Galaxy Coast and LEGO Galaxy Park are now open in both locations Legoland Florida and Legoland California! exist Media preview of Florida Galaxy Coaster I had the opportunity to speak with Blake Boyter, Senior Project Manager at Merlin Magic Making, to learn more about all the details that went into the development of Galaxy Coast.
Let’s go into the 885 Spaceport and the Galactic Coast!
Galactic Coast: Merlin’s largest investment in North America
Galaxy Coast is part of Merlin’s largest-ever investment in Legoland North America, with a $90 million investment in two parks. The investment results in an experience unlike any ride Legoland has ever seen before.
“This has been a game-changing rollercoaster for us,” Boyette told us. “It’s a controlled-rotation, high-speed launch. It’s a custom-built, one-off track that’s never been developed by anyone else. It’s never even been assembled before it’s here.”
Inside the Galaxy Coast Fair (Courtesy of Legoland Florida and Merlin Entertainments)
Partnering with ART Engineering
This coaster design comes from ART Engineering. Rollercoaster enthusiasts may know them best Guardian of Miracle Mountain in canadian wonderland and original In the lagoon. But for Merlin, the choice was about their past work with Legoland.
The Galicatetoaster uses the same ride vehicle as the Primoridal, so it’s not a completely new system from ART Engineering.
“If you’ve played Ninjago, you’ve played ART’s titles before,” Boyter explains. “We interviewed several companies, but they were the winner with this one. They are a trusted partner…our rides team has a very good relationship with them from a maintenance perspective.”
LEGO DNA in Galaxy Coaster
While the hardware comes from Germany, the heart of the ride comes from Denmark. LEGO itself has invested more in Galactic Coast than any previous attraction.
Our awesome custom spaceship!
“We actually developed this product together with LEGO. It was the first integration of this kind. We were at LEGO headquarters in Billund (Denmark). We saw confidential LEGO sets being integrated here,” Boyter describes.
“We’ve never been so tightly integrated to develop an ride together as we are this time. It’s about bringing the next generation of media, audio and everything you see on the ride. It brings the (Lego) DNA into the queue.”
As a LEGO fan, this partnership shines in the details. I loved seeing posters in the queue mentioning the M-Tron and Ice Planet Lego sets I played with as a kid. This nostalgia and LEGO DNA feeds directly into the “customize” features of the rides. It’s about “building together, playing together,” as Boyte says, but on a scale you can’t achieve at home.
Controls and digital effects
Due to the complexities of hybrid dark riding, autonomous driving and control partners are critical. Blake emphasized Actemium (control) and 2 heads (Media/AV) as the team that ensured the characters and audio stayed true to the core of LEGO.
“Actemium is a key partner with Art and how the ride operates. It took working closely with them to safely control the ride the way we wanted,” Boyter told us.
“2Heads did all the digital and virtual aspects. They worked closely with LEGO to make sure the character stayed true to its core – the audio was correct, the sounds were correct. They had a warehouse where we could simulate the ride vehicles and audio,” explains Boyett. “It may seem silly to test it in a cardboard box, but it really gives you an idea of the overall size of the vehicle and how guests will look in it.”
With animatronics and Disney-esque pre-shows, plus tons of ride effects, the A/V aspect of 2Heads’ rides is a major part of Galaxy Coast.
For Boyt, true success lies not just in the technology, but in the reaction of guests. “Now watching the guests go on… it’s so cool to see them in their own spaceship. That emotional connection – they got to build it, they got to see it – that’s what we’re rewarded with.”
A huge thank you to Blake Boyter for taking the time to talk with us about the development of Galaxy Coast! It really helps show how many different people and companies it takes to complete a journey like this. It paid off! Go back and check out our initial review of the ridewhich is truly a highlight of Legoland. We’ll have more LEGOLAND content coming soon with the next episode Coaster101 Podcast All about Galaxy Coast and LEGOLAND Florida. Wish I could go to Legoland California and see if I could tell the subtle differences between the two rides!