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BSBMX

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Everything posted by BSBMX

  1. I definitely saw it while going up the lifthill. Even pointed it out to the guy sitting next to me. It didn't seem too far above us at the crest of the lift.
  2. There is a test seat at the ride entrance. Feels like a standard B&M seat to me.
  3. Pretty sweet ride I must say! Back in line for my second ride. Fury feels more of a rush the whole time, but Orion doesn't let up either. They're only loading half the train at the moment so the queue appears longer than what it really is.
  4. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    @DustinTheNow mentioned it earlier, and I'm agreeing with him, there has to be some hints in the total rider throughout numbers. There's zero chance of any of these numbers being accurate to the single person, so somebody made up some of the digits on these numbers. The millions digit is likely accurate, but after that, who can say for sure. Here are the numbers (and rides) so far: 6,280,935 (ROT) 6,762,893 (FH) 8,237,308 (BK) 8,434,897 (ZOD) 11,554,278 (INV) 17,290,319 (FOF) (note that this number was originally 6,761,893, which is exactly 1000 off from FH's) 45,152,095 (VOR) Plucking out some digits from these throughout numbers, here are some possibilities: Length: 5152 (about 60' off from my estimate) 5209 5542 Drop Angle: 80 Turning degree: 237 (nearly matches up in CAD with the reverse ambersand) 520 (nearly matches up in CAD with the helix) Speed: 93
  5. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Both trademark applications are tentatively approved pending required subtractions. Both ORION and POLARIS applications shared common language with several existing trademarks, so the examiner listed several items that would need to be removed from the new trademark applications in order to be approved, including sunglasses, shot glasses, carrying bags, keychains, and anything Class 25 (clothing, footwear, headwear, etc.). Now CF has 6 months (1/17/20) to respond the examiner's request, either agreeing to the required subtractions, or offer an argument that what they're applying for would not cause possible confusion with existing, similar trademarks (which I doubt they'll try to fight). If no response is given in this 6 month timeframe, then the applications are abandoned. Applying for new trademark applications could happen as well. Now on initial glance, this looks great--both trademark applications are basically approved, right? Well, the notable required subtraction is anything Class 25, which includes clothing. Meaning, they would not be able to sell any t-shirts, hats, etc. with the new coaster's name on it. That's not exactly a deal breaker, but can you imagine a giga coaster that doesn't have its own matching shirts to go along with it? For this reason, I think they'll add a modifier to one or both of these names to get around this sticking point, meaning they'll need to file new application(s)... something like Polaris 301 or Orion 301. That, or they'll pull a whole new, different name the day before or day of the announcement, which CF does have a history of doing as well. Totally up in the air at this point, but I'm still checking on the trademark applications every morning, and I'll update when there's anything noteworthy. Below are screenshots of both applications' approval-ish letters. Note that each has its own unique list of items that need to be subtracted from the applications, but for the most part, they're similar.
  6. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    It crossed into giga threshold back on page 296.
  7. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    I'm still here. Just no notable updates in a while. I did email Mason again this morning asking if any new blueprints are available. Still waiting on an answer from them.
  8. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    KIGA update: two new recent videos popped up on YT that show some interesting things. First is a clip from Friday. This one is interesting because it shows the pier drilling machine in use and near the helix area of the ride. The existing blueprints do not cover this, so there's either some new blueprints out there that we haven't seen, or not every single blueprint needs to be submitted (rather, just a sampling is necessary), or they're going rogue and doing work that hasn't been approved yet by the city (doubt it), OR maybe they're allowed to drill holes all they want and only the concrete pouring needs to be approved. Regardless, we haven't seen the approved plans for this publicly. I have the drop backbone footing circled in yellow (as reference). I'm estimating the pier drilling machine to be somewhere in the red. There's a lot of equipment in action around this area as well and an unloading semi trailer near Racer's turnaround. Lots of action! Second video is from today and I'm only including it because it shows a bit closer images of new footings in progress that the last video didn't show very well. First, the footing for the backbone's beginning has a form around it. It'll be just a day or two that we'll see the concrete here. Below is a close image of Fury's equivalent of this, though they're slightly different shapes on the rear end. On the front end, where the backbone attaches, you can see how complicated that form needs to be to accurately locate all the necessary studs for the backbone attachment. Second, one of the large footings for the lift's crest also has a form around it as well. In the recent WGT's 12th update, we saw this area was getting prepped for a form, and now it likely already has the concrete poured or will be poured soon. They're moving quick! First video is: Second video is: Fury's footing is from here: https://www.carowindsconnection.com/highslide/images/large/9-20-14-6-Wormy.jpg
  9. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    KIGA update: so yesterday at about late morning and early afternoon (both after my daily morning check), both the ORION and POLARIS trademarks got an update. After the initial application, the first step on the USPTO side is for each application to get assigned an examiner and have an initial database search (to see if these new trademarks could potentially be confused or infringe upon existing trademarks). Yesterday, both trademark applications had that happen. These are called "XSearch Search Summary" if you wish to look them up. Comparing both Orion's and Polaris' search results to Hangtime or Copperhead Strike doesn't really reveal much. Even the original "Fury" application, which got temporarily refused due to "likelihood of confusion" with another existing trademark, looks similar at this point, so I cannot see any indication for approval or refusal at this stage. BUT, if I use HT or CHS's applications as reference, then we should see additional updates to both Polaris' and Orion's applications next week. The examiner will send a letter to CF for both trademark applications with results in their search, which will then tell us about initial acceptance or refusal for both. Over the next month or so, I expect to see several updates to both trademark applications. If either gets refused, then can could signal that CF will abandon that trademark, or modify it slightly (similar to what changed "Fury" into "Fury 325"). I cannot link to what I'm viewing because it's an active search (and would only show "SEARCH EXPIRED" on your end), so you'll need to search it on your own if you're interested. One of my past posts in this thread goes into detail of how to do this, if you're interested. Shown below are screenshots of the initial search results. Note how complex their search is, even including misspellings and slightly different spellings of the words.
  10. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Yea you're right about not needing a huge foundation for the compressor room. They moved it quite a distance (from where the old Firehawk trains are) just to get it out of the way, though. Maybe the next leg of foundation work will start somewhere over there, whenever that begins. Yea! I saw that last night and wanted to post it here but figured it would be taken down quickly. This past Sunday, a user here posted either drone footage and/or pics but it got quickly taken down before I could even see it. I'm wondering if this video is the same person's content. While it's cool, it is several days old (the T-shaped footing had not yet been poured in that video). Kinda curious how long your link to that video is going to stay on this thread... Last night, WGT also posted their 12th update. Nothing huge but some cool updates. Despite what he says in the video, there's at least one footing left to be poured in the station (in green), and the lift's beginning backbone looks ready to have its form installed around the rebar (in yellow). The drop's backbone footing has still yet to see any activity recently. The near-ground rebar has still get to be placed. The L13L footing now has its rebar in place as well, waiting to get forms put up around it. Also, there's a furry friend walking around at the 2:15 mark in the video! Last, they're taking up existing slabs of concrete from the dino walkway to prep for piers/footings for the helix area. Here's a link to his site and video. He noted several future pier/footing markings as well, not shown in his video. http://www.wildgravitytravels.com/kings-island-2020-update-12/
  11. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    The pier drilling machine looks a bit shy of the first turn, but I have to wonder if it's there for the new compressor building? The building would be tied to the electrical grid, part of the released blueprints. As of Monday of this week, there were no new blueprints for further pier/footing work (for the coaster), but I could see them potentially working on the compressor building right now. I'd estimate the pier drilling machine is somewhere in this yellow circle, which is about where the compressor building is.
  12. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    They have two access roads to this back area. I'm guessing they'd take the red-dashed road since it's right off the highway, which would agree with what @Maverick44 is saying about webcam activity.
  13. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Here's an update of CSF from yesterday. No big changes from what I can tell.
  14. Update time. I reached out to Mason's engineering office via email again to check on any new blueprints that exist, and they confirmed that no new blueprints exist yet outside of what we already have. Doesn't really make sense since they're marking further footing coordinates at the site (so where'd those coordinates numbers come from?). I do have to wonder though at what line are blueprints not submitted? There are blueprints for the trains, but Mason won't get those. There are blueprints for each track piece, but Mason won't get those. So at what point are blueprints not submitted to Mason? Perhaps Mason only gets a sampling of the blueprints. Maybe we're already seeing the full extent of the blueprints? Anyways, I found the video linked below from today. As @collin.klopfstein mentioned in the Decoding thread, the T-shaped footing is now complete. Looking good! Looks like the large rectangular footing in the station and the large backbone beginning fitting are still waiting to get forms built around them. The blue circled footings are complete, and the green/yellow correspond to each other. Also, at least in the area the video shows, the large rectangular footing shared between the brake run and the lift is still waiting to get a form built around it. All pics are from the below video.
  15. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Roposting here from the construction thread since this thread gets more eyes and potentially more people to check on new blueprints. The WGT video was posted earlier but not the site, which has some more interesting pics in it. WGT's 11th update. Some good stuff in here! Big news! As he noted on his site, there are now some coordinate markers for the final turn (before the brake run) as well as part of the helix (best I can tell from his images). Note the proximity of these markers to the existing concrete path. This leads me to believe there's now more blueprints available that give more X/Y coordinates for these markers and possibly more. Hopefully someone can check on more blueprints! This is the first time I've seen work being done that is beyond the existing released blueprints. Also the T-shaped footing at the end of the brake run looks like it has been poured or will be poured soon (the tarp over it is either helping it cure overnight or is keeping the area relatively dry prior to pouring concrete). http://www.wildgravitytravels.com/kings-island-2020-update-11-work-site-and-track-update/
  16. WGT's 11th update. Some good stuff in here! Big news! As he noted on his site, there are now some coordinate markers for the final turn (before the brake run) as well as part of the helix (best I can tell from his images). Note the proximity of these markers to the existing concrete path. This leads me to believe there's now more blueprints available that give more X/Y coordinates for these markers and possibly more. Hopefully someone can check on more blueprints! This is the first time I've seen work being done that is beyond the existing released blueprints. Also the T-shaped footing at the end of the brake run looks like it has been poured or will be poured soon (the tarp over it is either helping it cure overnight or is keeping the area relatively dry prior to pouring concrete). http://www.wildgravitytravels.com/kings-island-2020-update-11-work-site-and-track-update/
  17. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    I agree, it does seem like some wasted potential. At least in KI's case, the brake run will be in the rear of everything else, so less jutting out compared to other cases. My guess is B&M likes to keep it high up and angled somewhat steep to allow for the trains to evacuate the brake run quickly by relying on gravity rather than drive wheels. Valravn's brake run also comes to mind. Also note that directly below the last drop is a walkway. They probably want to have plenty of height there to drive whatever vehicles they need to in the future. Looks like they plan on keeping the trees under this part of the track, so some of that extra height helps with that. Also, I think I found the official soundtrack of the new ride. Coaster's name will be Skylane. /s
  18. That's crazy late to be working but the below video suggests something is going on back there. Video is from yesterday. First, the wooden form has been built around the T-shaped footing at the end of the brake run, so I'll expect we will see that being poured soon. Second, the construction equipment near Racer's turnaround has at least moved from the last recent video I saw of this area. I think for right now, in this area, they're only working on burying that overhead electrical line, which was called for in the electrical blueprints. Screenshots are from the below video.
  19. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    I'd say that this particular sheet is the only progress expected by August 5th for this particular area only. Piers/footings for the rest of the coaster may start before then, but can't say for sure (unless someone could stop by the city hall and see if new blueprints have been submitted!). There are also missing pages from that set of blueprints (note that at least E7.1 and E7.3 are missing from that batch), so maybe those would reveal more info if they're ever released. Using Fury as a reference, the announcement was August 21, but the first track/support pieces didn't show up until August 19 (based on what I can tell from the speculation thread on CC's forum). So in that case, there was no vertical construction going on until after the announcement. But they did have a good looking piece of track there for the announcement, which would be pretty cool to see up close in this case too. No problem!
  20. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    I can't say for sure of course, but it didn't strike me as odd when I first saw it. On the same page, it also says "Entry Plaza Concept". I take this as either a conceptual sheet giving an overall macro view of what the entrance/exit area will look like, or this is just a sheet for "big wigs" when they want an update on where the project's progress is. On the top right, it's dated either 12/9/18 or 9/12/18. The way it's formatted with periods doesn't make it readily clear when this date was--I've seen both dd.mm.yy and mm.dd.yy formats depending on country of origin and drawing standard (e.g., ISO, AIA, BS, etc.) being used. Regardless if it's September or December, the date in the header is 5.08.19, which is where I'm guessing they want to be by that date (whether it's May or August). My guess is that the upper-right date is September 12, 2018 (when the drawing was made), and the lower date is August 5, 2019 (where they plan on having complete by that date). And yes, this C-1 has a whole lot of stuff on here (track, queue line, station building, etc.), but the only things that have legit labels next to them (for the coaster) are the footings. So perhaps that as of the future August 5, 2019 date, just the footings is all we're going to see in this area, with no vertical construction yet. That would give us a "Progress Print" of the project as of 8/5/19. I hope I'm wrong as I'm anxious like the rest of you all to see some vertical construction, but that's my interpretation of this drawing. Also note Jeff's name. He was a co-designer of The Beast and is still at KI. Awesome to see his name on some of these drawings.
  21. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    I did some digging and you're absolutely correct. Page 7 of the Decoding 2014 topic. Page 7! Trademark application. This particular user guessed 'Banshee' on page 4 of the same thread. Crazy to get that correct so early on.
  22. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Ohh good catch! This is kinda unrelated, but here's a closer shot of a similar piece on China's new "Flight of the Himalayan Eagle Music Roller Coaster" (FOTHEMRC is one heck of an acronym). That small box acts as a cover to the return sprocket of the chain. Pic from RCDB. https://rcdb.com/15115.htm
  23. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    Potentially lots of neat info. Probably nothing substantial at this point, but all of these prints have been fascinating to me. The lifthill page from the electrical prints suggests there are several cross sections thru the lift, including one right at the peak. I bet this particular cross section view would have some elevation heights listed, possibly resolving where the 1035.9' is measured from. It wouldn't really change anything, but it would tell us where all other heights are measured from. Depending on other views of the track on future blueprints, it may reveal how banked some of these turns are. Having the remaining coordinates for all the piers/footings would reveal the extent of how much concrete is involved in this project. None of the actual track is likely dimensioned, but some cross sectional views would be drawn to scale, so knowing one dimension could be used to accurately estimate the rest of the track dimensions. Again, nothing substantial, but lots of neat little things could be found. Nerd stuff to an engineer, but some others may appreciate it!
  24. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    It's not an argument. I asked if proof could be resurrected for what was claimed, and none was provided. I do not want to contribute to the negativity that exists in this thread, so I'm moving on. I remembered this afternoon that all past trademarks in use have a 'specimen' added to the application. These specimens always show the coaster logo as we know them today, and they all have a submitted date tied to them. I just reviewed Hangtime, Copperhead Strike, and Railblazer (all recent examples in CF's history), and unfortunately for all 3, nearly one year had passed between the initial application filing date and the date that the specimen was submitted. When the specimen was submitted, the ride (and logo) had already been announced. With that in mind, I don't think the trademark applications are going to tell us much more prior to the announcement, unless a new one is submitted the day of, or a day before, the announcement (which CF does have a history of doing). In construction news, the footings for the turnaround are complete, per the video below. The 'T' shaped footing at the end of the brakerun (beginning of turnaround) still has not been started, at least based on this video from two days ago. I'd say this footing and the large triangular one near the drop are the most complicated to build forms for, so I can understand them saving these for last.
  25. BSBMX

    Decoding 2020

    The USPTO records are searchable for any trademark application, whether it was accepted or not, and whether it's live or dead (as of today). Searching for "amusement" and either "Cedar Fair", "Cedar Point", or "Kings Island", I cannot find a trademark application for DB, NOR can I find any suitable application for DB that was made around the 2008/2009 timeframe. This was surprising to me--if anyone can find a trademark for Diamondback, please show me. As for MT or Banshee, both of those DO have trademarks, but neither had any other suitable trademarks filed around their respective times. For what it's worth, MT's trademark application was filed 1 day after it was announced, but Banshee's application was filed about 3.5 months before its announcement. I'd welcome @silver2005 to show us what other trademarked names were filed for these 3 coasters. Perhaps my search isn't as extensive as it can be. I'm always looking to improve! BUT, for what it's worth, I'd guess that multiple trademarks were not made for these roller coasters prior to opening as I believe my research on USPTO's site is extensive enough to uncover these. @ldhudsonjr, I wouldn't give up on hope though. As seen with MT, GateKeeper, and likely some others, the trademark wasn't filed until the day before/of/after the coaster was announced. There's certainly some precedent there that the same could happen with this coaster. IMO though, either 'Polaris' or 'Orion' will be related to this project. Below is an example of one of the searches. Results are listed in order from recent to older. It's worth mentioning that the '325' in Fury's name was applied for after 'Fury' was ('Fury' was applied for on 1/23/14, while 'Fury 325' was applied for on 6/9/14). Originally, the 'Fury' trademark was filed in January 2014. At the end of April 2014, the USPTO sent a letter to CF for an initial refusal of the trademark application, citing "likelihood of confusion" with Sperian's line of eyewear (seemingly, they had glasses that also shared the 'Fury' name). Behind the scenes, CF and Sperian reached an agreement that neither of their similarly-named trademarks would be confused with each other. CF readily signed this agreement on 5/23/16, but Sperian did not sign until 6/16/16 (shown below). I'm speculating that CF was beginning to get anxious waiting on Sperian to sign the agreement as they went ahead and filed a new application for 'Fury 325' on 6/9/14, about 1 week prior to Sperian's signature on their agreement. What I'm getting at is I don't think '325' was initially intended to be part of the coaster's name. An issue came up with the trademark application of 'Fury', and while at the end of the day the 'Fury' trademark was awarded to CF, CF didn't want to wait around for a possible second refusal, so they went ahead and filed for 'Fury 325' separately, which sounds better anyways IMO. As for I305, I'm guessing CF just didn't want to pull a Six Flags and have two different coasters under the same name. EDIT: (so I'm not double-posting)... @ldhudsonjr & @collin.klopfstein, the 'crest' you all were referring to is just a metal louver in the station building. These are used for ventilation. That's not to say there won't be a crest added, but what's shown in the blueprints is simply a vent for the hot air rising to the station's ceiling. On one page of the blueprint, it even says 'louver' in the notes off to the side. Below is an example of one I found on a house, a bit more decorative than the one shown in the blueprints, but still serving the same purpose.
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