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I did this the other night, i hope this is what it will look like when it's done!! Enjoy!

It goes without saying, but I don't think I'll be ready either for what's coming...I bet seeing Vortex come down will feel as surreal as my final ride. But for now, as long as Winterfest goes on, I'm enjoying it still being there and not focusing on its impending doom while I (and we) still can.

Just in case anyone is wondering today: No, they have not removed the temp supports on the lift hill.

I honestly still can't admit to myself I'll never ride Vortex again. It's going to missed so much. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

After your done the model, let's all just band together, get the original blue prints and build a to scale model that we can ride. I think it's feasible. Does anyone have a welder?

PROGRESS REPORT 2 -12/3/2019 This won't be too long (or at least as long as yesterdays report). But as of today I have finnished calculations for the ride. I am also excited to announce that construction of Vortex will begin Sunday, 12/8/2019. Posted below is the official constuction schedule. As usual, I will try to keep this thread updated and will share construction photos if I have time to do so. Feel free to ask questions since I won't be doing much on my Vortex project until Sunday. PHASES OF CONSTRUCTION: (All sections will be assembled in this order) 1. Batwing 2. Helix 3. Brake run and Station 4. Lift hill 5. First half of drop 6. Corkscrew 7. Midcourse brake run and turn around 8. Loops 9. Second half of drop and turn around 10. The stretch from the turn around to the loops.

It's amazing to see all the workings of some of these coasters.

I don't feel that is horrible. I was thinking they were going to be the $49.99 range

it would be real nice of them to keep one of the loops and have it turned into a memorial piece at the front of the park or something. a piece of KI history as well as a way to spruce up the entrance

that land is so perfect though for so many different types of coasters. Im excited to see whatever goes in, although I know it will take a few years. but honestly id rather see them remove BLSC and replace it with something else before seeing Vortex get removed.

There is no trees in space. At least that I know of.

On the first day of Christmas, Kings Island gave to me....... ...... a completed Orion reverse treble clef!

I will use either chain, magnets, or the skid brakes that @Kodistict shows in the post above.

KI lists all the Winterfest shops and what are in them on the KIBlog. You might find this helpful. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2019/december/tis-the-season-for-shopping-at-winterfest

I meant moving the loop to the entrance of the park

With all the nostalgia, I would LOVE to see the Zodiac return. I was pretty little when it was there, so I remember it being HUGE. I know we have WindSeeker, but Zodiac just seems like a high capacity ride.

Not likely unfortunately.

I'm wondering if Monday was just supposed to be an off day, anyway. Also I'm gonna take this moment to reflect on how many times people have asserted the temp lift supports are gone when they're fully still there

Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving, Who would have thought back in the decoding thread we would be starting the turn around the week after thanksgiving! Can we get to the helix by Christmas?

The 3rd hill is supposed to be 202 ft. That is tall and I am not sure if any coaster has a bigger hill that isn't it's main hill. Orion's 3rd hill is bigger than any non lift hill on Fury or Leviathan and it's 2nd hill is bigger than the 3rd biggest hill on either coaster..I think. It should be wild for sure. I didn't know the 4 across trains held their momentum better...that's cool to read!

The water drop is now gone, but we now have fog everywhere. Yippee.

Waterdropgate is at it again I see

What I think is crazy is that the coaster is already past The Racer turn around. That shows you how long it really goes into those woods!

I really wonder how much airtime that wave turn will provide? It seems like the entry and exit to the element isn't very steep.

Looks like T-Bone has an attachment to make him taller, is that how they will install taller elements?

That overbanked hill is way overbanked!

The first banked hill is poking up above the front entrance. Looks great in real life!

That turn is surprisingly..... sharp? Steep? Whatever the word is. It looks about the same as Iron Gwazi's overbank from those angles.

Wow! the top of that bank is sharper than I thought it would be!

These 2 coasters you can't compare. Steel to wood giga coaster to family coaster They are both great at what they do. I don't think you should compare the 2.

#OrionWebCamRainDropGate2019

Two different coasters here. The red is the circle in the original post - disregard that. The coaster in orange is The Racer's turnaround (left is Blue Racer's turnaround, right is the Red Racer's turnaround). The coaster I circled in blue is Vortex.

I was looking at the render pics of Orion. This coaster that's circled doesn't look like Vortex, looks like a wooden coaster. Thoughts?

I still cant believe that three hills on Orion manage to be taller than all of Kings Islands coasters (excluding Diamondback). There will also be that speed hill, and the awesome head chopper!

Looking at the coaster as it stands, that 2nd sideways hill taken at the speeds it will be going, and as high as it is, taller than every coaster besides Diamondback, should provide major hangtime as the second half of the hill steepens at its drop....it should feel awesome and just as you are thinking how awesome that felt, we will be hitting that huge third hill turnaround for a thrilling return home with some headchopping moments as well at least one more awesome hill....I think this is the punk rock Giga. Short and sweet, it's gonna be hard to beat those first three elements....so get me back as fun as possible so I can ride it again and again! Short and sweet. Leave them wanting more in show business. We have The Beast and Banshee for other long over the top experiences. Mystic Timbers and Orion will be the shorter-killer rides that get better and better each time.

@DeltaFlyer is at IAAPA and sent me these photos for the Orion Picture Gallery. Thanks for sharing these with us DeltaFlyer!

Crazy that it's taller than Wind Seeker. Getting very excited to ride this thing!

Kings Island moved the Orion Construction webcam to face the turnaround area. Woohoo!!!

Thanks Kings Island! Now we can see the rest of track work be completed and Vortex demolition later!

Turning the camera won my heart back from the #GreatWebcamBlackoutOfThe2000s

Crazy that Orion's lift and first half of the wave turn are already longer than Racer. Just goes to show how massive this thing is. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

As beautiful as Vortex is and soon will be WAS, I think The Racer and Beast look better and Orion is gonna be a spectacle. But I think Racer is just beautiful. I hope it stays basically the same, perhaps with re track and a return to backwards (Hint, hint KI!! :)). Perhaps a computer to sync the race. But it looks awesome and I think should forever be cherished. IMO that coaster basically gave us the song Love Rollercoaster, but more importantly gave us Beast and really every great coaster after Racer and Beast is thanks to it. Its a real treasure. The camera makes me really see that right now.

I saw the person's hand moving it....ominously towards Vortex too!!?? Oh no!! edit: I LOVE Shake Rattle and Roll. also....another big THANKS to Kings Island, one of my favorite places ever.

Wow I just caught it too! Just in time I just clicked right on it and a few seconds later, they began changing the view! Behold our new view of Orion construction!

AWESOME!!! I was not expecting that!!!

Ask and we shall receive! Awesome! Thanks Kings Island!! It's looking flat-out amazing.

They're turning the camera!!!!!

Reviving this thread. I'll put my story on it tomorrow or the following day. Seeing a concert tonight and just no time. But suffice to say, I believe The Beast to be the greatest coaster in world history. Without The Beast, no other world-class coasters that we know of really. No Boulder Dash or Ravine Flyer 2. No Voyage or Steel Dragon. None of them. No GCI. No Mystic Timbers. Anyway, beyond that I can think of or find at least a hundred reasons beyond pure ride experience why its the best. As far as pure ride experience, I LOVE that it isn't an ADD (No offense to anyone with this disorder for real!!) rollercoaster throwing elements out left and right. Nope. I LOVE that its hills aren't steep at all really so you gets this very real sense of increasing speed and momentum. I'm still surprised to this day when I go down the first hill at how slow it starts and how fast its screaming by the end. Not too many coasters do that. I adore going through the ground so that you only realize how fast you are hauling when you leave the tunnel. I adore how the speed picks up before the Helix and my favorite is the slam when you hit the helix. I still get kinda scared about it over and over and have ridden it hundreds of times easily. The whole ride picks up speed and gets better and better and better. It never gets worse for a single second IMO. All other coasters seem like they are trying hard to do all these things, and I love and appreciate them all. But The Beast never tried to do that. If it did it would take away momentum and make the ride lose steam slowly as most airtime coasters do. Smoking is bad for you; but, The Beast is Keith Richards with a cigarette dangling precariously from his lip with a low-slung guitar playing Gimme Shelter. It's timeless and will always ride good. Generation after Generation. None of these upstarts can say that and they are all Johnny Depp trying to be Keith Richards in his portrayal of Captain Sparrow. Beast doesn't even have to try and is still cooler. The Beast is the Roller Coaster experience of a runaway minecar boiled down to its purest expression. It is the Elixer...the Philosopher's Stone of Coasters. I would't be surprised if The Beast is depicted in the great Pyramid. I can't decide which is more significant of a South-West Ohio landmark: the Serpent Mound or The Beast? I could go on...