LEGOLAND Windsor has introduced a brand-new VIP Behind the Bricks Tour, replacing the previous Mainland Behind the Scenes experience — and we think this latest tour is even more exciting.

The new experience takes guests behind the scenes of Laser Raiders, offering the opportunity to walk through the attraction after the park has closed. You can get much closer to the ride’s sets, mummies, animated figures and technical elements, while spotting details that would normally pass by in only a few seconds.

The tour costs £70 per person, or £56 for Gold Annual Passholders. Considering the small group sizes, the amount of access included and the knowledge provided by the VIP hosts, we think it offers excellent value for money.

The tour lasts for approximately one hour and takes place after the park has closed. With Laser Raiders no longer operating for the day, guests can safely walk through the attraction, stop inside its different scenes and learn how the ride works.

Here is a glimpse at what we discovered during our VIP Behind the Bricks Tour.

Exploring Laser Raiders

Laser Raiders opened at LEGOLAND Windsor in 2007 and was the second version of the attraction to be built, following the original ride at LEGOLAND California.

Four other LEGOLAND theme parks around the world also feature versions of Laser Raiders, although there are differences between the attractions.

The story follows the villainous Sam Sinister, who has captured Miss Pippin Reed and is attempting to steal the treasure. Guests must travel through the ancient temple, using their laser blasters to hit targets and stop his plans.

Interestingly, the scene names displayed on the map in the queue line and former pre-show area are the same names used internally by the ride team. These include areas such as Professor’s Lab and Skeleton Band.

Laser Raiders is a continuously moving dark ride, with up to ten vehicles operating on the circuit at once. The complete ride lasts for approximately four minutes.

Unlike some newer versions of the attraction, the Laser Raiders vehicles at LEGOLAND Windsor do not feature a joystick that allows guests to rotate them.

The Former Pre-Show

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was discovering more about the attraction’s original pre-show.

Laser Raiders previously featured a dedicated pre-show video that guests watched before boarding the ride. However, the presentation took up a considerable amount of time and could sometimes result in empty ride vehicles travelling around the circuit while guests waited for the video to finish.

The former pre-show area was later converted into a green-screen photo experience and is now used as a team member space.

Much of the original theming remains inside the room, providing a fascinating glimpse at how the attraction operated when it first opened.

The original pre-show video has not disappeared completely. It now plays on the television screens located throughout the main queue line.

Hidden History in the Queue Line

The history of Laser Raiders and its surrounding area can be spotted before guests even board the ride.

The tent-style structure above part of the queue line dates back to the Brickadilly’s Circus era, which lasted from 1996 until 2008.

Although a newer covering has since been installed beneath it, sections of the original tent remain visible above. Look carefully while walking through certain parts of the queue and you can still see red stars decorating the old canopy.

Several of the paintings hanging on the queue-line walls also came from the Explorers’ Institute, a former Miniland attraction that closed in 2008.

The Laser Raiders ride and surrounding area were previously sponsored by EgyptAir. References to the airline can still be found on pieces of theming throughout the queue line.

These are the kinds of details that are easy to overlook during a normal visit but become much more noticeable when they are pointed out by the VIP hosts.

Hand-Painted Scenery

One of the biggest benefits of walking through Laser Raiders is being able to appreciate the amount of work that went into creating its scenery.

All of the scenery throughout the attraction was hand-painted. From inside a moving ride vehicle, the walls and sets blend together to create the atmosphere of an ancient Egyptian temple.

When you examine them up close, however, you can clearly see the individual brush strokes across the scenery.

It gives you a much greater appreciation for the time, skill and craftsmanship that went into building the attraction.

The tour also allows guests to see areas that are usually hidden in darkness or viewed only briefly while travelling through the ride.

More Than 300 Animations and Effects

Laser Raiders contains an impressive 307 animations and effects.

These range from moving figures and lighting sequences to air blasts and other technical effects hidden throughout the attraction.

Some of the effects appear relatively simple when experienced from a ride vehicle, but the tour reveals the mechanisms and equipment working behind the scenery.

In the Professor’s Lab scene, for example, several rats pop up around the room. Their appearance is slightly different from many of the other figures found throughout the attraction, as they have a more noticeable LEGO-inspired design.

Being able to stand inside each scene also makes it easier to understand how the individual effects work together to create the complete ride experience.

The Skeleton Band

Our favourite room during the Behind the Bricks Tour was Skeleton Band.

The scene features a group of skeleton musicians surrounded by real musical instruments. The cymbals, guitar and trombone are all genuine working instruments rather than simple decorative props.

During a normal ride, guests pass through this scene relatively quickly, making it difficult to notice every detail.

Walking through the room gave us the opportunity to examine the characters, instruments and hand-painted scenery much more closely.

It was one of the most memorable parts of the entire tour.

Secret Target

Laser Raiders contains 90 interactive targets positioned throughout the attraction.

There is also a secret target hidden in the second room of the ride that can award guests an additional 2,007 points. The unusual score is a reference to 2007, the year Laser Raiders opened at LEGOLAND Windsor.

To activate the bonus, riders must first hit the target while it is illuminated green. This awards the normal number of points.

When the same target later turns red, it must be hit again to unlock the secret 2,007-point bonus.

You will know that you have successfully activated it because it is the only target on the ride capable of producing a score that ends in seven.

It gives regular riders an additional challenge and provides something new to look out for during their next ride.

Built by Sally Corporation

Laser Raiders was created by Sally Corporation, an American company known for designing interactive dark rides.

The company also completed a technical upgrade on Tomb Blaster at Chessington World of Adventures several years ago.

Following that work, Laser Raiders and Tomb Blaster now use the same style of interactive target and scoring technology.

Although the attractions have very different stories and scenery, there are now similarities between the systems operating behind the scenes.

Inside the Control Booth

The Behind the Bricks Tour also provides a closer look at the systems used to operate Laser Raiders.

The attraction’s main control panel is more complicated than the one used for The Dragon. It contains a large number of buttons, switches, controls and settings.

There is also a small LED display that provides the operator with information about what is happening around the attraction.

The gates leading into the ride vehicles are operated using a separate control panel.

Because Laser Raiders is continuously moving, the team must carefully manage the loading platform, ride vehicles, targets, effects and safety systems.

Seeing the control panels up close was a fascinating part of the tour and demonstrated how much work is involved in operating the attraction safely.

The Giant LEGO Pharaoh

Standing outside Laser Raiders in the Kingdom of the Pharaohs is one of the most recognisable LEGO models at LEGOLAND Windsor.

The iconic Pharaoh statue stands 16 feet tall, measuring almost five metres, and is made from more than 200,000 individual LEGO bricks.

It was constructed in the Czech Republic, where a team of specialist model makers spent five months assembling it.

Once completed, the enormous model travelled more than 1,300 miles by truck and boat before reaching LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

Before arriving at the park, the Pharaoh famously floated down the River Thames as part of a memorable publicity stunt.

The impressive model continues to stand guard outside Laser Raiders and remains one of the most distinctive landmarks within the Kingdom of the Pharaohs.

Small and Personal Tour Groups

LEGOLAND Windsor aims to keep the Behind the Bricks Tour groups to around six people or fewer.

A similar approach is used for the Behind the Bricks experience at The Dragon.

Keeping the groups small helps the tour feel much more personal and premium. It also gives everyone plenty of opportunities to ask questions, speak to the hosts and examine the scenery properly.

This is particularly useful inside Laser Raiders, where some of the rooms, backstage areas and walkways are relatively narrow.

At no point did the experience feel rushed, and our hosts gave us plenty of time to explore each section of the attraction.

Our Verdict

We thoroughly enjoyed our Behind the Bricks Tour of Laser Raiders.

Our two VIP hosts were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and clearly passionate about LEGOLAND Windsor and its attractions. No question felt silly, and they were happy to explain everything from the ride’s story and history to its scoring system, operational controls and hidden effects.

Walking through Laser Raiders completely changes the way you view the attraction.

Scenes that normally last only a few seconds can be explored properly, allowing guests to appreciate the hand-painted sets, working musical instruments, animated figures and technical effects.

At £70 per person, or £56 for Gold Annual Passholders, we think the tour is priced very reasonably.

The small group size, after-hours access and amount of information included make it a worthwhile experience for LEGO fans, theme park enthusiasts and anyone interested in discovering how attractions operate behind the scenes.

We learnt an incredible amount during the tour and left with an even greater appreciation for Laser Raiders.

The new VIP Behind the Bricks Tour is an excellent addition to LEGOLAND Windsor’s offering, and we cannot wait to see which attraction could receive its own behind-the-scenes experience next.