| Fury .85 Feature |
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| Fury .85 Preview |  |
| Fury .85 Review | |
| Fury .85 Taster Video | |
Introduction
Less than a year after Carl's full size monster debuted he has released a more compact version of the kite at only 2.1m. Aimed at individual and freestyle fliers, the Fury .85 has already become Carl's choice for individual demonstration routines. Many fliers found the full size kite a bit of a handful, so is the Fury .8 for those of us who can't quite handle the 2.5m versions arm wrenching?
Construction
The Fury .85's construction is unsurprisingly very similar to that of the full size kite. The frame is all P200, resulting in easy replacement of sticks during competition and electrical tape makes another appearance to enable the same sort of quick changes. Like the full size Fury the spine is stuffed with 6mm carbon tube and some fliers have added 6mm to the upper spreader which comes 'un stuffed'. Just as with it's larger brother the Icarex sail is stitched with rolled seams, and is deep with a single standoff. The kite is carefully thought out, the nose dacron is square cut so it doesn't catch lines and the leading edge cut outs are protected too.
The Fury .85 has a single weight in the tail made of brass tube. The Bridle is three point with a line to prevent tail wraps, and long sleeved leaders. The leaders are connected with a yo-yo line that means the Fury will roll up without the need for yo-yo stoppers. The trailing edge has a leach line that can be adjusted - without the line the kite roars ,slowing the kite in stronger winds, and with the line tight it is whisper quiet. The standoff points are covered at the back of the kite and reinforced with mylar. On the test version there was a line between standoffs running behind the kite to prevent billowing. An anti-wear trick line can be fitted to protect the trailing edge without affecting the flight characteristics as heavy reinforcement can.
The bridle itself is clearly marked and easy to adjust via loosening knots, all of which is explained in the visual instructions that come in the kites rather nice bright orange bag. Also in the bag are spare rubbers for the wing tips. The leading edge is ferruled, so you can pack the kite down very small and take it anywhere.
Carl's building style is smart and business like. This kite is meant to be flown, adjusted, flown, broken, fixed and flown again with the minimum fuss, on the field.
Style
The Fury .85 maintains the same sail layout as the full size kite, but with different panels colored.
The retention of the solid black center diamond, which improves the impression of straight line tracking, re-enforces that this is a competition kite and not just a 'toy' version of the larger kite.
Flight
The .85 retains the Fury's precision capabilities with solid tracking and crisp corners although the touch has to be gentler with the smaller kite. On first trying to stall the kite I was surprised to find it wrapping itself up. The .85 is much pitchier than it's larger brother, and yo-yo's from take off are much easier than with the larger kite. The .85 maintains the sharp half axel capabilities of the Fury, but everything can be done much faster and snappier. Cascades and fountains are a dream, with the .85 allowing you to dial the nose position precisely. Keeping in the axel family, this is quite simply the easiest kite to comete I have flown. Cometes and variations are accessible anywhere in the window, from take offs and half way through other sequences. Carl and Chris regularly change direction mid comete and vary the speed between leisurely and insanely fast. Mistiming tends to result in a tip wrap rather than a fade but these can normally be recovered without a landing.
Flaring away the Fury .85 and it does have a dead spot much like its larger brother. Popping the lines a touch earlier results in a steady fade. Some feel the nose needs more weight and stuff the upper spreader, but I found elevators and rising fades to be available with the standard set up. Backspins are very nice on this kite, leaving the kite nicely unstable. Excellent for pushing the kite into a yo-yo but requiring more management in backspin cascades.
The Fury .85 is limited to a single wrap with the included yo-yo line. The advantage of the yo-yo line is that it offers no snagging fittings on the leading edge, and tends to be more forgiving of a less vertical form of flying. The line can be moved to alter the angle of attack in a wrap, but it does catch on the nose from time to time however. Fliers may need to shorten or adjust the line to suit their style. The yo-yo line makes more complicated exits and wrapped tricks slightly harder.
In a lazy position the .85 lies further back that the standard Fury, but it still doesn't make lazy susan based tricks easy. Flapjacks require careful timing, and the .85 will often lose height in such rotations. The .85 responds very well to snap lazy susans. This seems to be part of the character of the kite as snap 540's are also available throughout the window. Although the .85 requires far less work than the larger kite it responds well to an aggressive style. More care is also required with superstarts, although wap-do-waps seem less affected.
The Fury .85 has for me a certain groove which mixes aggressive and more laid back flying. You can knock it hard for an aggressive comete and then perform a smoother set of axels. As the wind drops the p200 frame begins to weigh the kite down, even with extreme bridle settings. Pumping the Fury .85 tends to knock it out of the sky, a more gentle touch is required. In stronger winds I have flown the Fury .85 in over 20 mph without airbrakes, and at the Freestyle World Cup Scratch Bunnies flew in ballistic winds with Wah Pads. Both the Fury and .85 suffer in light winds but Carl informs us that Vented and UL versions of the full size Fury are now available at £200 with a UL and Vented Fury .85 soon to follow. The Fury .85 is a pleasure to fly on short lines of 75ft as well as standard 120ft sets, I actually found it easier to play with on the shorter set even though this seems to be against current flier consensus!
The Fury .85 reminds me more of a cross between the full size Fury and the Dot Matrix in character, rather than being another Nirvana. It is weakest in the area of lazy susan based tricks, but I have seen other fliers perform multiple lazies with the .85 in the same way I can with the Transfer. What the Fury does bring is great precision in a small package and superlative axel / comete based tricks. As with many great kites you have to get to know the Fury .85 before you can fully appreciate it.
Conclusion
If the Fury was Carl Robertshaw into competition mode distilled into essence of Carl and smothered it all over some Icarex and some Skyshark then the .85 is Carl in a more playful mood, maybe on a Saturday evening after a few beers. If you didn't get on with the aggressive style of the full size Fury then have a look at the .85. It is a lot easier to get to know and play with. If you are looking for an all round individual or pairs kite then the .85 has to be on your list. A set of Fury .85's in UL, Std and Vented, a few sets of lines and a pair of Wah Pads would easily set you up for a range of flying from recreational, through Trickouts, Tricks Party to World Class STACK competition in a very compact package.
When I first started flying the Fury I was surprised to have enjoyed an 8ft kite so much on longer lines. The Fury .85 however has really whet my appetite for smaller kites on shorter lines again.
| Fury .85 Feature |
|
| Fury .85 Preview | |
| Fury .85 Review | |
| Fury .85 Taster Video | |
