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0 Rating Posted by: I_E_G on 12/15/2004 12:43:00 AM

Before you even get in the park, you can see this gigantic wooden structure standing tall in the air. Its awesome. It takes wooden coasters to a new level. The only reason this doesnt surpass my beloved Thunderhead is because of how much it beats you up, which kills the re-ride value, even on a slow day, you cant possibly take another round, but it would almost be criminal to have a top 3 coasters without this one in it. The thrills definantly outweigh, and are worth the punishment recieved from this rough adventure.

Gotta love seeing someone that can appreciate a big, rough wooden roller coaster that doesnt cry about how rough it is. I cant wait to ride this coaster some day and you have given me some hope that I will like it again. I remember when Hercules was the tallest thing in the skyline at Dorney. It was an amazing thing.

Im with you I_E_G, although I actually did reride it (front and back) without any major trauma. I found the ride intense, but not rough. Still, you cant expect a 214 foot wood coaster to coddle you. This is without a doubt the most underrated coaster on this board.

Not to try and change anyones opinion because everyone has there own thing with coasters it also scored very low on the poll that timbers scored number 1 on. I did find it rough but for me I just didnt enjoy the layout, had I liked the ride I would put up with the jarring, but since I found the ride uninspired I may not ride it again.

I myself did not enjoy SOB but at least he gave good reasons.

I still think Son of Beast is awesome. I mean, I just mentioned the roughness because thats why alot of people are turned off to the ride, but it would be a really hard woodie to beat in my opinion. Ive never rode Timbers, but but it would have to be nothing short of perfection to oust my top 3 of Thunderhead, SOB, and the original Beast.

I have not rode Thunderhead which looks awesom and for me it ranks one spot above the beast. The airtime of timbers is good and the first three drops are crazy.

The popularity of a ride has nothing to do with how I feel about it once Ive ridden it. I agree with those who say that SOBs layout is less than inspired, but the same could be said for most free fall rides. The question is how the ride makes me feel, and in the case of SOB, the answer is "awestruck." The only thing that bothers me about SOBs popularity is that Im afraid PKI is going to cave into the haters and change it.

Its so original that it deserves credit too. I hope they dont change it

I only mentioned the ranking because you said that it is underrated on this board where I feel that most fans find it to be poor, but you are right you should definately not base your opinion on others.

Originality does count big into Son of Beast. I remember before I ever went to PKI, seeing the top 10 roller coasters, its been a couple of years back, on The Discovery or Travel Channel, and they were talking about the loop on SOB (I imagine it was when it was fairly new), and they talked like they were explaining the unimaginable, and it still hasnt been duplicated. That says alot, seeing that Top Thrill Dragster is already being topped by Kingda Ka, but a park has yet to add a loop in a woodie.

I think that the fact that a loop has not been put into another wooden coaster is because of the dislike of the coaster itself. I know that it is about the overall experience that people dislike, but that could be the reason. There are other ways to make a great wooden coaster and parks have taken that way in recent years and made some really great rides. Parks are tured off by this aspect to the ride because they are simply afraid of it, but this rides originality really turns me on to it. Wood coasters dont need height and a loop to be good, but they sure make then original.

Im not about to start arguing that loops should be a regular feature on wooden roller coasters, but I do think this element adds something to SOB (including, unfortunately, the only trims on the course).

There obviously ways to make great wooden roller coaster without loops popping out of them every which way. It is just an interesting element to a ride. In no way should a loop on a wooden coaster be a normal thing.

What a change over time, 15 years ago, we (maybe not literally, but people in general) wanted to see huge steel coasters with as many inversions as possible. Now, some of the most popular steel rides have no inversions, and we have a looping woodie. What a revolution (not in the sense like George Washington, but along the lines of a circular turnaround)

Thats really true. I remember when Magnum first opened. I was about 12 and it was the most scary thing I had ever seen! LOL

Yeah, I dont think loops should be "the norm" in wooden coasters, but it does make Son of Beast, which would already look like a wicked ride, a little bit crazier. Im just saying I think its a great element, and shocked its not been duplicated. But I agree totally that a woodie doesnt need a loop to be awesome, hence my #1 ride being Dollywoods Thunderhead.

I remember when there was speculation about there being a loop in the ride and how everyone was wondering if it was actually a loop in the logo (which is an awesome logo by the way). There needs to be more stunning things like that in the amusement world. That was really fun back then when the news of Son of Beast came out, and I was only a casual fan of theme parks back then. There are a lot of amazing things coming out now, but there should be more things with as much of a shock value that that had. But of course Im not saying that loops on wooden coasters should be the norm. And it is really interesting that there are a lot of coasters out there that have no inversions, and they seem to be the rage. Steel hypers have been dominant for many years now. It used to be great if a coaster could fit in about 8 inversions in it, and if it got to double digits it would be amazing. Now, what was the double digit inversions that everyone drulled over, is a 275 foot drop or a ride that goes 90 mph. It is interesting to find out where time will take us now (just as long as that means that there are not loops popping out of every wooden coaster.... that is the mark of Son of Beast)

The loop is particularly appropriate for SOB because this coaster is all about centrifugal force. You have the first helix, which is really just a big loop tilted at about 35 degrees, then a vertical loop which connects you to a tighter, more horizontal helix. The design thus has a consistent, unitary theme: multiple loops in different plains. Pretty cool when you think about.

Once again, you can tell Im the rookie enthusaist, Timberman just made us all look foolish, lol. But, yeah, that is very cool, I would have never personally thought of the multiple loops in different plains thing, so SOB amazes me more now than ever, lol. Im gonna have to keep that in mind my next trip to PKI.

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