Time to bring in the earthmoving/grading equipment.

Going to throw my idea out there, yes this involves removing attractions, but anything is possible. I am sure my scaling is off, but you get the idea.

I think it goes into Area 72 behind Orion using the leftover Firehawk and Dinos area and goes towards the storage area towards the river if it comes to KI. The new Six Flags is big into making their new major rides fit a themed area. AF1 would fit the theme of Area 72 perfectly. That's part of why I think KI and Carowinds are the front runners right now for this.

1 hour ago, DiamondbackFan said:

Time to bring in the earthmoving/grading equipment.

I can already see the noise complaints from GWL about AF1’s lift hill

I’m happy that SF bought AF1. For all the negative publicity SF has gotten the past year, you have to give credit where it is due.

I hope you all are right about AF1 coming to Kings Island; I got a feeling about SF over Georgia after pulling up their park map this AM. Not to mention the transportation cost.

1 hour ago, kissfan4 said:

This would be ideal. Can anyone check the scaling?

55 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I think it goes into Area 72 behind Orion using the leftover Firehawk and Dinos area and goes towards the storage area towards the river if it comes to KI. The new Six Flags is big into making their new major rides fit a themed area. AF1 would fit the theme of Area 72 perfectly. That's part of why I think KI and Carowinds are the front runners right now for this.

Area 72 would be awesome! If it does end up in Area 72, though, I’d love to see the area expanded/thematically enhanced. I also don’t love the name “ArieForce One.” Something like “Shooting Star” (as a nod to Coney Island) or “Polaris” would be MUCH better. At the very least, I hope Kings Island creates a new backstory for the ride. I think the current color scheme would work great, but it would be cool to see additional theming added and modifications to the actual ride to allow for three train operations. Maybe they could even add a few additional elements. In the press release, Six Flags did say the ride would be “enhanced,” so I think anything’s possible.

Let’s spend the next several months speculating about the same thing every day while we wait on Six Flags to announce what they’ve already decided.

19 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Let’s spend the next several months speculating about the same thing every day while we wait on Six Flags to announce what they’ve already decided.

Don,

I have a ton of respect for you and generally agree with your statements. That being said, why is it bad to get enthusiasts talking about an overall positive purchase? Didn’t you know “what was in the shed” for a year and had park fans talk about it? What is the difference here?

It’s fair to be harsh on SF when it is warranted but this does not seem like one of those situations. Would you rather these forums just be silent? Isn’t that the whole point of this website?

When people are unjustly harsh it makes statements that are warranted hold less weight.

55 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Let’s spend the next several months speculating about the same thing every day while we wait on Six Flags to announce what they’ve already decided.

I guess you forgot about the events leading up to 2009? How many pages and pages did we go through of speculation?

I mean its always been our M.O.

And then I see you made a post on Facebook promoting discussion on where AFO will end up...

This is definitely feasible for KI to accept its relocation. The ending of it can be changed, much in the same manner that Wildcat's Revenge was changed. I also think it was stated that it can be altered. Now, to what extent, I'm not sure. Since it won't be installed until 2028 at the earliest, I'm not even sure where it will be re-located to. I would not mind this being moved to KI for sure. IDC if it's not a ground up RMC. It seems to be considered a great coaster widely by the public, so I'm all for it being moved to KI.

I for one am glad they bought it. It could have just been demolished and that be that. Parks do stuff like that all the time. The fact that it has been bought and has a chance at living on somewhere else is great.

While a ground up RMC has always been a dream for a lot of us, if this ends up at our park, I know I for one wouldn't be upset in the slightest. In fact, quite the opposite. I never got a chance to go down and ride AF1 and with all the hype about how great it is, having something of this caliber have the potential to take up residence at our park would be a great thing. Something that people have raved about having a second chance at life at a well traversed park wouldn't be a bad thing. It would strir up a lot of hype and give KI something that truly packs a punch and fills a void in our already great line-up. Imagine being able to ride 3 RMCs in just a few hours of each other. Steel Vengeance at CP, Wind Chaser down at KK and if AF1 ends up at KI, we'd have that as well. I see no negatives here if we get it.

Just now, DJSkyFoxx said:

I for one am glad they bought it. It could have just been demolished and that be that. Parks do stuff like that all the time. The fact that it has been bought and has a chance at living on somewhere else is great.

While a ground up RMC has always been a dream for a lot of us, if this ends up at our park, I know I for one wouldn't be upset in the slightest. In fact, quite the opposite. I never got a chance to go down and ride AF1 and with all the hype about how great it is, having something of this caliber have the potential to take up residence at our park would be a great thing. Something that people have raved about having a second chance at life at a well traversed park wouldn't be a bad thing. It would strir up a lot of hype and give KI something that truly packs a punch and fills a void in our already great line-up. Imagine being able to ride 3 RMCs in just a few hours of each other. Steel Vengeance at CP, Wind Chaser down at KK and if AF1 ends up at KI, we'd have that as well. I see no negatives here if we get it.

Well said!

I haven't seen the release as it's been a busy work day. Whichever park gets this, I hope they don't ask the manufacturer to completely redo the ride, only as much as is necessary.

SV has been such a maintenance load, and I'd conjecture that many of the issues were with Cedar Fair wanting so much stuff AND a completely new train design.

From a non engineer perspective: change what needs to be changed with the elevation and hopefully allow it to run three trains if feasible.

4 hours ago, Imperial79 said:

Just released from Marcus Leshock on his X account, Six Flags has purchased ArieForce One, now on to speculation to where it will go!

Who is this guy and why is he the only one who seems to have this information?

1 minute ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Who is this guy and why is he the only one who seems to have this information?

My thoughts exactly. Thought I was just out of the loop.

9 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Who is this guy and why is he the only one who seems to have this information?

It’s official:

https://www.sixflags.com/blog/arieforce-ones-next-chapter-begins-at-six-flags?fbclid=IwdGRleAUNFIdwZG9mAWZkaWQWUOBTRmcC5Y089XtuquOunya6PeQCoWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6IQQ_V5cUhvs2fa_Iygeq0gtc9t0NTyZyp1RYBPZmbOZ2mke0Wk1OHtZ5Usg_aem_yO77BiqWcfOhhVhNQYKFOg

I think Six Flags very well bought it with a handful of parks in mind as to where it could go, but I also think the decision hasn't yet been made. That will depend on permitting, land surveying, and cost to construct new supports/level the land needed for it.

In my opinion, if AFO is going to be shipped nearly wholesale and as-is to a park then it should not go to Kings Island. I also don't really like that they've said they're keeping the name Arieforce when it's named after the Arie family who owns FunSpot. I'd probably like it more if they were able to turn it into something new at Kings Island (while retaining the elements in between new track) and change the name/colors. It very well could fit in Area 72 with some demolition and help beyond just modifications for a third train.

All of this said, I'm being very selfish because I'd much rather Kings Island get a hybrid with a custom layout and a good theme that fits with other areas of the park. I'd also really like to see The Vortex plot filled with a non-hybrid coaster first as well.

9 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Who is this guy and why is he the only one who seems to have this information?

Marcus Leshock is a Chicago-area newscaster who covers a lot of amusement/theme park industry news for his station. He does a lot of stuff up at Chicago's Great America and is kind of like John Matereese is with Kings Island. I think he gets some of these news stories before a lot of other people because he and his team are very diligent and have an eye out everywhere for this kind of thing.

Also the fact they're also saying 2029 is there's likely a lot of unknowns about permitting and the timeline of dismantling the ride and shipping it to its new home. In fact didn't ArieForce originally get delayed a year bc of permitting issues down there?

However, I feel if it ends up at KI or Carowinds they shouldn't have much in terms of problems of permitting.

I also think since they said they plan to announce the new home later this year that we'll start seeing parts showing up at its new home later this year and they may want to announce it before it becomes obvious. May want to keep our eyes out and look for survey markings/land prep later this fall to see if we find any potential clues.

18 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Also the fact they're also saying 2029 is there's likely a lot of unknowns about permitting and the timeline of dismantling the ride and shipping it to its new home. In fact didn't ArieForce originally get delayed a year bc of permitting issues down there?

However, I feel if it ends up at KI or Carowinds they shouldn't have much in terms of problems of permitting.

I also think since they said they plan to announce the new home later this year that we'll start seeing parts showing up at its new home later this year and they may want to announce it before it becomes obvious. May want to keep our eyes out and look for survey markings/land prep later this fall to see if we find any potential clues.

A note to add for Carowinds. There has been land clearing in the former Dinosaurs Alive plot for the past two weeks or so. I do not think it's related to ArieForce One, as Six Flags hasn't made the decision on which park is going to get it yet. It wouldn't make sense for that park to start land clearing for an attraction that hasn't been confirmed yet, so I'm going to assume that's going to be for a separate project.

I also watched a recent video from Amusement Insiders that also discussed survey markers appearing around Canada's Wonderland that appear to be for footers. However, he stated that the markers don't line up with the type of footers used for an RMC I-Box.

I've seen a few arguments about the "whys" and "why nots" regarding ArieForce One coming to Kings Island. Capacity being an issue, for one, Kings Island being a well balanced and mature park already and other parks in the chain needing a standout attraction. The biggest argument would be that Kings Island needs a standout attraction themselves having lost Vortex in 2019 without a replacement. That argument may seem selfish because I'm sure a lot of people want us to get an RMC. But what if we looked at it from a business perspective.

Kings Island is Six Flags' "most penetrated park (their words, not mine)," getting people from not just Greater Cincinnati but Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville and Lexington (the same was true with Coney Island before 1971). Kings Island is a huge money maker for the chain and corporate is dependent on it bringing in money. With that said, the company is still struggling financially.

ArieForce One is a beloved and renowned roller coaster by enthusiasts and a lot of the GP alike. The news about it being picked up by Six Flags is already getting people buzzing. Placing it at a park that isn't doing well, which may need a standout attraction in their lineup, in order to boost their attendance is a risky move when the company can't afford to take risks at this time; it may not be enough. Kings Island has already shown that they can generate money for Six Flags and legacy Cedar Fair; while parks cater to families and not roller coaster enthusiasts, a tried and true legendary coaster being placed at a tried and true park like Kings Island might make sense to bring in people who may have otherwise skipped Kings Island in order to go to Cedar Point which, despite doing well, constantly requires investment (plus they already have an RMC I-Box in Steel Vengeance, so it would be redundant at Cedar Point anyway).

Just my two cents.

20 minutes ago, WoodVengeance said:

A note to add for Carowinds. There has been land clearing in the former Dinosaurs Alive plot for the past two weeks or so. I do not think it's related to ArieForce One, as Six Flags hasn't made the decision on which park is going to get it yet. It wouldn't make sense for that park to start land clearing for an attraction that hasn't been confirmed yet, so I'm going to assume that's going to be for a separate project.

I believe I saw that the clearing at Carowinds is for a storage area similar to what Fury sits on.

1 hour ago, RollerColt said:

I guess you forgot about the events leading up to 2009? How many pages and pages did we go through of speculation?

I mean its always been our M.O.

And then I see you made a post on Facebook promoting discussion on where AFO will end up...

I’m not posting about the same thing every day.

6 minutes ago, BlondyRidesOn said:

I've seen a few arguments about the "whys" and "why nots" regarding ArieForce One coming to Kings Island. Capacity being an issue, for one, Kings Island being a well balanced and mature park already and other parks in the chain needing a standout attraction. The biggest argument would be that Kings Island needs a standout attraction themselves having lost Vortex in 2019 without a replacement. That argument may seem selfish because I'm sure a lot of people want us to get an RMC. But what if we looked at it from a business perspective.

Kings Island is Six Flags' "most penetrated park (their words, not mine)," getting people from not just Greater Cincinnati but Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville and Lexington (the same was true with Coney Island before 1971). Kings Island is a huge money maker for the chain and corporate is dependent on it bringing in money. With that said, the company is still struggling financially.

ArieForce One is a beloved and renowned roller coaster by enthusiasts and a lot of the GP alike. The news about it being picked up by Six Flags is already getting people buzzing. Placing it at a park that isn't doing well, which may need a standout attraction in their lineup, in order to boost their attendance is a risky move when the company can't afford to take risks at this time; it may not be enough. Kings Island has already shown that they can generate money for Six Flags and legacy Cedar Fair; while parks cater to families and not roller coaster enthusiasts, a tried and true legendary coaster being placed at a tried and true park like Kings Island might make sense to bring in people who may have otherwise skipped Kings Island in order to go to Cedar Point which, despite doing well, constantly requires investment (plus they already have an RMC I-Box in Steel Vengeance, so it would be redundant at Cedar Point anyway).

Just my two cents.

I wouldn’t say it would be redundant at Cedar Point. Was Mystic Timbers when Kings Island already had The Beast and The Racer?

17 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

I’m not posting about the same thing every day.

Sorry for being unoriginal? Sometimes I like to come here just to escape my awful life, and often that means just a little taste of some mindless talk and speculation. Rare are the days where I feel hope again, so when something... anything positive about this park... even a mere whisper... I'll cling to it. The speculation part is fun to me. The varying opinions is fun to me...

17 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Sorry for being unoriginal? Sometimes I like to come here just to escape my awful life, and often that means just a little taste of some mindless talk and speculation. Rare are the days where I feel hope again, so when something... anything positive about this park... even a mere whisper... I'll cling to it. The speculation part is fun to me. The varying opinions is fun to me...

They know where it’s going. Delaying saying where it’s going keeps people talking about this instead of the issues they’ve experienced at the parks this year.

3 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

Let’s spend the next several months speculating about the same thing every day while we wait on Six Flags to announce what they’ve already decided.

Although this is mostly a criticism of Six Flags, it comes off as a criticism of us at KICentral. I think it's nice to have something exciting to talk about. The lifeblood of this place is talking about changes and potential changes to Kings Island.

I do definitely agree with you that they know exactly where this coaster is going regarding park and location within that park.

36 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

I wouldn’t say it would be redundant at Cedar Point. Was Mystic Timbers when Kings Island already had The Beast and The Racer?

I've noticed that wood coasters are the exception to the rule for coaster redundancy. I've been to several parks with three full-sized wood coasters and no one bats an eye. Perhaps this is because wood used to be all there were and people got used to seeing more than one wood coaster long ago—or it's just that each wood coaster has more character.

I've never been to a park with two RMC I-boxes, two dive coasters, Arrow loopers, mine trains, stand ups, or inverts (from same manufacturer), etc.

6 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

They know where it’s going. Delaying saying where it’s going keeps people talking about this instead of the issues they’ve experienced at the parks this year.

And I don't mean to attack you. Trust me. I hold you in the highest of regards. You were in the industry. You know the ins and outs. I'm merely a teacher with barely a dollar to my name anymore.

While the discussion is generating buzz for sure, for people like me it hasn't equated to ticket sales. The last time we visited Kings Island was May of 2024. Meanwhile we've gone to Holiday World at least twice a year for the last 5 years (thank you worry-free weather guarantees!)

As far as knowing where it's going... I sure hope they actually already know. It would be pretty bad business to purchase something without having a plan before hand.

That would be like me buying content curriculum for a class I haven't even been assigned to teach yet.

I think I got the scaling right on this. I put it together pretty quickly so it might be a little off. Would require changes to the service road, and require removing timberwolf, and possibly removing Congo Falls. But it goes behind Invertigo, next to the storage building and the haunt. Would require a new entrance for The Bat as well, but a lot of people have been asking for a shorter queue for years.

I arie on the side of caution and a bit torn on Kings Island getting ArieForceOne.

Just a recap on hand me down coasters given to KI. You had Firehawk, mechanical issues and poor capacity. Eventually removed to make way for another hand me down coaster being MegaBite which was modified to “fit” giga standards and renamed Orion which is the worst giga coaster in the country. There’s a chance this won’t be the same coaster after modifications are made to fit the capacity, topography, and other park needs are for installation at wherever they plan on putting it.

On the other hand, given the track record of recent coaster installations at Kings Island, one could argue that Orion, and RiverRacers are a bust. The kids area ranking literally dropped after the installation of Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers. So acquiring ArieForceOne might be a safer bet in terms of ride experience if the coaster doesn’t recieve major modifications.