Kings Island removing Son of Beast

Okay, just looked it up on rcdb. Can anybody see my red face through the Internet?

Yeah, that was a brain fart of colossal proportions, man.

Ensign Smith said:
Does B&M design custom inverts? I'd love to see something that takes advantage of the great terrain under the mountain of arsenic-laced scrap wood that currently inhabits the space. Maybe even one that interacts with TCFKATG...

What is TCFKATG?

and Orphan Rocker

"TCFKATG" = "The Coaster Formerly Known As Top Gun"

And Maverick (actually kind of applies for real here).

Aren't most B&M inverts custom?

By a narrow margin, yes. Batmans (Batmen) account for about 40% of the B&M inverts, and Raptor was copied.

"Batmans (Batmen) account for about 40% of the B&M inverts..."

They definitely picked the right one to clone and scatter all over the place.

The first one was custom. :)

PerrysburgGuy said:

and Drachen Fire?

I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually really enjoyed Drachen Fire the two times I rode it (before the modification even), and to this day am disappointed they removed it. My Dad, who rode it twice as well, also really liked it. My brother, however, didn't like it at all, and thought it was too rough, the one and only time he rode it. So, I guess it just came down to more people having his experience on it, than mine...

FWIW, I am part of the contingent who felt like SOB was one of the worst (roughest) coasters I have ever ridden. Right along with it, I place Psyclone, and Great American Scream Machine (both gone now, unsurprisingly), with Rattler not too far behind...

Yeah, I've always been in the minority about Drachen Fire as well. But I'd argue that Eric Hossfield is on point when he compared SoB to Ring Racer, as both coasters injured several riders (via actual catastrophic failures, not just badly designed transitions) and each were shut down for an extended time. Jury's out as to whether Ring Racer will ultimately have a better track record, however. It'll be hard to outdo Son of Beast in that respect.

What happened to Ring Racer?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring%C2%B0racer

On 3 September 2009, a series of explosions in the pneumatic system caused injuries to seven people, and shattered windows.

And you wonder why Stan lost control of the company?

ApolloAndy said:

What happened to Ring Racer?

Vater said:

a series of explosions



Shamelessly lifting SFI's trump card when it comes to theming. Every ride is better if there are loud noises and fire.

I know everyone said it Sucked but I have always really wanted to ride it. Unfortunately I never have made it out to kings island. It is just so cool how big and tall it is. I hope they put in either a wooden intamin or maybe a b&m diving coaster.. (since a lot of parks like cedar point are putting in wing coasters so you get that off the track hanging on the edge effect but in a unique way that cant really be matched by other coasters in the area)

I think what ever they decide to build it should be big and tall because that little corner needs some "roller coaster eye candy" to look at.

I think SOB was one of those things that sucked in such epic proportions that every enthusiast around decided they need to see for themselves how bad it was. Believe me, if you didn't get to ride it, you are better off.

I wouldn't mind a nice B&M invert in SOB's location. Although a Frog Hopper would also be a huge improvement over what's there now.

I don't agree. It was worth riding. Was it the best coaster out there? Definitely Not. Was it the worst? Definitely not. I've ridden much better and much worse. Personally, I think if the changes CF made to the ride happened before any incidents happened, the ride would still be running today and for years to come. My opinion is that once the structural incident occurred, it was doomed to people scrutinizing every little bump. The park could spend $20M and make it smooth as glass and you'll still get some ambulance chaser trying to turn something into a case. The ride needs to go.

I'm not upset that I won't be able to ride the coaster again. I'm disappointed that they need to spend the money to remove it and build a new coaster just for damage control.

CP Chris said:
I think SOB was one of those things that sucked in such epic proportions that every enthusiast around decided they need to see for themselves how bad it was.

So true. I actually took the advice and avoided it.