Petro Art Production, a leader in artificial rockwork for themed attractions, has created a new dinosaur-themed attraction for Attractiepark de Waarbeek, the Netherlands.
Dino World opened last April at the woodland theme park and includes an array of dinosaur-themed attractions and photo opportunities. This area includes the Raptor Adventure coaster, a paleontological dig experience Dino Discovery, and the fully refurbished Dino Express-themed train ride. Petro Art Production has been part of the team behind the Dino Express.
Offering young dino fans a range of experiences
This new area transports families back to prehistory, where they can meet a wide selection of dinosaurs. Raptor Adventure is suitable for young riders, who board the coaster to escape approaching velociraptors. The coaster offers a fast-paced chase with a series of sharp turns and steep climbs.
In Dino Discovery, visitors are invited to take on the role of a palaeontologist. Young guests need to dig for dinosaur bones, which they then need to assemble into the skeleton of a newly discovered species in this exciting STEM activity.
The Dino Express takes time-travelling families to see the dinosaurs, through a range of different scenes such as a jungle and a swamp. Petro Art Production was asked to create a volcano to add to this dynamic landscape. In the space of just three weeks, the team designed and built a 4-meter tall, 11-meter wide volcano for the park.
Building the volcano
The team designed the volcano, and a scale model was created. This supported the production team and helped the park staff to visualise how the construction would look on site. Once the look and feel of the design were approved, the team could begin crafting the volcano.
Petro Art Production specialises in creating artificial rockwork, primarily using shotcrete. This can be used to sculpt unique, natural-looking rocks, detailed facades, and imprinted stamped concrete.
For the volcano, a primary and secondary structure was built from steel and mesh. A first scratch layer was sprayed onto the mesh, and from here Petro Art Production’s team of artists could begin carving and painting the volcano. Smoke, fire and sound effects were added by the Attractiepark de Waarbeek team.
The project resulted in a volcano with exceptional aesthetics, and that has an exciting surprise for young guests. Smoke and fire are released from the volcano continually throughout the ride, culminating in an eruption. The active volcano has been designed for longevity, with an entrance built into one side to ensure that it can keep erupting for a long time.
Petro Art Production says: “De Waarbeek has managed to creatively arrange this new part of the park. Our volcano is placed in a central spot which makes it a real highlight of the area. The rails of the Dino Express attraction run completely around the volcano, making it possible for visitors to view it from all sides. Next to the volcano is a life-size Brachiosaurus, manufactured by Themics Philippines, which gives visitors the feeling of going far back to the era of Dinosaurs.”
Themics Philippines created numerous dinosaurs for this attraction, including several that can spit fluids.
Ongoing collaboration with Attractiepark de Waarbeek
This project follows previous builds for Attractiepark de Waarbeek, including the façade at the entrance to dark ride Huyze Pelle, and the main entrance to the park.
Kevin Moespot, director owner of Attractiepark de Waarbeek, says: “We are proud of our collaboration with Petro and excited to move forward with a new project.”
Petro Art Production business development manager, Han Kuijpers, adds: “We are proud of this collaboration together with the team of De Waarbeek. Again a great upgrade to the park and we’re looking forward to more successful projects in the future!”
Petro Art Production recently reflected on the projects it completed in 2022. The firm enjoyed collaborating with a number of unique jobs for a wide range of clients, including Denmark’s Farup Sommerland, Djurs Sommerland, Tropical Islands in Germany, and Winnoland in France.
