trevor75 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Well I am one of the 4 people to vote for The Bat, this is just based on the innovation of the ride at the time. Even though it didn't work out I believe what they found with that ride allowed the research to advance on suspended coasters and give us some of the great rides we have today. It was way ahead of it's time IMO. Edit: spell check only works when you use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 If you compare The Beast's length to Son of Beasts length, The Beast is only a few hundred feet longer. 327 feet longer to be exact. Also, The Beast is the fourth longest roller coaster in the world. The Beast- 7,359 feet Son of Beast- 7,032 feet Paramount Parks purposely did not exceed Beast's length with the Son. That turned out to be one of the wiser things they did with that ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterboy22101 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 It was a wise choice indeed. But they made up for the length by making it taller..a lot taller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdon Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 ALTHOUGH, My current running favorite is The Beast, The Bat gets my vote for the way it used to "jam" through dips and turns!! CoasterDon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AintNutinElse2Do Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 If you compare The Beast's length to Son of Beasts length, The Beast is only a few hundred feet longer. 327 feet longer to be exact. Also, The Beast is the fourth longest roller coaster in the world. The Beast- 7,359 feet Son of Beast- 7,032 feet Paramount Parks purposely did not exceed Beast's length with the Son. That turned out to be one of the wiser things they did with that ride. Anyone know if they ever updated SOB's track length after the removal of the loop. I would imagine it to be around 150 ft shorter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I had to vote The Beast. I've been on every coaster on the list except for Bavarian Beetle (not sure why I never rode it, maybe my mom had something against it so she never took me on it as a kid ) and Ghoster Coaster (I never could fit on that thing no matter how hard I tried). None of them, no matter how innovative or ground-breaking they may be, can live up to the legend of The Beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterboy22101 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 If you compare The Beast's length to Son of Beasts length, The Beast is only a few hundred feet longer. 327 feet longer to be exact. Also, The Beast is the fourth longest roller coaster in the world. The Beast- 7,359 feet Son of Beast- 7,032 feet Paramount Parks purposely did not exceed Beast's length with the Son. That turned out to be one of the wiser things they did with that ride. Anyone know if they ever updated SOB's track length after the removal of the loop. I would imagine it to be around 150 ft shorter. Yes, but there is almost no way to find out how much shorter it got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Gibson Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I voted for The Beast for many of the same reasons already given. HIt was amazingly groundbreaking and still has a huge following. I would personally prefer to ride Diamondback (except at night) but you can't compare Diamondback in 2009 to The Beast in1979? What an amazing accomplishment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 This was a difficult poll for me. I thought of Son of Beast and it's amazing accomplishment. It was one of my favorite coasters in it's early years, though it has fallen off my list with it's neutering and jackhammering with the new trains. It was and still is an amazing engineering feat and an astounding structure to just look at. Then I though of The Bat and what an amazing piece of technology it was in it's day. I agree with whoever said that it led the way to more modern inverted coasters and was really a learning experience for all coaster designers. King Cobra was yet another 'first' - the first stand-up. It was yet another learning experience and was a very popular coaster in it's prime. It remains a popular coaster among those who got to ride it. And of course, the legendary Beast. Though the Voyage surpassed it for my favorite wooden coaster (just barely), The Beast is still always going to be a legendary ride and always going to give one heck of a thrill. Being built in 1979 without computers and the technology we have now makes it even more impressive. But in the end, I voted for Diamondback, because the title of the poll is the best roller coaster. I consider Diamondback to be the best, most enjoyable coaster I have ever ridden, and therefore, it is the best at Kings Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Wow. The more you think about it, KI has done a lot for roller coasters over the years: 1972: The Racer revives the wooden roller coaster from sure death. 1979: The Beast sets a new standard for roller coasters, and breaks all kinds of records. It still holds the Wooden & US Coaster length records 30 years later! 1984: King Cobra, the first stand-up coaster built to be so. (RIP) 1987: Vortex, the first coaster with 6 inversions. 1996: Flight of Fear, the first LIM launched coaster. 2000: Son of Beast, the first wooden hypercoaster, and the first looping...for a while...(RIP Loop) 2001: Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the first suspended coaster for kids. 2009: Diamondback takes the record for most airtime on a roller coaster. These rides all pushed roller coasters to new heights in many different ways by breaking records and/or being unique... UPDATE: I have removed The Bat from this list as further research has shown it was actually far from the first suspended coaster. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor75 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 This was a difficult poll for me. Then I though of The Bat and what an amazing piece of technology it was in it's day. I agree with whoever said that it led the way to more modern inverted coasters and was really a learning experience for all coaster designers. Gotta stand up and take credit when I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Wow. The more you think about it, KI has done a lot for roller coasters over the years: 1972: The Racer revives the wooden roller coaster from sure death. 1979: The Beast sets a new standard for roller coasters, and breaks all kinds of records. It still holds the Wooden & US Coaster length records 30 years later! 1981: The Bat, the first suspended swinging coaster. (RIP) 1984: King Cobra, the first stand-up coaster built to be so. (RIP) 1987: Vortex, the first coaster with 6 inversions. 1996: Flight of Fear, the first LIM launched coaster. 2000: Son of Beast, the first wooden hypercoaster, and the first looping...for a while...(RIP Loop) 2001: Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the first suspended coaster for kids. 2009: Diamondback takes the record for most airtime on a roller coaster. These rides all pushed roller coasters to new heights in many different ways by breaking records and/or being unique... I've always been proud to have KI as my home park, and their ingenuity is one of the biggest reasons. So many firsts. They haven't had an overall height record since The Beast, but that hasn't stopped them from being the first in many other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterboy22101 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Wow. The more you think about it, KI has done a lot for roller coasters over the years: 1972: The Racer revives the wooden roller coaster from sure death. 1979: The Beast sets a new standard for roller coasters, and breaks all kinds of records. It still holds the Wooden & US Coaster length records 30 years later! 1981: The Bat, the first suspended swinging coaster. (RIP) 1984: King Cobra, the first stand-up coaster built to be so. (RIP) 1987: Vortex, the first coaster with 6 inversions. 1996: Flight of Fear, the first LIM launched coaster. 2000: Son of Beast, the first wooden hypercoaster, and the first looping...for a while...(RIP Loop) 2001: Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the first suspended coaster for kids. 2009: Diamondback takes the record for most airtime on a roller coaster. These rides all pushed roller coasters to new heights in many different ways by breaking records and/or being unique... I've always been proud to have KI as my home park, and their ingenuity is one of the biggest reasons. So many firsts. They haven't had an overall height record since The Beast, but that hasn't stopped them from being the first in many other places. Um yes they have. Look at Son of Beast. 215 feet tall and the only wooden hyper coaster in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Um yes they have. Look at Son of Beast. 215 feet tall and the only wooden hyper coaster in the world. I think that Violakat03 meant OVERALL height among ALL coaster types (steel & wood). In that case, Son of Beast does come up short- it's only about half as tall as Kingda Ka, the current record holder at 450 feet. Given how big steel coasters are compared to most woodies today, it is suprising that The Beast ever held the overall height record at a time when Steel Coasters were showing up all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Theater Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Wow. The more you think about it, KI has done a lot for roller coasters over the years: 1972: The Racer revives the wooden roller coaster from sure death. 1979: The Beast sets a new standard for roller coasters, and breaks all kinds of records. It still holds the Wooden & US Coaster length records 30 years later! 1981: The Bat, the first suspended swinging coaster. (RIP) 1984: King Cobra, the first stand-up coaster built to be so. (RIP) 1987: Vortex, the first coaster with 6 inversions. 1996: Flight of Fear, the first LIM launched coaster. 2000: Son of Beast, the first wooden hypercoaster, and the first looping...for a while...(RIP Loop) 2001: Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the first suspended coaster for kids. 2009: Diamondback takes the record for most airtime on a roller coaster. These rides all pushed roller coasters to new heights in many different ways by breaking records and/or being unique... I thought King Cobra was the first stand-up with a loop,not first stand up in the world? I always thought that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast1979 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 You'd be correct. King Cobra opened as the first stand up coaster in North America (There was one before it in Japan I believe) and the first Stand Up coaster with a loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 But in the end, I voted for Diamondback, because the title of the poll is the best roller coaster. I consider Diamondback to be the best, most enjoyable coaster I have ever ridden, and therefore, it is the best at Kings Island. I agree Kat, I voted DB for you can ride it 18 times in a row and at 1am still want to get on it again and again. It does not drain your physical body with its smooth ride and air time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondback FOF Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 If you compare The Beast's length to Son of Beasts length, The Beast is only a few hundred feet longer. 327 feet longer to be exact. Also, The Beast is the fourth longest roller coaster in the world. The Beast- 7,359 feet Son of Beast- 7,032 feet Paramount Parks purposely did not exceed Beast's length with the Son. That turned out to be one of the wiser things they did with that ride. I never realized the SOB is that long with how short of a ride it is, in terms of time. Anyone know if they ever updated SOB's track length after the removal of the loop. I would imagine it to be around 150 ft shorter. Actually, it would be a LOT more than 150 feet shorter . The loop was 118 feet tall, so times that by two (Going up and then down). Then you have to add even more because of the curve and not going straight up and down. So, you're looking at about 350+ feet of less track. So, the length of the track on SOB is no more than about 6,680 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 1981: The Bat, the first suspended swinging coaster. (RIP) I don't quote "The Bat" as the "First" imo http://www.coasterglobe.com/features/lostlegends-alpenflug/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomkatt7 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I voted "Beast" I was torn between it, and DB. but, I haven't ridden DB yet, just going by how great everyone else thinks it is. Plus I still want to get to KI to ride The Beast, one the main reasons for going. Will we feel that way about DB 30 years from now? Or will something bigger and better have taken it's place? Thats why I went with Beast. Staying power!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveStroem Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 The Beast is still my #1. I am shocked though that SOB is coming in with 11%. I like SOB but so many on here seem to hate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Lets hear it for Ghoster Coaster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I think that Violakat03 meant OVERALL height among ALL coaster types (steel & wood). In that case, Son of Beast does come up short- it's only about half as tall as Kingda Ka, the current record holder at 450 feet.... Uh, that's 456 feet... Terpy, who loves each and every one of those feet as he zooms up to the top...and hopes for the elusive rollback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperg Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I have to say I like Flight of Fear the best. Even right now. here is a vote for FOF, you musta missed it... I haven't voted yet.... This is a tough one, guys.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 You'd be correct. King Cobra opened as the first stand up coaster in North America (There was one before it in Japan I believe) and the first Stand Up coaster with a loop. That first one that was in Japan was actually King Cobra, from what I understand. There are elusive pictures of King Cobra set up in Japan as the prototype before it moved over here. It was painted dark red at the time and had TOGO serial number 001. Sky Ride at Canada's Wonderland is 002 and Shockwave at Kings Dominion is 003. And yes, I was referring to overall height. Thus why I said "overall height record." When The Beast was built, it was taller than the former record holder, Gemini, a steel coaster. When Son of Beast was built, it did not top the then-record holder, Millennium Force (or Steel Dragon 2000, not sure which was the holder at that exact point), though it still holds the record for tallest wood coaster and remains the only wooden hypercoaster. Colossus at Heide-Park Soltau in Germany is the second tallest at 196' 10" tall. El Toro is the second tallest in the US at 181' tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 OK, thanks for the info, TopGun1993. I thought The Bat was the first because it was classified as a "Prototype" and usually, that would mean "first". But not in this case. Then again, some cars go through several prototypes before production versions are made (The Ford Mustang is a good example, it was originally a true sports car in the 1962 prototype but the 1963 version changed that, and then the legendary production model came out in 1964). Also, thanks for correcting my 6-foot-off height mark for Kingda Ka, Terpy. And it doesn't look like The Beast is going to lose this. Not by a longshot. Heck, The Top 3 (Beast, DB, and SOB) seem locked in by now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 Holy Cow! I just did a quick check, and there was a suspended roller coaster in 1902! http://rcdb.com/id2427.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The day will come when Beast will lose its longest wooden coaster status. It is only a question of when. I doubt it will be a US park that builds the longer one, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Holy Cow! I just did a quick check, and there was a suspended roller coaster in 1902! http://rcdb.com/id2427.htm AND there's a picture: http://rcdb.com/ig2427.htm?picture=1 Thanks for posting that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 Holy Cow! I just did a quick check, and there was a suspended roller coaster in 1902! http://rcdb.com/id2427.htm AND there's a picture: http://rcdb.com/ig2427.htm?picture=1 Thanks for posting that! Your welcome. I wonder how good that ride was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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