Spectra Sports Nuclear Reactor Restoration Help!

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[Lou]

Dang!!!    And no signs of wear when you cleaned 'um? Guess you've gotta take it easy when you restart those "Reactors"...

Actually, this spar appeared surface deformed where the old molded stopper was.  This is the same area where a stress point is created when the tube is inserted into the aluminum outer ferrule at the Center-T.  Apparently that was enough surface weakness to permit the break.  

I tried to ferrule reinforce the broken spar and it actually worked for a little while.  I was actually having a great time with my oldest son trying to do some "TEAM FLYING" before the repaired area broke again this time splitting the tube in half about 8 inches into the tube.

I'm hoping I can get a 7P replacement.  If not I'll have to temporarily swap in 8Ps for the lower spreaders.  They weigh 2.5 grams more each but carry the same exact dimensions with better, more modern manufacturing.  I really was having a great time with my sons flying... I'm thinking I need to just retire the oldies and go buy a couple new kites where parts are readily available.  Restoring kites the past months has been really fun, but flying with my kids today was truly incredible.

By the way, are you serious about working up a t-shirt?

Yes, I actually already turned in the .ai file to the vinyl print shop and just need to place the quantity I wanted.  I'm thinking of getting a white shirt for the first logo and grey for the second logo to mirror the background colors of the originals

[Lou]

I might have some extra 7p but I'll have to look.  YOU can ferrule that spreader back together though.

I tried to ferrule repair the tube but with no luck.  It worked for a while but sadly it failed again.  The tube was just weak all around that area after the initial fracture.  I had seen hairline cracks in the tube after the initial fracture, but was still hoping the epoxy would hold it together.  If you had a 7P I can't explain how happy that would make me!

[whitebirdlover]

Hmmm, would the 5 extra grams of the 8p rods make a notable difference in the flight of this kite? I like the idea of you and your oldest doing a pairs routine "old school" 

[Lou]

Hmmm, would the 5 extra grams of the 8p rods make a notable difference in the flight of this kite? I like the idea of you and your oldest doing a pairs routine "old school" 

Yeah, I started to realize its 2.5g x 2.  I may need to pull the 7P from the spine and use that as the replacement.  Then I could insert an 8P as the spine only increasing the center weight by 2.5 grams or build an entirely new spine in 7PT and actually lose 3-4 grams and about $50 in materials and shipping.  I'm just hoping I can find a replacement 7P.

[Lou]

Well I have always taken the word that a 7P weighs 25 grams.  I decide to grab my scale and weigh the 7Ps I had with the painted logos and at 32 in. it weighs on average .724 oz.  That's only 20.5 grams... wow I was way off thinking an 8P tube was not too far off in weight.  The 8P is .994 oz. which is an incredible 28.2 grams.  I tried to measure the older 7Ps with the green rings and those weighed .745-.754 oz.  which was 21.1 - 21.4 grams each.  So caution if the assumption that 7Ps and 8Ps are close in specs... 8Ps are tanks!

Since a P2X matches the 5P tubes I think Sky Shark needs to create P5X/P6X tubes that match closer to the dimensions and weight of the 7P!   

[rob103]

Ok, so I followed this thread with interest for a while now because in the very bottom of my "b" bag is an earlier version of this kite. Bought years ago and never flown ( by me) it's pretty well used , I did get it out to see if my logo was clean enough to do what you wanted, mine has turned pink. Any how I pulled it out sunday in high (17-23)mph gusty winds. Still havent got the grin off my face! Big, Loud,  obnoxious, and a ridiculous amout of fun. Pulled me all overthe field and even survived a few learning crashes teaching my son in law to fly. I think it will be moving to the a bag as soon as I see if it will fly in our normal 3-5 mph inland wind

[Lou]

I did get the logo transfered to a sail, well at least sail material and it looked good.  I'm actually still waiting on a manufacturer to provide the vinyl shop a type of press vinyl that has the thickness and texture of screen print paints in a off white to match the age of the sail.  Sadly here in Orlando, FL the inland wind comes and goes constantly.  To fly in 3-5 winds you will definitely need to have at least an entire 5P frame and most likely even 3P LEs.  The kite is obnoxious when it gets over 15mph but loads of fun.  Its like the Harley Davidson of kites.   

I did forget to post the images of thief's Team Uproar Nuke that I purchased and rebuilt but had unfortunately snapped a 7P lower spreader literally at take off.  The new tubes were received after hunting for a bit and she went back to flying again.  Of course it was 7mph winds max. and I was using 150# line.   

[coop]

Been watching this thread.
Of all the vintage kites I fly, I have never flown one of these.
Any similarity to an NSR?

[Lou]

Been watching this thread.
Of all the vintage kites I fly, I have never flown one of these.
Any similarity to an NSR?

I would say they were a lot like the TOTL NSR excluding the visible winglets on the Reactors.  Here is an excerpt about the NSR and quite honestly it's almost a word for word on how I would describe the Reactors.  Especially the Nuke in strong winds.

The NSR was a monster of a kite when it was first introduced. It was designed for competition and had a very aggressive sail design that produced quite an impressive amount of pull when the sail got loaded up. Another fun characteristic of this kite was that it produces a very low, Harley type thunder sound as it flies through the window. Old school kites all have one thing in common - they are FUN TO FLY!!! With some aggressive flying you could snap off perfectly sharp 90 degree turns and loud thundering figure 8's - this kite loved to be flown aggressivly. The flight characteristics are a somewhat slow, smooth and very solid feel through the lines, super stable, not “pitchy” at all, in fact this particular kite is rather difficult to trick with and is about impossible to do any of today’s new school tricks on. It can axle (with some work) and side slide, snap stalls are solid and perfectly square....but that’s about it folks! LOL.

[Allen Carter]

One of the big differences between a Reactor and a NSR is trickability.

The Reactor is more pitchy, so it goes under for flick flacks and fades and 540s easier. Nice axles. The standard weight "Pro" is best at this kind of thing. More well balanced. The 3P framed Lite is a bit harder to spin. The Nuke is sort of out of balance, with the heavy lower spreaders, but it's not bad. Of course the designer had no intention of balancing the kites for tricks. They were made to be World Cup level team kites.

I love these kites. 

[Lou]

Don't forget to send that info on your Reactor Pro Allen, I'm very interested!