Hey Guys I recently bit the bullet and took a chance to upgrade my Foiling gear to the SIgnature performance series game changer 1260 I thought I would share my experience as I could not find much information on this new wing and believe honest reviews really help other foiling addicts. Hopefully this is not to long a text!


I was riding the Axis 910 and 760 and 1010 and 900 as my current quiver I have also used Gofoil Kai, Eva and Gl140 gear and was pretty sold on the axis but I was looking more of a surfing feel and felt the axis gear was good but could be better surfing wise as in turning and just overall speed and predictably near whitewater with tighter turns and pumping speed felt slow with the 910 and Hardly any pumping ability on the 760.
Then the new black series was coming out but you had to buy a full new fuse to fit this and I had only just upgraded to axis apparently great surf wing the 760 that well wasn't that great personality it pumps average to poor at best and super tough to get connections, so I was put off to have to buy new wings and new fuse for any future gains with axis and felt the fuse upgrade was not worth it for me .
So I went down a rabbit hole on the internet with reviews and contacting people on Instagram would were riding newer more high performance gear and full carbon set ups.

Where I am located Sydney you pretty much only see Gofoil and Axis so it tough to look before you buy with anything else. I narrowed my search down to Signature, Armstrong and Kujira after many text emails etc I felt the new signature game changer ticked all the boxes as I was told over and over by non sponsored riders how good it surfed and pumped and that it didn't freak out around whitewater so I pulled the pin and brought the 1260 Game Changer with flat sprint tail and small and Medium fuse.

First impressions were wowed, I was stoked right out of the box with the quality finish of the full carbon set up and the lack of bolts that I had to fuse around with the way the signature gear went together was mint, smooth and tight zero play anywhere and the new modular fuse system I think is awesome and super user friendly to set up,, also love how you are not bashing anything to get it on aka Gofoil pass me a hammer what the hell is going on there?!

Now first surf with the new game changer the instant thing I noticed was paddling the board with the full carbon set up the thing floats!! The foil floats so this gave me a few extra liters of floatation in my prone board something I always happy to gain as well paddling is not fun and it was easier to catch waves just slightly but I definitely felt the difference from the heavier axis gear.

Then riding the new gear the game changer felt way easier on take offs it did not wanna boost me out of the water with to much lift it was more of a smoother lift I could even pop it up earlier if I wanted earlier lift or let it come up slower something I had never had felt before I really loved how this wing felt from the very first wave I was happy very happy. I have moved the mast forward of where I would have run my axis 910 of similar size.

surfing the game changer it feels unreal it would be the most surfy short board style wing I have felt and it also pumps great it feels faster and smoother throughout the pump and covers more ground easier and more efficiently. My honest opinion was it felt like going from a tugboat 910 axis to a race car I fell in love with the game changer instantly and had full foil froth all over again like how it was at the start of my foiling journey, I just really clicked with how this wing feels just more predictable and more user friendly I found myself in places on waves where my other gear could not go.

The game changer is also a lot more back footed foil for me this feels more natural than using my front foot for all the leg work and pressure I guess this back foot feel is closer to short boarding which is something I was chasing. I have shimmed the tail wing which has made it more even foot pressure but still more back fitted.
So far the Medium fuse is more stable and a slightly longer pump action, then the short fuse is more zippy and tighter turns also pumps quicker.
I have been loving the game changer and was happy with my decision which was scary for me as the foil wasn't cheap but still I thought great prices compared to other full carbon set ups. I had never seen one in the flesh only on the internet and questioning other riders for honest feedback made my decision.

On a side note I did not think I would notice the difference from aluminium gear to full carbon as I did not seem to notice it before in my earlier foiling days, but now I 100% notice that difference and love the full carbon set up for my future I would stick to full carbon.

hopefully this helps anyone who is in similar experience to me and wondering what is out there with other gear or looking into the signature gear.

cheers Dan

They do look good. Rode the older SPG stealth and enjoyed it but found a little flexy for SUP @105kg, I think the game changer has resolved that. Really nice feel on the wave. Thanks for putting the effort into the review.

hilly said..
They do look good. Rode the older SPG stealth and enjoyed it but found a little flexy for SUP @105kg, I think the game changer has resolved that. Really nice feel on the wave. Thanks for putting the effort into the review.

Cheers Hilly it's something I think the more information we can get out there on gear the better and easier it is for everyone.

yeah I heard this is a new mast and new system updated from the old one apparently it's stiffer than the older version but is slightly heavier now.

though at 105 kilos the 1260 game changer would be probably be to small for you I'm only 75 kilos, though your WA juice would even things out in the waves lol
I do love the look of the Armstrong stuff sounds epic so cool to have great gear available right now

Piros said..
Nice review Dan

Cheers legend I'm just learning from your notes

Nice writeup. You think the 1260 game changer turns better than the AXIS 760? That's pretty impressive. I agree the 760 was a chore to pump, loved the way it turned though.

Why did you go for the bigger game changer and not the smaller 900?

The website still mentions a weight limit for their mast. I'm about 80kg, and trying to find a game changer right now. I'd like to go the smaller one, but not sure.

Edit: I know people downwind on the small Kujira. Do you think downwinding would be possible on the 1260 Game Changer?

hilly said..

dtm said..though at 105 kilos the 1260 game changer would be probably be to small for you I'm only 75 kilos, though your WA juice would even things out in the waves lol

I do love the look of the Armstrong stuff sounds epic so cool to have great gear available right now

I use the Armie 1050 and 1250 which give plenty of lift even in small waves. I suggest you try some smaller foils, they are faster and more agile.

100% agree Hilly was purely a money thing I could only afford one wing at the time and wanted a one wing quiver, I always start with a bigger wing that will cover micro waves to anything. Then as I get more $$ upgrade the quiver with smaller wings.

same as building up a shortboard quiver buy an all rounder then add to it from there

toppleover said..
I would have grabbed a Gamechanger if there was stock at the time I was looking.
I rode the GC1260 back to back with a HS1250 & much preferred the performance of the GC but some might prefer the Armie.

Yeah I really rate it also super fun wing

Not sure I posted this here or not. I rode a 195 gamechanger last week. It seems they switched to the smaller # to identify them. It's the bigger one. I'm 6'1", 185# and ride a 4'6" prone board. Right now on a lift ha170.

The gamechanger pumps I'd say near as good as any other high aspect. It rolls way better, but isn't unstable. I rode the flat tail, didn't measure it, and that let you roll the whole foil with your back foot the way I like. It was very neutral in lift. I would've preferred a little bit of a tail shim I think. In that regard it rode exactly like the old original signature wings I've ridden.

Really fun, not different enough for me to spend money at the moment though. It did not allow me to do strapless airs just by being on that foil :)

nosha said..
Great review Mate! Thanks for spending the time on this! I have just made the move from Axis to GC1260. Struggling a bit to adjust as they are sooo different but looking forward to getting a feel for the new setup!

Remember that Signature needs to be ridden more forward than Axis on the box.

My friend has a 1260 GC but he can't use it on his Fanatic surfboard as the box are too much at the back.

Yeah I agree they ride more forward in your boxes than axis as the GC doesn't have the heavy lift on take off it's a more back footed surfing wing. I personally shim my tail wing a fair amount to have a more even footed feel and more push back on the front foot.

nosha said..

Yes! I have worked that out already! It's definitely forward in the box. I actually ride a Fanatic 4'8 for prone with the GC1260 and unfortunately it doesnt seem like a match made in heaven. Fanatic have alot of rocker as well so have had to shim the base plate (and tail wing) to get some good lift happening.

Ive been told tho that having the mast forward in the box can make it harder to ride (learn) making it more u unstable and twitchy! Thoughts!?

What fuse length & tail are you using?

That should imo be ok, have heard the Apex tail is the most stable of Sig tails. Those flat tails can feel a little loose sometimes.

kobo said..

nosha said..
Medium fuse and 18" sprint tail. 3mm base shim (3rd pic) helps me to be able 2 move the mast back a little bit more in the box. Orange tail shim. Im 75kg

Can use more base plate shim on those 4'8 fanatics if you like .....I had a 7mm one on mine to get the mast plate parallel to the deck and it worked great with an Army foil set.

Thanks Mate great info! I agree id much prefer to shim the base plate as the 1st option at it allows to move the mast further back in the box without affecting drag (tail shimming). Ill see where I can find a thicker one!

I planed one up out of a $10 nylon chopping board ......worked great, cheapest bit f foiling gear you'll ever have??

Nice foil screws too Kobbo, where did you source them from mate ?

kobo said..
Haha.....Bunnings, only a few bucks each 316 S/S. Use them with new wings until I get the mast position dialed.Easy to change on the water.Threads are nice and long too, so you can just cut em off depending on how thick your mast wedge is.

Nice job Kobo! Would appreciate a few tips on how you held the chopping board while you were planing ..

Thanks

Try this