Phantom's Revenge is known to be one of the best coasters in the world. It is the coaster I've ridden the most. In 2020, I rode it many times. It provides an amazing ride experience, and I wanted to talk about it. Without further ado, let's get into this. Please note that this is my first Coaster Review, so please give me any constructive criticism.
First, let's look at the layout. You first go up the 160 foot lift. It has an arrow looper type twisted drop. There is a straight section taken at 60 miles per hour for 150 feet. You then go up another hill before going into a 232 foot drop into a ravine. This dives under Thunderbolt. It turns around 180 degrees, climbing the ravine. It dives under Thunderbolt again. This headchopper has the first pop of ejector. It turns up into a series of bunny hills before going into the final brake run.
Part 1: Appearance
Phantom's Revenge looks intimidating. When you get near Kennywood, you see the higher parts of Phantom. The lift and second hill are very noticeable when you start driving by Kennywood. The bright green track looks great, but it loses points for the different appearance in different areas.
For those who don't know why, let me explain. When Phantom's Revenge first opened in 2001, the track in the brakes, station, storage, lift, drop, straight section, and the second hill were reused from Steel Phantom. The drop until the final brakes were new track from D.H. Morgan. In 2009, the drop, straight section, and second hill were retracked by Chance Morgan. For 2019, they repainted some of the track at the brakes, station, and lift. However, other areas still have their original paint. They have chipping paint on the turn-around.
Overall, I would give Phantom a 6/10 in appearance.
Part 2: Trains
People often complain about the trains on Morgan coasters. Steel Force, Mamba, Wild Thing, Steel Eel, Superman el Ùltimo Escape, Quicksilver Express, and West Coaster all use a metal lap bar and have a hated train design. They are known to be boxy and cramped. Phantom's Trains, however, use a different design. They appear less boxy, and they have a much different lap bar. This lap bar comes from the side and has tons of room. They also have a loose seatbelt, which is the main restraint, if we're being honest.
The trains also look nice. However, these aren't the original designs. Originally, they took the original Arrow Chassies, but they removed the over-the-shoulder restraints. These trains operated from 2009 to 2013. For the 2014 season, they replaced the steel shells with new Fiberglass shells. The original designs had both purple and green on the train. Train One had green on top and purple on bottom. Train 2 was the opposite, with purple on top and green on bottom.
The trains don't look as good as they used to, but these trains still look nice. I would give these trains a 10/10 because of the restraints. I like these restraints almost as much as Buzz Bars.
Part 3: Airtime
Phantom's Revenge is well known for Airtime. Its ending is well known for its ejector airtime at the end. During the second drop, there is floater airtime near the back few cars. The ejector starts when diving under Thunderbolt for the second time. It then keeps happening until the final brake run. There are a few bunny hills before going into a double down. It is followed by a turn into another bunny hill before being popped into the final brake run.
This ejector airtime is known to be some of the best in the world. It is a combination of sustained ejector and some quick pops of ejector. So many people love it. I have to give the airtime a 10/10.
Part 4: Smoothness
Phantom's Revenge is known to be one of the world's smoothest rides. It is often said to be "As Smooth as Butter". I never notice any roughness. This ride only is painful because of the strong airtime causing mild pain.
When it comes to smoothness, I would give it a 10/10.
Part 5: Operations
Phantom only has 2 trains. They don't have a mid-course brake run, so operations will naturally take a while. It was common for them to stack trains in 2019 and before, but that mostly stopped in 2020. They check restraints as fast as possible.
Other than that, it is good to know that they do have cubbies in the station. You just put your things in the cubbies. The operator will slide a cover over so that your stuff won't get stolen, and you can get it back after the ride is over.
Many people complain about one train ops on Phantom. This usually isn't a big deal there. They usually operate with 2 trains. When they don't, their operations are faster. In general, I'd give it a 9.5/10.
Final:
The final score comes out to 9.1/10. In general, I'd give it a 10/10, though. Operations can have some issues and they need to repaint it, but it is great either way.