The Ichiban had several design influences. Take a little Cody, add in a little Lynn, and maybe a touch of Bucky Fuller. Put it all in a mixing bowl with a good dash of BMK's secret seasoning, and you get something special and unique.

I've built a lot of kites over the years, but none gives me quite the youthful joy of having a toy on Christmas morning that I get with the first assembly of a new Ichiban. One minute, it's a big pile of frame parts and sail sections - and then suddenly it's something more, something that sometimes makes me say aloud to myself, "cool".

Is the Ichiban the perfect kite? No, probably not. It can be a head-scratcher to put together the first time, and it's not crazy about nasty wind.

The Ichiban has this great backwards glide when you slack the line, so it's a blast to play with at a windless festival, but it does take an active hand to keep it airborne at its lower threshold of about 3MPH.

Is it perfect? Maybe not. 😉 Is it worth it? Oh yeah! Ask the person that owns one.