The most common question I seem to get is – “What’s the difference between the Ichiban and the Reprise?” My response is that it’s sort of a Camaro/Firebird kind of thing. For those that aren’t car geeks, General Motors used to be notorious for releasing basically the same car, with minor differences, under different names across it’s brands. What set them apart was in the details and execution, which is what gave each model its own identity.
Which brings us to the Ichiban and Reprise. They are very close in most objective respects. Very similar wingspan and length. The front section obviously uses the same distinctive framing and tensioning. A lot of the framing is actually interchangeable. Weight, wind range, etc – pretty much clones. Where they diverge is in the details. The Reprise upper wing gets a scallop and batten to give it a little different look. Does it change the performance? Well, it might drop the bottom of the wind range a tiny bit, but I just like the way it looks.
The tails of the kites are different forms, and employ different framing. With the Reprise, I was intrigued by the idea of a self-tensioning, self-supporting double T tail. It took some time to figure out how to make it work, but I think the result is worth the effort.
So, I guess the difference is for you to decide. Which one catches your eye, and puts a smile on your face? That’s the one to choose.
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