HKDL gets new castle, frozen land and marvel land.

RandySavage

Well-Known Member
Walt never liked faux weathering, which is why even DL’s Haunted Mansion is looking mighty fine from the outside, and Galaxy’s Edge is a real stylistic clash. Walt’s way is by no means gospel, but he did have a good argument for it... evoking charm and positivity through representing each area in its golden age. Can you imagine if Main Street was looking weathered?
The difference is in Walt's day (and for decades after) theme park structures that were supposed to be old were built of the actual, traditional, authentic materials (e.g., wood, brick). In recent decades WDI has moved away from using natural materials and methods to using long-lasting, weatherproof faux-materials (e.g., sculpted concrete or pvc). So newer areas that feature "wooden" buildings, signs, roofs and fences - HKDL & Shanghai in particular - tend to have a waxy, overly-smooth, artificial feel and don't get Nature's patina, regardless as to whether they are intended to be well-maintained (DL Haunted Mansion) or dilapidated (Paris' Phantom Manor) (both of which were built the old way out of natural materials, not so for Mystic Manor).

The easy analogy is comparing a historic house with natural cedar siding or the same building with vinyl/pvc siding, even the type that is manufactured to look natural. It never quite does.

*** Here's a pic MK's Fantasyland under construction with a natural cedar wood roof. Far cry from the colorful, geometrically-perfect, plasti-'wood' roofs that replaced them:
160926111007-07-disney-pics-hq1-26-super-169.jpg
 
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616.1314

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Oh gosh... seeing all these pics makes me realise how much I'm missing the park :cry:
The new castle is looking great, I like how detailed the roof is - esp. the different shades of blue
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The difference is in Walt's day (and for decades after) theme park structures that were supposed to be old were built of the actual, traditional, authentic materials (e.g., wood, brick). In recent decades WDI has moved away from using natural materials and methods to using long-lasting, weatherproof faux-materials (e.g., sculpted concrete or pvc). So newer areas that feature "wooden" buildings, signs, roofs and fences - HKDL & Shanghai in particular - tend to have a waxy, overly-smooth, artificial feel and don't get Nature's patina, regardless as to whether they are intended to be well-maintained (DL Haunted Mansion) or dilapidated (Paris' Phantom Manor) (both of which were built the old way out of natural materials, not so for Mystic Manor).

The easy analogy is comparing a historic house with natural cedar siding or the same building with vinyl/pvc siding, even the type that is manufactured to look natural. It never quite does.

*** Here's a pic MK's Fantasyland under construction with a natural cedar wood roof. Far cry from the colorful, geometrically-perfect, plasti-'wood' roofs that replaced them:
View attachment 474712
The Magic Kingdom did try to utilize these alternative materials and Main Street, USA is an area where you can really see the difference when you compare it to Disneyland Paris where many facade designs were reused.

Overall throughout the industry there has been a shift in the past 20 years further away from architecture. In the past the “themed” buildings was the responsibility of the architecture team to detail and design per the creative intent of the art director. This meant that regardless of the materials selected, the wall is the wall and roof is the roof. Now the building is a box intended to have anything attached to it, entire walls and roofs are now doubled up with a non-functioning scenic layer designed by a separate show set team. This is part of why we now see so many boxy, oddly proportioned buildings that don’t quite match the elegance of older work. Something like a column can only be so small, if it is the column it can be small and delicate but it becomes too bulky when it is a column that is wrapped in what the building needs to perform and then wrapped again in a scenic column. Or, because themed entertainment designers never stop changing things you now have a new design that has been forced on to a box that was designed and built for a different design. All compounded because the ability of the box to be something distinct are hindered by Revit’s love of big boxes.
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
I'd love to see Mystic Manor in person, but one issue I have with the pictures I've seen is that it looks too "new," and almost plastic. Like it needs a bit of weathering. Anyone who's actually been there feel that way or is it better in person?

The conceit is actually that it is a new museum (within 5 years of opening). You've stepped back in time in the land and there is a new exhibit item added (plus the addition of the electromagnetic carriages).

It is a bit more apparent in person that this is supposed to be the case. Unlike Haunted Mansion, which is well externally maintained, but a legacy property, Mystic Manor you are visiting shortly after it was built. Relatively speaking.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The conceit is actually that it is a new museum (within 5 years of opening). You've stepped back in time in the land and there is a new exhibit item added (plus the addition of the electromagnetic carriages).

It is a bit more apparent in person that this is supposed to be the case. Unlike Haunted Mansion, which is well externally maintained, but a legacy property, Mystic Manor you are visiting shortly after it was built. Relatively speaking.
Even as new construction Mystic Manor is too precise for its time period. Take the stone wall out front as an example. All of the mortar lines are perfectly straight and all of the “stones” have straight edges. Actual stone and masonry is not so rigidly angular. Hand placed masonry has slight differences in mortar lines and the stones or bricks have slightly rounded edges from the way they are made or cut giving a contradictory softness to such hard materials. The same occurs on the building itself with “wood” pieces being very flat and too uniform to read as hand cut wood. The whole manor looks fabricated by machine and not crafted by hand.
 

jmuboy

Well-Known Member
The coaster will be quite similar to Gadget's Go Coaster.

Actually the ride system will more resemble the "7 Dwarfs Mine Train" in WDW Florida and SDL.

I have to say looking through these pictures reminds me how pretty the HKDL park is. It certainly was underwhelming when it opened. But it is really growing into its own - while still retaining some of the classic charm a Disney castle park must have. I think people don't appreciate this park as much as they should. Hands down if I had to pick I'd rather visit HKDL over SDL for a more quintessential Disney experience.
 

G.L.A.D.I.O

Well-Known Member
Actually the ride system will more resemble the "7 Dwarfs Mine Train" in WDW Florida and SDL.
Seven Dwarfs Mine train: 4 riders per train

Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs : 2 riders per train.

also the duration of the attraction and the shape of the vehicles will be very close to Gadget and Flounder's Flying Fish.
 
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RandySavage

Well-Known Member
Is this coaster another Vekoma Junior, the off-the-shelf ride used over and over by Disney & Universal (at DL, TDL, MK, TDS and all the Universal parks, eg Barnstormer, Flight of Hippogriff, etc.) with a mountain built around it?

Or is it a custom design, like SDMT, but smaller/shorter?
 
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Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Actually the ride system will more resemble the "7 Dwarfs Mine Train" in WDW Florida and SDL.

I have to say looking through these pictures reminds me how pretty the HKDL park is. It certainly was underwhelming when it opened. But it is really growing into its own - while still retaining some of the classic charm a Disney castle park must have. I think people don't appreciate this park as much as they should. Hands down if I had to pick I'd rather visit HKDL over SDL for a more quintessential Disney experience.

HKDL is the most attractive resort complex of any Disney park, despite being the smallest. It has the isolated feel of WDW, but the surrounding gardens, mountains and bay are much more picturesque.

HKDL is also much more of a park than either American Magic Kingdom. It's just a nice place to walk around. :)
 

IveBeenJack

Well-Known Member
EZwBMjuVAAU4GP7.jpeg

Here's an example of Vekoma's new track for their Family Boomerang, which lines up with the new track seen for Hong Kong.
Dl2Rx0TXsAAbLbn.jpeg


Now the question is whether it's a Vekoma Family Coaster 335 or 207. Disney have the 207 with the Gadget's Go Coaster and the Barnstormer, so clearly they like that coaster. BUT the track layout doesn't seem to match the concept art.

Whereas the 335 coaster does match partially, but it seems as if the concept art shows the coaster train going in the wrong direction.But then again concept art is interpretive, so don't want to read too much into it.
Coaster.jpg

hkdl2309498749583709283423.jpg
 

IMDREW

Well-Known Member
View attachment 475250
Here's an example of Vekoma's new track for their Family Boomerang, which lines up with the new track seen for Hong Kong.
View attachment 475247

Now the question is whether it's a Vekoma Family Coaster 335 or 207. Disney have the 207 with the Gadget's Go Coaster and the Barnstormer, so clearly they like that coaster. BUT the track layout doesn't seem to match the concept art.

Whereas the 335 coaster does match partially, but it seems as if the concept art shows the coaster train going in the wrong direction.But then again concept art is interpretive, so don't want to read too much into it.
View attachment 475249
View attachment 475248
This is a great find! I do hope its the 335, looks more interesting. But the land available is very small so that makes me say 207. But the rockwork and landscaping alone will make it leagues above barnstormer anyway.
 

IveBeenJack

Well-Known Member
This is a great find! I do hope its the 335, looks more interesting. But the land available is very small so that makes me say 207. But the rockwork and landscaping alone will make it leagues above barnstormer anyway.
So I've just measured the Barnstormer which is a 207 and the Flight of the Hippogriff which is a 335.
The Barnstormer's area is approx 1350m2
The Flight of the Hippogriff's area is approx 1650m2.

So it's possible that the 335 could go within that space. However the approx 2,800m2 in HKDL is to accommodate a confectionary shop and queue as well. So it is plausible for both.

The thing that has me doing mental gymnastics is the track layout matching up with the concept art. It is so similar but slightly off. But then again concept art is never 100% accurate.

Screenshot 2020-06-08 at 23.18.58.png
Screenshot 2020-06-08 at 23.19.08.png
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Here's an example of Vekoma's new track for their Family Boomerang, which lines up with the new track seen for Hong Kong.
Vekoma has streamlined their offerings such that a single track and train design is used for most everything. The same track and train used on a family coaster will also be used on something more thrilling with inversions.
 

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