Mouse Trap at Wonderland in Amarillo, Texas is a Pinfari Zyklon. Normally that coaster
model doesn’t excite me. 105 different ones have shown up at amusement parks
and dozens more at carnivals. But Mouse Trap is different. In this review, I am going to tell you
why you should care about this particular Zyklon. Pinfari is not mentioned very highly among
enthusiasts. But you have to give them credit. They found a niche in the market. They introduced
the Zyklon in 1965, a small portable coaster. These were great options for traveling fairs
and amusement parks. They could be set-up quick and took up very little space. The
success of this coaster inspired other manufacturers to build similar coasters
like the S.D.C. Galaxi model, the Schwarzkopf Wildcat, and the SBF Visa Cyclon model.
Pinfari developed multiple different Zyklon coasters. Some big, some small. Some non-looping,
some looping. Some with lap bars, some with over-the-shoulder restraints.
Some with single car trains, some with two car trains, and some with three car trains.
Mouse Trap took the best of all these qualities. Mouse Trap was originally manufactured in 1972,
but it didn’t make its way to Wonderland until 1975.
The coaster was the park’s second adult coaster after Cyclone, the Miler wild mouse. Wonderland
originally named the coaster the Big Coaster before it was renamed Mouse Trap in 2011.
And it’s sort of a confusing name. The wild mouse coaster is called Cyclone.
While the zkylon has mouse in the name. You’d think the names would be reversed.
Mouse Trap is a Z64 model, so it’s among the taller rides of this type at 52 feet or 16 meters.
But it looks bigger than it actually is because of how thin the support structure is.
In my visit to Wonderland, this was the longest line at roughly 20 minutes. The ride could only
have one train on the circuit at a time. Each train has 3 cars and you want to do
everything in your power to get the back car. The pull on the first two drops is incredible.
From what I observed, the park was front-loading the trains.
They wouldn’t load the back car until the first two were completely filled.
Some Zyklons have over-the-shoulder restraints, particularly the ones that invert.
Even some of the non-inverting ones have over-the-shoulder restraints like Rollie’s Coaster
at Morey’s Piers. But Mouse Trap has lap bars. The cars were a tight fit for me. I had to cross my
legs just to the restraint could lower. I had only previously had to do that on coasters in Japan.
But once the lap bar was lowered, I had a good amount of clearance between my lap and the bar.
And to be honest, I’m surprised the restraints are still this loose in light of the accident
that occurred in 1987 when someone tragically fell off this coaster to their death.
Mouse Trap begins with a turn out of the station and the 52 foot tall lift.
At the top round a turn, getting a nice view of the park. Then you zip over the first drop, which
is roughly 45 feet or 14 meters in height. It looks like there is a brake right before the drop,
but it was completely deactivated. So if you’re in the back car, you are abruptly thrown over
this drop. It resulted in one of the most surprising ejector airtime pops of any coaster.
It was standing ejector airtime, especially with the rather loose restraint.
You then rise up into a turnaround. If you’re in the front car, you get a pop of airtime atop
this hill because of how tight the crest is. You then round another slow corner,
getting another birds-eye view of the park. You then zoom over another sharp drop.
Like the prior drop, there’s a brake before the drop that was also deactivated. So you get another
strong dose of ejector airtime if you’re in the back car. It was just as strong as the first drop.
Mouse Trap showed it wasn’t just a one-trick pony.
But it was a two-trick pony. The rest of the ride
was uneventful. The second half starts with a boring 540 degree downward helix.
You then go over this bunny hill that’s elevated high off the ground.
And it feels like the coaster will stall out, so needless to say you get no airtime. In fact,
the ride has stalled here as recently as 2019 with riders. That’s followed by another 540 degree
downwards helix, equally as dull as the first. Neither helix offers any laterals nor positive
Gs. That’s no different than most galaxi coasters out there unfortunately. At that point,
you are braked rather harshly. So you crawl over another small bunny hill and hit another brake,
equally as harsh as the prior. You then meekly return to the station, ending the ride.
So what would I rate Mouse Trap? I would give this coaster at 6.5 out of 10.
The airtime on the first two drops is exceptional. It was shockingly powerful,
especially for a coaster of this size and with restraints this loose. However,
that was all the ride had to offer. The second half had no thrills whatsoever. The ride was
smooth though and quite reridable, and those first two drops are why I got back in line.
I think Texas Tornado is the best coaster in the park because of the crushing positive Gs,
but Mouse Trap is the best option for airtime. And this is probably the best coaster like it out
there. I’ll take this over any Schwarzkopf wildcat, Galaxi, or Zkylon I’ve ridden elsewhere.
So those are my thoughts on Mouse Trap, the Pinfari Zyklon at Wonderland in Amarillo.
What are your thoughts about this ride? Have you been on it?
Or have you been on a similar galaxy, zkylon, or wildcat ride elsewhere?
I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!