Back in the early 90's, B&M released their very first rollercoaster. Iron Wolf at Six Flags: Great America was the company's first rollercoaster and the world's first B&M standup.

Cedar Point took 1995 off from coaster building, but was at it again in 1996 when it released "Mantis". Another B&M creation, Mantis features a 137ft drop at 52 degrees, 4 inversions, and 3400 feet of track. Doesn't sound too exciting does it? Oh, by the way, Mantis is a stand-up coaster. Aaahh.. now you see why this coaster is so cool...

Mantis jumps right out at you as you approach the queue. That massive loop makes your mouth water as the line takes you closer... and closer... and closer to the station. After ascending a short flight of stairs, we're up at the station and ready to ride!

The train pulls into the station and the previous riders unload. After that, the gates swing open and we move on to our respective positions. While Mantis doesn't really have seats, it has a small version of a bicycle seat so you know where to stand. The harnesses adjust to your height and then locks down. As always, the standard seat-belt is fastened. When the ride ops give the "thumbs up", up the hill we go!

It takes a little less than a minute or so to get up Mantis's slow moving chain lift. The view from near the top is great. You can watch PowerTower launch and drop or, turn to the right and try to catch a glimpse of the 'Force as it goes through the final turnaround. Soon, we're at the top. After a small dip, the train banks hard right. This gives a feeling of "OMG! I'm going to fall out!", especially if you're on the right side of the train. After the turn, the train dips downward....

..and we drop! 137 feet. We soar upwards into the spectacular loop only to plummet downwards once again, mere feet above the water. A quick turn to the left and we're inverted once again. This time, it's a diving loop that flips us around.

Once out of the diving loop, we soar upwards and over the station. We do turnaround that gives great G's. We fly downward once again, this time into a loop that's on it's side, sort of. It's a bit hard to put into words, but the feeling it quite cool.

After a gradual turn to the left, we SNAP hard right. Up a small right-banked hill and into a brake run. It's gives you a quick chance to think "wow" before you plummet downward once again, this time into a corkscrew! There's nothing quite like a super-smooth corkscrew while standing up! What follows the corkscrew is a series of compact twists and turns until we hit the station brakes.

Mantis is yet another awesome Cedar Point thriller. My only major complaint is the line time, but the ride is well worth the wait. Mantis definitely gives a different feel and is a great addition among Cedar Point's coaster collection.