Status Operating Attraction type Space Shot Speed 53 mph (85 km/h) Height 64 m Opened 1997 | Opening date 1997 (1997) Drop 55 m (180 ft) G-force 4.5 Height restriction 1.32 m Manufacturer S&S - Sansei Technologies | |
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Address 525 Promenade, Blackpool FY4, UK Similar Grand National, Big Dipper, Nickelodeon Streak, Valhalla, Big One | ||
Tango Ice Blast (formerly Ice Blast and PlayStation: The Ride!), is a S&S Worldwide drop tower ride located at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Blackpool, England. It is named after the drink of the same name.
Contents
History
Prior to 1997, Blackpool Pleasure Beach decided to build a Launched Freefall ride in the park. When Sony approached the park as a sponsor for the ride, it was decided that the ride would tie in with the current success from the marketing of Sony PlayStation products. Shortly after being built, the tower was painted white, with the interior structure painted red and the platform grey, black and amber, the colours associated with PlayStation. Banners advertising PlayStation were placed on the car and the top of the tower also sported the such logo. Naturally, the ride was named PlayStation: The Ride. The ride opened in the Pleasure Beach in 1997, it was the first Tower ride in the UK. In 2002, the ride was renamed Ice Blast following a new sponsor and in 2004 was named Tango Ice Blast, in conjunction with the drink of the same name. The ride is notably similar to the Lucozade Space Shot that was located in Southport Pleasureland. The ride is the tallest and fastest drop tower ride in the United Kingdom.
Ride experience
Riders are restrained using over the shoulder restraints and a seatbelt. There is a blast of air which sends the gondola to the top of the tower, this is followed by a second blast, in which the gondola reaches 2/3 of the way up the tower, there is then a small blast of air sending the gondola 1/3 of the way up the tower. During the descent, the riders might experience weightlessness for a brief second.