Beast1979

This is absolutely fantastic news in every way. Flight Deck's state of neglect over the past years had become downright depressing, and it's truly wonderful that Kings Island has decided to give the ride the love it very much deserves. That ride, whatever it is called, should always be considered one of the most treasured rides at Kings Island, and hopefully its rejuvenation as The Bat will help return it to that level of prestige and respect. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. As an aside, I have to say that the current management has done nothing but impress me over the past few years. Every investment seems to be made in the wisest way possible, and is clearly helping Kings Island to become the best possible park that it can be. I look forward to more good things to come and hopefully a very long period of good times ahead.

I dunno, considering it hasn't changed much since I started going to Kings Island, I've grown rather fond of its current faded blue. If I had to imagine another color, its original green or perhaps a rustic brown like the actual Eiffel Tower might look good. I can't imagine it being anything bright like red or orange.

It was darker, there was fog, and it was somehow even more awesome than during the daytime.

Okay, now that I've gathered my thoughts, I can articulate some of the things going through my head now. My first reaction is WOW. Wow across the board. Every aspect of this is stellar. The ride, the theme, the name, and especially the marketing department. They've absolutely hit it out of the park these last couple of weeks, and this announcement was nothing short of spectacular. We should all be grateful for the frankly incredible job done by our PR team here, it is clear that they take their job seriously and enjoy doing it. The teaser video was remarkable, and very appropriate. As for the ride itself, color me impressed. Looking at the blueprints I was wondering how they were going to achieve any kind of record with this, considering it looked to be an invert about on par with Patriot or Talon as far as size. After seeing the renderings, I can tell how it achieves the "longest invert" record. This ride looks MASSIVE. It's hard to tell looking at just the ride itself, but consider that lift hill is over 160 feet tall, compare it to Delirium sitting next to it...it seems like B&M took a mid-sized invert and just blew it up. Another thing that strikes me right off The Bat is the paint job. I love the colors, very unique and striking, and they fit the theme beautifully. The lift is super steep, and there's no pre-drop buzzkill like on most inverts. I'm a fan. The placement of the lift and dive loop is just brilliant, like putting Diamondback's drop and splashdown right near the midway. What a spectacle it will be! The vertical loop encircling the lift hill is wonderful, though it won't do much for the on ride experience it will be quite a sight off ride. The zero g roll is good, those just kick major ass on inverts, especially when handled at high speeds. Which this thing definitely will do. I'm shocked by how quick and fast this coaster is. 67 miles an hour! And it reaches that speed halfway through the ride! It will be handling these elements wicked fast, I can imagine this thing being extremely intense. A series of fast punches all in a row, and no mid course break either! That will certainly help the pacing. I'm also very impressed with the new restraints. Don made it sound like a lap bar only ordeal like Flight of Fear, but they do have OTSRs, if you look closely there are thin bands inside the metal arm rests. Still, they look much more comfortable and open than the huge padded OTSRs of before, I most certainly approve. On the whole, over 200 foot elevation change! 67 miles per hour! Seven inversions! New restraints! No midcourse! I'm blown away! And in the grand scheme of things, this just goes to show how lucky and thankful we should feel. Kings Island has dropped over $50 Million on new attractions in the past few years, and Banshee represents a continuing effort to grow. There are many, many parks that can't in their wildest dreams imagine getting a ride like this. B&M makes truly world class roller coasters, and they are almost guaranteed to be a hit. With Diamondback, Planet Snoopy, WindSeeker, Soak City, and now back full circle to Banshee, Kings Island and Cedar Fair have shown a commitment to appealing to guests of all ages and preferences, which is absolutely stellar. Cedar Fair has treated us extremely well so far and I see nothing but more good for us on the horizon. Cherish this roller coaster and the times that come with it, for this is a fantastic time for Kings Island. I am truly thrilled by all of this. Bravo, to all involved.

I'll post my full opinion once I gather my thoughts.

Please, for the love of God, shut up. You sound like Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I would put you on my ignore list but with quotes and responses that never works.

I don't know how you guys can go to the park with The Beast, the world's longest wooden coaster, and say that the world's longest inverted coaster is a bum record. More length = more coaster. Who doesn't want that?

I'll take a shot in the dark for the fun of it: B&M Invert 140 Feet Tall 60 Miles Per Hour 7 Inversions: Immelmann, Vertical Loop, Batwing, Vertical Loop and Inline Twist (In that order) 3,400 Feet Long World Record: Something Obscure

That's not purple, that's clearly TARDIS blue right there.

Please. Stop. Feeding. The Troll.

Guys just leave them (or him, singular) alone. We've all spent the last few months trying to wrestle with them (him) about ride experience versus ride reliability, park investments, general public perception, etc etc. It should be clear by now (or by a while ago) that they (he) is a troll, and there is no arguing with them (him). They (he) either refuse to understand or to accept reason on the subject of roller coasters in the amusement park industry, and trying to argue with them (him) would be like trying to play chess with a pigeon. It will simply knock over the pieces and fly back to claim victory. If you ignore them (him), they (he) will go away. They (he) are entitled to their (his) opinion that Intamins are the end all be all of roller coasters and nothing else will suffice. I'm entitled to the fact that B&M's are sensible investments for large amusement parks and my opinion that they are just as much fun as any other coaster. When Thursday comes and an Intamin is not announced, let them (him) cry in solitude. When April comes and an Intamin does not open, let them (him) boycott in solitude. I will happily advance past his empty place in line.

It's amazing how after seeing the blueprints, the layout becomes so clear. The immelmann, the loop, lift, etc. Also, I can't see it squeezing any more than 120-130 feet out of the lift hill in that small a space.

I hate to agree with YoungStud, but...this almost certainly looks like an invert. The layout looks like a miniature Montu, which I think is a VERY good thing. The blueprints have made me even more excited for the announcement on Thursday, not less. I'm eager to see the theme, name, specifications of this ride.

Mr. Spiegel also famously guessed that Diamondback's transfer track footings were indicative of a vertical loop, and that it would be a Dive coaster.