Legoland Malaysia, Malaysia's very first international theme park with over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions was opened in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia on September 15, 2012. It is the first Legoland theme park in Asia and sixth in the world upon its establishment. For those who may not be familiar, Legoland Malaysia is easily accessible from the North-South Highway and just a short drive from city of Johore Bahru.
IET Malaysia organised a technical visit to Legoland Malaysia on the morning of Saturday June 21, 2014 to enable participants to learn more about the technology and operations of the theme park. The participants benefited from up close and personal interaction to 2 of their major rides as well as insights through a technical briefing by their Technical Manager, Rajendran Marapaie.
As early as 9.00am on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, a small group of IET participants assembled eagerly in front of the entrance to the theme park. After clearance of the required procedures by Rajendran and a payment of RM40 per head - a reduced entrance fee that does not include any rides for the purpose of this technical visit, we finally made our way into Legoland Malaysia.
Prior to the opening of the gates to the public, the theme park staff gave a short performance which got the public enthralled.We were also invited to visit the model construction workshop where the model builders would work on new Legoland models. The next stop is the workshop where the roller-coaster cars are assembled or repaired. We also visited the control centre where major equipment, e.g. rides, air-conditioning/chillers, etc. are monitored.
The visit would not be complete without a visit to the souvenir shop where wide varieties of LEGO models are on sale.
Towards the end of the visit although many of us were drenched in sweat due to the hot weather but we were satisfied. We were privileged to have exclusive behind-the-scenes access to some of Legoland Malaysia’s operations. Effectively this gave us a better understanding and appreciation on some of the engineering aspects of their rides and facilities. This would not have been possible without the help of Legoland’s management, especially their Director for Maintenance.
Selventhran Ratnagandhi.
IET Malaysia is also grateful to Rajendran for sharing his expertise and knowledge including guiding us throughout the visit.