S.O.B.

I'm also in the Son of Beast lover category. I still like the dad better but I have to say SOB made a big impression on me. The loop makes the ride in my opinion as it is (correct me if I'm wrong) the largest loop that you go through with just a lapbar. The huge helix was amazing. Not to mention the ride looks awesome.

Shaggy is right though, the opinion that counts is the GP. Out of my friends who have been on it, they all loved it.

Personally I think SOB has improved drastically. I know the first few times I rode it two years ago I thought I was going to bleed from the ears. It was horrible and I hated it.

However, my last few times I have found it to be a kickass coaster, and somewhat smoother than the Beast! But that's just my experience!

Tina

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Feel The Adrenaline....
www.intenserides.com

*** This post was edited by coasterqueenTRN on 11/18/2002. ***

I love SOB! Its my 3rd favorite ride in the park. I've never really gotten a horrible ride from it. I tend to like rough woodies, because thats what makes them better than steel coasters! If you're going to make a smooth Woodie, you might as well make it a steel!

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Women was god's second mistake.

OK, since you've been so patient....Sonny DID rank near the bottom for me.....not as low as 'Moosh had it, but pretty far down there. Then came BuzzCon, and our first rides in about a year. Well, we decided to "wait" on Sonny, just in case it treated us as roughly as it had in '01. As others have stated, it HAD been almost enough to take the wind out of your proverbial sails...but not THIS time around. The ride was "different"...the BANG we had found at the top of the first helix was gone, and instead of the "shopping cart down the stairs" feeling through the first helix it was smoother, and by a *considerable* margin. After the ride ended, we navigated through the endless exit ramp/entrance ramp, and got back on....

Bottom line for me, Sonny *then* was "un-rerideable". Now, it's a re-ride. My favorite woodie? Not by a longshot....but it's a WAY better ride, and definitely worthy of another try if you're "game".

The trains....well, let's just say that they could CERTAINLY still use some work, and accommodating even "slightly larger than average" riders is a problem...but I look over at FoF, and see how PKI *started* the whole retrofitting process for Premier rides, and think that it's NOT inconceivable that some work will be done with the existing trains...

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 11/18/2002. ***

I am almost 6'6" and had to litterally cross my ankles and sit down to barely squeeze in, that of course added to the roughness, but I still think that this ride was poorly constructed or needs some new trains or something...

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The Beast, at night, Nothing better.

Yeah the crossing ankles is the ride ops trick to get tall people in.

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Waiting for 2003.

I'm scared of SOB......but for reasons different than most people. I rode it in August 2000. We did the ACE walkback and talked with 2 different people that logged rides on over a dozen different days. They kinda liked it, but thought it was terribly rough, especially in that June they said. We rode, and had a killer, great ride. (ALthough still not top 10 wood material). They both said it was the smoothest ride they ever had including media day.

So my experience was very good, but I'm afraid to ride it again. Granted I haven't been back to the park since, but when I go I will ride it. As for now, I have 2 rides logged and both were very smooth and fun. (Would have been better if there was any airtime)

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- Peabody

I have never had a rough ride on Son Of Beast its been the smoothest wooden coaster I've been on. The Mean Streak is the roughest.

So you've only ridden 2 wooden coasters, huh? :)

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- Peabody

I always find it suprising to find people claim Mean Streak is rough. Boring or dissapointing sure, I can understand that, but rough?

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Fav Steel: Millenium Force Fav Wood: Viper

I've ridden SOB on several days. It was high energy and somewhat rough, but not excessively so. When I rode last June it was smoother than Beast. I've ridden many woodies that were rougher. I don't have real long legs which may be a factor.

Peabody, .....:):):). Thank you!

We couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about, either. The only thing I can think of is that either one, people are suckers for air, two, maybe people just think too much. Either way, a ride doesn't have to offer air if there's speed, such as a giant mass of helices. Not to mention, if people don't like it, just means they'll be riding other things, making S.O.B. open for riding all day long.

Just as Phyter was saying, "SoB is an amazing ride from dive into the lift, to that super loud chain, to
the incredible first drop, to the G forces around the inclined helixes,
trough the loop and more Gs, the finale is so intense you can barely keep
your arms! I loved ever second of it and you know it's amazing... for all
the complaining that goes on here, I didn't see too many crying faces on
that ride. Everybody was cheering. :-)"
That's what I'm saying, we were blown away many times by that ride. Good stuff.

All I can say is that my whole family liked Sonny. If you all want to think we are all ****ed in the head, that is your perrogative. But I'd be willing to wager that there are MANY more people would enjoy the ride than hate it, whiny enthusiasts aside.

Now, even though Sonny *is* in my top five, I understand the complaints with the trains. I do not find them rough, but they are quite *cramped*. Even as a "lanky" cat, I can see the difficulties "hippy" people would have with the seats. I would like to see that resolved somehow.

The coaster still rocks though!

lata, jeremy

--who wouldn't be opposed to riding down a flight of stairs in a shopping cart...

I see we're back to this conversation again. My 2 cents again...sweet ride if you know where to sit "not over an axle", if you are on an axle, it can hurt. But, AGAIN, what do you expect from a wood ride of that magnitude?

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Millennium Force - Any other questions?

*** This post was edited by Marky Mark on 11/19/2002. ***

Is a coaster considered great if you have to avoid 2/3 of the seats in order to get a smooth ride?

Moosh

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Coaster & Amusement Park Christmas cards, clothing, gifts, and stocking suffers, now available here.

WOW, Jill's first post on the 'buzz...I guess she's excited about IAAPA too, lol. So, without further ado (adieu?), here it IS:

..." SOB delivers a HARROWING ride, one you dare your friends over. How many woodies do you look at and say "Holy Sheepdip, batman!" Fear breeds respect in this case...."

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Congratulations to two Gator greats, Emmitt Smith and David Eckstein - job WELL done guys!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - unless you've got a spare planet!

But you see Moosh, I dont think that is a fair assement of the ride. Personally, in my 3 rides on the (Son of) Beast, I have *always* sat above the wheels: twice in the front of the next to last car and once in the very front. On none of those occasions did I find the ride "rough", certainly no rougher than HP's Wildcat. I'd actually now like to sit in one of these middle (or should I say middling) seats to know what the heck you all are talking about.

lata, jeremy

--who guesses that he just does not understand the meaning of "rough"

Rough=Skyliners backseat with the massive airtime and slam landing with washboarding on every drop.

Chuck, who says Sonny had a big washboarding problems early first year but has noticed hardly any at all since.

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Charles Nungester.
Is it about coasters or friends? I say both!

If there was more legroom (I too have the "problem" of being tall - 6'3") I would like SOB. But with the 2x4 on the floor pushing my knees up (even while sitting with my ankles crossed) and performing "human origami" to get in and out, it was QUITE painful.

The group I was part of at CBuzzCon2k2 talked me into trying it again at the end of the day in the middle seats and I had the same ride...like-able other than the legspace issue. I ended up limping for about 45 mins afterwards each time....

I will NOT ride SOB again unless they change the cars to permit more legroom/get rid of that blasted 2x4. I can fit in every other wood coaster just fine and I was really hoping to like SOB as I had no preconceptions for/against it before my first trip to PKI last June.

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--George H
---Superman the ride...coming to a SF park near you soon...