of the ride can target specific scenes in the themed landscapes to trigger special effects and animatronics responses.

The theming is produced by Clostermann Entertainment and can be designed according to customer's wishes, even the shooting system that can be a gun or a camera  What we presented at EAS this year was an Asian Jungle theming that sends guests on an adventurous journey through a jungle of wild tigers, mysterious mountains and fascinating ruins.
 

Jeep Safari Ride model ar the Euro Attractions Show © Clostermann Entertainment and NewsParcs (Click to enlarge)
NP : You were not at the IAAPA Trade Expo this year?

A W-K : No, we have much work, so we decided to skip the IAAPA Trade Expo to focus on our projects and the Euro Attractions Show.

NP : Thank you very much for your answers!

Here finally two additional videos: the first is the animatronic that was on the Euro Attractions Show booth, and the second a making of Gargoyles Battle Magic Ride.
 


Interview by François Mayné.
Pictures: © Clostermann Entertainment unless otherwise stated.

Click here to read this article in French.