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Towers Loving Care
- Thread starter Randomizer462
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PeteB
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Gonna throw in my 2cents worth on a couple of things here...
Hex, while I've not had a chance to go on it yet, from what photos I've seen it does look overly bright inside. It if looks bright on a photo then IT IS too bright. People should be struggling to get decent photos inside a dark ride. Also I'm not keen on the all the filters or gobos they've put over the lights (the patchwork effect). They need to dim all of these lights right down. Less is more.
Regarding Duel, those blue lights replaced the UV strobes a couple of years ago. They're not new. The problem is Towers have really shot themselves in the foot if they got ride of the old ones because they relied on the use of a woods glass filter covering a normal strobe light. Woods glass will filter out all visible light leaving only black light. UV LED's won't cut it, the wavelength isn't low enough.
From what I've heard, woods glass is now unobtanium except for very small pieces made for labratory instruments.
Hex, while I've not had a chance to go on it yet, from what photos I've seen it does look overly bright inside. It if looks bright on a photo then IT IS too bright. People should be struggling to get decent photos inside a dark ride. Also I'm not keen on the all the filters or gobos they've put over the lights (the patchwork effect). They need to dim all of these lights right down. Less is more.
Regarding Duel, those blue lights replaced the UV strobes a couple of years ago. They're not new. The problem is Towers have really shot themselves in the foot if they got ride of the old ones because they relied on the use of a woods glass filter covering a normal strobe light. Woods glass will filter out all visible light leaving only black light. UV LED's won't cut it, the wavelength isn't low enough.
From what I've heard, woods glass is now unobtanium except for very small pieces made for labratory instruments.
ChristmasPud
TS Member
It's impossible to judge light levels from photos alone, mobile phones really hike up the exposure in low light these days. The room always was brighter than it seemed. It might be too bright and I agree less is more, there was a reason a lot of Hex's detailing was very dim in the queue, but I've not been in person so impossible to say.
I dont think wood's glass was used in the haunted house, they deliberately used easily obtainable, standard parts for its original light units so they could be cheaply replaced and still look good. Of course even with ease of maintenance built in, proper show maintenance was still so poor over the years.
Merlin introduced a global policy of replacing all lights with LED bulbs in a bid to save energy (read: money), which anyone with an understanding of lighting would know such a scheme would need an incredible amount of consideration and strategy to retrofit attractions from the 90s with LED. All the circuits run off voltage dimmers or dimmer circuits to get a very natural flicker effect. These circuits have worked for the last 25 years.
Unfortunately Merlin's strategy was to just get cheap electricians to go around and match colours (UV looks blue if you're ignorant enough s'pose) and stick LED bulbs in and be done with it, or replace original units with cheap LED units. Just look at what this did to Tomb Blaster, Vampire and BubbleWorks in its final year. The LEDs lit everything up like an office room, no atmosphere at all, faulty strobing effects instead of a natural flicker/ambiance, and horrible digital colour.
It would be very easy I think to give Duel proper scenic lighting again, either that or it should have been professionally redesigned to recreate the original lighting effects using correctly dimmed LEDs - but nothing can replace the look of proper filtered spotlighting and real, subtle UV lighting.
Also, as has been pointed out, true UV does not actually exist using LED. UV does not mean "purple", it means no visible light, with only the UV pigments in the sets and monsters highlighted out from the darkness. Terrible that this was completely overlooked, when so many of the Haunted House's intended effects relied on true blacklight.
I dont think wood's glass was used in the haunted house, they deliberately used easily obtainable, standard parts for its original light units so they could be cheaply replaced and still look good. Of course even with ease of maintenance built in, proper show maintenance was still so poor over the years.
Merlin introduced a global policy of replacing all lights with LED bulbs in a bid to save energy (read: money), which anyone with an understanding of lighting would know such a scheme would need an incredible amount of consideration and strategy to retrofit attractions from the 90s with LED. All the circuits run off voltage dimmers or dimmer circuits to get a very natural flicker effect. These circuits have worked for the last 25 years.
Unfortunately Merlin's strategy was to just get cheap electricians to go around and match colours (UV looks blue if you're ignorant enough s'pose) and stick LED bulbs in and be done with it, or replace original units with cheap LED units. Just look at what this did to Tomb Blaster, Vampire and BubbleWorks in its final year. The LEDs lit everything up like an office room, no atmosphere at all, faulty strobing effects instead of a natural flicker/ambiance, and horrible digital colour.
It would be very easy I think to give Duel proper scenic lighting again, either that or it should have been professionally redesigned to recreate the original lighting effects using correctly dimmed LEDs - but nothing can replace the look of proper filtered spotlighting and real, subtle UV lighting.
Also, as has been pointed out, true UV does not actually exist using LED. UV does not mean "purple", it means no visible light, with only the UV pigments in the sets and monsters highlighted out from the darkness. Terrible that this was completely overlooked, when so many of the Haunted House's intended effects relied on true blacklight.
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PeteB
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
It has to have been, because there has never been any such thing as true blacklight strobe. The only way to get that is to filter out all visible light from a standard flash tube.
...and the only filter which can do that, is woods glass.
Although if I remember correctly, there is a more modern type of filter which can do the same thing but this would not have been around in 1991/2 when the HH was built. But again, who would manufacture this these days as LED light sources are replacing just about every other type now.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
This guy gets it.
They aren't the only ones. When BBC News moved to Broadcasting House, the lighting budget could be boiled down to "You can have as much unlimited licence payer's money for as many LED lamps as you like.... but tungsten is banned." This led to news.... freakin' NEWS... buying a load of high end moving heads that they have NEVER USED, just because they could.
The LED lamps they were given to use as keys all died within a few months, and ended up being replaced with good old tungsten.
Unfortunately LEDs are the new fashion. Companies love them because they save money while enabling them to boast about how they are saving the planet. People who actually understand light, on the other hand, know that as in any field, you use the right tool for the right job.
LEDs are great for big, uncontrolled splats of colour, or twinkly things far away. But they are not a replacement for every bloody lighting fixture under the sun!
Hex was ok. The queue line area and batching area was dimly lit, though you cant help the sunlight coming in through the open door. The new light at the end of the batching area is cool and is a dim amber colour with tree branches effect. Again, dont forget photos can be enhanced by the phones using low light modes so they would appear brighter than it actually is. As for the rest of the ride - the cinema room was pitch black and the octagon was the same, though you could still see the light grey colour of the TV screens when the video cut off for a few moments.
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Duel is indeed recieving TLC next year (don't expect the trommel to be working until then either) however it really has nothing to do with SW8. Take this year's map with a pinch of salt - the box showing Munity Bay attractions was full already yet plenty of space in the Gloomy Wood box to label a new and relatively nearby ride - bingo!
Very impressed with Hex on Saturday, they have a done a great job. Everything seems in tip top condition and improvements in lighting and audio should pay dividends over the coming years. The audio and lighting in the vault was a real highlight for me, by far the best that I have ever seen it!
My only two criticisms were the lighting in the Octagon did not seem quite right, they lit up the curtain for too long which impacted on the thunderstorm effects. This should not be too difficult to sort out though. I believe there are new air cannons also that aren't having quite the desired effect. Also there is far too much hazard tape all over the place for my liking, I get that they probably saw it as extra theming but they've gone further than they needed to. Nothing a pair of scissors would not remedy though!
The new Heritage Soundtrack from IMAscore that is being played in more tranquil areas of the park is a wonderful addition this year. It will be even better once Towers have the final version.
Alastair
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Rise of the Resistance
There is SO much new audio and so many new speakers it's being played out of. There's almost nowhere you can go, even fairly far into the Gardens and Ruins, where you can't hear the heritage music being played. I think it's particularly helped by the huge speaker that they've placed inside one of the Towers near the F&B outlet closest to Hex.
A note to any Towers staff reading, that speaker is being played too loudly as there are quite a lot of pops on particularly bassy parts.
A note to any Towers staff reading, that speaker is being played too loudly as there are quite a lot of pops on particularly bassy parts.
Bert2theSpark
TS Member
I got to ride the new Hex on Saturday, It was great.
Overall. I would rate the ride refurb 10/10. I didn't expect them to beat The Haunting refurb but they took it two steps further.
Also I started to clap at the end and somehow everyone else started clapping too. Towers deserved that,Well Done Towers. Well Done.
Hex's Queueline is bright with bits of theming and signs with the previous earls, new queueline video using edited old footage from the original Hex. It feels very chilly inside Hex and smells of must. Oh and the Black and Yellow tape. Also the new floor is nice and comfy.
The preshow is the same but with lighting at the side and a bit with the witch before going up in smoke. (I cried with joy when the video was playing).
The Octagon room has some black and yellow tape. The footage is the same in this room but there is a different witch where you can see a blue chin, some new strobe lighting, which is quite intense.
The walk out of the Towers into the vault has some theming around the Op Cabin now.
The Vault itself has had a big change some new sciencey theming alongside the tree and weirdly the are some lights installed at the top of the Vault.
Then the exit has been rerouted, stead of going through a dimly lit mine thing. You new get sent through some Victorian wood rooms, and out through I believe where you used to enter for Molly Crowe (I believe).
The old exit has big ugly wall blocking off the exit.
The preshow is the same but with lighting at the side and a bit with the witch before going up in smoke. (I cried with joy when the video was playing).
The Octagon room has some black and yellow tape. The footage is the same in this room but there is a different witch where you can see a blue chin, some new strobe lighting, which is quite intense.
The walk out of the Towers into the vault has some theming around the Op Cabin now.
The Vault itself has had a big change some new sciencey theming alongside the tree and weirdly the are some lights installed at the top of the Vault.
Then the exit has been rerouted, stead of going through a dimly lit mine thing. You new get sent through some Victorian wood rooms, and out through I believe where you used to enter for Molly Crowe (I believe).
The old exit has big ugly wall blocking off the exit.
Overall. I would rate the ride refurb 10/10. I didn't expect them to beat The Haunting refurb but they took it two steps further.
Also I started to clap at the end and somehow everyone else started clapping too. Towers deserved that,Well Done Towers. Well Done.
venny
TS Member
Agree on the yellow and black tape, it does need to be used more sparingly. A minor gripe though.
The audio I found spotty. It was excellent in the Octagon, however in the projection room there was too much treble which resulted in some very harsh sound without enough impact. The volume was satisfyingly loud though. In the batching area, I've always quite enjoyed the feeling of the narration being whispered. This season it seems have been turned up and does not therefore have quite the same effect. An easy fix, but if notched down a little it would improve the atmosphere considerably I feel.
As for light levels, all I'll say is that it definitely is brighter than it used to be which does remove some of the mystique.
The audio I found spotty. It was excellent in the Octagon, however in the projection room there was too much treble which resulted in some very harsh sound without enough impact. The volume was satisfyingly loud though. In the batching area, I've always quite enjoyed the feeling of the narration being whispered. This season it seems have been turned up and does not therefore have quite the same effect. An easy fix, but if notched down a little it would improve the atmosphere considerably I feel.
As for light levels, all I'll say is that it definitely is brighter than it used to be which does remove some of the mystique.
Dave
TS Founding Member
I mentioned the hazard tape to someone and they said it was already there before the TLC and that they had just replaced some that had fallen down and dusted it all. I thought "nah" so went and had a look at some old photos and they are right the hazard tape was already there (dunno if they have added more) but check out the TS behind the scenes gallery (can't link as on phone).
Amazing what we don't notice.
bluesonichd
TS Member
Did we not notice as before it was so covered in dust and grime ?
ChristmasPud
TS Member
None of this is new, nothing has been changed in the attraction. This is a maintenance refurbishment not a revamp or anything.
The exit route always went down through the basement and out behind the conservatories, it only gets rerouted for Halloween or when the conservatories are shut.
The videos are unchanged, the shot with the 'witch going up in smoke' (the Earl) was always the ending to the video. The witch prop is unchanged in the octagon. The Vault has always had all of those effects and props, the lightning in the roof skylights has always been there but not fixed for a while.
jon81uk
TS Member
My last few trips have been for fireworks, so the queue has been re-routed to come out behind driving school due to the ScareFest stuff.
The old queue went back under the Towers ruins to come out just behind the conservatory, then you walk through one end of the Conservatory and Her Ladyship's Gardens to exit. Is it back to that route?