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dakota2112

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Everything posted by dakota2112

  1. If you aren't absolutely petrified of heights, and if you don't have a background in mechanical engineering, then WindSeeker is a very pleasant ride with an incredible view and a touch of excitement due to the height. However it scares the living daylights out of me. I am petrified of heights, and I have a BSME degree so I can't help but think about dynamic stress equations and metal fatigue failure modes and 9.8m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity)... lol... yeah it's pretty difficult for me to enjoy WindSeeker the way it's intended to be enjoyed. For me, it's a 4 or maybe even a 5. But I'm in the minority. Most people are fine riding it.
  2. Sorry for a double post - but while standing in line, I read MrSaturdayNite's comment and I kid you not I looked up from my phone and immediately across about 5 rows of turnstiles saw you in your green polo carrying your jacket. I was unable to give a shout out unfortunately, but it was kind of funny and I thought worth a mention anyways
  3. Banshee is fantastic... great ride, great theming, very exciting and fortunate to experience it on opening day! And it was nice seeing the O'Terpy nod to our very own Interpreter! ;-)
  4. I understand some of the complaints being cited here. Eating in the park can be expensive, and based on my experience, flashing my Gold Card at the cashier rarely does anything other than leave me frustrated because the food my family purchased isn't eligible for whatever discount is being offered. The posted information is arguably vague at best: "Food & Merch Discounts: Discount offers on purchases at select locations throughout the park."
  5. Absolutely. A train will not be allowed to crest the lift hill unless The previous train has passed the next set of brakes.There will be space before the station for two trains. Imagine the first of these as acting as the MCBR. Thanks - that makes sense and that is how I expected it to run. I just wanted a sanity check
  6. Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but on the topic of Banshee being valley'd... since this coaster has no mid course brake run, and since there is always a nonzero risk of it becoming valley'd... will standard procedure be that two trains will never be allowed onto the circuit at the same time, even if the brake run before the station is open?
  7. Honestly it's quite a shame that waist packs are mocked like they are... I can't think of a more convenient and safe way to carry a small number of essentials. I would trust a zipped waist pack a LOT more than the Velcro pockets on my cargo shorts. Many years ago, before they were ridiculed to the extent that they are now, I used a waist pack at KI. It was great actually, and I don't recall ever having to stow it. Maybe the hipster movement or something will make them acceptable. And to answer the "why do you need to bring things with you" questions that sometimes arise... a few things really are essential imho. Keys, cellphone, wallet, hand sanitizer (laugh away... but I bet roller coaster restraints are among the nastiest things you could touch at Kings Island), sunglasses, a couple Ibuprofen, etc. I like to be prepared.
  8. There have been certain "diversion" comments that are open-for-interpretation since Banshee first showed up... wondering if that has anything to do with this... ?
  9. If the "circle" is where this textured lighting is going to go in, then I don't get how it will have a spectacular impact on the Banshee experience. The circle seems to be prominent for only a small fraction of the ride layout.
  10. I hope a deer won't be standing there when I'm in the first row! (No idea how much clearance there is, but that was the first thing that came to mind)
  11. I am just speculating, but I would think that the gross weight indicated on a label is referring to the weight of that individual piece.
  12. On that note, 700WLW reported this morning that it will be the tallest and fastest Wing Coaster. Then they went on to describe a wing coaster as being similar to what The Bat was. Then yet later they went on to say it will be a suspended coaster. Methinkstheydon'tknowwhatthey'retalkingabout.
  13. This topic is derailed from the original question, but I want to share this little tidbit... anyone who is relatively afraid of losing their wallet on a roller coaster, should take the time to rubber-band it closed before entering the park. I was on Adventure Express (of all rides) and lost my wallet. I had a park map stuffed in my back pocket, and my son wanted to see it while we were stopped waiting to return to the station. I know it likely breaks the rule about "loose articles" but I went ahead and fished said map out of my back pocket while we were sitting there doing nothing. Well, my billfold came out with it, and it landed on the catwalk next to the track. It flipped open. Luckily, nothing fell out of it... but it very easily could have, and it would've been a problem of epic proportions if it had, especially from that high up above the ground and with a strong breeze blowing. A ride op fetched it for me on the next ride cycle, thanks be to him. Ever since that close-call of a learning experience, my billfold is securely bound with a rubber band whenever I'm at the park. (and tidbit #2... my son once lost his wallet, on Diamondback I believe... I notified the guest services desk, filled out the lost & found paperwork, and never did hear about or see the wallet again)
  14. Are you talking about the signs which have an arrow that is supposed to indicate the current wait time? I've never given credence to those signs... the arrows often specify a fairly long wait time even when the ride has no wait at all, or at least that's been my experience. It seems like they are rarely correct when I am there, so I just ignore them. (But maybe they are actually used on crowded weekend days? I guess if properly utilized, those signs could be helpful for visitors unfamiliar with the park.)
  15. ^ awesome show... terrible traffic control in the parking lot afterwards!
  16. I always saw the Tom Hanks name association as well... glad to finally see someone else notice it too!
  17. This is almost my exact same experience. I only rode it a handful of times, and each time I was thinking "maybe it'll be better this time" but it never was. I have three specific memories: My back was wrenched around to the point of pain before even reaching the lift hill (seriously). The first big drop was pretty incredible. The only thought running through my head during the ride was "Is it over yet? Is it over yet? Is it over yet?". I'm not exaggerating. Granted, I always ride Racer and Beast in a center seat because it's too rough otherwise... but SoB wrenched my spine in ways that I truly feared would cause moderate to serious damage.
  18. Terp, I do believe that reference may be way above the heads of the youngsters here. I thought the same thing but only on the Doc Brown reference. Great Scot!!!!
  19. It looks like clean roller coaster track instead of rusty roller coaster track. My track piece was almost uniformly rusted across the entire surface, with a very dark color, and the wheel marks were barely visible. That's quite different than other plaques I've seen where it's a very bright colored rust, with dark wheel marks clearly visible. Not sure why some are dark and others are lighter. But for me, it was more of a practical issue. I can't speak for anyone else, but... my better half would certainly not be happy with this fingerprint-making-machine hanging on the wall without it being cleaned first. Anyone who is in doubt can leave their track as-is and see how it goes. You can always clean it later if it gets to be a problem.
  20. My track piece was so rusty when I got it that just by virtue of handling the plaque, rust powder and red fingerprints soon showed up on everything in the vicinity. I don't plan to use this thing for monetary gain, so for me it was a no-brainer... clean the thing . If I want to restore its rusty condition, I'll just set the metal piece outside for a couple years. (but that's a good point I guess... if you want to keep yours in truly "as-is" condition, then don't clean yours... just be careful to avoid rusty fingerprints!)
  21. Btw for anyone interested in cleaning their track piece, here's what I did and it worked great. Take a stout cloth (a shop rag, or anything better than a paper towel... maybe steel wool would be best), liberally moisten with WD-40, and scrub the surface of the track. If yours is like mine was, you'll remove a TON of surface rust. I had two do this procedure twice to get it cleaned up to where a clean rag came back mostly clean instead of mostly rusty. Then, apply a light drizzle of motor oil (or 3-in-1, etc) on the metal, work it onto the entire top surface of the track (by hand), and remove any excess with another clean stout cloth. Be careful not to dirty up the wood plaque itself in the process of all this by the way. My track piece is now rust-free, and my finger remains clean when I run it across the surface. And don't worry, it doesn't remove the wheel marks. Those are worn onto the surface. Leave a very light film of oil on the steel, and that should help delay new surface rust from forming. And lastly, for what it's worth, I noticed my track piece was either bent during SOB dismantling and/or souvenir processing, or else it has retained a slight curvature from the contour of the ride. The metal is definitely not flat, if you look at it on edge. (mine looks ever-so-slightly convex, so... I figure that if this shape is retained from the ride itself, then it was either approaching a hill, atop a hill, or starting down a hill )
  22. Good idea. I use a drop of motor oil on pocketknife blades to keep them looking nice; I don't know why I didn't think of that for this application as well!
  23. I haven't received mine yet, but I notice in the pictures that you can clearly see the wear marks from the trains' wheels. That is super cool ! It would be nice to preserve that somehow. I'm no metallurgist, but I do know that some forms of steel is VERY prone to rusting over varying lengths of time, even when exposed to nothing more than atmospheric moisture. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on a good way to preserve the piece in its current state? Some kind of clearcoat, perhaps polyurethane or something? Or will these pieces be fine as-is? (I know the track has been sitting exposed to the elements for years now... but I'm just curious if anyone seriously in-the-know can say whether or not this particular kind of steel will be fine as-is, in the long run. I would hate to see those wear marks vanish among a uniform surface coat of rust 10+ years down the road)
  24. Tracks receive oil? Do you know this for sure? I'm just curious, because I would think friction between the wheels and the track is actually desirable. (wheels are meant to roll, not slide )
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