| Not to be confused with the roller coaster at Six Flags St. Louis, Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast. |
Mr. Freeze (formerly Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast) is a launched steel roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. The ride is a prototype Shuttle Catapult Coaster by Premier Rides. Its theme is based on the DC Comics villain Mr. Freeze and the 1997 movie Batman & Robin. There is a mirror clone at Six Flags St. Louis.
History[]
Construction and opening[]
On December 18, 1996, Six Flags Over Texas announced that Mr. Freeze would be added to the park. Premier Rides was hired to build a new shuttle coaster that would powered by a linear induction motor (LIM). It was billed as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Texas. In addition, Mr. Freeze would be the second highest attraction at Six Flags Over Texas, with the tallest being the park's Oil Derrick observation tower.
Mr. Freeze was originally going to open in May 1997 along with the release of Batman & Robin. Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Clooney were scheduled to appear at the opening of Gotham City at Six Flags Over Texas and be the first to ride it. However, the ride suffered launch problems, causing its opening to be delayed to 1998. During testing, the LIM motors had issues with overheating and Six Flags officials could not provide the full thrust necessary to operate the ride consistently at high speeds. Park management wasn't concerned, as Flight of Fear at Kings Island and Kings Dominion also had issues with the launch system. One of Mr. Freeze's trains suffered damage when the launch system closed onto the fins. The train was removed for adjustments and was later put back in place.
When the attraction opened, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the state of Texas. It became the third tallest, longest and second fastest shuttle coaster. Mr. Freeze also held the record for having the tallest inversion on any roller coaster at 150 feet. This was short lived, as the record was taken by Volcano: The Blast Coaster at Kings Dominion later that year.
During its opening year, Mr. Freeze was located in the Goodtimes Square section. Batman: The Ride debuted next to the attraction the following year. At the same time, the surrounding area became Gotham City.
Operation[]
In 2002, the shoulder restraints were replaced with lap bars.
During the 2005-2006 off-season, the building exterior of the Over Texas location underwent a few changes. A new splash pad named Gotham City Sprayground was built to the left of the entrance. Plus, a wall was built between the entrance and exit, which contained the ride's logo.
In 2007, Mr. Freeze got a new red color scheme, replacing the previous light blue color.
In 2012, Six Flags Over Texas announced they would be flipping Mr. Freeze's trains around the other direction and renaming the ride "Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast". It reopened on May 12, 2012, and also Vanilla Ice helped open the ride up and had a concert.
In 2021, Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast was repainted once again, this time being its original color scheme.
The coaster closed on September 11, 2022. It was announced later on September 24 that Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast was converted forwards after 10 years, confirming that it would become Mr. Freeze.
In 2023, Mr. Freeze began operating with one side forwards and the other side backwards. Additional graffiti was also added to the entrance that year.
Two-train operation[]
Unlike most other shuttle roller coasters, Mr. Freeze is able to simultaneously operate two five-car (20 passengers total) trains because of an innovative sliding platform in the station. One train loads and unloads on either the right or left side of the station while the other train is launched out onto the main track. When this train returns to the station, it slides to the unused side of the room and unloads as the other train slides to the middle and launches. These trains are launched by 116 linear induction motors that help them achieve a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) in 3.8 seconds. The ride takes two and a half megawatts of power to launch each train.
Experience[]
Queue[]
Guests walk into Snowy's Cones by passing under the mouth. Inside the factory, guests make a left turn and start on the lower level, where they approach some paths. In the center, there is a mixer and four flavor containers. These containers are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange. There is an elevator on the right side that brings guests to the loading station. Guests turn right and pass through a hallway with graffiti walls. An extended outdoor queue area can be found in this hallway. This section features switchbacks that run next to the Six Flags & Texas Railroad train tracks. Guests go up some ramps and navigate through the upper level. Along the way, there is a sign that says Home Of The Big Freeze. Now on the upper level, guests can get views of the lower level, the mixer and the flavor containers. Guests then head into the station, where they board the ride.
Ride[]
The ride begins when the alarm is sounded and riders are boosted through a 190-foot (58 m) tunnel and up into a 150-foot (46 m)-tall inside top hat that flips riders completely upside-down. This element is followed by a 113-foot (34 m) overbanked turn that banks riders at a 140-degree angle and a vertical spike. As the train climbs this spike and slows, it is gently pushed up almost all the way to the top by another set of LIMs. The train then freefalls down the tower back through the course.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Queue photos[]
Exterior photos[]
Layout photos[]
References[]
- ↑ Strope, Leigh. "Six Flags to thaw out Mr. Freeze", Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Star-Telegram Staff Writer, March 19, 1998.
External links[]
- Mr. Freeze - Six Flags Over Texas at Six Flags
Mr. Freeze (Six Flags Over Texas) at Coasterpedia- Freeze.htm Mr. Freeze (roller coaster) at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Mr. Freeze (roller coaster) at Wikipedia
