Kings Island confirms Banshee roller coaster for 2014

August 8, 2013 at 9:41 PM · WOW, that looks like a superb inverted coaster - creative and lengthy. I really, really, like the layout, especially the loop around the lift hill and the batwing element. Very nice. But above all, Banshee is not made by Intamin, so it should actually work out of the gate. I may have to take a Kings Island road trip next year!

August 8, 2013 at 9:57 PM · Looks like an awesome ride, but how did you just post this now and have it be over 1hr before they announced it?!

August 8, 2013 at 10:40 PM · Oh man that looks incredible. There is so much going on it doesn't even have a mid-course break run. And that inline twist at the end was really surprising. I can't recall a B&M invert with an inline twist like that... Looks fantastic.

August 8, 2013 at 10:57 PM · A little piece of lore...Banshee was the original name of Cedar Point's 1996 stand-up coaster Mantis. Cedar Point changed the name to Mantis because they thought the name Banshee and its premise might offend some guests. Interesting how times change.

Anyway...looks pretty good. Ill be curious to see if they add some visuals. Also wondering if we will see the return of The Bat...

August 9, 2013 at 6:42 AM · I'm glad to see a park invest in a tried and true design. B&M inverts are some of the best, and most reliable, coasters in the world, and Banshee looks like it will be no different. I find it interesting that they are using the new-style OTSR harnesses (like on Gatekeeper and the fliers) on this, which probably means the trains will be a little wider, giving guests a little more elbow room and making the coaster more accessible to larger guests.

I like the return of the loop around the lift hill, a trademark of early B&M designs (Kumba and Hulk), and the dive loop, which I think is the first on an inverted coaster. Inverted batwings are some of the most intense elements on any coaster, which is why Montu and Afterburn(Carrowinds) are two of my favorites, but the batwing on Banshee looks almost too big. That may cause the element to loose the out-of-control element that you get from the tighter/smaller batwings on Montu and Afterburn. That slow inline twist at the end looks sick, and any coaster fan has got to love the absense of a mid-course brake.

As with any coaster, it's difficult to tell if it's going to be better than existing installations, but it does appear to be an excellent addition to the Kings Island lineup.

August 9, 2013 at 7:22 AM · Wow! That's gonna be awesome! It's really amazing how realistic the CG version is...I could actually feel the 'lift' you actually get from the inversions, on the video...you know that "Woo" feeling you get when you go over airtime hills? I could actually feel that in the loops on here...weird I know but hey...it was exciting to watch! I cannot wait to ride it! ;)

August 9, 2013 at 7:26 AM · Derik..I thought Banshee was the original name for Steel Phantom at Kennywood...is that wrong? I'm sure you're right but I could've sworn that was the one originally called Banshee...Only reason I'm saying that is b/c I saw a coaster show on the Travel Channel & it was mentioned & also was pointed out that the logo originally for Banshee is the logo for Steel Phantom, they just changed the name.

August 9, 2013 at 7:49 AM · Honestly, what almost makes me more excited about this coaster than the superb looking layout is the new restraints. Those restraints look super comfortable, which can be an issue with B&M inverts (I have hit my head on Raptor and Montu so many times, but then again I have also ridden both of those so many times...)

This looks fantastic!

August 9, 2013 at 10:49 AM · Those restraints can be a blessing and a curse. I find that they are very comfortable, but many have noted that they can slowly ratchet tighter and tighter throughout the ride, making it extremely uncomfortable. I've never experienced the extreme tightening to the point of being uncomfortable, but I did notice that the "vest" portion of the restraint was a notch or two tighter when the train got back to the station than when it left.

However, I do really like these new harnesses, particularly on the fliers. My only concern would be longevity, but the ones on Superman at SFGAdv seem to be aging pretty well, especially considering the maintenance reputation of that park.

August 9, 2013 at 10:13 AM · The story goes like this. Banshee was slated to be the name of Mantis. Cedar Point developed the logo, ordered the merchandise, and even made the announcement, only to announce a few days later that the name would be changed. A couple of months later they announced Mantis as the new name. All the Banshee merchandise was recalled and most was destroyed (except for the occasional t-shirt found on ebay). The logo was kept however and subsequently given the following year to Dorney Park's new coaster Steel Force(not to be confused with Kennywood's Steel Phantom).

To be fair though, the two logos do have some resemblance.

August 9, 2013 at 10:51 AM · This is really exciting. I am very glad it's not a wing coaster, they're popping up too fast. I think it's perfect, also glad it's not a giga because they don't need one with Diamondback (cough, Canada's Wonderland). Still would have been a good ride.

I like the story of the ride, when a Banshee screams it means "the death of a family member". (SOB). I think this will be the beginning of other new inverts, I love how they're bringing new elements in.

Most importantly, it's a safe choice, not a prototype. I doubt Kings Island tries something new again for a while...

August 9, 2013 at 12:19 PM · As I recall, the first few years after Mantis opened, Cedar Point did (temporarily) re-theme and re-name it to "Banshee" each year during HalloWeekends. It retained its normal Mantis name for the rest of the year.

August 9, 2013 at 11:00 PM · pure speed from start to finish. there are no break stations in between the ride. i think thats really cool.

August 10, 2013 at 7:07 AM · Slightly off-topic: Not to be a Negative Ned, but I really don't care for canned screams on an animated coaster ride. Reminds me of canned laughter on sit-coms.

August 12, 2013 at 11:14 AM · So Kings Island will have the longest wooden coaster and the longest invert now. It really does not seem that long for it to be the longest (not how the Beast seems long at least - two lift hills and such).

However, maybe this can be Kings Island's claim to fame. They can try to have the longest of all types of roller coasters. Next up, the worlds longest mine train coaster, the worlds longest wild mouse, the worlds longest stand up coaster, the worlds longest flying coaster..... and so on and so forth. ha ha.