Robert van Weers is a New Zealand kite maker known for his big inflatable kites.
Well, here at Windswept Kites we also know that he makes great banners, windsocks, and bunches of single line kites.
You might be aware of the fish windsocks that he has created-quite neat!
We have two items from Robert at this moment.
The Vapid: a really neat lighter wind single line kite
Kiwi Banners-just that.
Kiwi Banners!
No-not a banner of a fuzzy green-interior fruit, but those small endangered flightless birds are the only members of their genus anywhere out there.
We are happy to continue on with our collection of great items with Robert's Kiwi banners.
The Kiwi is so cool that New Zealand has adopted them as their national bird.
Probably, that is why Robert decided to make these little guys. Now, they are not usually the colors that you see here, in the wild they are drab and camouflage in their environments quite well.
Yes, before you ask, their beak is to the correct scale....
 There are two sizes of Kiwi Banners. |
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The Kiwi banners come in a matching flat bag to carry them in-very neat.
(background Maori design banner courtesy of D. Sabilino-wanted to make the kiwi's feel at home)
The Vapid
This is a neat kite.
A single line kite designed for light winds but is flexible enough to fly in higher winds.
The Vapid has only has three sticks in it. The spine and then two long flexible fiberglass rods that cross each other to hold the wing out.
Now, the neatest thing about assembly of the Vapid is that there is no sleeve for those crossing rods.
They slide through hot-cut holes in the leading edge, and center, of the sail.
(see a detail picture here)
Because of that innovation the weight is kept down.
A true UL kite.
The Vapid is made with a white sail, black strip, and a colored tip (or black sail and white stripe).
They are 1.75m wide and 75 cm tall.
They are framed in 2mm Fiberglass rods that allow the skin to blow backwards in any gusts keeping this kite rock stable!
Standard Vapids are $65.00 shipped via Priority Mail in the U.S.
The bag color is the wing tip color.
The animal print was 80$ shipped (there was only one).
Very cool stuff from the Kiwis!