ObiPugs Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 No its not. It has the same design as a hyper coaster. There is a difference in track design. Giga coasters have like a triangle shaped track while hyper coasters don't. For example look at Millenium Force then Look at Leviathan. Bwaa haaa haaa haaa. ROFL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voicetek Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I would love a new giga but i have a soft spot for flightdeck. I think they would have plenty of room for a giga if they were to remove SoB, and if they do need to remove a ride that is completly functional ride, i'd vote for AE. Remove Adventure Express? Are you serious? Heck no! That ride is a classic and is great for families! Son of Beast..yes, Adventure Express...NO! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXDrummerKiDXx Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Son of Beast? NO! (Re-open please?) Adventure Express? Ehh, Nahhhh. Although it IS boring, it's for families and people who don't enjoy roller coasters AS much Top Gun? YES!! This thing is a peice of crap. It isn't the WORST ride, but the walk to get there is longer than the ride. No one rides it. And if you think about it, if CF decides to fix and run Son of Beast, it's going to draw a bigger line than most rides out there, especially Top Gun/Flight Deck, Adventure Express and correct me if I'm wrong, but Vortex as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 And if you think about it, if CF decides to fix and run Son of Beast, it's going to draw a bigger line than most rides out there, especially Top Gun/Flight Deck, Adventure Express and correct me if I'm wrong, but Vortex as well. Length of line does not determine popularity as there are too many variables effecting length of wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXDrummerKiDXx Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 You are right, but SoB would still have a bigger/better popularity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 ^ It is safe to say that is more of an opinion than fact. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Well, when Son of Beast was even open (2000-2009), it did get long lines...though not all of that had to do with popularity, as it was the ride's capacity. Son of Beast was designed to run 3 Premier Rides 6-people-per car, 6-car trains. Had this worked, SOB would have had GREAT capacity. However, RCCA screwed that (among many other things) up and the ride could only run two of those trains. Then, in 2006, they reduced the trains from 6-cars to just 5. And then came the 2006 accident. And then, with the loop gone, the "current" (?) trains were added- Gerstlauer trains that had 4 passengers per car, and 6 cars...for comparison, that's 24 riders per car. Racer's current trains take 30 per car, and The Original Beast can take 36 per train (similar to original SOB). Son of Beast was running trains that were more in line with a small, 80-foot, 3000 or so foot long wooden coaster....not a 200', 7000-plus-foot-long wooden hypercoaster that takes 3 minutes to run its course. The result? Son of Beast often ended up with a 45 minute or longer wait on most days- not just longer than Vortex or Adventure Express, SOB would often have longer lines than its higher-capacity father...maybe even longer than Diamondback! If SOB does re-open, the "fix" had better include longer trains- because, imagine if SOB's fix does work, and causes it to actually be popular...but they don't change the trains length (it stays 6-car, 4-seater) at all...imagine the wait time you're looking at! I've also got something to say on the whole "hypercoaster" topic...but I'll do that in another post...coming shortly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXDrummerKiDXx Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Haha, yes it is an opinion. But I can honestly say that a lot of people at Kings Island seem to want SoB to stay up. From what I hear. I always love to join those conversations. That is until someone says "Didn't someone die on that ride?" and I'm forced to tell them that no one has ever died on Son of Beast. But yeah, when I join those conversations, people seem to say they wish they would just fix it. Now there has been times when people would say "TEAR THAT POS DOWN!!" but that's not to often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 A lot of people who come to Kings Island don't know about the incidents. They see a huge wooden coaster and assume it's going to be awesome. There still are quite a bit of people who know about the incidents, but I've noticed that there are a lot more people asking questions like what coaster is that and why isn't it open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 But yeah, when I join those conversations, people seem to say they wish they would just fix it. Now there has been times when people would say "TEAR THAT POS DOWN!!" but that's not to often I wonder how many of those people that want SoB "fixed" actually have been on SoB.Back in 2000, I can remember many days I also wanted SoB open. Then I finally rode it and was upset that what I wanted caused so much pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Son of Beast? NO! (Re-open please?) Adventure Express? Ehh, Nahhhh. Although it IS boring, it's for families and people who don't enjoy roller coasters AS much Top Gun? YES!! This thing is a peice of crap. It isn't the WORST ride, but the walk to get there is longer than the ride. No one rides it. And if you think about it, if CF decides to fix and run Son of Beast, it's going to draw a bigger line than most rides out there, especially Top Gun/Flight Deck, Adventure Express and correct me if I'm wrong, but Vortex as well. Adventure Express is for everyone, not just people who don't enjoy coasters. I always make it a point to ride it at least twice every visit (meaning I rode it 6 times last week!). Plus, have you noticed the strong laterals and little pops of airtime? I betcha someone like TombraiderTy could say something more... When I went last week, I once waited about 20-30 minutes to ride Flight Deck. People don't ride it and don't love it? Pshhh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium13 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Top Gun? YES!! This thing is a peice of crap. It isn't the WORST ride, but the walk to get there is longer than the ride. No one rides it. I beg to differ, I find Top Gun/Flight Deck to be short, but packs a punch. It is also a good family ride that I would bet will outlive Son of Beast. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voicetek Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 But yeah, when I join those conversations, people seem to say they wish they would just fix it. Now there has been times when people would say "TEAR THAT POS DOWN!!" but that's not to often I wonder how many of those people that want SoB "fixed" actually have been on SoB.Back in 2000, I can remember many days I also wanted SoB open. Then I finally rode it and was upset that what I wanted caused so much pain. Yes! I too was extremely excited to ride it. Then when I did, I could hardly bare the pain. Over the years I kept "trying" to ride it, but it just hurt to bad. Yeah it was big, fast and fun...but it really wasn't worth the pain that it caused so I eventually just stopped riding it altogether. Tear it down I say! Put up a new extreme steal coaster! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 And now...for the hyper/giga coaster questions I've been seeing...I'll clear the air on that one: Hypercoaster: A full-circuit coaster that travels above 200' OR has a drop that is over 200' (Apollo's Chariot & Phantom's Revenge are not over 200' tall, but apparently qualify as hypercoasters due to their huge drops). A wooden hypercoaster does exist, but is currently SBNO. I don't think I need say which one that is. Original: Magnum XL-200, Cedar Point, 1989, Arrow Dynamics Gigacoaster: A full-circuit coaster that travels above 300', no coasters that are under 300' but have 300' drops exist...yet. Original: Millennium Force, Cedar Point, 2000, Intamin Stratacoaster: A full-circuit coaster that travels above 400', again no coasters under this height have a drop that big either. No non-launched stratacoasters exist at this time. Original: Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point, 2003, Intamin And here's pictures from all the companies that have built hypercoasters... Arrow Dynamics (the original) Magnum XL-200 @ Cedar Point B&M Diamondback @ Kings Island Intamin Bizarro @ Six Flags New England (formerly Superman: Ride of Steel) Giovanola Goliath @ Six Flags Magic Mountain TOGO (Da-Da-Dum!!!) Fujiyama @ Fuji-Q Highland Morgan Mamba @ Worlds of Fun Roller Coaster Corporation of America (Wooden) Son of Beast @ Kings Island All of these are technically hypercoasters...all are over 200', but under 300'. And notice the diversity of track styles, trains, etc etc. Hope this shows people some things about hypercoasters...including how common they seem to be these days...Magnum XL-200, what have you done?!?! Oh, and my comments on the two other "topics" (dang, this is a crazy thread): Remove Adventure Express? F--- NO! It's a great family ride and has amazing capacity, and it still has MANY, MANY more years of service left. Cedar Creek Mine Ride, another Mine Train @ Cedar Point, opened in 1968. And is still going strong. AE is very young in comparison, having only opened in 1991. Flight Deck's death "imminent?"- I can't be sure, but Big Bad Wolf @ BGW operated for 25 years (1984-2009) before it finally kicked the bucket. Based on that, Flight Deck's demise is due for...2018. We still have 6 more years, based on that...in fact, Vortex might go before Flight Deck does...however, popularity could be a factor in an early demise for either of these rides...I'm pretty sure BBW was very popular before it closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 SoB is the only ride that made myself & family take a break from riding other rides. It literally took the fun out of our day. I did ride SoB on other occaisions, and continued to find minimal to no enjoyment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 It seems many older and/or taller people found Son of Beast unenjoyable. Younger and/or smaller people loved it. Correlation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 ^ I was 26 when I first rose SoB. If that is too old, you and I are going to have issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voicetek Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I was only like 20 when I first rode Son of Beast and it still hurt. However, I was the same height as I am today, which is approx. 6 ft. tall. So maybe not so much age, but height? I'd agree with height, but not age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustbucket Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I must be a hyper junky. I LIKE(d) THEM ALL. OK, I have not been to Fujiyama, yet. Magnum, Diamondback, Bizarro are all on my top 10 steel list. Also, I really really did like Son of Beast although the time has passed to save this woody. Sonny's Revenge, anyone? Not to be technical, Millennium Force was the first to open but second to be designed. Steel Dragon 2000 was the first to be designed. Due to extreme engineering requirements for Japan's building code (earthquakes), SD 2000 took longer to be built. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXDrummerKiDXx Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Last time I rode SoB is when I was 12 or 13, at that time I was barely making 54 inches (So I was way over the 48" line) . I never got hurt on that ride. Okay I did get a slight head ache, but never as bad as Vortex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Flight deck will out live most of Action Zone or whatever it is in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Cedar Fair is the only operating company that's shown a real dedication in maintaining Arrow suspended coasters. There's one left at Six Flags and a modified version in England. Cedar Fair's parks have three operating. In the past, many of us here imagined that either Kings Island's or Canada's Wonderland's would be sacrificed the moment Iron Dragon needed cheap spare parts - anything in order to keep the most coasters on Earth at Cedar Point! That appears to not be an issue anymore... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustbucket Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Flight deck will out live most of Action Zone or whatever it is in the future! Not sure about this. Suspended coasters have rather short life span. Long live Eagle Fortress and Big Bad Wolf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McSalsa Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 My sister, who is short, rode Son of Beast and loved it. My best friend, who is 6'0 and weighed about 275lbs (he's not super fat, but he is a big dude) at the time, hated it...hmm, perhaps there is a coincidence...uh-oh, I can see it now...(Warning: Joke ahead...) Son of Beast re-opens after a quick fix-up! Me: Yay! (I run up to it) Ride Op: Sorry sir, you are too tall and too heavy to ride. Me: Huh? But I'm 5'11 and only 205lbs... Ride Op: TOO HEAVY! You must be less than 5'8 and under 175lbs! Me: WHAT!?!? And you thought Diamondback was restrictive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastrider97 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I enjoy Flight Deck for what it is. A short ride that is actually quite intense. When it is a walk on, I always enjoy a series of 3 or more rides on it before I walk back. In fact, no ride has made me grey out as much as Flight Deck, for some reason it hits me more that most other rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortexfreak Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 A giga coaster would be nice...I have ridden a couple and one of my fav's is Millennium Force. But it seems to me that the giga coaster's all of them have a simple track layout and a short ride time...Same for hyper coasters I love the Diamondback buts its short on ride time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dill Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Sometimes even I say the darnest things. Speaking of Giga, where's she been lately? Darndest* sorry, I just had to:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 McSalsa, you are ALMOST correct on your thinking of why SOB never ran 3 trains. The problem wasn't with RCCA, it was the original designs. Parks want an empty block (section of track that can only have one train in it at a time, normally ending in some sort of braking system to prevent two trains in that section,) in between each car, that way the ride will be a complete circuit and won't stop at a MCBR. The problem with SOB was that there were only 4 blocks programmed into the computer (front of station to top of lift, top of lift to MCBR, MCBR to final brakes, final brakes to station.) Given this slight issue, you could not run 3 trains because one would be continuously stopped at the MCBR, thus breaking the ride into two sections and not giving a complete run for those who were riding. Now, if the design included a secondary brake set before the station (I.E. Diamondback, Beast, or Vortex,) then the ride could have easily ran three trains. Alas, this was not the case. Also keep in mind that designers will put the maximum trains they can put onto a track in order to make the ride seem like it will hold more people, which works great in principle, but when you start thinking in terms of reality, it rarely checks out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Thank you for that explanation. It had never made sense to me that SoB was limited to 2 trains, but I never realized that typical final block was missing in the design. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 It depends on the design of the coaster. Some are designed with two final brake runs, so that the trains can "stack" and not be stuck on the MCBR. Its neither typical to put one on or not. Kind of like designing a house with or without a designated office, depends on what the designer/buyer wants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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