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Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:59 am
by Zippy8
I think that you good people deserve to see some close ups of these nigh-on legendary beasts :-) As I said, plenty of interesting details.

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Not small at 2.35m~7' 8"-

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"Centre T" is a tied on ferrule. Neat construction.

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This is how it works at the back of the kite. Adjustable active leech line too.

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Bridle lines attach to LSs. NOT a cross-bridle. Also not sure what this achieves but I'd like to hear an explanation.

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Tidy and reinforced LE connector covers. Note the clean bridle details, typical of the kite.

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Go back to the first picture and point out the yoyo stoppers :wink: They are tucked on the back of the kite with reinforced covers. THIS is worth imitating as they work very well when needed and disappear when not.

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It has some plug in tail weight. Moving on....

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Is it well put together ? Look over the stitching and decide for yourselves.

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Possibly the one thing I might consider mulling over the suggestion of pondering whether or not to take a risk on the chance of changing - this style of standoff connector can be line magnets when using thin line. 50# hooks up in there a treat so I'll have to remember leaders every time.

I've not moved on too much from my initial assessment that this is more of a trick orientated kite than some of my others. It'll tolerate figures, lines and such frippery but doesn't seem aimed at them.

Mike.

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:37 am
by krijn
yes, looking good!

(i've had those yoyo-stoppers on my nse, but i cut them through in about one year..., i'm thinking of rollbars on my tnt)


i just put my leaders on every kite, not on the lines
(i grab them together and roll them up with the kite when packing)


Krijn

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:57 am
by HiFly
Zippy8 wrote:
Bridle lines attach to LSs. NOT a cross-bridle. Also not sure what this achieves but I'd like to hear an explanation.

that is the basic explanation from Heiko @ drafo
Zweck der neuen Waage ist es, den Windbereich nach oben zu erweitern und die S-förmige Durchbiegung der Spreizen zu verhindern. Der Strong war der erste TNT mit dieser Waage und hat den Anknüpfpunkt ziemlich weit aussen auf der unteren Spreize. Bei den später umgerüsteten STDs und ULs hat sich ein etwas weiter innen liegender Punkt bewährt.

... expands the upper windrange and avoids the S-shaped deformation of the LS

btw I have no problems with the Jaco Standoffs at all (using leaders) and I love the cordura strip for reinforcement

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:51 pm
by kareloh
Are the LE tunnels sewn in front or in the back of the sail instead of arround it.

Like so:
/\| (where /\ is the tunnel and | is the sail)

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:50 pm
by Zippy8
Very observant. Awards yourself some points =D>

The LE tunnels, made from some very light material with a small grid pattern, are indeed sewn onto the back of the sail. The only reason I can come up with for this is to tidy up those connector reinforcement areas.

Mike.

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:53 pm
by Coogee
I am not a fan of the Jaco stand off fittings. I got some fittings from Tim that had metal screws to secure them. Work a treat and on a build you only need a very small hole in your trailing edge to get the screw through. I think this gives the trailing edge a bit more strength at that point. Have not had one catch even with 50 lb line.
Mike

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:09 am
by Stan Doff
Zippy8 wrote:
Go back to the first picture and point out the yoyo stoppers :wink: They are tucked on the back of the kite with reinforced covers. THIS is worth imitating as they work very well when needed and disappear when not.

I wondered about that looking at the Transfer xTz I bought from Al where the roll-hoops were modded into the more common style.Looking at the rollbar LE connector which points backwards,I have twisted another kite's yoyo stoppers to the same angle,to stop them being knocked forwards,but don't think I've ever rolled-up that kite in that configuration so no proof it works.

Zippy8 wrote:
Possibly the one thing I might consider mulling over the suggestion of pondering whether or not to take a risk on the chance of changing - this style of standoff connector can be line magnets when using thin line.

Furys,DSs,Talons even my cheap Eolo have the outer part of the sail grabber concealed by 'fabric'.

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:43 am
by kareloh
The HQ sailgrabber with metal screws are nice, very tight fit and no line catching. They require a very small hole in the TE though so no retrofitting possible if Jaco's were used.

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:51 pm
by SteveC
On my Flying Wings Soul the Jaco's are fitted through a small tab sewn onto the inside of the trailing edge rather than through the sail. Very neat and impossible to snag.

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Re: TNT by two

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:31 pm
by Craig
I have loads of kites with Jaco's and it's never been an issue!

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:58 pm
by fworley
Craig wrote:
I have loads of kites with Jaco's and it's never been an issue!


Me neither - there are lots worse places to snag a line or bridle - starting with the yo-yo stoppers.

-Frazer

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:41 am
by Coogee
I have snagged the Jaco's but only when I am using my light lines.The line is climax proline 38daN and is lovely to fly on but will snag on the Jaco's and will if I get a bit overzealous cut the fittings, specially on roll bars or yoyo stops. It does make UL Talon feel very good in those dying seabreeze's I get in summer. I have never snagged the screw up fittings and I do not get snags on the DS as the fittings attach to tabs under the TE . Different strokes for different folks. My mate I fly with wears out bridles like there is no tomorrow, I rarely get any wear. If you have an issue with a kite fix it, if you don't that is all the better.
Mike

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 2:33 pm
by Heiko Eikenberg
Possibly the one thing I might consider mulling over the suggestion of pondering whether or not to take a risk on the chance of changing - this style of standoff connector can be line magnets when using thin line. 50# hooks up in there a treat so I'll have to remember leaders every time.


Thats right, very thin lines can possibly snagged with these standoff connectors. But I wouldn't ever recommend the use of Laser Pro Gold 23 daN or something equal without long sleeves ore leaders because thin lines can cut into the sail, the connectors and the frame.

Furys,DSs,Talons even my cheap Eolo have the outer part of the sail grabber concealed by 'fabric'.


There are different ways to do things and any of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. When you're flying on a hard ground, the covered standoff connectors will result in a damaged sail in less than one hour by groundwork. Generaly fabric isn't made for contacting the ground on a small contact point. The uncovered Jaco is durable enough for any ground. I'm using the Jaco connectors since they are on the market and I haven't ever had problems with snagging the lines. Whats better? The unlikely possibility to snag lines under very special circumstances or a damaged sail after flying a small time on short and dry grass?

The HQ sailgrabber with metal screws are nice


They would be nice, when the metal screws wouldn't be made of rusting steel. Also we are using unusual standoff material (Avia Microcarbon .125 and .95). The Jacos are made of very good material for drilling them into these measurements and they don't fix the leach line like the HQ sailgrabber sometimes do.

When the uncovered standoff connectors are the only criticism on the TNT, I'm happy. :-)

On the left is the single-standoff-ed Zero (not even on the revamped website) which uses the same sail material as the Cosmic TC Ghost


It has less weight than the Ghost fabric, but its from the same producer.

Bridle lines attach to LSs. NOT a cross-bridle. Also not sure what this achieves but I'd like to hear an explanation.


This detail prevents the buckling of the lower spreaders in the higher wind range. We are using this bridle for extending the upper wind range of all our kites. It gives us the opportunity to use very short bridles for direct control.

Heiko
- Alphakites -

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:56 pm
by Zippy8
Heiko Eikenberg wrote:
When the uncovered standoff connectors are the only criticism on the TNT, I'm happy. :-)

Trust me when I say it's not even close to a criticism from me :-) Personal preference or oddity is more like it. I've put some leaders on the kite and any imaginary problem has disappeared. That said.... have you seen the back of a Seven ? :wink: Very nice.

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It has less weight than the Ghost fabric, but its from the same producer.

Wow.

Bridle lines attach to LSs. NOT a cross-bridle. Also not sure what this achieves but I'd like to hear an explanation.

This detail prevents the buckling of the lower spreaders in the higher wind range. We are using this bridle for extending the upper wind range of all our kites. It gives us the opportunity to use very short bridles for direct control.

I wish that I could have the opportunity to try it. So far I haven't noticed any drawbacks with it being there in lower winds.

Excellent kites, money well spent. I'll report back when I've got more time on the lines.

Mike.

Re: TNT by two

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:19 am
by Heiko Eikenberg
have you seen the back of a Seven ? :wink: Very nice.


that looks realy nice, but are the screws free of rust? I don't think so. And the rubber ring under the screws could catch the line like a Jaco connector. I know these screws very well, but I haven't ever seen them made of stainless steel.

Have some fun with flying your new kites.

Heiko
-Alphakites-