Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[rollin_n_coastin]

^Am I the only one that would take Baco over Swarm/ Wild Eagle/ X-Flight?

 

It is a phenomenal ride. North America should be so lucky to have something as fast, intense and awesome as Baco. But after Skyrush's mixed feelings, who knows? Heck, they may even smoothen it out a bit this time around. A bit of roughness doesn't make it a bad ride by any means.

 

Now Vortex on the other hand is unnecessary roughness, quite possibly the roughest Arrow in existence. It does look cool though, I'd give it that at least.

 

Whatever they replace SOB with, I don't think Cedar Fair will worry too much about similar rides between CP and KI. The parks are really not that close together. A really good invert at KI would be fantastic.

[Hilltopper39]

I'd be all for a Baco style wing coaster of some sorts, I think a bigger faster launch coaster in that park would be a hit.

[JonnyRCT3]

I'd be all for a Baco style wing coaster of some sorts, I think a bigger faster launch coaster in that park would be a hit.

 

Agreed. A newer launch coaster would be an instant success. Just no gimmicks or prototypes, this park has paid the price enough

[Meteornotes]

If Cedar Fair was willing to put the same coaster (just bigger) in a park that already had one, I can't see what would stop them from putting a Wing Rider at KI. The park really needs at least one coaster that's a capacity machine, given the crowds the park attracts.

 

dt

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^WIN!

[studiobrandon]

My vote is for an Alpengeist-ish Invert or a wing rider! It would be cool if it's an invert that could utilize the terrain.

 

As far as wing riders, I definitely enjoyed X-Flight but I am really looking forward to GateKeeper. X-Flight seemed too short & compact. (typical Six Flags, I know.. & i haven't ridden Wild Eagle) They're great rides though. A larger scale version would be wonderful in Vortex's place. But I wouldn't mind an Maverick-style Intamin either.

 

As rough as it is, it will be sad to see Vortex go. That was one of my first looping coasters. It just seemed really crazy when I was young.

[XYZ]

I'm expecting a 169' B&M Wing Coaster for Kings Island in 2014.

[theonetheonlyJT]

^ Can't wait for their 307 ft giga coaster

[Geauga Dog]

Considering there could be a pattern starting but I have a feeling another B&M giga is coming in 2014. Wonderland got Behemoth and two years later KI gets Diamondback. Wonderland gets Leviathan and it will two years afterwards that a new coaster will come to KI.

[Hilltopper39]

^I really hope not, I hope even though another gigantic people eater would make sense for Kings Island with this much time to plan for a new attraction I doubt they would go with such a similar model. I am really hoping that with the amount of space and terrain available available that they are able to build something fairly unique and not nearly as "off the shelf" as Leviathon.

[Mrlittle]

Alright I got it. This is what Kings Island should build with all the land there about to have. A dueling coaster built by Gravity Group with the high five track and inversions (now that we know they will do this) with timberliners. Come on CEDAR FAIR build that and call it SONS OF BEAST. You can even theme the timberliners trains to some sort of beast creature.

[Hilltopper39]

^Jimmy Buffet is huge in Cincy, so can we call it Sons of a Son of a Sailor Beast and give it some kind of weird heavy metal parrothead theme?

[JonnyRCT3]

Considering there could be a pattern starting but I have a feeling another B&M giga is coming in 2014. Wonderland got Behemoth and two years later KI gets Diamondback. Wonderland gets Leviathan and it will two years afterwards that a new coaster will come to KI.

 

Behemoth opened in 2008, Diamondback opened in 2009. So if that "pattern" were to continue, KI should get another beemer next year.

 

(not looking likely)

[IronWolfman]

I think its very likely that Cedar Fair will have KI build a Leviathan-Esque Ride, but in 2014. I think they are waiting to see how popular Leviathan is in it's 2nd year, so they don't make a wrong choice or anything like that...

[goatdan]

I know I'm *way* late to this party, but wanted to stop by to toss in my two cents on Son of Beast...

 

I'm totally going to miss it. I loved the ride...

 

...but, not for the ride itself. I remember when it came out noting that every big wooden coaster was in no ways popular shortly after it came out. The way they were constructed, at least up until that point, meant that flexed during the ride. If you watch the structures of wooden coasters, you'll see them flex as a train goes by. On something small, where the forces and stress is relatively minimal, it isn't a big deal. When you get big, there aren't many big wooden coasters that have much of a reputation for being smooth or fun.

 

Son of Beast looked absolutely beautiful. I still think it may have been the most photogenic wooden coaster ever built. I loved the curve of the wood from the top of the hill to the first drop. The idea for the first huge helix seemed awesome too.

 

I love the ride for one reason, and one reason only and that is both times that I rode it, it was a highlight of the trips that I was on with some of my best friends. These were just-out-of-high-school road trips, and the first one we rode Son of Beast on the day it reopened, on it's first public train after it's little issue in it's first season. It was actually smooth that day, believe it or not. I heard that it was already riding pretty poorly later that day. The next year King's Island was again on our itinerary, and we all hit SOB and reminisced about our good luck in hitting it that day and getting to ride it. By that point, as a ride, it pretty much sucked.

 

I'll always remember Son of Beast as a ride that was the pinnacle of luck on one of my most favorite trips with friends that I'll have ever taken, and it's a ride I'll only view through rose-colored glasses now.

 

Rest in peace, hunk of junk. I'll miss you.

 

Oh, and for the record I've been to KI many times because I've got relatives in Cincinnati, and we used to visit them and also go to the park. I've hated the regular Beast since I first rode it probably about 25 years ago now. Oddly, I love Flight of Fear, and loved it most as Outer Limits: Flight of Fear with the OTSH and dead stop on the block break. Yeah, I'm not normal

[mike_kelly]

I last rode Vortex in 2007 and it was so brutal it left me with one of those day long headaches where you feel like you did real permanent damage. I do hope it's taken out and soon.

 

Hasn't Kings Island been rumored to get a B&M Invert forever now!?!? At least since CF bought out Paramount. It would fit great in that area!

 

Last time we rode it it broke the camera stowed in a cargo pocket it was so rough...

 

Don't forget they also have the chunk of land where SOB was.. My hope would be for a Really killer Gravity Group, RMC, or Intamin woodie here and a intamin giga like 305.

 

I loved Leviathan, but I loved 305 that much more.

[TOPGUN1993]

Son of Beast Nov. 15th 2012

[goatdan]

So... question that I thought of when looking at that lift hill standing so tall... all by itself.

 

Is this the tallest coaster to have ever been destroyed? Or fastest? Or longest? While ride removals aren't that rare of a thing, this seems rather unprecedented in size. Sorry if this was already answered and I missed it.

[XYZ]

So... question that I thought of when looking at that lift hill standing so tall... all by itself.

 

Is this the tallest coaster to have ever been destroyed? Or fastest? Or longest? While ride removals aren't that rare of a thing, this seems rather unprecedented in size. Sorry if this was already answered and I missed it.

 

According to RCDB, the tallest destroyed coaster is Moonsault Scrambler at 229' (11' taller than SOB), the fastest destroyed coaster is Hypersonic XLC at 80 mph (2 mph more than SOB), and the longest destroyed coaster is Diadarasaurus at 7677' long (645' longer than SOB). I'm surprised it wasn't the tallest, fastest, or longest destroyed (not relocated) coaster, though it is #2 in all those statistics.

 

-----------------

^^ Son of Beast would've looked much nicer if it had a drop straight out of the chain lift like Diamondback. Also Invertigo's new colors are looking good.

[matteocrepaldi]

Son of Beast looks like the biggest ride destruction I can think of. Maybe not the tallest but the space it occupies is really huge!

[pyrocoasterkid]

There is a video of the most recent section coming down. Although, it is not too different from the section of the drop coming down:

 

http://telly.com/9MYB0

[jray21]

I still think they should have used explosions and fire to bring it down. More people would have enjoyed that than they did the ride!

[CoasterGuy06]

^Each time the GM has tweeted out a video of the demolition I watched hoping for explosives

[goatdan]

According to RCDB, the tallest destroyed coaster is Moonsault Scrambler at 229' (11' taller than SOB), the fastest destroyed coaster is Hypersonic XLC at 80 mph (2 mph more than SOB), and the longest destroyed coaster is Diadarasaurus at 7677' long (645' longer than SOB). I'm surprised it wasn't the tallest, fastest, or longest destroyed (not relocated) coaster, though it is #2 in all those statistics.

 

I've always wondered with Moonsault exactly how much of that was used, and if it was the height of the track or the height of the spires at the front of the ride. It had a max top listed speed of 55.9 MPH, which based on other coasters means theoretically is only is using 150 or so feet of that height. Obviously, with the monster Gs it was pulling, there was a reason they wouldn't have gone higher.

 

And I don't know exactly how I'd count Daidarasaurus, wince it was a racing coaster that got modified to go around twice. I guess it's longer, but it just feels like cheating.

 

Totally forgot about Hypersonic (and that I could have done that search on RCDB too, thanks!)...

 

Son of Beast would've looked much nicer if it had a drop straight out of the chain lift like Diamondback.

 

Personally, that giant swooping left hand turn was one of the things that I really loved about the ride. It gave you a moment before the ride essentially disappeared to see the train swooping above head, and it gave riders a chance to realize that they were really high up in the air on a wooden ride before that first plunge.

 

Too bad that right after that point was where it started hurting so bad.

[jray21]

This will give you a link to some info on Moonsault Scramble.

 

www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21000&start=670

 

You can also see a video

of the ride. It does go pretty near the top of the tallest part of the ride.

 

It's too bad SOB was such a terrible ride. I never got to ride it, I guess that's a good thing, but it did look very impressive. I am a little surprised they didn't do a Rocky Mountain treatment, but it probably was in bad shape for being closed for so long.