There are several great kite makers. Within this group there are those rare individuals that have the “Merlin touch”, able to create kites that seem almost magical. There is something about them that make them exciting to fly. It’s not based as much on what they do as how they do it. There is a feedback that the kite seems to give that can’t be fully described. Mike Dean might describe is as built in AoxomoxoA. Anyone who has flown the Psycho will agree that Andy Preston has that touch. As soon as I put the Dot Matrix into the air, I knew this is one of those magical kites. No special trick combination was required to convince me how great this kite is; just the chance to fly it was enough. The only question remaining is who gets credit for the magic, Andy or Carl Robertshaw.

Carl is an European champion who used the Matrix by Andy. The Matrix is described as “It incorporates the best of precision flying with exceptional trick capability and outstanding controllable recovery.” Carl got permission to make a ¾ version of the Matrix, the Dot Matrix. The result is a cross between a Mini Gemini and an Outerspace. The kite is both graceful, and explosive. It is predictable but never boring. One moment it is an extreme radical trickster the next a calm controlled belletrist.

The Dot Matrix is made of 14 panels of Icarex PC 31 on a frame of Skyshark P100’s. The seams are folded double stitched of excellent quality. The nose cap is nicely done resulting in a tight fit that did not require hot cutting on the sides. The kite I reviewed is used, but there were no signs of wear in the construction. The center spine is tensioned with a Velcro flap. There are two equal length standoffs per side that are 4 ½ “ apart. It has winglets that are 3" long and nine inches from the wing tips . These are designed in a way that do not require removal for storage, plus the bag is wide enough to accommodate them. There is a leachline in the trailing edge that is tensioned thru the rubber band connector on the wingtips.
The bridle is a standard 3 point type. I did not get any documentation with the kite so I cannot be sure on this next part. Knowing that Andy Preston is behind it, I assumed the bridle to be along the lines of the Psycho and Stranger- not requiring adjustment for wind speed. From my personal experience, this was confirmed in that no changes were ever made to the bridle though I flew it in winds from 4 mph to 18+mph. Performance remained constant and consistent thru these wind conditions.

Regarding flight handling, I’m tempted to just say, “Don’t read what it can do, go experience it!” As the year is about up, there is talk on the ‘net about the best kite of the year. Though, the Dot Matrix is not new this year, it is new to the States. For me, it is the best kite I’ve flown this year! Watching this kite backspin in 4mph up through 18+ is amazing. But what sends it to the next level is then seeing it come out of the spin and effortlessly race across the shortest distance between two points. There’s no wobble, no searching for the right path, just bam- straight lines whenever and wherever the pilot wants them. I was amazed at how well the kite masters tricks without any touch of oversteer.

The way it side slides one would think it is a much larger kite than six plus feet. This is a kite that is not bound by the tricks of today, but is ready to discover new ones. One example is while attempting a sleeping beauty launch, I over tugged and sent the kite onto its back into the flapjack motion. By the time I picked my jaw up the kite had given up waiting for more commands and settled back on the ground. The list of what this kite can do is beyond space to write and beyond my abilities. This is a kite that will not disappoint. It is listed as an expert kite, now it will not make you one, but when you get there - it will be waiting for you.

Glen Warren