During my recent trip to Universal’s Islands of Adventure I was able to get a bunch of new pictures of the construction progress of Skull Island: Reign of Kong, opening one year from now. The entry arch is starting to actually look like King Kong’s head, which matches the previously released concept art (see below). Other work continues at a rapid pace including more facade paint work, walls going up around the queue building, and land being cleared around the front of the structure to prepare for an outdoor track. And who knows how much work is being done inside the building! Check out the full photo report below and stay tuned for more theme park news!
Construction Photos:
Work continues on the temple gate
“Crumbling” staircase
Looking into the temple gate…
Scaffolding has been put up in front of the gate hinges
A look inside the gate opening
A ground level view of the structure. Entrance arch seen on the right.
The entrance arch is starting to look like Kong’s head now, in wire form.
A comparison of the Kong arch with its concept art.
Close up view of Kong’s wire-frame head
The temple wall on the right has been fully painted since my last visit
The area in front has been cleared to prepare for outdoor track. New utility room can be seen on left.
Close up view of newly painted temple walls
Orange/rust color blotches and highlights have been added to punctuate the paint job
Queue building on front-right of structure still being walled up
One wall still open in front for easy access and bringing in construction supplies
Work continues on roof of queue building
This wall looks to be being re-weatherproofed
Close up of wall being re-plastered
View of the structure rising above Jurassic Park’s Thunder Falls
View from Toon Lagoon
Sculpted concrete connection between facade and building walls added, filling the gap
Wide view of the area standing in front of Ripsaw Falls
Looks like the big Kong head arch will beckon visitors to the area, as it’ll be visible from Toon Lagoon bridge
On my way out I ran into my good friend Bullwinkle. When asked where Rocky was, he pointed to the sky.
That’s all for this Kongstruction update. View the previous update.
Alicia Stella has been covering new attractions since 2015, with her work cited by The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and more. She specializes in reporting on new attraction development, and always looks forward to upcoming changes to the Orlando theme parks. She is also co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando.
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