This goal was accomplished in part with a lighting display using ELAR Exbar BL RGB LED bars from Elation Architectural, the architectural lighting division of Elation Professional. 70 strobing, RGB colour-changing Exbars were installed in a series of five loops that riders race through immediately after surviving Bizarro's first breathless plunge. Along with the visual 'thrills' provided by the lighting, passengers experience more 'chills' in the loops - literally -- being cooled down by new misting machines that were also installed as part of the upgrade.
According to Karl Wood of Entertainment Design Group which provided the lighting and scenic elements, the name Six Flags chose for the re-theming says it all: Bizarro, a DC Comics character, was Superman's twisted alter-ego who came from a planet where everything is opposite of Earth. "(Six Flags) wanted to do something really off the wall and different than anyone else," said Wood. "They wanted the coaster to not only ride exciting, but to look exciting with everything visually around it kind of off-kilter."
14 Exbars are installed in each of the five loops, bringing the total used to 70. he Exbar is a 1m DMX-compatible RGB-mixing bar that contains 240 10mm LEDs (48 red, 102 green and 90 blue).
The IP rating was one of the reasons why his company chose the Exbar, said Wood. "Not only were these lights going to be used outdoors, they were going to be installed around the misters and had to withstand moisture, so we needed an architectural fixture," he explained. "The Exbar's IP44 rating means it is protected against liquid sprays from multi directions, as well as solid objects as small as 1mm in thickness. What's more, reported Wood, although very lightweight, the Exbars are strong and resilient enough to withstand the rollercoaster's vibrations when mounted on the trussing."
(Jim Evans)
