Turtlepower

That's what I use too! If you're packing for 2 like I am a couple of zipper cargo pockets are plenty for a couple cards, IDs, car keys, and phone.

I'm thinking your timeline is pretty much correct. Putting in a massive coaster in 2020, and it's been a while since there was a new water park/kids ride, so that makes sense for them to be up again soon. I'm hoping the 24'-25' seasons see a similar push we've seen the past couple years for Coney Mall, but for the Action Zone and maybe Oktoberfest. I'd like to see a full re-theming of the area. Maybe a year-round scary theme that fits well with Banshee, Bat, and Adventure Express. There's already really good flats there, so I'd like a solid coaster which compliments Banshee well. A dive makes a lot of sense for Kings Island, although I'd rather see them get away from B&M for a bit. Likely it would be in the former SOB area, but also maybe replacing Invertigo and Congo Falls up by the main gate.

Same here, and I agree with those ranks. Cedar Point obviously has the most extreme collection of coasters. If you like extreme that's the place to go. Kings Island is very diverse. Their wood line-up (Racer, Beast, Mystic Timbers) is maybe not the best wooden line-up out there, (Dollywood and Holiday World are probably the top 2) but it ranks among the best. A solidly themed dark-launch coaster in FoF, Banshee, and Diamondback round out the top of the steel coasters. Vortex, Backlot, Bat, and Invertigo are good in the mid ranged steels. A giga next year helps a lot. If your prefer wooden coasters I can see Kings Island being #1. Carowinds when I went last year had two very high end coasters in Fury and Intimidator. Afterburn and Nighthawk were solid too. After that, there's not a lot unless you're into standing coasters (Vortex). Copperhead Strike looks nice, but not enough to help Carowinds overcome KI's line-up, especially with a giga next year. Kings Dominion has outstanding landscaping, but the coasters are lacking compared to the other Cedar Fair parks I've been to. Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers are both very good. Dominator and FoF are good too.

Right, I agree. Or like Carowinds and Dollywood both did this year. But what I was saying was 2 totally different projects, with different themes, in different areas. Like a space themes Giga in X-base and a Plants vs Zombies movie in Action Theater.

Seems weird to open the action theater the same year as a major coaster though, no? It would be a perfect thing to do during a year with small additions. Unless it's related somehow. Maybe an educational movie on constilations or a making-of video for the new ride?

Would be kinda nice if there were a thread just for talking about ride elements, homemade POVs, and construction updates. (And theming) Then another thread for all the other stuff.

That was really well done, I only wish there was a VR version. Flying by all those trees in the back, The Racer, and through the supports makes this feel so fast. One of my few complaints about Fury is the openness of it. I love how tight the space gets in the back end. edit: and now that I'm looking even more closely, every time this coaster valleys out it's among trees, except for right after the speed hill, post turn around where it's weaving through the supports. Last pictures I saw showed there were still trees standing where the ride bottoms out right before the helix also, which weren't in the video.

I definitely get the disappointment here. I don't think when this all started anyone expected this to come in almost 40 feet shorter than Fury. Part of the experience with a ride like Fury is seeing it for the first time, towering over everything, knowing it is without a doubt the "big one". It's unfortunate that being located at the very back of the park, and close to WindSeeker this really won't look very impressive. The 301 foot drop is good enough. 19 feet shorter than Fury, and it will be hard to tell a difference. Could they have stuck a couple more camel backs on the end to match the length? Sure, but those final two humps aren't what make Fury fun anyway. The elements of this ride look really solid, and it should provide a unique experience. 2030 giga anyone?

So I found a flyover vid that was uploaded today, and looks pretty recent (I think the work behind FoF is happening, but not 100% sure). Qualities not great but it does give a decent look of the overall current clearing. It has me wondering how tight some of this track will be to the tree line. One thing I didn't like about Carowinds big coasters was the parking lot view they provided. This will sure not be that. I copied the attached image from this youtube video:

It's pretty hard to be exact at this moment with the tools we have, but it does also look like the horizontal distance from the peak of the lift hill to the first valley is about 50ish feet longer on this than it is on Fury. Could mean a longer drop or different angle of descent though. So hard to tell, but it will be interesting to find out where this falls.

So entirely possible the drop is bigger than Fury's (320 ft.), but the height is shorter. So who gets bragging rights? Shouldn't marketing just get out there and dig a 30 foot hole under the peak of the lift hill so they can say their's is taller too? I wonder if they'll add a tunnel element through the ravine just to give it the feeling of going underground.

Oh my

Any pics?

That plot of land being worked on between Racer and FoF has grown since yesterday. I wonder if this would be where they're moving the garage-looking building that is due south of the old Firehawk station, and next door to the large red pole-barn. The plot is pretty similar, and theres a maintenance road leading right up to the side of it. That and the new giant pole-barn being built would shoot a couple holes in the leaked plan though, which show those two buildings still there. Could still be anything though.

That's what I was saying. Who knows at this point though. Given the timing of it, and location within the park it seems like it would be related somehow.

I highlighted the area that was being worked on yesterday. The shape might be off a little, but the spot is correct. It really would be a closer walk to this from The Racer queue. But realistically I don't think it's a guest destination. As mentioned earlier the gravel spread and surveying equipment makes it look like more than just staging. It seems oddly shaped and small in size compared to other park-use buildings/structures. That's all I got.

Yeah, still a possibility I guess. Maybe that's what this area is for, and that marker in the pavilion we saw was for a footer.

Kind of weird to use it for staging when there's still going to be a fair amount of old Firehawk land available, but what do I know? Could be the bathrooms.

Could you kindly ask one of them is there's anything new to see in the construction area since Sunday?

Anyone at the park today?

All those elements are exciting and I swear I find something new to like about that layout everytime I look at it. Every giga I've been on so far had a sharp and most of the time high-banked turn after the initial drop. This layout has one too, but it's a far more open angle, really more of a curve. I'm anxious to see how far the trains will turn over and at what speed when taking that left curve. There may not be another like it anywhere. This may be the most RMC-like B&M yet. Definitely short though.

Don't listen to anyone, keep being imaginative and keep asking questions. That's how every brilliant mind got their start. As for your question about the weight of trains: I don't know exactly what they typically weigh, but I bet if Top Thrill Dragster can launch a train 400+ feet into the air at a 90 degree angle with a 120 mph launch it would certainly take way less kinetic energy than that. I would definitely use that ride, and also Lightning Rod at Dollywood as a basis for your research here.

I didn't know about this, anyone care to expound on it?

Some of you are cruel.

That's too bad, but at least today is the last day the park is closed until August!