[Innova] Thunderbird

[Pbmercil]

I came to ask the folks throwing the Thunderbirds how they'd fit in between my Teebirds and Destroyers as a tweener. Looks like I've gotten my answer! W/in this page and the one before it there are 2 posts describing exactly what I'm trying to do. Hopefully it'll work out! Right now I've got an Orc in that slot, but it's a little flippy at times, specifically fighting a headwind. I think the Thunderbird will be exactly what I'm looking for. Thoughts?

A fresh thunderbird will work that slot great. I have no idea how these are going to hold up to breaking in though. Normally a I expect a max weight stable driver to need a good bit of breaking in before I get a good flight out of it, but my thunderbirds are right there fresh out off the box. Its a very really possibility that they'll get a bit flippy, more like a broken in orc, after a while. Too early to say for sure

 

[Shooter14]

A fresh thunderbird will work that slot great. I have no idea how these are going to hold up to breaking in though. Normally a I expect a max weight stable driver to need a good bit of breaking in before I get a good flight out of it, but my thunderbirds are right there fresh out off the box. Its a very really possibility that they'll get a bit flippy, more like a broken in orc, after a while. Too early to say for sure

Awesomesauce. In McB's most recent ITB he was talking about one of his losing decent stability from one or two good road hits or something. In the end it can't be any WORSE than the Orc I don't think.

 

[ThomasOrion]

I got out to use the THUNDERBIRD I have. (168g blue Champ)

This was the disc I have been looking for for quite some time.
I have a mixed bag, but one of my favorite sets was my RR, Valk, Firebird. The THUNDERBIRD fits perfectly between the Valkyrie and the Firebird. It basically flies very straight with mild turn off to the right until low speed then it hyzer finishes soft.

I was able to pipe a shot at BRP straight through a gap, then fade into the opening (where I always try to aim) Finally hit it perfectly. Second shot is over a swamp/pond (thats OB...though frozen)
I through basically the same shot hit a gap then gently faded following the curve of the trees...truly....2 great shots in a row that had to go straight then fade perfectly to avoid any trees.

I was about 5 feet from the basket, putt in for a 3....Birdie (as its a par 4) Only my 3rd birdie on that hole, and my other times i had to make a putt, like 40-100 ft shot. It's a tough hole and I tossed it well with the bird.

I used it a lot in other straight accuracy drives....its very comfortable, good flight, handles power but it not very Overstable......its awesome. Maybe my new favorite disc.
I'd rate it 9/5/-0.5/1.5

That's just how it seemed to fly for me.
I love the Thunderbird. I'm glad I picked one up.

 

[ThrowinGhost]

I've had a lot of time now with my First Run Champ Thunderbird, and I recently picked up a Star Thunderbird from the factory store, and those two discs are slowly taking over most of my shots. They fit between my Outlaws/Destroyers and Teebird perfectly. At first I thought these would replace teebirds for me, but my beat in Totem teebird is much more controllable when powered down. The Thunderbirds just fade out a little harder for me at times when thrown short. I still have a Firebird for strong headwinds and hyzers, but the Thunderbirds are taking some of those shots now too. With these, the Outlaw, and the Gauge all coming out this year, 2014 has been a great year for go to discs in my bag.

 

[Magicweed]

I finally got a chance to throw the Thunderbird a little closer to sea level and I wasn't disappointed. It's a long control driver that has no issue hitting 380-400 ft every time I throw it. It took a little adjusting compared to playing at 6000ft, but as soon as I did I was rewarded. My Asia Open Thunderbird slipped the slightest bit right and finished with a predictable fade inside the circle on a 415ft hole. I really want to see how the Star stacks up the next time I hit the course.

 

[ranger]

Any idea if star will go into normal production?

 

[ThomasOrion]

I sense this disc will be a staple in many bags. I have no doubt it will be made in many many plastics and variations for a long time.

I love this disc, and the Champ plastic run it's in is very jolly rancher. and very tacky nice.

 

[ncgamedog]

I know I may catch heat for this, but...
I'm kinda disappointed in the Thunderbird. It's pretty wimpy out of the box. My 175 champ has significant turn, especially w any headwind. I'd compare it more to a longer seasoned Eagle-x than a Teebird. But like a Teebird it doesn't seem to like shaping shots as much as an eagle. I can see why people might like it as a tweener, but it's not doing anything my pearly Orcs don't already do, and the Orc shapes shots more comfortably.

Maybe I was just hoping it would be closer to a C-PD. I have a hard time finding non-plus mold C-PDs that are flat or in a good feeling plastic. The Thunderbird JL plastic feels superb and it feels familiar in hand, but I was hoping for a tad more beef.

 

[smarkquart]

I will not go so far as to say that I am disappointed, but the Star I am trying to season is still not quite there yet. It also could be a matter that once the weather turns cold and the grip gets a little slick, my wrist does not like to fire and or I overcompensate my grip, causing micro-griplocks. When it is like this, the only discs that fly well for me are mids and thinner-rimmed drivers.

The last weekend the best, most consistent driver for me was my TeeBirds. The Thunderbirds and Trespasses I was throwing along side it had their moments, but spread over two rounds I also had my share of misfires and whatnot.

My Star Thunderbirds may eventually become longer TeeBirds, but for the time being when it comes to precision, the TeeBird still rules in my bag.

I know I may catch heat for this, but...
I'm kinda disappointed in the Thunderbird. It's pretty wimpy out of the box. My 175 champ has significant turn, especially w any headwind. I'd compare it more to a longer seasoned Eagle-x than a Teebird. But like a Teebird it doesn't seem to like shaping shots as much as an eagle. I can see why people might like it as a tweener, but it's not doing anything my pearly Orcs don't already do, and the Orc shapes shots more comfortably.

Maybe I was just hoping it would be closer to a C-PD. I have a hard time finding non-plus mold C-PDs that are flat or in a good feeling plastic. The Thunderbird JL plastic feels superb and it feels familiar in hand, but I was hoping for a tad more beef.

 

[cjman]

I can see why people might like it as a tweener, but it's not doing anything my pearly Orcs don't already do, and the Orc shapes shots more comfortably.

My buddy said the same thing while watching me throw a jl thunderbird for the first time. A cpd is a better long Teebird, not this disc.

 

[ncgamedog]

My buddy said the same thing while watching me throw a jl thunderbird for the first time. A cpd is a better long Teebird, not this disc.

Yeah. My Control Driver Lineup is: 1st run C-PD, Pearly Orc, PFN Champ Sidewinder.

There's not really an open slot in there for the Thunderbird. I was hoping it would kick the C-PD out, but it doesnt stand a chance. If/when I ever run out of my Orc supply i could transition to it, but I'd really rather just throw a beat FB or Felon.

 

[zmannz1984]

My JL is getting straight pretty quickly. My forehand skills suck and it still working for that, but I was overthrowing RHBH hyzers with ease this weekend. My G* is staying beefier than the JL since it has such a high plh. I am going to look for another JL one and try again.

 

[justinf67]

So, I finally tried this disc out, in gstar as I didnt know how beefy the champ ones would be. I also bought an Opto Saint to compare it against. In all testing, the Saint outperformed it thus far. Hyzer lines, flat and anhyzer. I found the Saint to fight out of anhyzer late and finish, while the gstar held the line to the ground. the saint has more glide and got more distance for me. Its not a bad disc, but gstar is def not for me. Champ prob would be a better option for me.

 

[grotto]

I guess there are differences out there. I don't have Champion, but my G* started out as a meat hook and after a few months, it's breaking in nicely. And I tried a Saint and it wasn't anything different from my Valkyrie.

I'll have to check the PLH on my Thunderbird.

 

[justinf67]

I throw trilogy and yes a Saint is like a Valk in Goldline plastic. The opto is a bit beefier. The thunderbird I had wasn't domey, the saint had a bit of dome

 

[ncgamedog]

Saints in any plastic are fliptastic. The Saint Pro might be more comparable to the Thunderbird, only on paper for me. They fly too differently to call it a good comparision.

 

[StevieWraithVaughan]

My glow Thunderbird flies just like my T3 but longer. I use the two for the same types of shots based on distance.

ultimately its a great disc for me that is dependable and likely my go to driver.

 

[Pbmercil]

Yeah. My Control Driver Lineup is: 1st run C-PD, Pearly Orc, PFN Champ Sidewinder.

There's not really an open slot in there for the Thunderbird. I was hoping it would kick the C-PD out, but it doesnt stand a chance. If/when I ever run out of my Orc supply i could transition to it, but I'd really rather just throw a beat FB or Felon.

lol in defense of the thunderbird there aren't many molds that will stick when they're up against the old school orcs!

I think my JL may be beefier then yalls. No turn out the box but, but I was hoping they would start out beefier and break in to about where they start at. My main thrower JL has smoked a couple of trees pretty well and is starting to turn a little bit, but not much. I wouldn't mind if it ended up breaking in to being fairly straight, though that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. My metal flakes on the other hand are still bringing the beef, which is great

 

[scotnt73]

My gstar is perfectly straight with a nice fade at the end. At 350 feet distance it flies like my old broken in PD. If you love PDs there's not going to be a huge reason to switch.

If however, you want a broken in PD or a disc to grab when its a little too windy for your teebird, this is a great disc. This disc will not replace a firebird. I will not reach for it in really high winds but it works great on non gusting winds.

 

[ncgamedog]

My gstar is perfectly straight with a nice fade at the end. At 350 feet distance it flies like my old broken in PD. If you love PDs there's not going to be a huge reason to switch.

If however, you want a broken in PD or a disc to grab when its a little too windy for your teebird, this is a great disc. This disc will not replace a firebird. I will not reach for it in really high winds but it works great on non gusting winds.

I def trust my JL Teebird into a headwind more than the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird represents that 375-400ft range for me. I suppose powered down into the 350-360 range it would be more HSS like a Teebird. I'm, admittedly, not the best at ranging my power. I've been working on it, and can dial back in a range of 15-20 ft, but to jump back a couple speed levels (9 vs 7) I loose my timing and accuracy. IOW, trying to accurately throw a 9 speed disc at a 7 speed level is hard as hell for me lol. That lack of ability, does force me to carry more molds/speeds to cover my game. I carry 4 putters, 4 mids, 4 FWs, 3 CDs, 3 DD's, and 2 FH -(Boss/Felon). Thats a ton of plastic, but I use them all. Maybe not every round, but I do. I would like to trim the fat some, and I could in a couple slots (2 TBs & an EX). I could probably cut my FWs and mids down. I just dont find myself using FWs much anymore. I pretty much go from putter straight to CDs.