Son of Beast:Whats it like?
Suspended Andrew said:
I think it has an inspired layout. Werner Stengel is brilliant; all his layouts greatly impress me. The problem is in no way Son of Beast's layout, I just think it wasn't carried out very well. The Roller Coaster Corporation of America does not have many coasters in it's track record and to carry out a project of this size was not the best idea. However I have never ridden another RCCA so I don't know how they stack up. CCI, GCI, and Intamin in my opinion would have been more qualified to build SOB. Don't get me wrong, I really do love the ride, however I think that the whole concept could have been better delivered by another company.-----------------
"I live my life a quarter mile at a time. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free." Dominic from The Fast and the Furious
It is in no way RCCA's fualt, Stengel and RCCA designed a brillant and wonderful caoster. Intiman track was just fine. The whole problem is all to blaim to Premier and PKI Development. The trains on Sonny are custom designed and there is one problem, the foot is to small for the shoe. PKI did go out of the way to get the trains retrofited, but they still aren't snug. Mainly because they're custom designed, I don't know if PKI want to pull out that much cash to have them done over with a garuntee of positive results. I say that PKI should by the open hyper trains from Intiman as seen on Colossos at Heide Park. Those trains have been proven to be glory.
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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean
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Can we change the name of Top Gun to your mom so no one wants to ride your mom?
Teenage Ninja said:
They can't though, with the loop those are the only trains that can do it.-----------------
Can we change the name of Top Gun to your mom so no one wants to ride your mom?
Wrong, big wrongy bongy. Intiman along with any other company could make trains for Sonny, and better ones at that. The main reason for the trains is transitions, speed, and height.
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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean
The biggest difference between Sonny's trains and most other woodie trains are the wheels. The wheels are about twice the size of most train wheels because the track width is so big.
Also the main reason the axle seats can be uncomfortable is because the trains have a 3 bench body on a 2 bench chasis. That causes extra shuffling side to side, and would've been avoided if PKI settled for the two bench cars.
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Can we change the name of Top Gun to your mom so no one wants to ride your mom?
2Hostyl said:
For me, Sonny has only been usurped by The Legend and Lightning Racer in my list of woodies I love. What's weird about it is that it's one of the few coasters in my "favorites" list that I cannot distincly say why I like it so. I guess it's just that it is so 'powerful'
You know, I really wanted 2Hostyl to say this coaster sucked. I haven't had that many interactions with him on C'Buzz, but he is one of the only people on this site that I've agreed with more times than not (regardless of whether I have responded to his comments on the site or not). Yeah, that's kinda scary...
Having said that, I would have to disagree with him in my review of Sonny. While I didn't totally hate it (I probably did regard the coaster this way at first but have now softened my opinion), I wasn't particularly impressed with it, either. It's different, and not another coaster will likely ever be built again like it, but I was still largely underimpressed. It left me with the powerful but strange "I don't care if I go on that again or not" feeling after riding, and for me, that's highly unusual.
High points of the ride were 1.) seeing its massiveness from the parking lot (it looked more like a mountain from the distance; 2.) seeing its massiveness up close (how many acres - or should I say hundreds of acres) of trees had to undergo the ultimate sacrifice for this one?; 3.) seeing the vertical loop from the station (it's dead ahead as you exit the station); 4.) its fast, snappy journey to the lift hill; and 5.) riding at night (kinda scary). Low points of the ride were 1.) it was generally "too rough", and, oddly enough, 2.) the vertical loop (yes, folks, I've been on those before.....the loop is just a steel element thrown into the middle of the ride).
Really, I'm glad there are people that regard this coaster as "one of the greatest" - really, it is. So, Jeremy, enjoy it. You've picked an important coaster as part of your wooden coaster favorites list. But I'll be just as happy riding Top Gun......
*** This post was edited by ophthodoc on 6/24/2002. ***
Teenage Ninja said:
Ya, but with a 3 bench body it increases capacity.
Not really. You could have a double or single bench train with the same amount of people.
I'd love to ride SOB with a GCI Millennium Flyer.
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- Peabody
Well, there are few instances where I haven't agreed with Jeremy and this isn't going to be one of them.
Son of Beast is easily my 2nd or 3rd favorite woodie(need to try SFGAm's Viper again, The Legend is my #1), the loop is easily the best I've ever experienced on any coaster with the freedom of lap bars and the enormous size of the inversion, and its probably my third favorite hyper after Superman and Raging Bull. The loop is one of the coolest hands up moments in coasterdom and I highly recommend kind of becoming a rag doll through the ride with your arms raised throughout. I think this knocks out some of the vibration you might feel at the bottom of the second and third major drops in the mega tilted double helix. I wouldn't hold on tight or be very rigid.
I don't think its rough at all and some people mix that up with intensity, so that's where the "roughness" comes from. It's a lot better this year over 2000, so I think you'll find it a good ride. I felt quite a bit of airtime this year and a faster ride after the midcourse, so it's pretty firmly established as a Top 10 favorite coaster for me right now and my favorite at the park.
Koaster King said:
I don't think its rough at all and some people mix that up with intensity, so that's where the "roughness" comes from.
Are you telling me I don't know what roughness is? Or that I might be confused in some way? If I said it was rough, then that was exactly my perception.
The ride wasn't bad, but rough as hell. Coastingohio, I went the first season too, and the line moved pretty quickly (they had three trains on it), that was for two days too, but they were on the weekends. I recommend a ride on it, but it is the perfect example that sometimes you can build woodies too high. (at least until they are able to make them a little more smoother).
ophthodoc said:
Are you telling me I don't know what roughness is? Or that I might be confused in some way? If I said it was rough, then that was exactly my perception.
I've seen people call The Legend, The Raven, Ghostrider, Goliath, Batman: The Ride, Montu, Nitro, etc. rough just because they had very strong forces or were a powerful ride. I didn't say everyone mixes it up and if you're not one of them, I guess I wasn't talking to or about you, huh? Some people perceive other people as wanting to start a flame war if they're negative about a topic. Is that always true? I don't think so.
I've not been that impressed with it. It's an OK ride, very fast in the first half. Don't sit over an axle if you know what's good for you.
Be careful ophthodoc, you're messing with the resident PKI fanboy. ;)
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
My feelings on the ride are similar to Jeff's. I had fun on it, but it was nothing to write home about. Amazing to look at (especially from the air), but it lacked a hard to define quality that many great wood coasters have.
The best part: The loop. One of the great loops out there, but I can get that on a steel coaster. Give me that wooden coaster goodness too!
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- Peabody
Now, I've been to new parks, experienced new rides, and have a lot more knowledge on what I do like about the park. It's still one of the best I think in almost every aspect, but nothing can beat some of the Disney and Busch theme parks. Jeff will still be a total theme park virgin loser to me until he ever visits WDW, DL, or DCA. =^P
All of my jokes, debates, or 'fights' are all in good fun and intentions though and I hope everyone knows that. But if we're talking about 2Hostyl, Jeff needs to delete his account, because he always starts flame wars and... I want to be the biggest attention ho! ;)
BTW, are there any better ways to get my personal photo any bigger taking it from a digital camera? That's the biggest I could get it for the size requirements. The real problem was getting it to 25 K.
*** This post was edited by Koaster King on 6/25/2002. ***
Koaster King said:
"But if we're talking about 2Hostyl, Jeff needs to delete his account, because he always starts flame wars and... I want to be the biggest attention ho!"
whoa, Whoa, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!
Let's be fair here. I have never started such a flame war. I've perpetuated several, but I dont have quite enough creativity to start one.
But yeah, Sonny rocks and if people dont believe that, that is fine. I'm always most happy when I'm going against the grain anyway.
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"To get into this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do
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Valleyfair Security 2002! 8Years working at Valleyfair :)! Go Twins: 44-33! 1st Place :)!
*** This post was edited by The Beast on 6/25/2002. ***
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-Sean Newman
83 coasters in Track Record!! Hypersonic XLC # 100 in July. Waiting for the 305 foot drop tower in 2003. Thank you PKD.
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