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Son of Beast Closed


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News story from WLWT...

2 Kings Island Rides Remain Grounded

ChannelCincinnati.com

5:09 p.m. EDT July 18, 2007

MASON, Ohio - Kings Island has some disappointing news for thrill seekers: Two of the amusement park's most popular rides are shut down. The Drop Zone has been shut down for about a month for an upgrade.

The ride is manufactured by the same company that built the Superman ride in Louisville, which malfunctioned and led to a girl's feet being severed.

The incident caused amusement parks across the country to shut down similar rides as a precaution.

"I'm glad they're doing something safe," said park visitor Danielle Abney.

Kings Island released a statement assuring the public that the Drop Zone has always been licensed to operate, but the ride's manufacturer recommended an upgrade as a precaution.

Park officials noted that a part would be replaced on the ride to "enhance ride performance."

Meanwhile, the Son of Beast closed again last week, after it had already been closed for a year following an accident that injured 27 people.

Workers removed a loop from the ride and installed lighter trains, and park officials said that the reason for this latest shutdown is general maintenance.

"I didn't know anything was going on with the Son of Beast, but I guess we can't ride it," said park visitor Daniel Keeling. "Any preventative maintenance they can do is definitely better for the people who come here."

Kings Island officials said both rides should open in a matter of days.

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And as for the "No one comes to KI to Ride SoB", VERY wrong. People do, you just may not know it. I have a friend coming from California; it's THAT ride he wants to ride the most. :rolleyes:

IF that is true, your friend is in for a fantastic time.

He is going to be utterly astonished at the actual quality rides that KI has. Most of them are even operating! ;)

Seriously though, people do not come to ride SoB. Why do I say that? Well look at it from the 20,000' level. The ride has been plauged from day one. It has not only had serious injuries on one occasion, it is notorious for giving most uncomfortable rides to literally beating them up. Who actually knows if it is going to be running from day to day. The ride has no draw. Go to some other enthusiast sites, they even hate it. And if a roller coaster enthusiast hates a coaster, what does that say for the actual ride? And enthusiasts make up less than 10% of the guests that go to the park. How many stories have we discussed here about the GP making up untrue stories about SoB? People are going to continue to believe those stories until the ride is consistantly operating, there is nothing to make them believe anything less.

For another point. When TTD was having numerous issues for the first two years, CP actually had a online "TTD status" section letting anyone who wanted to be informed about if the ride was operating or not. Ever wonder why there was/ has not been the same type of information given for SoB?

Sure there are some that love the ride. It probably has some underlying meaning for them (first coaster, biggest coaster ever, fastest ever etc.), or they have just not been on it yet and want to form their own opinion. I have the same feeling about Beast. And even though some will bash the heck out of Beast due to the braking, lack of airtime, roughness, unintrested layout- I still love it. But you know what- they are right about all those comments. But back in 1979, it was a much different ride.

The same cannot be said for SoB. The problems it had in 2000, are same problems as today.

When it was announced that the Flyers were being moved from KI, KIC had a petition to try and stop it from happening. Will there be the same outpouring if SoB was announced for destruction at the end of the season? I, for one, am very intrested to see what kind of reaction most have if/ when it happens.

For years now, I have said I would hate to see SoB torn down. But when is enough, enough?

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lol why all the speculation, when its just supposedly "general maintenance". it shoudl open very soon, and i will be glad it does. oh boy ill be glad. i loved the Son of Beast when it first came out, the many times i rode it with the loop, and now the loopless coaster with the new trains on the tenth of this month. i will continue to ride it multiple times, just in case something happens to it.

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I'm glad to hear Son of Beast will be reopening in a few days. It's my favorite coaster and one of the reasons I visit KI. I also love The Beast and I like the other coasters. I hope whatever is wrong with Sonny they get it fixed soon and it stays fixed this time. I got 10 rides on it when it was open for the 8 day span and it was great, smooth, and very fast. The improvements make up for the loss of the loop.

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Not to mention that the WLWT article only quotes a park guest. Not a park spokesperson. Not that the park spokesperson would have said anything beyond "Son of Beast is closed for repairs" anyway. And yes, for a ride that was closed for nearly a year, it does not bode well for it to be in another round of prolonged down time.

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I love Son of Beast, it is one of my favorite rides in the park, and my last-week's (3) experiences on it was 2x better than before it's modifications. To quote my 7/10 report/post on Sonny:

Son of Beast's line throughout the day was longer than any other ride. It was about a 15-30 minute wait when most of the other rides at the park were about 5-10. (Firehawk was 30-45 when we rode it). When we arrived in the afternoon, Sonny was closed, testing (after a thunderstorm, I guess) and we got in a line that was from the ride's entrance, all the way to nearly to the racetrack entrance. The crew was great, and every time they asked the riders how their ride was, everyone screamed (out of excitement and satisfaction, not pain LOL). Everyone in line was excited, and many people were smiling as they got off. IMO, it had the atmosphere of a new ride, which I thought was great.

My point is, from what I could tell, the new, and yes improved Son of Beast seemed to be pretty widely excepted from what I saw today.

While my experience could have been an exception, it was apparent to me (and my friends with me that day) that the GP actually DOES care about Sonny. Also to add to Sonny's defence, my dad did make a special trip that day from his work just to ride the "new" SoB (But then again, he's a passholder and only had to drive 20 minutes). I understand that the ride has been plagued with problems, but I think there is still some hope for Sonny. And I agree that the park should have the ride's status on it's website.

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Coasters that have been closed for rehab for nearly a year and then reopen do not normally close down after eight days for "general maintenance."

There are times the public is told exactly what is going on and times when more general statements are made. . .

Hey, it was a rough 8 days of wear and tear!

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So Browntggrr, calling me a lier? :P Be my guest, you're not here, you don't know my friend.

And seriously, injuries? Please. Most people I've talked to that said they got hurt on that admitted to...oh..yeah, not holding on. :rolleyes: You don't hold on, your body's not braced, you're asking for trouble. Yes, there was that accident. So what? So what I say? Yes, because accidents happen on coasters and many still operate. If you don't like SoB, fine. But leave those of us that do alone and stop calling us liers, mkay? ;)

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So Browntggrr, calling me a lier? :P Be my guest, you're not here, you don't know my friend.

And seriously, injuries? Please. Most people I've talked to that said they got hurt on that admitted to...oh..yeah, not holding on. :rolleyes: You don't hold on, your body's not braced, you're asking for trouble. Yes, there was that accident. So what? So what I say? Yes, because accidents happen on coasters and many still operate. If you don't like SoB, fine. But leave those of us that do alone and stop calling us liers, mkay? ;)

So what? Injuries? Are you joking? Yes, accidents happen.....but to say so what to them? In the event of Son of Beast, a serious structural failure occurred. Thats unacceptable either way you want to look at it. Its certainly not the first time that the structure has had to be reinforced or replaced. The point being made is that so much money has been poured into the POS and for what? I'm sorry, but I could think of many many better attractions that could fill that plot of land nicely.

- Todd, who'd rather see SOB end up as firewood

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Not to mention that the WLWT article only quotes a park guest. Not a park spokesperson. Not that the park spokesperson would have said anything beyond "Son of Beast is closed for repairs" anyway. And yes, for a ride that was closed for nearly a year, it does not bode well for it to be in another round of prolonged down time.

Do we not have any insiders in the PR department anymore that might be able to shed some light on the situation? Maureen seemed to give us the inside scoop a lot.

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Coasters that have been closed for rehab for nearly a year and then reopen do not normally close down after eight days for "general maintenance."

There are times the public is told exactly what is going on and times when more general statements are made. . .

Hey, it was a rough 8 days of wear and tear!

Ya, I can't wait to see how it rides at Fear Fest! Might be the first wooden flying coaster!

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The drama continues about SOB still on here with you guys acting like you know everything about whats going on here. Just wait and see for yourself when its opened and stop fighting over SOB when its opening,what caused it to close because its really funny how people take things so serious on here no offense but its true. Its entertaining to me see you guys go at it over a roller coaster :lol:

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So Browntggrr, calling me a lier? :P Be my guest, you're not here, you don't know my friend.

And seriously, injuries? Please. Most people I've talked to that said they got hurt on that admitted to...oh..yeah, not holding on. :rolleyes: You don't hold on, your body's not braced, you're asking for trouble. Yes, there was that accident. So what? So what I say? Yes, because accidents happen on coasters and many still operate. If you don't like SoB, fine. But leave those of us that do alone and stop calling us liers, mkay? ;)

So what? Injuries? Are you joking? Yes, accidents happen.....but to say so what to them? In the event of Son of Beast, a serious structural failure occurred. Thats unacceptable either way you want to look at it. Its certainly not the first time that the structure has had to be reinforced or replaced. The point being made is that so much money has been poured into the POS and for what? I'm sorry, but I could think of many many better attractions that could fill that plot of land nicely.

- Todd, who'd rather see SOB end up as firewood

Yeah...like Magnum's breaks going. :rolleyes: Or Superman Power Tower cutting a girls feet off, or that train derailing in Japan, or rollbacks on Top Thrill. Failure is failure.

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Rollbacks on Top Thrill (or Kingda Ka) are not failures.

The future of Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom is very much in doubt.

And catastrophic failures are very much taken into account (as is overall guest satisfaction, reliability, potential liabilities and maintenance cost) in determining the future of any ride.

Son of Beast is not exempt from this process. Recent developments do not necessarily bode well for its future.

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Rollbacks on Top Thrill (or Kingda Ka) are not failures.

The future of Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom is very much in doubt.

And catastrophic failures are very much taken into account (as is overall guest satisfaction, reliability, potential liabilities and maintenance cost) in determining the future of any ride.

Son of Beast is not exempt from this process. Recent developments do not necessarily bode well for its future.

Let's all remember how quickly Flight Commander was removed after the woman fell from it. Once a ride gets a bad rep it is hard to recover.

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Flight Commander was removed after the 1995 season. I don't remember though how long it was closed though. The accident happened in 1991, I know it was closed for the rest of that year, but was it closed for the entire 1992 season, or did it reopen in 1992?

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^^^^^^

Thats what i thought!!

I was pretty sure that we had predicted that in another post.

Honastly when all of my friends went a month ago they were all sad we couldnt ride, and when i went yesterday I was sad it wasnt open, but i will catch it later when it opens for good!!!

Oh and yesterday was awsome 10am-10pm!!

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Flight Commander was removed after the 1995 season. I don't remember though how long it was closed though. The accident happened in 1991, I know it was closed for the rest of that year, but was it closed for the entire 1992 season, or did it reopen in 1992?

You got me I would have been 10 in 91 so my memory is crap :)

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So Browntggrr, calling me a lier? :P Be my guest, you're not here, you don't know my friend.

I would never call you a lier.

I don't even know what a lier is.

I also would not call you a liar either. That would be just plain rude.

;)

Anyway, the issue with Magnum earlier this year were not the brakes wearing thin, but it was the brakes being wet.

And as far as "failure is failure". I'm sorry. Getting a broken sturnum (SoB), having your feet taken off (S:ToP), or having a train derail (Japan Togo stand-up) is not acceptable. Those are not examples of failure. They are examples of catastrophic incidents. Accidents? Maybe. But I am a firm believer that all accidents can be prevented.

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Well hopefully Son of Beast will open again within the next few days, as some of the news has been reporting. This may have been KI's intention all along. Reopen for a week then close it down to see how the track/trains are fairing. My Brother and his Wife are coming to the park with me on July 29th so hope it's open by then.

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Right...right. Like all car accidents can be prevented and airplane crashes and hell, even breaking your own ankle cause you're a klutz. Yep...ALL can sure be prevented. :rolleyes:

And anytime a ride doesn't operate the way it was intended, it's a failure, injury or no injury.

If you got a broken sternum on The Beast or whip lash from FoF, would you scream tear it down? I think not. It's well known SoB has had issues. They're working to resolve them. If you're worried about riding it or don't like it, just....don't ride it.

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