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Should SOB Kings Island stay?

davidm

Strata Poster
So I rode SoB a couple of times; first time in 2003 with the loop; really big and really rough and really scary.

2009 rode it again without the loop (not long before they shut it down); really big and really rough and really scary.

So;

The loop didn't add/detract from the ride that much (apart from some novelty value).

It would be far better IMHO to reopen it with a bit of TLC applied than tear it down; tear it down and what do you replace it with (and how much $$$ does that cost KI to replace it?). Theres enough (plenty enough) in it as it stands to big a big, scary coaster for a while to come.
 

jjjjustin

Hyper Poster
It seems like every month another topic about this ride comes up :p and if its true what everybody is saying about it they should use it as fire wood.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Yeah, the ride as it stands really sucks. Like, worse than Villain. And that ride sucked a lot.

David is right, some TLC could do it some good, but let's be honest here, when has Cedar Fair ever shown serious care for its large wooden coasters (Ghostrider, Mean Streak, etc.). They do maintenance work, but it is more often than not focused on maintaining the ride, not improving.

SoB sits on prime territory, so I say let it fall for a new addition. Otherwise, let it stand as a 200 ft. lawn sculpture of what not to do with a wooden coaster. :razz:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
We will just have to wait to see if the conversion on the Texas Giant pans out when it starts to operate...
 

Harvey

Hyper Poster
I think it should stay, it's an icon of a ride, large and imposing, but those three row trains didn't help at all - and as Dave Morton said, a bit of TLC wouldn't hurt, infact, with those changes (infact, does it even still run those trains?), I think it'd be a pretty good ride.
 

F.A.S.T.

Hyper Poster
It would be far better IMHO to reopen it with a bit of TLC applied than tear it down; tear it down and what do you replace it with (and how much $$$ does that cost KI to replace it?). Theres enough (plenty enough) in it as it stands to big a big, scary coaster for a while to come.

In my opinion it would be a better investment for KI to tear it down. Reopening the ride won't cause visitor numbers to jump. (Unless they did something MAJOR to the ride.) It would be a far better use of their money if they built something new.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
I don't think Cedar Fair would ever go for the steel retrack work. The "special" thing about Son of Beast was it was completely built and designed in-house by Kings Island, to honor the in-house design of Beast. Clearly, the design failed, as structural integrity was the ultimate issue that shut down the ride.

Kings Island's design was a failure, and Cedar Fair would not want to invest more money on top of this shaky foundation. Moving forward, KI would be better off tearing down the ride and building a new one from scratch. It involves less risk, and allows for a proper design. SoB's time honestly has run out.
 
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