FUN&ONLY!

I am not sure that is the reason, but I do see Invertigo as a fair contender to be removed. As far as we know, Vekoma is no longer making parts for it, and Stinger’s parts from Dorney Park will only last so long.

I could see one eventually being Firehawk, but the other, I don’t know. Maybe a subtle hint at something being killed off in the future, but since the grave has been covered with dirt, that would mean it has already closed. Correct me if I am wrong, but the water rides in the park are the only ones that are closed as of now and won’t reopen for the rest of the season. We all know how much Cedar Fair loves removing in-park water rides, so maybe Congo Falls or White Water Canyon. I don’t see White Water Canyon as that recently got a new entrance, but Congo Falls would make sense because it is at the front of the park in a potential new area for a new coaster in the coming years.

I don’t think it being too cold is the problem here, but maybe I am wrong. It is probably because of all the construction that will be going on back there.

Is there a Firehawk gravestone?

I want to see the new Firehawk gravestone!

I am sure X-Base/Area 72 will be completely closed off. From the Orion renderings, it looks like they are adding theming, new concrete, and a complete restructuring of Flight of Fear’s outdoor queue and lockers. I could see it being open in 2020 when the construction is done though.

That is so good to hear! Now I can avoid buying a locker, and I can actually use my phone while in line! I really hope this is true!

I second this!

I talked about this in the construction thread, but there are many patches of concrete in the queue that could very well be used for theming and props.

Maybe we will start to see lift hill construction! Finally getting to the good stuff!

The Racer needs a repair too, in my opinion, back to the original colors, but I am assuming that will come in 2022 for the ride’s/park’s 50th anniversary. Don Helbig mentioned repainting The Racer is on their to-do list.

This shows how much Diamondback could use a repaint. The colors are so bold. The Eiffel Tower and Drop Tower look really nice in this picture as well.

A raptor for Kings Island would be too low of capacity even with the twelve people per train and four trains Jersey Devil has. To put that in perspective, one train on Orion, Diamondback, or Banshee has almost three trains worth of Jersey Devil capacity. We would need something like the yet-to-be-built T-Rex.

Sorry for the the double post, but there is room in between the Fast Lane line and the regular queue line in the prop building that could be used for props. It is interesting how both the Fast Lane and the regular lines pass through the prop building and near the other mysterious concrete patches as if Kings Island wants everyone to see what is there. The prop building is also called a “prop building” and not a “prop. building” as in a proposed building which has been talked about in the past. This may mean that this building is specifically for props. Also, there are many Fun TV’s in the queue, and the park could play themed videos on them like on Mystic Timbers. Edit: the concrete patch is actually a little bit above the large yellow circle, so it is even close to both the Fast Lane and regular lines.

I am sure this has been talked about before, but in the announcement, the one scientist guy who can onstage said the turnout for this experiment was higher than SkyLab and Bayern Kurve. The theming could relate back to the past “failed” experiments and hopefully contain parts from Firehawk and possibly other past rides. On Flight of Fear building, it has the number 18. On Orion’s entrance building, it looks like it is going to have the number 20. Could that imply that Flight of Fear was the 18th experiment, Firehawk or Invertigo was the 19th experiment, and now Orion will be the 20th experiment? I think the story behind this ride will evolve as potential theming is put in place. Copperhead Strike had a vague theme when it was announced, but when it opened, it took on a more complex theme.

Not to mention the other side of the queue behind the station. I honestly have no other explanation for that random concrete patch in the middle than it being for theming and props.

It is also important to note that there may be some theming in the queue. When Copperhead Strike was announced, they showed a flyover of the queue and whatnot with no added props or theming. When Copperhead Strike opened, there were tons and tons of theming elements in the queue line, and none of them were in the animation. Looking at Orion’s animation, there are some patches of concrete/land that look like they would be perfect for some props. There is also a huge grass plot of land behind the break run. These theming elements are likely not in the animation because they have not been finalized yet, and they are still in development. The entrance plaza and queue are probably not finalized yet, besides the layout. With Carowinds’ 2019 announcement, there was a patch of grass that seemingly had nothing it in. With our announcement video, there was a patch of grass with nothing it in (behind the break run). They got Mountain Gliders there. Does that mean we will see a new flat ride there? Probably not, but it is a possibility. It would probably be awkward to have a flat back there.

Merchandise will likely be sold on a cart near the exit if I had to guess. The vehicles are probably to go with the theme similar to how The truck near Mystic Timbers goes with its theme.

That’s more like it! Good picture!

It says it is unavailable for me...

If only he could share them with us...

Makes you wonder what else @sixohdieselrage got pictures of while flying over Kings Island. I had no idea Kings Island was storing track back there. I am really enjoying these photos.

Wait! There is more track behind the construction site? I thought what was directly next the Flight of Fear was all of the track that had been delivered.

This is how I see it... the only way I see Cedar Fair going back to Intamin is if Mack Rides can not provide them with what they want or if Mack Rides gets too expensive. Also, I heard Copperhead Strike has had some minor problems at Carowinds this year which may push Cedar Fair to realize that no matter if they go with Mack or Intamin, there will be some level of downtime. Also, Cedar Fair might (they really should) take note of Intamin’s recent innovations and new launch coasters that they are installing. But in the meantime, I think Cedar Fair is more comfortable working with Mack over Intamin.

The rattle on Banshee is hit or miss for me. Sometimes, I barely notice it and really enjoy the ride, but other times, it is intolerable. I rode Banshee a few months after it opened and every year since then, and I don’t think it has gotten rougher over the years as it always had somewhat of a rattle. I always wondered, however, if the rattle is caused by the track itself or if it the new B&M trains or wheels. Most other B&M inverts have no rattle, and they have the old design of trains. If someone knows more about this, do you think it is the trains or simply the track?