Tomb Blaster

Tomb Blaster
Chessington World of Adventures
Area Forbidden Kingdom
Status Operating
Opening date 2002
Replaced 5th Dimension
Terror Tomb
General statistics
Attraction type Dark ride
Manufacturer Mack Rides
Theme Ancient Egypt
Capacity 1,250 riders per hour
Vehicles 5
Rows 12
Riders per row 2 in Front, 3 in Back
Duration 8 minutes
Fastrack available

Tomb Blaster is a dark ride that opened in 2002 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London. Riders travel in trains through a series of crypts, shooting laser guns at targets for high scores.

History

Scenic features in the queue line for Tomb Blaster, originally from Terror Tomb.

Tomb Blaster is a dark ride in the Forbidden Kingdom area of Chessington World of Adventures Resort. It originally opened as The 5th Dimension, a dark ride based on a story of a TV repair robot[1] that operated from 1987 to 1993. The ride system was manufactured by Mack Rides.[1]

The area was rethemed as the Forbidden Kingdom in 1994, and the ride became Terror Tomb, a horror ride in the dark.[2] Terror Tomb (aka "Forbidden Tomb") told the story of a tomb robber named Abdab and the dangers he encountered trying to steal a gem from the tomb. It opened in 1994 and closed in 2001.

In 2002 Tomb Blaster launched as a retheme of the old terror tomb ride utilising many of the sets but with some anamatronics being replaced.[2] In the dark ride riders shoot laser guns at targets.[3]

In August 2015, Tomb Blaster closed for undisclosed reasons. It then underwent a minor refurbishment during the closed season, with a new laser gun system, an ultraviolet scenic treatment and altered audio. The refurbished ride debuted during the annual pass preview weekend of 2016 to a negative response.[4] General response from guests as well as fans of the ride criticised the "unprofessional" nature of the new lighting and audio alterations, citing missing sound effects, many animations still broken, missing pieces of the sets and excessive light spillage that revealed the areas intended to be covered by darkness.[5]

Description

Anyone under 1.1 meters must be accompanied by an adult.[3]

Riders sit in "utility vehicles" and travel through a tomb, shooting mummies and monsters with laser guns, and competing for top scores.[1] Among the scenes are a crypt, a revolving tunnel, and snake pits.[1] Many of the original set pieces from Terror Tomb remain in the Tomb Blaster ride with the exclusion of the Abdab animatronics.

Incidents

  • On 7 June 2012, a four-year-old girl entered a near month-long coma after falling 14ft from the ride's raised queue line. The queue line's protective wooden fence panelling was both untreated and positioned in an area which was subject to rainwater runoff from a nearby roof. It had over the years become rotten due to weathering. Palings had previously fallen from the fence and had been nailed back into place despite their rotten nature. No formal records of the repairs were kept. A paling from the fence had fallen out on the day of the incident leaving a gap through which the girl fell. Severe injuries occurred, including broken ribs, a cracked skull, and bleeding on the brain. Chessington World of Adventures was fined £150,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety Act (1974).[6][7][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tomb Blaster". Coaster Force. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Chessington History". Theme Park Guide. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Forbidden Kingdom". Chessington World of Adventures. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  4. ↑ http://www.chessingtonbuzz.co.uk/news/tomb-blaster-back-from-the-dead/
  5. ↑ maniahub.com
  6. ↑ "Chessington fall girl 'out of coma and talking'". BBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Chessington fined £150,000 after girl, 4, falls from walkway". The Guardian. Press Association. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Harper, Paul (15 January 2015). "Chessington World of Adventures fined £150,000 after child nearly killed in 'horrifying' 13ft fall". Get Surrey. Retrieved 22 April 2018.

Coordinates: 51°20′57″N 0°19′10″W / 51.34917°N 0.31944°W / 51.34917; -0.31944

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