Bag expansion

Last year, I blogged about the acquisition of a pair of HQ Proline kite bags to house the Peter Powell collection. Well, since that time, the collection has grown significantly, to the point where it doesn't fit in two bag any more ...

Solution to this conundrum is pretty easy: get another HQ Proline bag, a green one this time, and again sourced from Kiteworld.

This new green bag, the smaller of the two versions available, will house the modern Mk III PP Stunters, leaving the smaller blue bag for the older UK PPs and the larger blue bag for the US kites.

Something tells me it won't be the last bag for the collection ...

US Mk II Stunter

When it comes to American PP Stunters, I've got in my collection a triple-stack of the 3' Stunter, a smaller version of the basic Stunter, and I've got the The Monster, a 6-foot version. But up to now, I hadn't managed to get my hands on a 'standard' American Stunter. That's changed now, with the addition of an American Mk II to the collection!

It's similar to UK-produced Stunters in most way, but it does feature an extra spar at the back of the kite, similar to the extra spar of The Monster:

The Mk II feels quite heavy on the lines, and is relatively sluggish response to input. This is definitely different compared to UK Stunters. I'm not sure what the cause of this is, although the extra spar of course increases the weight of the kite.

You may have noticed something missing: a tail. I must admit it was quite strange to fly a PP Stunter without a tail!

Now the kite didn't come with a tail, but that in itself is easily remedied. However, according to the 1991 catalogue, the "kite is flown without a tail".

Well, who am I to disagree with a PP catalogue?

BP Stunter

Earlier this year, I wrote about me getting my hands on a BP promo Peter Powell. It needed some TLC: the tail part had been fixed with duct tape, but this had lost its adhesiveness over the years.

Rather than simply replace the strip of tape, I decided to make the repair a bit more thorough, and use green duct tape to keep within the colour scheme of the kite. After all, it also came with a green tail!

So here's the BP kite, ready for take-off at our primary flying field!

Personally, I'm very happy with how the repair came out. Even though it's not original, it certainly looks like it could be.

And it looks very good in the sky, with its green tail.

I have no idea how many BP Peter Powells were produced, but whether one or a hundred, it's a very nice addition to my collection!