The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 ...The initial investment in the ride and the ensuing repairs have likely cost about $30 million, and experts said it would be a huge undertaking to dismantle Son of Beast. "But on the other hand, in going forward, if it's going to continue to be a liability for the park, they're going to have to make a difficult decision on whether to keep it or take it down," said amusement park expert Dennis Spiegel. Schmizze said Kings Island had all the necessary information to make a sound decision about the Son of Beast coaster. "In my opinion, they didn't make the correct decision," he said. http://www.wlwt.com/news/21564970/detail.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 what does terpy do? (sorry I am still a newish person here.....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 He posts to the Internets a lot... And that's about all he says about that.... More importantly, go read post 1683 in this thread, if you ain't already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 the article makes it sound like the decision has been made about the ride. but if you read closely, it seems like the quote at the end, the wrong decision part, has more to do with fixing the ride as they work versus the outcome of the ride. Knowing how interviews work in the news business odds are an important few words may be missing from the total interview. Or its poorly written explaining the outcome.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Remember, this was in the context of a video deposition for the Son of Beast personal injury trial that was recently settled after the jury had found the park negligent, but before the punitive damages phase part of the trial, where this video deposition was to be introduced. The park doubtlessly settled in part to keep this deposition from becoming public...and the deposition has now been seen by at least one reporter. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Remember, this was in the context of a video deposition for the Son of Beast personal injury trial that was recently settled after the jury had found the park negligent, but before the punitive damages phase part of the trial, where this video deposition was to be introduced. The park doubtlessly settled in part to keep this deposition from becoming public...and the deposition has now been seen by at least one reporter. . . yea i didnt think of it like that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Remember, this was in the context of a video deposition for the Son of Beast personal injury trial that was recently settled after the jury had found the park negligent, but before the punitive damages phase part of the trial, where this video deposition was to be introduced. The park doubtlessly settled in part to keep this deposition from becoming public...and the deposition has now been seen by at least one reporter. . . The fact that this is related to the 2006 incident is very hard to discern from the article Also, as the lead Dept of Agriculture investigator from the accident, would the engineer have had to sign off on the ride as safe to reopen in 2007? Just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Someone at the Department had to sign off to allow the ride's reopening in 2007. . . That same Department okayed the ride's re-opening in 2009, but the park did not re-open the ride, and allowed it to say closed the remainder of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 how many fingers does ki have in the dyke at this point? does anyone else think that this could be the ki managers at this point.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, at this point there is apparently at least one more Son of Beast lawsuit from the 2006 incident that, from a recent search of courthouse records, does not appear to be settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast1979 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 God, last winter it's Diamondback, this year Son of Beast. At least last year we knew exactly what we were getting. Now it's down to little more then a guessing game. Place your bets, place your bets! Odds are running 3-1 that this thread implodes on itself before any real news on the ride is released. Place Your Bets!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 One question that popped up in my head- if Son of Beast does go, will it be the largest roller coaster ever demolished? What ride currently holds that record? At 218 feet tall and over 7,000 feet long, I think it probably would be. Can someone clarify this? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zas Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 news five they just had a very small clip about poor repairs, doesnt look good for sonny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ki lover Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, say what you like, but ki will never ever get rid of Son of Beast. Mark my words. This ride is too valuable to ki and with the new trains with voyage, i bet Son of Beast will get a pair of them for his tenth brithday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, I looked up RCDB and it turns out Son of Beast willl not be the tallest roller coaster ever demolished, if it happens: http://rcdb.com/r.htm?nm=na&ex=2&order=-23&ot=2 The 246-foot Moonsault Scrambler, which was closed in 2000, has Son of Beast beaten by 28 feet. What about Length? http://rcdb.com/r.htm?nm=na&ex=2&order=-25&ot=2 Well, Son of Beast may well get one more record after all. Unless they tear down that massively long ride in Japan that is currently SBNO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWildman424 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, say what you like, but ki will never ever get rid of Son of Beast. Mark my words. This ride is too valuable to ki and with the new trains with voyage, i bet Son of Beast will get a pair of them for his tenth brithday. I wouldn't bet too much money on the new GG trains. If I developed new trains for my company, SOB would NOT be receiving them due to its history and possibility for future complications. Also, I've heard (don't remember where) that GG will not put the trains on a coaster that they did not build. I can only assume that if this is true, GG would need to come in and completely re-track the ride. That alone would be very expensive, then add the cost of brand new trains, and that's a ridiculous amount of money to be poured into a ride that has failed. I love the ride and I will ride it tomorrow if they open it, but from a realistic business stance, you have to cut your losses and say enough. I am completely for doing what ever is necessary to keep SOB running, but I will not be surprised or upset if/when it is taken out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 ...The initial investment in the ride and the ensuing repairs have likely cost about $30 million, and experts said it would be a huge undertaking to dismantle Son of Beast. Only $10 million for all the repairs & re-engineering? To me, that seems like a VERY generous estimate. I would have guessed about double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, say what you like, but ki will never ever get rid of Son of Beast. Mark my words. This ride is too valuable to ki and with the new trains with voyage, i bet Son of Beast will get a pair of them for his tenth brithday. "KI will never ever get rid of Nick." "KI will never ever get rid of King Cobra." "KI will never ever get rid of KCKC." "KI will never ever get rid of The Bat." "KI will never ever get rid of Phantom Theater." "KI will never ever get rid of Flight Commander." "KI will never ever get rid of Backwards Racer." etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast1979 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 "KI will never be sold to Cedar Fair..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I agree, SOB is far too valuable to dispose. there is no other ride in the park that gives them that much exposure on the nightly news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I agree, SOB is far too valuable to dispose. there is no other ride in the park that gives them that much exposure on the nightly news. I agree...whatever happened to "There is no such thing as bad publicity"....as long as it isn't OVER sensationalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I agree, SOB is far too valuable to dispose. there is no other ride in the park that gives them that much exposure on the nightly news. I agree...whatever happened to "There is no such thing as bad publicity"....as long as it isn't OVER sensationalized. good and bad publicity is a good thing. but where do you draw the line? (this goes for all things and not just the park) EDIT: I hit 300 posts... yay me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Bad publicity is a good thing? Do you honestly think the major reduction in business and resulting reduction in the dry side of Kentucky Kingdom would be happening absent the Superman: Tower of Power incident and the resulting publicity? Not only was the girl's very traumatic life changing injury a very horrid and bad thing, but the resulting bad publicity has done much to drastically and negatively affect the park. How can egregiously bad publicity EVER be a good thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveStroem Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Well, say what you like, but ki will never ever get rid of Son of Beast. Mark my words. This ride is too valuable to ki and with the new trains with voyage, i bet Son of Beast will get a pair of them for his tenth brithday. I wouldn't bet too much money on the new GG trains. If I developed new trains for my company, SOB would NOT be receiving them due to its history and possibility for future complications. Also, I've heard (don't remember where) that GG will not put the trains on a coaster that they did not build. I can only assume that if this is true, GG would need to come in and completely re-track the ride. That alone would be very expensive, then add the cost of brand new trains, and that's a ridiculous amount of money to be poured into a ride that has failed. I love the ride and I will ride it tomorrow if they open it, but from a realistic business stance, you have to cut your losses and say enough. I am completely for doing what ever is necessary to keep SOB running, but I will not be surprised or upset if/when it is taken out. I think this is GCI that you are thinking of. GG has only built 4 coasters so far. It would make no sense to design new trains and create a spin off company Gravity Kraft if not to sell trains for other coasters. From the press release "Timberliners are designed to be compatible with existing woodencoasters, allowing a park to upgrade their roller coasters withTimberliner trains." Here is the full Timberliner press release Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeefan Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I know I'm stating the obvious, but if SOB does reopen I think the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture and KI, and engineers need to inspect every portion of the ride (bolts, structural integrity, wood , track, etc.) for them to consider opening that ride up. I guess the question is if the cost to do all that is worth it. Again I know that these comments have been stated over and over in one way or the other, but thought I'd put my 2 cents in. By the way looking at the ODA 2006 report and seeing the wood split like that makes me very weary to ride SOB again, unless every portion of the ride is looked over very carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Do remember that the Ohio Department of Agriculture had already given its okay to re-open Son of Beast earlier this summer. The park, for whatever reason(s), chose not to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeefan Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I do, I think personally for me, it would be hard to ride SOB again. Is that to say if does reopen I will never ride it again, we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tchu Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I think that people often confuse controversial-hype publicity with bad publicity. Controversy does not necessarily mean bad or good, negative or positive. Controversy can create hype, and a business can benefit greatly from hype. For example, the controversial Halloween decorations that were originally intended for this year's Halloween Haunt events created a lot of hype and publicity. Some people hated the decorations and thought the displays were disgusting and/or offensive. Others thought they were edgy and hilarious. Some vowed not to go to the park during the Halloween season if the decorations remained. Others stated they would make a trip they wouldn't have otherwise made because they were happy to see Kings Island going "all out." The result, was that Kings Island's Halloween event got a lot of spotlight and hype it wouldn't normally receive. People began to view KI as a park willing to go all the way, pull no punches. And a lot of people love that for Halloween. In the end, the park keeps the live animals, ditches the celebrity display, but they've garnered the hype as an "all out" Halloween event. But major rides having an accident (or history of accidents and painful rides) that causes numerous minor injuries, or one or two major injuries... that's simply bad news for the park. Some people love crass Halloween decorations, feeling they fit with the theme of the holiday and are amusing. Some people find such decorations offensive and shameful. But there's positive and negative, and the resulting buzz between parties creates a hype that the park can benefit from. There typically aren't dueling parties in regards to major accidents. Everyone tends to find an unfortunate individual suffering massive bodily harm due to ride malfunction to be a bad thing. There were a lot of people who thought the live animals were a nice touch to haunt mazes and that the celebrity display was funny, creative, and in the spirit of the holiday. There aren't a lot of people who think a ride that malfunctions and hurts people to be a cool thing. Lots of people wanted to go to KI during Halloween Haunt in hopes of seeing the celebrity display up close. Not really any people wanting to ride Son of Beast in hopes that the ride malfunctions/breaks/fails and causes head, neck and spine injuries. The end result is that there's no hype, and a lot of bad publicity. And bad publicity is bad news for the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 In the end, the park keeps the live animals... They actually ditched the animals also...but I don't know if it was simply because of their smell...or if they had complaints...does anyone else know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 In the end, the park keeps the live animals... They actually ditched the animals also...but I don't know if it was simply because of their smell...or if they had complaints...does anyone else know? Yes. Terpy...in your heart you knew he would* (The animals were there in the HH proper until right before the public opening, at which time they were quietly and unceremoniously removed for reasons unrevealed...and far be it from me to change that. The animals that were part of the children's fest...Mr. Kinzel would want me to mention its name, and VIACOM would probably not want me to mention Nick Or Treat, which it wasn't....remained a part of the children's fest, and were not the same animals...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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