Double Goblin!

I wasn't looking for more kites to buy, I honestly wasn't .... But when I saw a listing of kites for sale on the Skybums web-site, there was this pair of ITW Goblins just screaming at me: "Fly us, fly us!!!".So what can you do? 

I'd never heard of these kites, but they looked like miniature Speedwings to me. Speedwings because of the absence of a top spreader and their bridling, and miniature because of their 1.23m wing span. And that suggested to me they'd be a hoot to fly when the wind picks up. We do already have paired kites for just having a blast in strong winds: a pair of Martinelli kites and a pair of Psychos. These Goblins would be the smallest of the three pairs, and so possibly even more 'fast and furious'?

I tried to get information from Into the Wind, but unfortunately, they never responded to my email ... Several people in the Stunt Kite Classics group on Facebook could tell me that the kites were designed by Bob Childs, and date back to the 1990s (thanks; you know who you are!).

So let's fly them! We took them out on a rather windy day (up to 20mph winds) and decided to fly them on 25m lines. This is way shorter than the 45m lines we normally fly pair/team with, but, given their small size, the kites would visually just disappear on such long lines, and shorter lines would make them fly faster (which is the whole point of getting them!)

Flying them individually first showed that the kites really are fast! We really had to get used to the input required to make them turn. They very easily oversteer, so it's a matter if tiny inputs; you merely have to 'think' them change direction.

So now fly them as a pair! Once we got used to the tiny inputs required, they really didn't fly together too badly! Boxes often show a bit of wobble, though; they're not exactly precision kites ..... But, fast and furious as they are, they're a real hoot to fly together!

The prismatec centre panel sparkles when the sun hits it at the right angle, and it also has another fun effect: in a refuel you can see the back kite through the front kite .... 

Really fun addition to our quiver of pair kites!