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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/24/2020 in all areas

  1. Last night, my uncle sent me a video from what we think might be the opening year of Kings Island. Unfortunately, there isn't any sound. It's still a cool video in my book. My uncle was the one that took this video. He said the last time he moved, he lost a bunch of his old home movies, but found this one. He had it digitized so that he didn't lose the one remaining that he has. Hope everyone enjoys. I know I did, as it was a look back into my first time attending Kings Island. 0382376755.mp4
    5 points
  2. This is incredible! Thank you for sharing. The park was so beautiful back then...and with the recent improvements, it is again! It's very nice to see the beloved pedestals and know they have been put to good use in Area 72. This video helps me to see KI as I did as a kid. It looks so big.
    3 points
  3. So in the conceptual map provided in the last Coney Island brochure, there is a concept for KI that is similar to what was nearly built, but there are notable differences - one of them being The Racer. Unlike The Racer we have today, The Racer has it's lift hill on the outside of the ride, with a curving drop similar to the Wild One at SFA. The ride from there is basically The Racer but travelled in reverse. I recreated this version in NL2. Thoughts? The one thing I like about this concept is that the exit as depicted could have served a double purpose, with it also providing the means to an access road for maintenance.
    3 points
  4. I suspect Intamin will have the same problem RMC has had with producing T-Rex track. The problem is it takes pretty specialized equipment to bend that large and thick of metal into the right shapes before welding. RMC has stated they would need some very large equipment orders to be able to actually produce a T-Rex coaster, simply put it’s not coming anytime soon. Also is there anything a wider single rail can do which standard track cannot? What makes Raptor track so special is the riders are straddling the rail, but extending the track width removes this advantage because riders are basically in the same position as on regular track. I am not convinced for a company like Intamin who has a long history of producing standard track using round rails there is much of a point in investing in a wider single rail. Before anyone mentions that new boat ride from Intamin which uses a single rail, it does but the rail only bends in one axis, no complex curves.
    3 points
  5. The designer of The Racer, Racer 75 and Thunder Road, John Allen, considered The Racer to be the finest of the roller coasters he designed during his legendary career. And he designed some good ones!
    3 points
  6. @KIBeastThank you (and your Uncle) SO much for sharing this. There is just so much to digest I really don’t know where to begin...it is all so amazing to see. I will mention an odder thing in your video that thrilled the collector in me...a common item on eBay is an old brown glass mug that has a wooden handle...it was fun seeing them on the shelf back then. Thanks again!
    2 points
  7. 2 points
  8. This is awesome! I especially enjoyed the POV of Scooby Doo with the two maintenance folks out on the layout on either side of a fully moving train.
    2 points
  9. Great footage! Thanks for sharing.
    2 points
  10. Great video, thanks for sharing. Loved the video of the Bavarian Beetle. And the live actors on the train. And the Enchanted Voyage. And .... :-)
    2 points
  11. Great to see the legendary $5000 ghost projector in EV. Got very excited when I saw that.
    2 points
  12. Thank you for sharing! That's some fantastic footage of Enchanted Voyage, Cuddle Up, the Sky Ride, and more... especially Enchanted Voyage. Footage from that ride is usually really dark, but it's pretty bright and clear here. I also don't think I've ever seen video specifically of Kings Island's Rotor, so that's cool. Big thanks to your uncle too - I'm sure bringing a big, bulky video camera to an amusement park was a hassle, but I'm always grateful for those who did and have shared their footage decades later. For what it's worth, most of the video appears to be opening year (1972), but there's some 1973 mixed in with it. Specifically the first few minutes where you can see International Restaurant in the background, and also around the 9:00 mark when there's footage of Flying Dutchman. Both attractions opened the park's second year.
    2 points
  13. Agreed 100%. Whatever coaster they add - especially if it’s in The Vortex spot - will likely have something like this. Even if this is expensive, it’s visual, marketable, “sexy” (a word that the legendary Meff likes to use with stuff like this), and can easily be iconic. The reason why we don’t have one? Because since this level of lighting has been around the only steel coaster they’ve added has been Orion, and I don’t think this would be appropriate for a giga. Definitely a Maverick-style ride would do great with it. If they built Vortex today that package would be perfect for it. My guess is something like that is coming eventually.
    2 points
  14. I think KI’s Racer is Allen’s finest creation, followed by Racer 75. It is clear to see how the design of The Racer spurred the second Golden Age of the wooden coaster.
    2 points
  15. Brumfield was a 20 year veteran of Kings Dominion's maintenance staff. Today he's an author and I highly, highly recommend his book and blog, both called "Theme Park Babylon." But Racer is even more unique as “Hill 95” has an angle of 45 degrees unlike the other copies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  16. Give me some time and I can get this cleaned up for you.
    1 point
  17. Per Dale Brumfield's blog: Brumfield was a 20 year veteran of Kings Dominion's maintenance staff. Today he's an author and I highly, highly recommend his book and blog, both called "Theme Park Babylon."
    1 point
  18. Thanks @TombraiderTy! I think you are correct in that. As I watched this again, it is much easier to see on this forum than on my phone. I started noticing that it seems that some of the video may have been mashed together of another year. At the 10:03 mark, the lady sitting down with a baby on her lap is my mother and I. To her left is my uncle, so I am not sure who was videoing at the time. To the right of him is my late grandmother. At the 23:20 mark, the video on the carousel is my brother. On another note, I wish his other film was not lost. I specifically remember my uncle filming his ride on The Racer.
    1 point
  19. Like I said, it's because I'm assuming MFs are lighter than PTCs. If they weigh less, they're not going to cause as much stress.
    1 point
  20. Whoever voted Mystic Timbers for the RMC needs to get some roller coaster help
    1 point
  21. I stand corrected. I should have said it held the record in the state until Cedar Point broke the 200ft barrier with magnum.
    1 point
  22. Considering RMC introduced the T Rex track 6 years ago and have yet to fully develop/sell said model, I can see Intamin easily beating them to the punch. Maybe it's because they've been in the industry a while and are a more trusted name with considerably more installations. I'm not really sure. Just a guess. And yes, Intamin is still very much active and trusted company, even though Cedar Fair does not feel that way.
    1 point
  23. Sorry, don't know about the chair. Also - don't have any info on The Freezer. I've got some history with Tower and Phantom Theater because they were staffed with actors from the Rides team, and the Rides team was responsible for them. The other attractions were managed through Entertainment, and I wasn't a part of that group.
    1 point
  24. Millennium Flyer trains are traditionally more comfortable than PTCs. Going back to the original discussion, RMC doesn't need to tough any of our coasters. I trust GCI because they'd be able to maintain the original integrity of our wooden coasters. Unless RMC is building us something ground up like Zadra or Untamed I don't want them coming near the park.
    1 point
  25. I think full scale lighting packages are on the rise for coasters. Take a look a Monster at Adventureland or HangTime at Knott's Berry Farm as examples. There has been discussion lately about how Kings Island has great night rides. I think whenever the next coaster is added, that an extensive lighting package would be great; especially if it is in Vortex's spot where it can be seen easily from the midway.
    1 point
  26. Someone needs to buy it and rename it Action Park. Modern water coasters and slides are a lot more economical investments. That would be the only way to get people from Kings Island.
    1 point
  27. Just because we don't currently have a light package like that doesn't mean we'll never get something similar. I definitely would love a light package like that in the future.
    1 point
  28. None of the above. However, one of the types of coasters that I hope fills The Vortex void is a ground-up RMC Topper Track.
    1 point
  29. While I definitely think KI deserves the title "night ride capital of the world", there are some challengers. Ever ride Phoenix at Knoebels in the pitch dark? Or Raven at HW? Or Iron Rattler at SFFT? Or Ghostrider at Knotts? Wooo weee those are insane after sunset.
    1 point
  30. After visiting SFSL on Friday evening, I definitely think KI has the superior night rides.
    1 point
  31. I have a cool one, so hear me out on this. Cincinnati, Ohio is home to the 1st professional and paid Fire Department. Why not retheme BLSC to a fire-fighter theme? Repaint all the trains red or have them all be tiny little fire trucks. Repaint the shipping containers next to the launch and the helix structure with a brick texture to look like a firehouse. Change the billboards to reflect Cincinnati highway signs. They could keep the fire scene and make it look like you're driving through the burning building (the inside of the tunnel could have red lights. Riders then escape the building and return to the station. They could keep the helicopter- just remove the shooting aspect and repaint it to look like an EMS helicopter. @DonHelbig @Kyle Kruthoffer I know you all come up with your own theming ideas for your rides but this would be a cool way to pay homage to Cincinnati's somewhat forgotten fire fighter heritage.
    1 point
  32. I will premise this by saying both coasters are really good. I will say I like Diamondback a little bit better. While Orion does really well at having nice big elements and decent speed, I feel Diamondback has a bit more meat to the bones. The pacing of hill to hill is faster on DB and it has stronger air as well. It could change with more re-rides of Orion, but for now, I slightly prefer Diamondback.
    1 point
  33. I will say, I was not expecting this much negativity surrounding the unthinkable reality of Intamin... my goodness... borrowing ideas from other manufacturers. As in, this is literally how the industry, and any industry ever has worked. It's even more shocking considering how many concepts and influences other manufacturers have gotten from Intamin. As I detailed in an earlier post, its the just the way of the game for competing entities to offer very similar products. Look at all the Mack Rides that have been built in the past decade that are strikingly similar to so many rides Intamin has made. Look at Storm at Etnaland (2013) and Alpina Blitz at Nigloland (2014) and you'll see they're almost indistinguishable from Intamin's Mega-lites, a concept that came out just a few years prior. Zierer has made some coasters (Wicked at Lagoon, Impulse at Knoebels) that are basically the same concept as Gerstlauer's Euro-fighter/Infinity coasters. GCI is following RMC's lead of wanting to incorporate launches and inversions on future rides. I could list many more, but you get the point. And even if some of these are "exactly the same" as others. Who cares? I'm sure if the parks/chains feel the same way than that will will be reflected in them not purchasing said concept over the original. I also find it silly that as much as its bemoaned Intamin getting overly-ambitious in their designs and thus compounding their existing reputation of unreliability, we then lampoon them for trying to be more grounded and sticking more to what works?
    1 point
  34. These concepts look cool but if it didn't say "Intamin" you'd think they were designs from Premier, Mack, and RMC. I think they're trying to play catch up. Yes they built Pantheon, Hagrid, and the Jurassic World coaster but I think they're trying to find their footing in a changing industry. I think they want to be THE single rail manufacturer since RMC isn't doing much with their single rail concepts. The Skyrocket knockoff doesn't suprise me either since most companies have developed coasters that are compact and easy to clone. The ultra splash is just a power splash knockoff imo. The giga splash looks cool. I just feel like they've become a shell of their former self with these designs. The rapid switch track launched coasters they've made look awesome but other than that the models I've listed are reminiscent of other manufacturer's work.
    1 point
  35. Intamin is the past, present, and future of this industry.
    1 point
  36. Mack powersplash knockoff is the only one I am underwhelmed about. However, launched raptor looks incredible and the lsm launch looks like a beefed up version of sandy’s blasting bronco, but it’s still really cool. New element is always welcome.
    1 point
  37. pov with both experiences
    1 point
  38. You have absolutely no idea how happy I am to hear you speak about the curse of the Crypt. I was 9 years old in 2004 so I couldn’t remember what it was called but I remembered it being by The Racer tracks and the crawling part. I even spoke to my dad about this and he didn’t remember it so I went on a hunt to find information about it and have finally came across something!! If I remember correctly there were two ways to go at the start and they let someone choose as well? This was an awesome attraction and nothing has lived up to me being 9 years old and screaming when that light turned on when I was crawling!!
    1 point
  39. My post was not directed at a marketing strategy, it was directed at people who seem to think that nothing is ever good enough.
    0 points
  40. Because that is a different park with people running it who decided what they deemed what was needed for their park. KI decided what was needed for their park. You do have a choice on which parks to visit.
    0 points
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