Mirage Xl / Tapas 3.0 / Fazer XXL

Larger framed kites tend to be a bit slower. They won't be as fast as their smaller siblings.

Where kites like the HQ Delta Hawk and HQ Batkite split their conversion of wind power between speed and power,



the larger ones skew more towards power and less towards speed.

Not sure about the Topas, but the Mirage XL has a fairly high aspect ratio and doesn't lend itself to spin based and slack line tricks.

In addition, the wingtips of the Mirage XL are terminated by a rubber "cap" that look like an extruded U with a hole going through the x and y axis. The caps can be extremely prone to line wraps and snags.

John Chilese was able to do the following tricks on the Fazer XXL:

Jacob's ladder rungs
Flic-flacs
Fade launch
Lazy Susans
Axel to fade
Snap stall (not pretty or snappy, but recognizable)
Cascades (barely)

and gives a nice review of the kite >>>here<<<.

Not a huge fan of of the panel layout of the Topas 3.0



except in sunset



and "warbird" color schemes



and whoever chose this custom color scheme for the Topas (4.5) (shown here with a Thor's Hammer to the left and a Pure 3XL to the right) had an eye for inestimable understated beauty.



"Hot launching" any of these kites should be avoided. In the right winds they will develop power quickly and it can catch you by surprise. Smaller kite parts (most notably upper spreader and stand-offs) will be difficult to locate after the kite disassembles itself in the ensuing crash.

ATB,
Sam

Hi guys

@Beamerbob - Totally forgot about that post! ..aye i was going to get one back then, dunno what happened but never got around to it! so here i am again lol

@awindofchange - I dont really like the look of foils.. Maybe as a second kite i will get one as it's something different, but for my 1st i want a delta as i do really like the look of these

@indigo_wolf - Thanks for the info, very thorough with lots of details, i do like the look of the Topas 4.5 but cant seem to find one anywhere i'm guessing its been discontinued? ..you say that the wingtips of the Mirage XL are terminated by a rubber "cap".. is there a simple way to mod this to eliminate this problem? But i would still much prefer the topas 4.5.... that thing is a beauty! ..looking on there website it may have been replaced with the Matador which is 4m span? ..ive seen some vids of this but it seems VERY slow compared to the mirage XL? but this could just be that the only vids ive seen of the matador have been in low wind maybe?

As for stunts... nothing drastic just simple loops etc... not technical flying as such! ..but would like something that can go pretty quick when wind picks up

Thanks so much guys for info.. at least i'm getting closer to the right one i want!

Annoying though that ALL the best big Delta's seem to have been discontinued... Pure3XL, Thor, Topas 4.5 etc!

Quote: Originally posted by tizdaz

@indigo_wolf - Thanks for the info, very thorough with lots of details, i do like the look of the Topas 4.5 but cant seem to find one anywhere i'm guessing its been discontinued? ..you say that the wingtips of the Mirage XL are terminated by a rubber "cap".. is there a simple way to mod this to eliminate this problem? Annoying though that ALL the best big Delta's seem to have been discontinued... Pure3XL, Thor, Topas 4.5 etc!

It might be possible to make or have someone else fabricate a different nock for the Mirage. However, if you are not trying to do tricked beyond loops and side slides, it probably won't be needed.

The demand for large framed kites has dwindled over the years. Hence, a lot have been discontinued.

Sad to think that during the production of the Audi "Kite" commercial, something like 80 Thor's Hammers were destroyed.



The Topas seems to be available in sizes up to 3M here,
http://www.spacekites.de/ProductType.aspx?name=Topas%203.0&a...

You might want to contact them to see if they will take a special order for a 4.5 and if they will do custom colors.

ATB,
Sam

hi guys, great info so far thanks

One that im now leaning towards is the Matadaor (4m) ...this seems to be the biggest one available thats still in production, the one id really like is the Pure3XL but it aint production no more ..unless anyone knows of any other large dual delta's still in production? but like i say the Matador looks very nice & 4m is a nice size i guess

Any info on the matador would be great, not sure if it comes with lines & what size the transport bag is?

Thanks again for info guys muchos appreciated! :D

Google "Gunter Wolsing"



His larger kites like the Maxima..... are quite large :D



ATB,
Sam