Kings Island and Area 72: Then and Now
By Shelby Brokaw
-In 1996 the Coney Mall section of Kings Island, an area home to bumper cars, The Racer and other classic attractions, would be invaded for the first time. Flight of Fear: Outer limits as it was known at the time, would serve as the first attraction in this region of the park, until it was joined by FireHawk, a Vekoma Flying Dutchman in 2008. With this addition, the area would be transformed into a mini land known as X-Base. Not considered its own land by the park, the area still carried its own theme as a secret military base. The area was light in theming, only containing the two coasters and their respective photo booths. It wasn’t until the removal of FireHawk in 2018 that the land would begin to take on a life of its own, with a new Giga coaster making an impact.
-The entrance area of X-base could be found under the supports of Racer, while the section wasn’t listed on park maps the area did include its own entrance sign denoting the attractions within. For the lands retheme, the coaster archway would be removed, being replaced by the new signage.
-To the right, a parked car, labeled “WERD RADIO 1.370”, a local conspiracy theorist trying to uncover the mystery of the base. His rants can be heard as you enter the land, attempting to prove its existence, clearly not seeing the Giga coaster in the distance. To the left a small shop featuring Orion merchandise can be found, including Nano Coasters and an exclusive Orion Squishmellow.
-Once you have entered the facility, you’ll notice the entire area has been revamped, including a brand new soundtrack. As X Base, the area looked quite bare, with little theming besides on the rides buildings. With this expansion new signage and decorations have been added, giving Area 72 a cohesive feeling. The Facade and queue of Flight of Fear have also seen some changes, with the side of the building now having scorch marks, with smoldering meteors being fenced off by security.
-After entering the line for Flight of Fear, take note of the white and blue barrels placed around the land. These formerly were placed under the park's fountain display until its refurbishment in 2019.
-Continuing past the outdoor queue and near the entrance of the building a row of posters, each with a 4 digit number can be seen across the wall. These are the various different outposts the Bureau of Paranormal activity have been monitoring. These outposts include,
-0014 K Hill Estate: Banshee
-0017 Miami River Lumber Co: Mystic Timbers
-0000 Outpost 5: Son of Beast
-The hanger area and the ride itself has seen little changes, besides some lighting improvements as you wait to enter the spacecraft. The ship itself is actually a partial illusion, with the back wall being made of glass to give the impression of the full size. The lore and story of FOF have been incorporated into the area, with the group ATLAS being a subdivision of the bureau. New posters promoting the company’s “craft” also line the exit pathway.
-The former photo booth of the ride includes more theming which deepen the lore of Area 72. Cameras monitoring the various sites are displayed on monitors, while a pin board displays even more Easter eggs, with a sketch of the Flight of Fear UFO, the Beasts paw print, and a statue from Adventure express being just a few. Next to these boards is an overview map of Kings Island, which appears to use a real blueprint of the park. Each attraction designated a paranormal hotspot being denoted by the rides icon and 4 digit code, all connecting back to a central hub, Area 72. We could go on about the Easter eggs here alone for 49 years, like the cans of “Firehawk Hydro Fuel” and various tapes referencing attractions like the Bavarian Beetle, Boo Blasters, and even E.Ts Adventure from Universal Studios. All of these references and Easter eggs being found in a former photo booth, a testament to the care taken in transforming the land.
-After exiting the Flight of Fear show building, your eyes will most likely be drawn to the 294ft Lift hill of Orion, the park's newest roller coaster. Previously though in 2008 this area had received a new rollercoaster from the defunct Geauga lake, known there as X-Flight. This Vekoma Flying Dutchman was one of three built, before being discontinued by the manufacturer. The ride was themed to a secret military vehicle, similarly to Orion, the difference between the two being how this story is told. On Firehawk, the only indication of the story was the rides Marquee sign, featuring the rides name scorched onto several pieces of metal, along with some caution paint on the station.
-The Theming for Orion actually begins where Firehawk ended, using its former photo booth as a “thermal scanning” center, displaying guests on monitors above. Weaving your way outdoors you’ll also see large pylons, each referencing other cedar fair roller coasters, with the likes of Magnum Xl 200, Diaster Transport, and Volcano the Blast coaster, formerly from Kings Dominion. The arched outposts you enter of course are also references, each representing the opening years of Vortex-87, Firehawk-08, and Orion being outpost 20.
-The indoor section of the queue features, you guessed it, more Easter eggs. This room covers the previous “sequences” known as “the Project X Initiative”. These sequences are actually previous (and one existing) rides from the parks history. The first being the Shooting Star, a rollercoaster not from Kings Island but its predecessor Coney Island Ohio. The next four sequences are flat rides, with the Rotor (1972), Bayern curve (1973), Zodiac (1975) a Intamin double armed Ferris Wheel, and Skylab (1986) a Huss Enterprise. Sequence VI is the recently closed Vortex, however the next one showcases Invertigo, the parks 1999 inverted Boomerang, is the only one of these referenced attractions still in operation. The final ride is Firehawk, the ride that occupied the land Orion was built on.
-While an enjoyable ride, Firehawk was prone to constant downtime due to its prototypical nature. Orion comparatively is a much more reliable ride, and is able to handle a much larger capacity load then Firehawk. Plus Orion is more visually appealing than its predecessor, able to be seen from many angles in the park. Being a Giga Coaster, there’s not much room on the ride for theming, but the overall atmosphere of the area and queue line make up for this. If you’ve ridden Orion, then you already know it’s an out of this world experience.
-Compared to X-Base, Area 72 is a marginal improvement theming wise. The park essentially took an extension of the Coney Mall, and made it a proper area of the park. When visiting Xbase previously, all there was to do or see was the two attractions located there, with the only real theming being inside Flight of Fear. But with this expansion they’ve managed to rejuvenate what was a concrete pad with two rides into a themed experience. Firehawk, while a great attraction was reaching the end of its life span, and with its demolition came one of the best theming jobs Cedar Fair has produced. The combination of music, theme, and fan service make raiding this base all the more worth it.
