The Rebel has not been changed much this year everybody tells me, little tweaks here and there, new one pump, new strut design no biggies. Thats cool with me as 2012 Rebel was very popular and I didnt spend time at the dealer meeting because i fell in love with the the Vegas.
I was pretty ready to spend some quality time with the 'good old' new Rebel today and especially keen to try the bigger sizes. I rode 10,11,12,13 and 14m in 12-18knts and liked them all.
I leave a proper review to others but here few points i like to mention to start discussion: 
Generally the 2013 Rebel feels lighter to fly.
Less bar pressure and more response on bar input on bigger 12,13 and 14 sizes. My favourite size was the 13m in todays conditions. In my opinion it turns as quick as the 2012 Rebel.
I think they have managed to make the sizes 12,13 and 14 faster. Especially the 14m doesnt feel like a truck anymore like 2010,2011 models.
This years Rebel sits a bit further forward in wind window than last years i reckon.
My recommendations for 2013 is to go one size bigger than last years Rebel in the sizes in 12,13,14m 
Overall fully sick them big Rebels if we only had 25knts and the 8m out...
I love the Blue Rebel. My favourite kite colour of all 2013 kites so far!
thats a good looking kite from the back
Keen to read more reviews enjoy testing in next few weeks ladies and gents 
Good one Marv , the colors don't look as harsh what I was expecting from earlier photo's of the 2013 gear.Have to agree , been riding the 13m ( 2012 model ) since January , this is a monster kite especially for us bigger boys ... And girls .
Why the "go one size bigger than last years" ??
Do you feel that this years are not as powerful ? I thought that by making them lighter etc they would feel better in the same size as last years.
Looking forward to a demo and checking out their construction.
Hi guys just had our demo day (no wind of course )but ive had the 9 mtr rebel for a while now, had it out in 35knts in fiji had lots of power then ! I found it jumped higher than last years in 20-25 and more float, more like the fuse, but it still turned like a rebel , relaunch might be slightly better but it was windy,bar pressure a little lighter, This is just my opinion so hope its interesting
Have fun
George
Sound good to me. I used to jump the 11m 2012 to ridiculous heights with stupid float that nearly had me land on a groin now and then. I kept having to crank up wind before I could jump, just so I could jump! Sounds like they have blended a good measure of the fuse in it which is a good thing. Didn't think they could make this kite any better.
Even if you have no wind at your Demo, pump the kite up and check it out. The Rebel features, design, construction and build quality are top! You will know what i mean when you touch it ;)
The Legendary..
What size 2013 Rebel would you recommend for a 115K bloke? Wind to size ratio.? Looking at picking up a 12M this weekend thats all...
Sheldon:
Experience
Wind strength target and hot/cold winds
Board Choice
and favourite TV series...
... I tried the 14m and it felt more polite than previous years so it also felt less power to me.
One of my mates got the 12m and was disappointed with the grunt so swapped for a 14m and loved it. He just about lost all his jumping prowess when he got last years Vegas, but instantly it all came back when he used the 14m Rebel, from upwind to hang. He said the only thing the Vegas did better was kiteloop, the only thing! He also seems to think the top end is better than previous years so you can afford to get the next size up from what you normally would ride.
cheers,
Robbie
Robbie i assume u mean the Vegas unhooks better not just kite loops. But isnt that the point of the Vegas anyway?????? Its North's Freestyle kite. Its like comparing chalk and cheese!
... yes your right, Vegas was better at unhooking too.
My mates favourite trick was one footer back/front spin, nice slow rotation, looked cool when steezed out. He rarely did them when on the Vegas, but then his favorite trick turned into the good old F16 but lost all the hangy jump stuff he used to love. Going back to Rebel he's back doing all the old school stuff and still F16's, they just doesn't look as stylish from my perspective as when done on the Vegas. He found for what he likes, the Vegas was too limited, not rounded enough where as the Rebel was. He qualifies all that with, thats what I think in the big sizes, dunno in the small sizes.
I have only had one good fly on my new 10m Rebel, and I am not really ready to do a proper review yet, we have had either too much or too little wind since I have it. I went from 11m to 10m this year mainly due to the fact that I am usually trying to let power out of the kite when surfing and with a directional and the fact that we only go out when its actually windy now days this is my biggest kite.
First impressions on a marginal wind flight perhaps 18knots average is that the kite is very smooth and steady, the increase over last year for smoothness is pretty hard since 2012 kites were so smooth and baalnced you could feel the difference from 2011. I felt that the 2013 was more Stable in the position you set it in the air rather than smoother that 2012 as that seems almost impossible. It gave me the feeling that you could detach the lines and the kite would stay wehre you left it travelling happilly forwards without need for your help. it sort of feels like it flys iteslf and is not working against you.
In the end I kind of forgot that I had a kite in the air, which is probably the best compliment a kite can have, leaving me to ride the waves.
It did not feel that much smaller than the 11m, in fact i could have been fooled into believing it was an 11m so it falls into the 10m-12m feeling of kite power and response, rather than 7m -10m. Improvements in flight characteristics may be slightly less bar pressure and increased turing speed, but that might be the drop in kite size, and as such that was not marked, infact it sort of surprised me that it was not overly whippy.
I like the improvements in the design with a thicker strutt at the leading edge to stiffen the movement between leading edge and strutts and the tapered strutts at the tips for flex on turning. The little additional straps for strength are excellent.
It left me feeling pampered, or just plain happy, such a userfriendly kite that seriously is so good, you can take it home to meet the parents.
The bar is great being able to swap the line position quickly with a snap change, and the iron heart is as always brilliant.
Hope to be able to really compare some characteristics soon
Dazza
Update
having had a few rides on the new kite I am ready to commit to the following:
1. Better upwind tracking, it heads upwind at an extremely close haul
2. Consistent steering / turning circle, x input = x turn, it does not gradually increase the speed or tighness of the turn, meaning that you don't have to pull hard to get it started then back it off as it starts to turn quicker, 2012 had this too but I think its better now
3. set and forget, the direction you last pointed it to is the direction it keeps flying without additional input, ie not having to hold the bar pressure in to keep it pointed up a bit, again this was quite good in 2012 but for me its a clear characteristic of the new kite.
4. easy relaunch - yes this was unfortunately tested out as I had some crap side offshore wind that lead to a little floatation action. don't know about 2012 never put it in the water
5. Bar pressure, maybe a touch lighter again this year but thats pretty hard to tell
6. the 10 has loads of grunt and I am happy having gone down to a 10 from an 11m, 15 knots plus on a directional is plenty of power.
Thats it for now
Okay sounds like they built a bit more forward turning in it then. That's great my biggest peeve was its pivotal turn, kite stalls then as you said would speed up again. That's a significant difference if that's the case. Great.
I actually got to ride the 14m Rebel yesterday at the Onboard Demo day, light winds at Grange. The Adelaide Airport recorder got to 11 knots during my ride, but I think the wind at the beach was 10-13 with a little 14 knot gust here and there
I took out the North 6' Cross Surf, at 70kg body mass I could stay up wind and have a good kite with no walking.
the kite felt really nice for a monster, quite light to turn and turns quick enough to get fast direction changes in the board with the kite ahead of your move. Don't get me wrong it is still a big kite and there is nothing you can do to compensate for the sheer size of a 14m, so it does not turn like an 10-12m kite, but it does turn well for a big kite. Bar pressure is light and easy.
It felt very light in the air, which is important for a big kite as you are definitely going to have lulls and moments of trying to keep the kite in the air in little wind. For me this is one of the Rebels best characteristics, the ability to hang in almost no wind. For a big kite it does sit up there in very little wind.
It did have a little residual power on the bar throw for the wake style action, but pulling the depower in released that somewhat, the dilema there being in light winds the power starts to come out of the canopy, for me it was best powered up to the max to get everything out of the light wind.
For Big muscle dudes or your local where you only get 10-15 knots I think this kite is really good
The Cross Surf was a great board with good float and great planning speed and it turned fast enough and flat for a bit of surfing fun in the tiny wavelets on the day, I think for a light to medium wind wave board in small to medium waves it was a good board, probably would start to max out in the big wind and big wave scene, which is more the kontact and proseries design.
More flying time and now the 7m tested:
I got to ride the 7m in some 20-28 knot winds, averaging around the 24 knot mark on my North Pro-series 6'2" board.
Nothing to learn here, launch the kite and whip it into position and you are away, no learning curve if you have flown rebels before. It a true super Rebel feel, the kite is extremely stable and has obvioulsy loads of hight wind potential.
Of note the kite was easy to turn with one hand with that consistent turning input. When riding waves just whip it from one side to the other following the bottom turn and reo as you go. Having the 10m now I thought I would try and use this kite as little as possible, just keep it in the bag and only when the wind got out of control, however having flown it now I feel like I want to ride it at every opportunity as the sensation of such a light free turning kite whilst riding waves is FAB.
the 10m and the 7m do have a fair cross over but in the cross over you would use the smaller kite for the freedom and quick light whip that a small kite provides.
the 7m has come so far from its 2007 beginings, now it nice to ride the ultimate kite, IMO
Daz
I recently upgraded from the 2010 rebel .It's hard to tell if the new rebel boosts any higher but its hang time is much better and landings tend to be softer. You definitely can go up wind alot better on the 2013 rebel, but it doesn't feel as grunty as the older rebels
i think the 2013 rebel floats alot better. i ride a 10m rebel most the time and can get some sweet air. ill post some pics up soon when i find some
