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2 Rating Posted by: Got_it on 11/2/2006 12:12:00 AM

As you read this please keep in mind I have a huge soft spot for Arrows

The Steel Phantom was just another example of the works of art that Arrow Dynamics was able to produce for our ridding pleasure. This Black and White tracked monster was the first Hyper-Looper built by Arrow in 1991. With its massive lift hill and swooping right turn drop, to the strip of speed track at the bottom, to the massive second hill of 225 feet, which was what made the Steel Phantom what it was. Fallowing were two of the most perfectly placed inversions of any coaster I have been on to date. A loop taken at a reasonably high speed for an Arrow and a Batwing that was not for the faint of heart, a swooping turn into a high speed corkscrew, a helix then onto the break run. What was what made me love Steel Phantom so much was like it was so great to look at, it was so graceful looking. I will admit the ride its self did get rather rough for my taste, but if you held your head back it was no problem. The Steel Phantom was a work of art created by Arrow, Destroyed by Morgan.

Which brings me to my next review, the Revenge of the Steel Phantom. In late 2000 Morgan arrived on the scene and ripped into the Steel Phantom like a buffet at a Weight Watchers meeting. Ripping apart some of the rides most redeeming qualities and replacing it with rough bunny hops, which are taken at too high a speed. I please dont get me wrong, I love air time, but this ride is simply too rough for my taste. I am sure you are all sitting there and saying "How could he say it
is rough now, when it was so rough before." And too that I respond, with the "head banging" you can control your head by holding it to the side
, this is just painful.

The only parts of this ride I can still stand
is the original Arrow section. I am sorry if this ruffles and fan boy feathers, but its just a shadow of what the Steel Phantom was.

He updated the review...cool.

I think he wrote the review and forgot to change the points.

mhmm, I did I meant to give it like...a 7.

Thats cool. You can change it, if you want.

just click on the ride name and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see your review in the "Edit Review" box and can change the rating right above it hit Update

Blar, some people think the ending bunny-hills are rough...theyre pure airtime insanity to me

too snappy for my taste.

The bunny hops are not rough. The airtime on the bunny hops is AWESOME. The whole entire ride, on The Phantoms Revenge, is very smooth, compared to the former Steel Phantom.

Like I said before, too snappy for me, but what would you expect from a fan boy?

I like the snap of the bunny hills on this ride. For me this element gives the ride a very forceful out of control type of feeling right into the station. Few other coasters can match the intensity of this ride from start to finish. Although, I never rode the original Steel Phantom, I cant imagine too many original coaster configurations that could be much better than the replacement version.

DH Morgan hyper-coasters rule!! High speed,big drops,sharp turns,bunny-hops with awesome airtime,and a very smooth ride,are the excellent elements for a steel coater. The Phantoms Revenge,is a much,much improvement,over the former Steel Phantom.

Everyone had their own positions about things. I dislike Phantoms Revenge and liked Steel Phantom, you on the other hand feel the opposite way.

Well, Got_it, I must say this was a fair and good review, as you gave reasoning for your lower rating, which to me is a sign of a good coaster critic! So, well done there! That being said, I will chime in here and say that I totally disagree with the sentiments in the review. Please dont take that in a negative manner, as I am not saying you are wrong or anything like that. I just am puzzled how one could find Phantoms Revenge to be "rough" and yet find the neck-jarring Steel Phantom to be a better ride and smoother. I too liked SP, but I would only rate it a high 7 or low 8, because I happen to feel that one shouldnt have to ride defensively to avoid headbanging roughness. To each his own, of course, but for me thats not an enjoyable ride if you have to ride that way. Are you perhaps more of an inversions fan? Or do you not like ejector airtime maybe? Just curious. And I do find it funny how when anyone lends their opinions on a coaster or ride that they like, they are quickly labeled a "fan boy".

Thank you, I appreciate that, most people just jump on you if you give any ride a low rating. I will admit that although I am a a sucker for anything Arrow, especially the "Mega Loopers" that Steel Phantom was one of the more rough ones. But like other people have said in their reviews I think you need to "learn" how to ride coasters like that. I do love ejector air, but the way it is executed on Phantoms Revenge it is so much up then slammed back down the ripped back up then slammed back down. It just feels so cramped, it feels like as they were designing the ride they tried to put all this air time in one little spot. I think that shows poor designing skills on Morgans part, but I cant get started on Morgan. I mean Kennywood only had so much they wanted to spend on an already 4.5 million dollar ride and Morgan only had so much space to work with, but Im sure they could have done something better, but knowing Morgan probably not. As for the fan boy comment I consider anyone who will argue with you about a ride/park/chain, even if you have a better argument or have given just reason to have criticized that ride/park/chain a fan boy.

Got it, yes the bunny hops are snappy but you kind of have to know how to ride it. Since this was built/renovated in 2001, the lap bars are not hydraulic (sp?) and have the "clicks" which make it too tight or loose. You should leave your lap bar on the looser click for the beginning of the ride but once you come around the fan turn, click it to the "tighter" click and the bunny hops do not hurt at all and just feel out of control, like they are supposed to. But thats your oppinion and nice rating by the way.

We all have felt the anguish of seeing a beloved ride re-profiled, but I could only respect Steel Phantom, not love it. My own opinion of Phantoms Revenge is basically the opposite of yours, Got_it, as I feel they preserved the best of what Steel Phantom had to offer and used it to create a ride that is just as intense but much more fun and substantially more rideable. You make your points well, and I share your fondness for the old Arrow behemoths, but I think Morgan did excellent work with Phantoms Revenge.

And I think the same way as you do too Timberman. Phantoms Revenges awesome & even though I never got to go to Kennywood & see the Steel Phantom in person, Im sure it held its own as one of the star players in the coaster industry. Still though, youve got to admit that the PRs really fast, intense, & all of the hills are crazy. Kennywood was able to utilize what SP left behind & used the terrain to its advantage. Besides, I can understand the park getting rid of Steel Phantom because of roughness since a coaster going that fast could never obtain a somewhat smooth sensation by following it up with loops & corkscrews. Also, the park really was due for something new & they didnt have the land to build a new coaster, so why not get Morgan Manufacturing & end up making the best plan in their coaster company history.

I agree that the ride could have done with a better ending. But, I mean, -4 points just for the bunny hops? Cmon man!

Wow, I thought the bunnyhops were the most liberating, life-altering portion of the entire ride. But to each his own I suppose

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