Why no Beast clones?

Considering how The Beast has become such a legend with coaster enthusiasts and the GP, why hasn't a park tried to duplicate it? Yes, I know that The Raven is modeled after it, but why hasn't a park done it on the grand scale like the original? Is it money or the lack of unused acres?
I think the ride was designed by King's Island so whoever would want to copy it would have to get Paramount's approval.

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Excalibur Crew for 2002!

Mamoosh's avatar
Two words: site specific.

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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!

#1 Terrain. - That is a very terrain specific ride

#2 Land size - Most parks don't have that kind of spare acreage.

#3. Legalities. I don't know who owns the design, but that was in-house, so no existing company would have rights on that design.

#4 Cost. Today that would be a very expensive. Nearly 25 years ago that ride cost $4 million. That's more than many of today's CCIs cost. WIth nothing but inflation, the beast would carry a heavy price tag today.

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- Peabody

*** This post was edited by Peabody on 4/25/2002. ***

The thing is 100% reliant on the terrain it navigates. You'd have to completely transform 30 some odd acres of land for it to work.

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

I think what Chad is driving at is the question of why we haven't seen any more large-scale wood terrain followers.

My guess is that it's both the money AND the lack of acreage

Later,
EV
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"Just remember, wherever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai

I'm glad, at any rate. The design is unlike anything else and makes the Beast stand out, 23 years later.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

rollergator's avatar
Well, look at the way land is CLEARED for most of today's coasters....I think the closest we've seen to parks working WITH the terrain to build wooden coasters lately have been Raven, BoulderDash, and (by looks alone) The Boss. Leaving the trees and rocks and hilly terrain adds an ENORMOUS amount to construction cost, so most parks opt for coasters built on "clear flat land". Personally, I think the additional cost is justified....look at the rankings and I think you'll see that most "enthusiasts" agree. But as mentioned so many times before, we are a VERY small percentage of park guests....but a LARGE percentage of "opinions"...;)
I dont have hard evidence on this, but i think PKI designed the ride or they have the rights to it. not to mention, it holds the record for being the longest woodie, and its probably one of PKI's prize attractions. i dont think they would give the plans up for any cost because its their own unique ride.
Mamoosh's avatar

With all due respect to Beast fans, I find the coaster rather boring and overbraked. Now, I understand the brake issues have been addressed to some extent, so its nice to know that trains will no longer slow to a crawl in the shed like they did on my rides May of last year. But IMHO when discussing coasters that are "overrated" The Beast tops my list. Bag of chips, perhaps, but not all that *and* a bag of chips ;-)

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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!


Mamoosh said:

With all due respect to Beast fans, I find the coaster rather boring and overbraked.



And yet, what does this have to do with the topic?

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

Mamoosh's avatar

Ravenguy - Sorry, my post was rather poorly written...I really should have been a bit more clear. It seems to me that The Beast seems to hold this almost mythical status, almost like Drachen Fire. I realize we all have our own tastes in coasters so while it doesn't make my Top 30 I won't fault someone if they rate it more favorably than myself. I'm not saying its a bad ride, I have enjoyed the rides I've had despite the frustrations along the course. But it just doesn't possess the qualities I look for in a top-ranked coaster.

Anyway, the point I was trying [and failed] to make is that perhaps another reason The Beast has not been cloned is that to those who are looking to build a new woody the Beast leaves a lot to be desired. Just pure speculation on my part. Were it actually be cloned, I'd ride it and I'd enjoy it, but I still don't think it would rank highly for me.

But you're right...I was off-topic. My bad ;-)

Matthew

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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh on 4/25/2002. ***

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh on 4/25/2002. ***

ravenguy, 36 to be specific

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If your really evil in this life, do you come back as toilet paper????
ladies and gentlemen, due to an increase in line jumping, people caught cutting in line will no longer be ejected from the park. u will be ejected from the ride

Mamoosh, actually the reason surely must be that the Beast is just such a massive thing, involving an unprecedented amount of acreage, terrain, planning and manpower.

Among enthusiasts, you'll find folks who dislike the Beast, but around here (Central Ohio), even an hour from the park, in a place where most people love the Indians, not the Reds, and go to CP, not PKI, the Beast really does have a legendary status. I have never heard a bad word about it from any member of the "GP."

And, at least for me, it *does* embody everything I look for in a coaster.... namely, speed, speed and more speed.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.


Mamoosh said:

Anyway, the point I was trying [and failed] to make is that perhaps another reason The Beast has not been cloned is that to those who are looking to build a new woody the Beast leaves a lot to be desired.



I don't know, if I were looking to build a new woodie I would think it quite a success for it to be immensly popular 23 years later. See my point? Obviously, its still providing what the public wants.

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

Mamoosh's avatar
No doubt the public likes Dad and many enthusiasts as well. I should have just stuck with my first answer earlier in the thread...LOL!

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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!

Mamoosh - understood. :)

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

First off, The way the Beast was built I think it might look weird without all the trees. Some people already sy its boring but if you took away the trees it would even look boring, Other than the 2 main hills and a few in between this thing does a lot of coasting and most coasters don't do this. Since the beast is so hidden it doesn't look boring. Also, just because its a good coaster doesn't mean it should be cloned. Actualy very few outstnding coasters are cloned or will be cloned. Take Millenium Force, I think its a great coaster but I doubt we see a clone of it ever. This goes for a lot of coasters.

Beast_rocks said:
Other than the 2 main hills and a few in between this thing does a lot of coasting and most coasters don't do this.


That's odd. I was under the impression that all roller coasters did a large amount of coasting... ;)

I don't think KI or any park could "own" the design rights of a coaster. Parks would never clone the beast because the terrain is unique and the costs would be sky high. Also it would be an embarassment for a park to outright clone a legend like the Beast.

I personally LOVE the Beast. I consider it to be the best wooden coaster that I have ever rode ever since I was a wee little boy.

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"If you can't do it, don't even knock it" COINMONSTER

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