Space Invader 2 was an enclosed, sit down roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 at Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...

 in Blackpool

Blackpool

Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

The ride was built in 1984, and was refurbished by KumbaK Coasters and renamed in 2004. The ride closed in September 2008 and was removed in June 2010.

Space Invader 2 operated single car trains. Riders were arranged inline in three rows for a total of three riders per car with a T-bar restraint. Before 2003, the ride used cars which were able to carry 4 people and riders were restrained by a seatbelt.

History

Space Invader opened on August 21, 1984, and was Blackpool Pleasure Beach's fourth steel roller coaster. The ride itself was constructed by Zierer

Zierer

Zierer is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures Tivoli and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying carpets, Hextentanz and Kontiki rides...

, a German ride manufacturer. The original ride was similar to the ride as it is today, although it was known to be a much rougher ride. It was refurbished in 2003 by KumbaK Coasters and reopened in 2004 as "Space Invader 2". In September 2008, the ride closed following a failed evacuation during operating hours. They closed the ride due to the cost it needed to reopen. The ride was removed in June 2010.

The Ride

After leaving the station, cars make a 90° turn to the right and are carried to the top of a chain-lift hill; the cars then descend a 59 ft drop in the dark, at an incline angle of 36°. The ride then has several drops, banked turns and helixes, before cars reach the brake run and return to the station to be unloaded.

Theming

The ride is themed around a journey through space, and is decorated with glow-in-the-dark pictures of stars, planets and aliens. The Queue and loading area were themed around a space station, with various signs telling riders how long it would be until boarding their ride vehicles. Some parts of the queue were themed around the Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

films, such as a statue of Han Solo stuck in carbonite.

Incidents

On July 21, 2000, 11-year-old Christopher Sheratt died after he fell out of the ride vehicle. Reports say that Sheratt panicked on the dark ride and unfastened his seatbelt.

Sale to Brean Leisure Park

It was announced in July 2010 that Blackpool Pleasure Beach had sold Space Invader to Brean Leisure Park. After the ride had been sitting standing but not operating (SBNO) for over 18 months, but now the ride’s life is about to be restored and open at the Somerset park next year (2011).

Buildings Future

The ride's building is rumoured to be used to host a 4d Cinema Themed To Nickelodeon called NickToons 4D, which would opening in 2012. It currently holds a pizza restaurant.