Magic Mountain’s X2 gets flamethrowers + other effects

5/21/2008 8:27:55 PM

X2 at Six Flags Magic MountainX2 riders lying flat on their backs will swoop under a pair of flamethrowers when the refurbished 360-degree rotating roller coaster reopens at Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 24, 2008.

Screamscape posted photos of after-hours fire-effects tests conducted in March with the old pink-and-yellow X cars.

For the fireball effects, which shoot from both sides of the track along one of the main drops, Magic Mountain will employ the same pyrotechnics experts used by Universal Studios Hollywood for the Backdraft attraction.

X2 ride computers instantly shut off the flamethrowers should wind gusts exceed specified speeds. Industry standards dictate the maximum fire temperature as well as the minimum distance between rider and flame.

Officials confirmed that additional X2 special effects include fog, sound and possibly another “sensory element.” Magic Mountain recently shelved plans to add “ominous” fly-through tunnels to X2 as part of a $10-million overhaul.