Son of Beast closes

There is a lot that is wrong with Son of Beast. The layout is all curves, yet both the original Premier train and the Gerstlauer replacement are both basically copies of PTC trains that can't steer. The ledgers were apparently not positioned right, resulting in the need to keep jacking and shimming the track. The basic layout is uninspired and boring: it isn't all high-speed curves, it's all boring helixes. It doesn't cruise around, it goes around in big circles. And finally, there is no padding in the train, so every little bump and jolt is magnified and imparted almost directly to the riders.

It could be fixed. Adding lots of padding to the train would help. Greasing the heck out of the track would help. Moving the ledgers to where the track wants to be would help. Lowering the second hill to increase the speed through that curve would help. There are lots of things that could help, and those are just the most obvious. The question is, is it worth doing?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

^And the answer to the million dollar question is..... NO! ;)

We have been through this a billion times. The fact of the matter is this, SOB is just a pile of crap. The only exciting thing about SOB is when you get home you and your girlfriend can play connect the dots with all the bruises it causes.

As soon as that first accident occurred they should have demolished it.

Leave it up to Dave to tell us exactly what could help SOB!

My guess is many of the die hard fans of the ride maybe haven't been on a good woodie so they have nothing to compare it to? I think Raven, Legend, Voyage and Terminator Salvation (< LOVE that one!) could easily show them what a GOOD woodie is supposed to be like.

I just honestly think the coaster is history-I can't see CF dumping any more $ into it (including lawyer fees and possible future lawsuits) especially after spending so much $ for Diamondback. The few fans the ride has isn't going to over ride CFs decision. I just hope they implode it so we all can watch!
(next Mean Streak??? One can only hope!)

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2102 :)

I've heard the same bad news (or good news if you hate it), about SOBs demise, from 6 different people, 2 of whom work at the park, 2 who have visited the park and was told by people who work at the park, and two from Coasterbuzz members who may or may not have any connections.

I know that it's not evidence that the ride is going bye bye, but it doesn't look good.

KI can set a new record for the largest bon fire of all time, during the off-season. And let everyone who has been hurt, and or injured at the hands of SOB to help. That's just my option. :)

^ I like that idea, but let's let Mythbusters have a few days with and see what THEY can do to test a few urban ledgends and myths. Plus, they can also break it up and destory it. however they want.

I'm thinking about 200 pounds of C-4 and a truckload (or five) of fireworks.

Let's blow it AND make it look pretty at the same time.

Hopman said:
^ I like that idea, but let's let Mythbusters have a few days with and see what THEY can do to test a few urban ledgends and myths.

Yeah I could see that:
"Myth has it the SOB roller coaster could be rideable and fun after a few changes. Can the Mythbusters prove this myth?"

The result? Even the Mythbusters couldn't do it, SOB sucks, so they proved the myth to be just that, a urban myth ;)

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2102 :)

What Dave said would make a crappy ride just mediocre. Why keep paying for that?

Kings Island WILL NOT be removing Son of Beast from there lineup this year or in the future... they will renevate the ride by retracking it and using trains that dont run on steel wheels. This is a record breaking coaster- when was the last time anyone can recall a park taking out a record breaker... it would cost more money for the park to tear it down... in case anyone didnt notice it... the ride is huge and uses a ton of wood. The loop will be reinstalled and the ride will reopen as Son of Beast: Reborn... Mark my words... they will fix this ride up .... they dont wanna spend the whole season trying to get rid of it.

^What are you smoking?

I say tear down SOB and since the nick theme is on the way out, rename the Fairly Odd Coaster SOB, since it was named Beastie at one time.

Okay. How much do you want to bet that it's gone, baby, gone?

Jeff said:
What Dave said would make a crappy ride just mediocre. Why keep paying for that?

To quote you Jeff..."the GP". I think the general public wouldn't care if the ride is mediocre, as long as it didn't shake the crap out of them. If SOB didn't cause the pain that it does to most people, the height and speed to the ride would be impressive to the non-coaster enthusiast person.

I think the real question, though, is how much would that cost. It would have to be significantly cheaper than tearing it down and replacing it with some new attraction, because a new attraction would be much easier to market than "Son of Beast: it no longer sucks!"

And, the worst possible outcome is: they dump more money into the ride, and it doesn't get better. That's been done once already. I'm guessing they won't want to try it again.

I don't know about the Mythbusters, they lost me when they did a myth about poo.

Brian Noble said:
And, the worst possible outcome is: they dump more money into the ride, and it doesn't get better. That's been done once already. I'm guessing they won't want to try it again.

Once? I guess if you only count the rehab that came with the new trains. My guess is that more money has already spent "rehabbing" Sonny than it cost to build the ridiculous thing in the first place. Kinda sad, when you think about what COULD have been done with a wooden coaster train speeding along at that insane speed (read: airtime hills).

BTW, guys, according to wiki, SOB cost an est. $20 million.

Brian Noble said:
It would have to be significantly cheaper than tearing it down and replacing it with some new attraction

As a side note, I've put away my urban geography skillz for a while and entered a graduate program that requires me to take a intermediate-ish level microeconomics course, and just before I read this quote from Mr. Noble I thought to myself "Ooh, the real cost includes the 2nd best option they don't chose!" My mind is already starting to warp, darn economists.

If you haven't yet, be sure to watch the Stand-up Economist:

http://www.standupeconomist.com/videos-public/

Hopman said:
BTW, guys, according to wiki, SOB cost an est. $20 million.

It also said that World War 2 started in 1730 ;)

It has been many years but working at Paramount during that period I know $20m is accurate, though I believe it went over budget as well on top of a multitude of other issues.