Son of Beast

Son of Beast
Son of Beast
	Son of Beast's track layout with the loop
Kings Island
Location	Kings Island
Park section	Action Zone
Coordinates	39°20′46″N 84°15′53″W / 39.346101°N 84.264686°W
Status	Removed
Opening date	April 28, 2000
Closing date	June 16, 2009
Cost	$20.5 million
Replaced by	Banshee
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Roller Coaster Corporation of America
Designer	Werner Stengel
Track layout	Terrain roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	218 ft (66 m)
Drop	214 ft (65 m)
Length	7,032 ft (2,143 m)
Speed	78.4 mph (126.2 km/h)
Inversions	1 (2000–2006); 0 (2007–2009)
Duration	2:20
Max vertical angle	55.7°
Capacity	1600 riders per hour
G-force	4.5
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
	Son of Beast at RCDB

Son of Beast was a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States. Built and designed by the now-defunct Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA), the ride opened as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world on April 28, 2000. Its record-setting height of 218 feet (66 m) made it the first wooden hypercoaster – a height class of 200 feet (61 m) or more. It was also the first wooden coaster in the modern era to feature a vertical loop and reached a record-breaking maximum speed of 78 mph (126 km/h). Son of Beast was marketed and themed as a sequel to The Beast roller coaster, one of the park's signature attractions that was built in 1979.

Son of Beast met an early demise following two non-fatal but serious incidents, with the first occurring in 2006 and the second occurring in 2009. There were also issues with the ride's construction affecting its reliability and longevity. After sitting idle for years, the roller coaster was eventually demolished in 2012. A new steel coaster, Banshee, was built in its place and opened in 2014. The height and speed records once held by Son of Beast remain unbroken.