Steel Hawg is the original S&S El Loco coaster. I am not sure exactly what to compare the El Loco to. My first instinct is to describe it as a Wild Mouse with cheat codes turned on, but comparisons could also be made to a Gerstlauer Eurofighter. Finally, the ride seems a little bit like climbing around a childhood jungle gym. It swoops and climbs gracefully, and changes speed fluidly. The maximum speed is never outrageous, but the ride features such sudden changes in direction that it often achieves an out-of-control feeling.
In my short time following coaster enthusiast media, I have already lost sight of the fact that not all parks are on the scale of the flagship parks of major chains. I have also forgotten that not all park-goers flock exclusively to roller coasters. I was taken aback, when I first approached Steel Hawg, by how small the queue area was. Even with a set of switchbacks, the queue did not look like it was designed with a massive overflow crowd in mind. I was at Indiana Beach in highly unusual circumstances, but all of my laps on Steel Hawg were walk-on Zen rides.
RCDB indicates that Steel Hawg has four cars, each carrying four passengers. Indiana Beach had two on the track when I was there. On crowded days, I could see where operations could make or break the flow of the queue. The restraints have two separate mechanical components - a lap bar that swivels into place, and over-the-shoulder restraints that descend vertically. The restraints are able to accommodate a variety of shapes, and I accidentally left myself a lot of room on my first lap. There were some operators still training on the day of my visit, and they were efficient and studious. None of my dispatches were perfect, but Steel Hawg looks to have a quality crew that will no doubt run a tight ship for the 2020 season.
Out of the station, the car winds through a right-hand turnaround before ascending the lift. The lift hill is fast, all the better to make the ride feel like a nonstop barrage (especially the first time around). There is a tiny dip off of the lift chain, but it is enough to allow the car to pick up some speed as it rounds the left-hand turnaround into the drop. I could not believe how forceful the laterals felt, and I genuinely felt like it would somehow pull itself off the track.
Out of the turn, the ride gracefully swoops into its signature element - a beyond-vertical drop of 111 degrees. The first time I experienced a beyond-vertical drop was on Maverick, and the sensation was at once underwhelming and uncomfortable. On Steel Hawg, though, this drop feels almost like joining up with a vertical loop part of the way through. It levels off in a fishhook shape and immediately climbs up into another turnaround. From the standpoint of force, this section of the ride is quite tame, but from a visual standpoint, the drop is jarring, and the mildness of the twisted hill could be seen as a welcome breather.
The car takes a straight track which includes a mid-course brake run, setting up its next wild element, an outward banked hairpin turn. Even with the banking, I could not help but feel that the car was going to rip itself off of the track. From this height, at so precarious an angle, this added to the giddy sense of warped danger. The track corrects itself, and leads into a standard banked hairpin that segues perfectly into a dive loop. This dive loop starts with a stretch of upside-down straight track that keeps the car upside-down for at least a second and a half. I was genuinely unsure if I liked hangtime before riding Steel Hawg. It turns out that I do.
Pulling out of the dive loop, the car then ascends a hill into another mid-course brake run and banked turnaround. This sets up a sloped in-line twist. I have gotten into hyping myself up for park trips, and this looked like an uninspired inversion from the POV videos online. I still found the dive loop more interesting, but the in-line twist exceeded my expectations. A video cannot do justice to the odd sensation of gaining speed through an in-line twist. The twisting grows more forceful as the car straightens out, and the car hits speed once more to set up a sloped, banked turnaround that feels a bit like skating on a quarter-pipe.
The car pulls up slightly into the final brake run, leaving riders to take in how much just happened in a mere 40 seconds. It would be nearly impossible to criticize the pacing on this ride, and it uses its compact footprint to its advantage nearly every step of the way. I just couldn't help but want for another element or two, like a trick-track or a small dip before the second MCBR, to make the ride feel complete.
As it stands, this is a unique, exciting, and affordable layout that would be well-placed in a number of small regional parks. 
Scores
- Appearance - Bare surroundings, but a striking presence with the full layout visible. 7
- View - The lift hill faces away from the park, which is unfortunate. 6
- Comfort - The restraints are awkward to secure, but bear the forces gracefully. 8
- Layout - Every element is unique, and transitions are often great. 8
- Intensity - I was surprised, and frightened, by the strength of the laterals. 9
- "Wow" Factor - A bit too short to truly dazzle, but it uses the space incredibly well. 8
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