OFFICIAL! Son of Beast Will NOT Operate in 2010

[shark6495]

now lets be rationale many buildings have issues when being built

[Fear the Four]

The ride flippin collapsed during construction. Engineering Marvel? Don't kid yourself. Megastructure? That it deserves.

I totally agree. It is a megastructure but a engineering marvel. Not really. The ride has had to many problems to be a engineering marvel.

[bkroz]

True. Do you think that the Eiffel Tower (the real one) or the Empire State Building didn't have problems during construction? Or the Hoover Dam? It's absolutely silly to think that any "megastructure" is simply built with no issues right as the blueprints say and ends up perfectly constructed on the desired date.

[Fear the Four]

True. Do you think that the Eiffel Tower (the real one) or the Empire State Building didn't have problems during construction? Or the Hoover Dam?

Do they still have problems? Not that I know of and I doubt they do.

[bkroz]

True. Do you think that the Eiffel Tower (the real one) or the Empire State Building didn't have problems during construction? Or the Hoover Dam?

Do they still have problems? Not that I know of and I doubt they do.

The Oliver Hazard Perry Peace Memorial in Ohio, the world's largest Doric column, features a large observation deck 315 feet in the air. In summer 2006, a 500 pound piece of granite fell off the observation deck and created a crater in the ground where it landed after its 300+ foot drop. The ride was structurally analyzed and found to be safe for visitors. However, the tower closed and is undergoing a $7 million renovation.

In many ways, different. In others, similar.

[Fear the Four]

In my opinion Son of Beast is not a engineering marvel but some structures do fail like you posted. A good exmaple of wooden coaster that is a "engineering marvel" is Fireball at happy valley. It's not huge and it's not small. That ride was desinged and engineered to withstand powerful earthquakes. If you look at the contruction photos of the footers and structure you will see what I mean.

[Aaron88stang]

Back to my original statement. I believe the lifthill is a marvel. It is the tallest wooden structure in the world and I am unaware of any structural problems and or other issues with that part of the ride. My suggestion was to build a new attraction that reuses this part of SOB. I don't really care anything for the rest of the ride so do what ever you want with that, particularly the rose bowl which seems to be the main problem area. My point was that if this were to happen, Kings Island would legitimately have a new attraction that keeps the best part (in my opinion) of the current ride which would in turn save them money. There for, this argument of sinking too much into SOB would not hold water because it would be a new attraction. I'm thinking Gravity Group could build a pretty awesome ride reusing the lift/drop and building the rest as a steel structure wood track like Voyage. Just my opnion of course.

[GrandsonofBeast]

Since when does Marvel mean 100% error free?

Marvel: One that evokes surprise, admiration, or wonder; Strong surprise; astonishment.

Son of Beast is a Marvel, it was engineered. Son of Beast is perhaps one of the best examples of a marvel in the roller coaster industry. Its problems have only added to that legacy.

[Tomkatt7]

Wasn't the collapse during construction due to storm? I can't remember for sure, but if it was, I don't think you could fault a poor design if it was. All wooden structures are "weak" or "wobbly" until the entire thing is built, and supports are added.

[Fear the Four]

Wasn't the collapse during construction due to storm? I can't remember for sure, but if it was, I don't think you could fault a poor design if it was. All wooden structures are "weak" or "wobbly" until the entire thing is built, and supports are added.

Not so sure if it did but I think it did collaspe during a storm.

The ride is still "weak" and it is finshed.

[SonofBeast07]

Son of Beast is a marvel. It's problems mainly come in how cheaply the builder constructed it. I believe the ride is strong now in it's former configuration. After multiple inspections and added bracing it should be. I agree with grandsonofbeast here. If you've ever stood down in the middle of the ride and just take in everything..... it's simply awe inspiring! There are larger rides out there, but SOB has soo much more to its structure.

[Fear the Four]

Son of Beast is a marvel. It's problems mainly come in how cheaply the builder constructed it. I believe the ride is strong now in it's former configuration. After multiple inspections and added bracing it should be. I agree with grandsonofbeast here. If you've ever stood down in the middle of the ride and just take in everything..... it's simply awe inspiring! There are larger rides out there, but SOB has soo much more to its structure.

The builder cheaply constructed it? Well I hope your kidding. The ride cost 15 million dollars in 2000 now it would be around 20 million. I have seen pictures of Son of Beast in the middle and it does look amazing but the engineering was poorly done.

[Captain Picard]

It has been said that they was short on funding when it was being built. It could have been the engineering or the lack of money that caused the engineering problems. The original builder said it wasn't going to work because of the shortcuts they was taking and look what happened.

There was a story about it on the wcpo site for years that I can't find anymore.

[maverick2007]

In my opinion Son of Beast is not a engineering marvel but some structures do fail like you posted. A good exmaple of wooden coaster that is a "engineering marvel" is Fireball at happy valley. It's not huge and it's not small. That ride was desinged and engineered to withstand powerful earthquakes. If you look at the contruction photos of the footers and structure you will see what I mean.

Terminator Salvation at SFMM is also built to withstand earthquakes but I wouldn't consider it an engineering marvel. SOB took existing technology to a new level much the same way KK and TTD were when they opened which IMO they are.

[Fear the Four]

In my opinion Son of Beast is not a engineering marvel but some structures do fail like you posted. A good exmaple of wooden coaster that is a "engineering marvel" is Fireball at happy valley. It's not huge and it's not small. That ride was desinged and engineered to withstand powerful earthquakes. If you look at the contruction photos of the footers and structure you will see what I mean.

Terminator Salvation at SFMM is also built to withstand earthquakes but I wouldn't consider it an engineering marvel. SOB took existing technology to a new level much the same way KK and TTD were when they opened which IMO they are.

You wouldn't consider Terminator Salvation and Fireball a engineering "marvel"? I sure would. I don't know of any other wooden coasters that can withstand strong earthquakes. The last wooden coaster I would ride after a earthquake would be Son of Beast. It is true that Son of Beast, Top thrill dragster, and Kingda ka set a new level but I wouldn't put them on my reliable list either.

[HTCO]

I consider all coaster's engineering marvels. Yes, even SOB. The difference is the quality of the ride. And if I were to grade SOB's quality, I would give it a F. Disaster from the start.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

As I sit and read this, I offten wonder, how many of you said this when it first opened, I would say about...1.2 or even 0. You are all saying how bad it is now, when if it was bad from the start, then you would have realized it from the start...I am not sure what I really I am trying to say, but it's like, you complain about how bad it was at the start, when really at the start, yall most likely road that ride, if not first, some other time...

[HTCO]

I've said it ever since I remember seeing on the news. "New Ride at Kings Island Collapsed". From then on I knew it was a mistake.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

yes, you and about every other person on this thread. From the begining, eh most likely. idk what I was trying to say...

[shark6495]

yes, you and about every other person on this thread. From the begining, eh most likely. idk what I was trying to say...

Hey I never said the ride was a mistake from the beginning. I even said I enjoyed the ride the first year or two. It was rough but not bad rough. It was 80 mph rough and I could take it. The hill was great. Going into the first set of helix was not bad, it threw you to the side, but you were turning at 80. Coming up and out to go into the loop was nice. The second helix more of the first. The only part i did not enjoy was the drop out of the station. It was only slightly rough in that area. But around year 4 or 5 it just started getting worse for me. The coaster had lost some of its earlier magic. The first helix didnt seem one smooth turn but just a bunch of quick juts (as in my body bounced more side to side). The loop was still nice on the ride though. It got to the point that I would ride it but only to "get it out of the way" on my daily ride every ride in the park phase. Then the accident happened in year 6. The following year I rerode it thinking it had become better. It just felt jumpy to me and much rougher than I remembered it was. Could the ride have gotten worse (they did replace the trains) or was it that I was getting older and couldnt take the beating anymore? Who knows. But after 06 I would ride it once a year just to see how it was doing and it never seemed to reciprocate the love to me.

[RingMaster]

I miss my loop. It was GINORMOUS and the transition from wood to steel to wood was insane. But I hated (and still despise) the Rose Bowl; that's always the roughest part of the ride. If they get rid of that, it should (hopefully) be smooth sailing...so to speak.

[Dbfan]

It was just a bad idea in general. Why did they choose that design? The humongous hill looks okay, but think about how much that cost them, do we really need to be that high up for that long? Then the rose bowl is terrible, and is a very sad and pathetic attempt at copying The Beast's double helix. They should have tried a new idea to the ride there. The loop was the best part, and it is gone. Then the rest of the ride is ehhh....

[Captain Picard]

In my opinion Son of Beast is not a engineering marvel but some structures do fail like you posted. A good exmaple of wooden coaster that is a "engineering marvel" is Fireball at happy valley. It's not huge and it's not small. That ride was desinged and engineered to withstand powerful earthquakes. If you look at the contruction photos of the footers and structure you will see what I mean.

Terminator Salvation at SFMM is also built to withstand earthquakes but I wouldn't consider it an engineering marvel. SOB took existing technology to a new level much the same way KK and TTD were when they opened which IMO they are.

You wouldn't consider Terminator Salvation and Fireball a engineering "marvel"? I sure would. I don't know of any other wooden coasters that can withstand strong earthquakes. The last wooden coaster I would ride after a earthquake would be Son of Beast. It is true that Son of Beast, Top thrill dragster, and Kingda ka set a new level but I wouldn't put them on my reliable list either.

GhostRider was built to withstand earthquakes.

[dr_humor]

how many of you said this when it first opened, I would say about...1.2 or even 0. You are all saying how bad it is now, when if it was bad from the start, then you would have realized it from the start...I am not sure what I really I am trying to say, but it's like, you complain about how bad it was at the start, when really at the start, yall most likely road that ride, if not first, some other time...

Then I guess I am in the minority. My opinion since ride # 1 has been "flop". You take risks, and sometimes it works out. SOB failed. Several times now.

[Ffej]

I second that. Son of Beast was a very disappointing flop from my first ride.

While I still think it looks awesome, and I'd hate to see that awesome structure bulldozed, I'm becoming increasingly accepting. The ride just has a really, really boring layout. Even if it was 100% smooth, I think it'd still be a forgettable ride. There's nothing surprising, no terrain, no tunnels, no airtime, an annoyingly-long turn, and no twisting or quick transitions that make wooden coasters great. It was great on paper, and a complete failure in the real world.

Though this would likely never happen (as why would King's Island want people confused that the ride is one of the worst failures of all time, Son of Beast?), if the ride was completely modified, there'd be a ton of expensive work already done...

They could save the que, station, first hill....then make it a REAL Beast sequel with a new name, plenty of air-time hills, a twisting, ground-hugging terrain track through the forest with plenty of tunnels...new trains, and Intamin pre-fab track. Also, if using Intamin, it seems like the perfect opportunity to make the world's first launched wooden coaster on the return trip to the station (it's going to happen eventually, so why not be the first to get all the buzz?).

Wouldn't this please everyone? The huge investment into SOB wouldn't be a complete waste, the nostalgic people would be happy it was partly saved, and it could overtake The Voyage & El Toro as the world's best wooden coaster, while being the tallest and fastest.

Sure, if you counted all of the work put into Son of Beast, maybe this would end up being a $50-60 million ride....but what other park would ever put that kind of money into a wooden coaster? Sounds like another record to me! lol

[shark6495]

to everyone who didnt like the ride during their first rides, may i ask when you rode it first? Im not calling you out, but it seems that anyone who rode it prior to 2003/2004 loved their first rides, and anyone after that did not like their first rides....

[Browntggrr]

^ July 2000, front seat.

It was the first ride I thought should have Aleve as a sponsor.

[cedarAfairs]

^ July 2000, front seat.It was the first ride I thought should have Aleve as a sponsor.

Haha, thats great. Thanks for the laugh.

[RingMaster]

to everyone who didnt like the ride during their first rides, may i ask when you rode it first? Im not calling you out, but it seems that anyone who rode it prior to 2003/2004 loved their first rides, and anyone after that did not like their first rides....

My first ride was in 2004 and, although the first ride was rough, after I figured out the "Sweet Spot" of the ride (by riding in the middle row of a three-row car), it was smooth sailing and I flat out loved it.

Until they got new trains. And now it's rough no matter where I sit. Mainly on the Rose Bowl.

[coaster_junky]

I miss my loop. It was GINORMOUS and the transition from wood to steel to wood was insane. But I hated (and still despise) the Rose Bowl; that's always the roughest part of the ride. If they get rid of that, it should (hopefully) be smooth sailing...so to speak.

i hate to burst your bubble, but Son of Beast traveled on wooden riding rails during the whole ride, the only part of the track with steel running rails is the transfer track.