Jump to content

Kings Island 2016 Discussion Thread


CoasterOhio

Recommended Posts

That's probably true.  I'm not sure why Top Gun's theming was shuttered so quickly.  I don't think it really even lasted 10 years.  The lower level had been shut up for a very long time, so removing it really did it a favor in some ways.  

 

Flight of Fear has maintained its queue much better, but I don't think any ride is quite the same after the first couple years.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I do know that "Bat" (aka Top Gun/Flight Deck) will have to be replaced by another roller coaster eventually, because the company that made it went out of business many years ago, and Kings Island can no longer get the parts that they need to keep it operating. Also, the parts need repair more often than other coasters, just because of the way it is designed.

 

Same thing happened to Action Theater. The company that made those moving chairs, went out of business, and so when Kings Island needed parts to keep it operating, they were forced to shut down one side of the Action Theater and to use one side for spare parts to fix the other side that was still operating. Then when they ran out of parts, they gutted all the remaining parts and started having people sit on the floor.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Indeed.  S&S, who absorbed Arrow, still makes parts for Arrow coasters.  I also imagine Vekoma would be an option considering how similar a lot of their rides are to Arrow's. 

 

Don't be so sure of that

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bad_Wolf_%28roller_coaster%29

Big Bad Wolf is an Arrow suspended roller coaster, and it was closed because it could no longer be maintained.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it really can vary case-by-case.  When King Cobra closed in 2001, I thought the other Togo stand-ups in the chain would follow soon after.  They finally did, but not until 2014 and 2015 which is quite a long time after.

 

Big Bad Wolf closed in 2009.  Since then, no other Arrow Suspended coasters have been removed.  We probably won't see any new ones built, but it could be another 20 years before The Bat goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

^Indeed.  S&S, who absorbed Arrow, still makes parts for Arrow coasters.  I also imagine Vekoma would be an option considering how similar a lot of their rides are to Arrow's. 

 

Don't be so sure of that

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bad_Wolf_%28roller_coaster%29

Big Bad Wolf is an Arrow suspended roller coaster, and it was closed because it could no longer be maintained.

 

 

And I can think of a couple dozen Arrow coasters older and sometimes bigger than BBW that are still running. 

 

Just sayin'. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll have to check again, but I thought our "Bat" was the last suspended roller coaster made by arrow.

 

 

Update:

 

There are 5 currently operating that were made by Arrow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspended_roller_coaster

 

Our "Bat" is the newest one, so that means the other 4 would probably go before our "Bat" goes.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is never hardly a line, either.

The first time I rode the line was backed up in the tunnel. That was 2000.

The longest I've seen it since was on a passholder ERT with Banshee. And then it was only to the bottom of the stairs.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I do know that "Bat" (aka Top Gun/Flight Deck) will have to be replaced by another roller coaster eventually, because the company that made it went out of business many years ago, and Kings Island can no longer get the parts that they need to keep it operating. Also, the parts need repair more often than other coasters, just because of the way it is designed.

 

Same thing happened to Action Theater. The company that made those moving chairs, went out of business, and so when Kings Island needed parts to keep it operating, they were forced to shut down one side of the Action Theater and to use one side for spare parts to fix the other side that was still operating. Then when they ran out of parts, they gutted all the remaining parts and started having people sit on the floor.

 

As of 2013, at least 1 other park had a full set of Action Theatre seats in storage in case they wanted to re-install them in the future... If KI had wanted to keep theirs running and it was a matter of parts for seats, they could have acquired those quite easily...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lines don't always mean popularity. Bats a short ride and relatively moves very fast. Last year on popular days the line was out past the cut through (the little path that goes from exit to entrance before the old SOB queue

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mentioned this earlier in the thread regarding the south exit and how what used to be 3 exit lanes (left turn lane, middle lane to turn left or right, and right turn lane) has now been reduced to two lanes - a right turn only lane and a left turn only lane. 

 

People are used to the old one and I watched for 20 minutes at close tonight that the majority in the right turn only lane turned left onto Kings Island Drive.  What makes this troublesome is the construction has the southbound lane of Kings Island Drive down to one lane, resulting in many beeping horns and flip offs because two lanes are now turning into a one lane road (and one of the lanes turning left is now doing so illegally).  Not that people pay attention to signs, but they need some better signage as the only indication is painted arrows on the pavement that most are probably missing.

 

Further complicating the problem is that they have two left turn arrow lights at the intersection, which means two lanes can turn left.  So the questions are is the current exit configuration permanent and they need to fix the signal light or is the exit going to revert back to two lanes being able to turn left after construction is done?

 

 

Thanks KI for attempting to fix this horrible condition when exiting the park at close at the south exit.  Last night, they placed cones dividing the two lanes and the right lane cones were curved in such a way that everyone should have realized it is a right turn only lane.  Doesn't mean some moron didn't go through the cones, but at least it should prevent a lot of it.

 

So the bigger question that time will tell will be what I posted earlier - if the south exit is intended to only be a left turn lane only and a right turn lane only, then they should essentially concrete island the area created by the cones to further enforce/guide drivers that the right lane is a right lane only lane.

 

I still think the revisions to the south exit are worse than what was there previously.  They continue to put security folks to block lanes entering into the exit so that traffic from the other direction can leave and last year this was accomplished simply by cones, but the new traffic pattern within the parking lot prevents it going back to cones.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...