Swing and spin over the Pleasure Beach...
Swing and spin over the Pleasure Beach...
| Theme Park | Blackpool Pleasure Beach |
|---|---|
| Type | Top Scan |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 1 June 2004 |
| Closed | November 2011 |
| Manufacturer | Zierer |
| Model | Star Shape |
| Height | 100 ft |
| Cost | £2 million |
Bling
Bling, the shiniest ride at the Pleasure Beach, lifted riders 100 feet into the air and spun them around at up to 60 miles per hour.
The ride was a Zierer Star Shape, which can also be found at parks including Liseberg in Sweden (Mechanica), Isfanbul (360) and on the UK travelling fair circuit touring with Abie Danter Jnr as AIR.
It was similar to Mondial Top Scans: riders sat on one of six gondola arms arranged in a circle to form a star shape. This was fixed to the end of an arm which swung upwards into the sky at the same time as the star shape span. The gondolas could also rotate, leaving riders rotating, circling and spinning on three axes.
As dizzying as it sounds, Bling was pretty enjoyable. However, it was removed at the end of the 2011 season and sold to Skyline Park in Germany where it operated for several years before being sold again. It can now be found back in the UK at Fantasy Island. At Blackpool, Red Arrows SkyForce now sits on the site formerly occupied by Bling.
Bling
Loading platform
Spinning around
Seated on one of Bling's gondolas
Gondola arm
Bling was a Zierer Star Shape ride
