It’s been a while since we pumped out some pieces but here we are again. This time with something very special (at least for us).
Back in day in in 2006/07, when the high-end metal market was born, we got our hands on two yoyos we still treasure to this day. The Radian MKII by SPYY and the Air Rider by AnY. Both yoyos were way ahead of their time and blew us out of the water. Sadly, these models haven’t been in production for many years.
The Nostalgia
Frank remembers fondly what a thrill it was to purchase a high-end yoyo back then. It felt like there was only one or two big yoyo releases per month and everybody talked about just a hand full of models. Some of you might remember the Eetsit or Bapezilla for instance. The Air Rider was incredible expensive compared to what the marked had to offer at this time and a lot of thought went into the purchasing process for him – it was way over the budget. Frank thought day and night if it would be reasonable to put such a great amount of money on the table – it’s still just a toy, right? The final conclusion was: “Ah, whatever!” That’s usually not the sign of a rational decision, it was about passion. After the decision was made and the order had been placed the long wait for the overseas shipment with customs and all the hassle was quite nerve wrecking. He remembers tracking the package at least once a day and getting worried that the shipment might get lost in transit (what never happened once in all these years).
Finally throwing the Air Rider was thus even more exciting and Frank was quite afraid of damaging such a precious yoyo. The buying and playing experience is still memorable and vivid to this day and hasn’t been matched by any other yoyo – it was just special. Looking at the yoyo today still invokes all these memories and emotions.
When Dominik met Frank for the first time, his Radian was currently being shipped to Germany. However, Frank brought his Radian and Dominik was immediately hooked when he held it in his hands for the first time. Even though, Dominik got a Pyro a few months earlier (his first modern metal yoyo), the Radian put its spell on him. It’s still one of his favourite yoyos and thus it was only reasonable to pick the MK2 when the idea to recreate classics arose.
The Decision
Compared with to flooded market today with too many models from too many manufacturers that get released over a short time span, the increased price of high-end models and the consistent high quality of lower priced yoyos, it just does not feel as special anymore to purchase and receive a high-end metal yoyo. Most yoyos feel and look the same these days. With Shapes dialling in on competition style with straight v-profiles, finger-spin friendly hub areas and high RPM centre weight focused designs, we miss these classics even more. Naturally, nostalgia was a great factor that went into the decision of creating yoyos that are directly inspired by beloved classics. Because of this and the fact that both manufacturers are out of business by now, we decided to bring them back with ILYY flavour. On a side note: Frank always wanted an Air Rider with o-rings (Dominik still has one but is not willing to part with it), what was kind of hard to get back then.
Models & Specs
The Lightning is an homage to the AnY Air Rider with even more power and stability. The pads are gone and have been replaced by our trusted Hot Red sILYYcone response system and the typical metric bearing.
Diameter: 53.50mm
Width: 37.10mm
Weight: 67.80g
Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm
Coating: ILYY Candodize (Titanium Grey)
Material: 6082 AlMgSi1 Aluminium
Limitation: 10
The Thunder features a similar profile as the Radian does but has “edgier” contours and sports a large KMK bearing als well a our Hot Red sILYYcone response system.
Diameter: 53.90mm
Width: 40.00mm
Weight: 66.30g
Response: Hot Red SILYYcone
Bearing: ILYY KMK 6x13x5mm
Coating: ILYY Candodize (Titanium Grey)
Material: 6082 AlMgSi1 Aluminium
Limitation: 10
For the engravings, we’ve used a font called Sunbather from the Artist Nick Steinhardt that was used on the identically named album Sunbather by Deafhaeven.
Purchase & Production
These are just prototypes for now. We have not yet decided if we will follow up with a production run. These colours are only for the prototype batch, they might change for a release (if there will be one). The chances are slim, since we don’t expect any demand for yoyos with this “outdated” style as some testers called them. For now, there are 5 prototypes of each model available for sale. If you are interested, just send us an email.