Skramp

It also has gotten damn cold in OH recently, dropped to low 30's/HIgh 20's in the past week. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.

So it looks like they have 75% of the loop up now, but I'm not sure if it's the camera angle or what, but it looks really squeezed.

Check out this other pic from the construction pics at KI Central, that looks like it will be incredibly close to the ground if they leave it this way. Source

It looks like they've put the entrance and exit for the loop up before finishing the dive loop. Am I seeing that right?

It looks like that first drop is going to send you screaming like a crazy woman right from the start!! Also, isn't it traditional for a flag to be placed on top of the highest point of iron work when it's put in place? If so does that mean the peak of the lift hill isn't the highest point of the rollercoaster?

Looks like the drop is finished, and that hugs really close to the ground.

Looking back at the POV, it shows only four supports for the lift hill, and from that picture, there are 3. So one gigantic support to put in place for the peak of the lift hill then it can be completed. Also, the loop will go around the track about halfway between the 2nd and 3rd lift hill supports, so almost right where the V from Slingshot is. This thing is going up fast.

This was featured again on Hillbilly Thrill Rides on Destination America channel. Looks like a ton of fun, inventor reminded me of a young Gene Simmons. Could see this being a definite carnival ride.

That is really cool! Great progress already. But was I the only one watching that video expecting that "maze video" trick where the Banshee woman would just pop up in it and scream at you? I just kept waiting for it.

We have had a really nice summer here in the KI area. If that continues, there's no reason they shouldn't have the ride done by Thanksgiving. Could be seeing test runs before Christmas possibly. It has been unseasonably mild and dry this year so that has to help alot.

Man, reading that trip report bummed me out. Everything was so negative in it, all the comments were about how bad everything was. I know things there aren't the greatest, but man, you destroyed the park with all your negative comments.

Watching the POV again, it looks like it will probably reach top speed after the 3rd inversion. After that roll, it drops far down into a valley (which is really deep there terrain wise) so I would guess that's where it will hit it. The last 4 inversions should be taken with some pretty good speed.

After a day at KI, check out Blue Ash Chili on Western Row. Famous for the "Cincinnati Chili" style with 3,4,5 and 6 ways. Also have a lot of really good sandwiches. If you're really hungry try the double decker with your choice of meats and cheeses. Great place to eat!! Head south on Kings Island Drive, take a right on Western Row, and will be on your right after you go under 71 in a little shopping center with a Donatos and Penn Station. Also, for a little further drive, check out Marion's Pizza a little down 71 on Mason-Montgomery Rd. Awesome pizza!!

If I end up buying it, and the park isn't very busy, is there still any benefit to it? Also, is there a benefit other than guaranteeing you can still get them in ordering early? Thanks! The benefit to it is that you can go ride tons of rides all day long, there's no limit on how many times you can use it. If they're aren't a lot of cars in the parking lot when you pull in, skip it. A lot of area schools are starting to head back to school, so the crowds should die down over the next two weeks. Usually it gets pretty dead. Ride Firehawk first thing though, no matter how great the crew is there, that thing has such a slow ride cycle that it can take forever. Also, hit Invertigo quickly too for the same reason. Dback, Vortex, Racer are all people eaters so those are easy. Take the time to wait for a front seat ride on The Beast, and ride Adventure Express many times!! Have a fun time and don't forget the Blueberry ice cream in kiddie land.

I think it's funny that everyone bashes this as forceless already. No one has ridden it unless some of you on here have an amazing setup where you take a POV and put it into your motion-simulator in your basement and ride it that way? Lets look at it though. Parks don't put out coasters just for the 20% of us that are major enthusiasts. They want something the GP will eat up. And with KI being in the top 5 attended parks in the US annually, you think they're worried that 20% of the attendees wont like it? Or are they more worried about that other 80% that will drive hours, spend hundreds of dollars and tell all their friends about it? I mean come on people, we all love coasters, want to see something new, innovative, forceful or crazy, but are you really faulting a park for building a people-eater that the general public will eat up and will generate millions of revenue for them? I bet fast-passes will be very hard to come by next at KI because will buy them just to make sure they can get on Banshee. There's a lot of crazy talk, crazy people and trolling going on for the past 30 pages. Am I a kI fanboy? I guess since it is my home park, but I'm not going to sit here and tell you wonderful the ride will be and how dumb you are for not liking it. The best part of it for me is that it will pull riders from other rides like Dback, Beast, Vortex and all so they will have shorter lines. It's amazing how everyone swarms on here and hates on things that they have no idea about. Just because you're an enthusiast doesn't mean you know it all or can tell from a POV what something is like. And I think the coaster may have cost a little more because it is built on varying terrain so there's more development/structural cost. It's not like most coasters that are built on a flat expanse of land.

I wonder if one-week a month, Banshee will run slower and produce a rougher ride? C'mon, someone had to say it

Nope, they have Firehawk already.

Wow, people STILL think those were fake? You don't waste the time and money for drafters and engineers just to prank enthusiasts... Sorry. Do you have any idea how long it takes to make drawings THAT detailed? You just can't put those together overnight. When we make drawings like that, it can take WEEKS. I don't think they're fake, but how do you know that they're the blueprints for the KI coaster? They probably are, I'm not trying to say that they aren't, but you can't be 100% sure until after the announcement, that's all I'm saying. Did you miss the point in the video where they pan over and show the edge that says "Kings Island" on it? I doubt that would be on there if it were for Michigan's Adventure? Check at 1:24 of the video, it's right there

and a quick search shows that neither www.kibanshee.com or www.kithebat.com are owned domain names right now. So, take that for what it's worth.

So like the trains that were on Deja Vu?

My vote is for the first "feet hanging" inverted coaster, hence the Bat reference! Since bats hang upside down, this new coaster you will hang upside down the whole ride, think of it as the world's first Inverted Stand Up coaster.

Stengel has worked with B&M before on coasters, so maybe he had a hand in designing this new B&M invert for KI and that's why he's on the tombstone?

There was a news article mentioning that the same designer for this designed SOB, which didn't make much sense to me because clearly RCCA and B&M are completely different companies - I never thought about the Stengel connection. Almost, the news article said this: "The new coaster’s designer also created The Beast, which has held the record as the world’s longest wooden roller coaster – and has remained on the list of the world’s top wooden coasters – since it was built in 1979." And if my thinking is right, wasn't it John Allen who designed The Beast (and the Racers). But he died in 1979. The other two designers listed for the Beast are Al Collins and Jeff Gramke. Anyone know about them?

If you look really close at the video, just after or part of the drop, the track twists before it gets to the first inversion, almost like it's going into that inversion upside down or something. Although it could just be a large amount of banking coming out of the drop.

I wouldn't read too much into that picture. That's the area out by their greenhouse area so it could be anything from planting flowers, trees or whatever. KI has an in house horticulture staff and they grow most of their own stuff that is planted around the park and take care of everything. Also, could just be people training on how to use the equipment.