Finding Flistopia

[Daddyisabar]

Finding Flistopia
Based on a true story.
One day last year when I was but a wee BAR I took my 36 D Squared to the club’s field for some really high end D powered cluster flying. Upon arrival I found a group of rocketeers who had the air of hardened low power veterans. Little did I know that I had met up with a wily band of "Flisonians", where upon I attempted to engage them in a delightful round robin discussion of the virtues of the 36 D Squared. I pointed out the Play Boy-esq shapeliness of the fins, the kewl see though gap between the tubes, the subtle roundness of the nose cone and last, but not least, the lovely Air Force stickers I bought at Hobby Lobby that almost covered up the spiral grooves. Needless to say, my overtures were brutally rejected. They spoke of ejection baffles and ducting while I could only spew dog barf. Not yet being clip whipped into submission I had the unmitigated Gaul to compare the 36 D to the majestic Deuces Wild, where upon I was again schooled in the fine art of canted motors, friction fitting and spectacular smoke trails. I asked “what, what do I do?” After a brief pause they simply said “Keep flying Estes and when you stick you hand into the pile of goo that used to be your best rocket, you will know what to do.”

On the 5th launch the rubber shock cord broke, resulting in a cracked fin and a long, long walk to recover the nose section. Standing alone in the field with the shattered 36 D in hand, I began my journey on the road to Flistopia. I now knew there were other options out there, but that I would have to give up the hard habit of the 40-50% off coupons. Not being able to beat the Flisonians I would have to join them, or perish on the low power rack.

Now, like the Dark Father said in that movie, my journey to the Flis side is complete, for I have completed my first FlisKit. When I left Estes I was the learner, now I am the Master. With my new found skills I can fill the spirals, smell the dopey sealer and wet sand primer to my heart’s content. The gates of Flistopia have opened and I will never go back to laser cut fins or RFT (Ready For Trash) models. I am truly Born Again and Free at Last, Free at Last!

Look for the next installments:
My trip to Zoochville and Back Again.
Sunward Ho!
Riding the Starlight Express

Tell me your story.

[BsSmith]

I have several citizenships, I used to be an Estesian, but I have since explored the other worlds, not finding a complete home.

I too am a Flisonian, but I'm also a citizen of Aerotechia, LOCtania, Giantleapa, and I am just settling into Scratchville. Good luck in your journeys!

[brianc]

Now, like the Dark Father said in that movie, my journey to the Flis side is complete, for I have completed my first FlisKit.
No journey to Flistopia is complete until photos have been posted....









:D

[jflis]

What can I say. Priceless! :)

[Daddyisabar]

They aint Pro Builds like some of the other rockets I've seen on this forum, but at least I used some filler and sealer and I won't be too upset with flight damage. Adfecta needs floor polish - hopefully the silver paint won't react -and just finishing up the T-Bird and starting the TRES.

[Daddyisabar]

O.K. I see the photos also prove that I have become a Zoochnik as well. Admitting to all of these lables is only one step on the path towards total rockethaulism.

[mjennings]

T-Bird is nice, I don't have one but I've seen a half finished one so I have an idea of the work that goes into it. All around nice looking rockets you got there.

[jflis]

They aint Pro Builds like some of the other rockets I've seen on this forum, but at least I used some filler and sealer and I won't be too upset with flight damage. Adfecta needs floor polish - hopefully the silver paint won't react -and just finishing up the T-Bird and starting the TRES.

You did a great job on those kits! They look great :)

[graylensman]

My primary residence is in Scratchville, but I can tell you that occasional but vital shipments from the Flistopia factories keeps me alive. Unfortunately, the Wonderful Wizard of Flis does not accept scratchbucks as currency. :p

[Pantherjon]

Flistopia..isn't that just up a piece from Semrocville? :p

Nice fleet of rockets there! :D

[Davidtmp]

I have read on TRF how great the Deuce is. How great Flis Kits are. Blah, Blah, Blah. Everyone seems to have a Deuce, but I can't remember seeing one fly. Soooooo, I did what any BAR in their right mind would do, I got my Deuce coming to the launch on Sat. Yes, I too am about to enter the.......FlisZone. :)

[abw]

If you were planning on buying a single Fliskit (yes, only one) which one would you buy?

[Daddyisabar]

If you were planning on buying a single Fliskit (yes, only one) which one would you buy?
In Flistopia you have them all. There is no scarcity and life is just Zen and the Art of Rocketry Maintenance. In the real world, if you have to choose one petal from the rose, one beauty from the pageant, then I would go with Miss United Kingdom, the Thunderbird. She evokes the era of Bond and the last glorious days of the Empire. Alas, I see the Borealis in the build pile and have been dreaming of the Night Whisper. Fliskits are like them dern tater chips - you can't build just one!

[Trident]

Daddy:

Methinks it would be wise to open up the shop windows and let the paint fumes out! I'm building a Dueces Wild now, and while I'm pretty stoked, I'm not anywhere near your level of Eternal Flis just yet ...
:)

[DAllen]

I don't see any mention of Estesville or Questland. Has anyone been to either of those places lately? I've been hanging out in Scratchland for a looooong time.

-Dave

[mjennings]

If you were planning on buying a single Fliskit (yes, only one) which one would you buy?

NO I agree you can't buy just one. I bought two deuces on my first trip to Flistopia.

If you can decide on just one to buy start there. Jim's got a little bit of everything, scifi, scale, sport, helicopter, glider, staged, odd ball, and some that fall in multiple categories. I'm not gonna say you need a Deuce because everyone else has one.

Spend some time on the site buy what you like.

Bottom line is Jim's kits have great directions, creative and thought out design, he leaves ample opportunity for you to express your creativity (for example you see very few deuces with the yellow and blue face card paint scheme), and he goes not the extra mile but the extra five miles in the area of customer service.

[abw]

I guess I'll have to get them all then! Maybe Jim should set up a "deluxe-combo pack" with ALL of the Fliskits! Perhaps a rocketeer's best Christmas present ever?

[jj94]

I guess I'll have to get them all then! Maybe Jim should set up a "deluxe-combo pack" with ALL of the Fliskits! Perhaps a rocketeer's best Christmas present ever?

The Flisfleets?

[Daddyisabar]

Based on a true story.
One day after the Butyrate vapors had cleared I set upon a Questestes to find that elusive road to Zoochville. Heading South out of the Mile High City I passed the zoomie school and at the base of the Purple Mountain’s Majesty I was finally able to clear my mind and cleanse the soul by entering the great halls of Apogeeum. There, I found the man who can summon fire without flint or tender; yes, some call him "Tim." It was there I found that rocketopia is based on pure logic and impeccable technique. The secrets are all contained in a codex with several pretty rockets on the cover. You can also talk to the machines, who, through the purest form of mathematics, actually predict if your rocket will crash. After witnessing these miracles and becoming versed in the ways of science, I gazed upon kits costing more than two Benjamins. Yes, these are the ones Daddy is really dreaming about. While in the great hall I also discovered other kewl kits that will instantly transform you into a Dynastartrix.
Having left all my Benjamins in the great hall I could only afford to climb Pike’s Peak. Looking South I thought I saw Penrose, where the giant May Bell lives. Beyond, there was P. Springs, the home of Questestes. Gazing even farther there was a hot land where Sheri launches the Gemini Titan with the twin aluminum nozzles. Alas, my purse was much too empty to entertain such grandiose visions.
Looking East I finally found the road to Zoochville, winding its way through the amber waves of grain, past the rocket eating trees, beyond the hanging power lines, all the way to the sailor’s school. But then I decided the East Coast was much too silly and that I should head back north and finally fix that kit from Estestes they said had fins that looked like brestestes.
Back in the basement I opened both the AreoGloss and the SIG, finding that after awhile I was only reading the Portuguese sections of the Sunward instruction sheet. In my opinion AreoGloss smells much worse, whereas SIG has a sweat meat smell, like pork.

[mjennings]

yes, some call him "Tim."

LOL, nice.

Check my review on the afore mentioned Book of rocketry, (in the reviews section).

Brother Maynard reminds you to always properly count down to launch, thou shalt push the button at 0 thou shall not launch at one unless proceeding to zero.

[Daddyisabar]

We could have used Brother Maynard at our last launch as several of kids, some not so small, where a little happy on the launch button. I guess you just get so exicited you just can't wait aonther second or two.

[Daddyisabar]

Based on a true story.
Adfecta was ready to go. Hand cut balsa fins and nosecone filled with Elmer’s putty, nearly grain free, almost like glass. Silver metallic paint covered in floor polish – no peel, decals on straight, real old school. She was a purdy bird and I was ready for my inaugural Flis Kit launch; Flistopia was only moments away. The Pad Fuehrer asked what motor was in there and I replied using my best voice from the little hooker in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, “Dat motor an Eee Nine Fo.” I say “Dat motor make boom - boom long time.” I say “Dat rocket go very, very high, me so scare…” Nice weather, big crowd on hand. 3-2-1 Launch! Press the button and let her fly.

I aimed for the sky and missed! Ten feet above the rod and whoosh – whoosh- whoosh, kart wheels in the sky, windmills in my mind! Another second and she went squirrelly above the crowd. Scream! Gasp! Missed the Cadillac by inches-feet-yards, NAR insurance still in tact. “LANDSNAKE!” “FIRE!” “RUN MEN, RUN!” Save the children! Run duck and cover! Where’s the BUNKER?! I ran like the British at the Battle of New Orleans, through the black powder smoke drifting off the range and into places where a rabbit could not go. POP! The ass end shot backwards and the dog barf flew. All I could here was Colonel Koch whispering “THE HORROR, THE HORROR.” There she lay in the soft wet prairie grass just below the sight of Red Rocks amphitheater and the foot hills of the majestic Rocky Mountains. Many seasoned rocketeers had run over to see the carnage. I gently pulled the very sharp nose cone out of the dirt and revealed the damage that was. Lost was ½ of each of the two pointy red decals on the nose cone.

What had gone wrong? Maybe the shock cord was packed in to tight. Maybe my head wasn’t screwed on just right. I reasoned like the sophists in ancient Greece who had actually invented jet power, if you think about something long enough you will find the answer. Well, I had mind simmed the Adfecta many times, envisioning a beautiful flight above the clouds and amongst the Gods of Olympus. What I had found in reality was Fliptopia-Dystopia. As in that first black and white David Lynch film you could have drilled into head and pulled out nothing but a tube shaped eraser. The Pad Fuehrer applied the scientific method and balanced the rocket on his finger. With the spent motor the CG was just at the bottom of the fin strake. The order of the universe is actually governed by the stead fast laws of motion as outlined by Newton. I can now move with confidence into at least an eighteenth century mind-sim. Embarrassed and ashamed I had to admit that I had indeed read the directions in the Sunward kits that insisted in two languages, American and Portuguese, that you NEVER FLY AN UNTESTED ROCKET. After 406 launches, number 407 would earn me the right to wear an unstable T-Shirt.

It was a long, long walk back to the car, like that Sheen kid getting off the plane in Platoon, though the crowd, each with a thousand-yard stare, and then realizing the Gates of Flistopia had been slammed shut. Then I thought of that old refrain: I get knocked down, but I get up again, your never going to keep me down. Emailed Jim, he is sending me a 12 inch upper tube to replace the 8.6 inch one in my kit. In the mean time I will fly it on a D and try to stick some modeling clay on the back side of the nose cone, giving the Flisonians some sci-fi story of how the ship is now infected like the Klingon ship in that Next Gen episode. Yea, that’s the ticket, I meant to do that.

Flistopia Lost. My daughter’s new kitten only knocked one rocket off the table: the Thunderbird I was saving for my first sports scale competition, nose cone gouged, booster tip damaged, fin joint cracked. Then the first ever rub off decal I applied to my new Nike-Tres peeled off. Well, I have heard bad things happen in threes so the Tres incident should be my last bump on the road to Flistopia.

[MarkII]

I hold dual citizenship in Flistopia and the Semroc Nation. :D

I spend the summer months shuttling back and forth between my homes on various worlds in the United Solar Planetary Federation. I hope to one day get a seat on the Hobbicron Industrial Empire Board of Directors. Flistopia isn't just a place; it is a state of mind. ;)

MarkII

[jflis]

Well...


...OUCH!

Pop me an email, I want to find out what happened there... What condition is the Adfecta in??

jim

[MarkII]

Based on a true story.
Adfecta was ready to go. Hand cut balsa fins and nosecone filled ...
I am sorry for your loss. As a wise, bearded and bespectacled man in a wide-brimmed hat told me once, "Flistopia wasn't built in a day! Buck up, boy - the journey has just begun!"

__________________________________________________ ______________

... Anyhoo, as I was saying, I hitched a ride on a Night Whisper over to Corona City on Flistopia (veterans like me get to ride on military transport craft for free). While I was there, I happened to catch an act at the Rhino Room. An alien from the Horsehead Nebula was up on stage, his reptilian skin swathed in a white suit, and he had an antique Terran banjo slung around what I took to be his neck. He appeared to be some kind of stand-up comic, because he had a fake Stingray "Stinger" Lance arranged so that it appeared to have impaled one of his heads (I could only wish!). I walked in just as he was delivering his signature punch line, "Let's get small...! (http://www.fliskits.com/products/rocketkits/mmx_main.htm)" Well, I tell you, when I heard that, I.... :D

MarkII

[Daddyisabar]

Based on a true story.
Emailed Jim, he is sending me a 12 inch upper tube to replace the 8.6 inch one in my kit.

Dear Mr. Flis
This has already been taken care of. Much to the shigrin of the crowd the rocket suffered no damage except for partially scratched off decals and a ding on the nosecone.

[jflis]

OH!

Well, at least I'm consistent... :)

[Daddyisabar]

Stuck some modeling clay behind the nose of the Adfecta and made it look like an asteroid integration design, at least that was my story. Flew straight on a D12-5, ejection at apogee, drifted a ways due to the wind but stayed out of the lake. Flistopia awaits.

The Thunderbird was my Sports Scale entry. Flew perfectly straight on a C6-3, ejection at apogee, landed just off the range in soft grass, still managed to crack the fin joint on the booster. If I were to build it again I would go through the wall or add some cardstock reinforcing tabs. Scored 95 on the flight. Welcome to Flistopia. A second flight just for fun mirrored the first. Checked into Flistopia and I am ready to stay awhile.

[cjl]

Nice flights today. There were certainly a lot of Flis flights out there (including a couple of entertaining flights by both a stock and a modified Corona).

[Daddyisabar]

Nice flights today. There were certainly a lot of Flis flights out there (including a couple of entertaining flights by both a stock and a modified Corona).
The wind shear that made the Corona fly horizontial for a split second mid way through the boost phase later turned into quite a destructive tornado. But no little tornado is going to stop a hardened Flisonian, especially when the storm is miles away and there is a spot of sunshine to launch into.

And then there was the Flistory making Borealis with 6 consecutive flights with out a scratch. All the flight card comments were perfect fight - no damage, except for one flight where the shock cord caught the toothpick on the ring fin, there it was added that the effect was to bring the bird down in a more horizontal position much to the delight of the crowd.

[cjl]

Was it 6? I thought it was 7 - I had 7 motors, and I couldn't find any more after the last flight. I wasn't counting though, and one of my motors could be buried in my range box :).

[MarkII]

Flistopia - once you are there, you will never want to leave. ;) :D

MarkII

[Daddyisabar]

Was it 6? I thought it was 7 - I had 7 motors, and I couldn't find any more after the last flight. I wasn't counting though, and one of my motors could be buried in my range box :).

I heard you say six but you might have got another flight in before the emergency broadcast systems were activated. Flight number eight might have sent your Borealis to the Land of Oz! That rocket had more air time than Jerry Lewis on Labor Day.:D

[jflis]

My word!

Flippin' Adfecta's, Corona's into mini-tornado's, 6 (or is it 7?) flights on a Borealis (no doubt hauling material to recover from the tornado's) and an emergency broadcast during the launch!??!

Man, I gotta find a way to get out and fly with YOU guys!

:)

[Daddyisabar]

My word!

Flippin' Adfecta's, Corona's into mini-tornado's, 6 (or is it 7?) flights on a Borealis (no doubt hauling material to recover from the tornado's) and an emergency broadcast during the launch!??!

Man, I gotta find a way to get out and fly with YOU guys!

:)

Jim, Come on out to the Wild - Wild West…Big Sky country where you can watch the circulation forming under the dark thunderstorm 10 miles away while launching your Fliskit into the sunshine. Fairly calm down on the ground but blowen like the devil only a few hundred feet up and then “poof” it’s gone. I guess that’s why they have all that fancy Doppler radar out at DIA.

So much rain this year the prairie looks like the green-green grass of my Old Kentucky Home, but only at a mile high. Like all tall tales of the Wild-Wild West the Flistopia series are based on true stories. The emergency broadcast for the next county over actually happened just after we had loaded the equipment and I was leaving the Park. It had started to rain two inches – that is a drop every two inches – a virtual Old West downpour which shut down the launch for the day.

I sure am ready for more typical summer weather, ninety five degrees, 15% humidity and dead calm without a cloud in the sky. Then we can launch all dem purdy new Fliskits we’ve been a buildin’ over the winter and experience the Rocky Mountain High that old Henry John Denver was a singin’ about. I still insist that song is all about the altitude and the high feeling one gets from launching a rocket into the clear blue mile high sky. In Flistopia no other high is needed.

[MarkII]

You don't find Flistopia with a map - you find it with your heart. :D

MarkII

[Daddyisabar]

You don't find Flistopia with a map - you find it with your heart. :D

MarkII

Amen brother! I am keeping the faith by sending off my first mail order to some North Eastern State with that dandy little 20% off new NAR member coupon. Can't wait for the Night Whisper and Alien 8!

As the hardened, rivet counting scratch scale builders have told me, "Some people want to fill the world with silly Alien rockets," but what's wrong with that? In Flistopia there are no point reductions for gluing on little bits & pieces, getting creative with fluorescent paint, or making up a background saga for particular bird you have on the pad. And with the new Saturn 1B coming out the scale guys might even find a little Flistopia of their very own.

[RangerStl]

Silly alien rockets are some of the coolest. :D

[MarkII]

Amen brother!
:cheers:


..."Some people want to fill the world with silly Alien rockets," but what's wrong with that?...
Yes, what's wrong with that? I'd like to know. But here I go, again.... :marshmallow:
;)

MarkII

[Daddyisabar]

Beware of brightly painted alien rockets taking over your next launch. They may be “pretty in pink” but the over done neon colors might cause temporary nausea in old school scale modelers, especially if proper aviation sunglasses are not in use. The only cure is for more spending to occur on BOMARC, Thunderbirds and V2’s. Working together and with a solid military industrial complex we can stem the tide of long winded background stories on how these species from the Horse-head nebula are able to deflect Federation scanning beams, replacing them with good old hard scale data. Live long and prosper … oops…well Nancy, there he goes again.

P.S. Thanks for the photo Ron:)

[jflis]

Man, what the heck happened to that TOG in the middle?? LOL

Great pix. Wish you had gotten a launch pix. Love drag races :)

[MarkII]

Beware of brightly painted alien rockets taking over your next launch.

http://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9554&d=1249323824


Hey, I think that whoever took that picture must have used the wrong filter on the camera lens. The colors on those two US TOGs look like they are a bit off... :shock:

MarkII

[Daddyisabar]

Hey, I think that whoever took that picture must have used the wrong filter on the camera lens. The colors on those two US TOGs look like they are a bit off... :shock:

MarkII

I wish that was the case but those guys actually had the GAUL to paint their rockets like that. The off feeling you are experiencing is just temporary nausea that proves that you are indeed an old school scale guy. White, black, red-orange and olive green are the only colors you will ever need. So what if some of the Ladies at the launch don't dig the paint scheme on the Pershing 1A, we old fellers love it. Although that neon was nice in that I could see it with my bad old eyes, and the TOG was easy to find in the tall grass, and that neon paint job was real easy, and the Ladies at the launch did dig it. But look at all the fun I missed out on – why I could have spent hours of sheer enjoyment with the fellas’ looking for that olive green HAWK I spent hours on just to get the right number of rivets. I guess that in the end Flistopia has room for both scale and fantasy. :cheers:

[Daddyisabar]

After about five flights on Estes D’s for both the Adfecta and US TOG I decided to spice things up a bit and take a ride on the wild side by sending them up on composite motors. I knew by moving off the recommended motor list it would place me squarely in the company of the Rouges, but what the heck; I wanted to send these kits to Flistopia and beyond. A great deal of mind simming was needed to generate the courage to launch the once flippin’ Adfecta on AP; however, I had visions of them crashing through the pearly gates of Flistopia and well into dream time. So I taped in the First Fire Jr. on the US TOG and walked up to the pad. Gone were the woosey doodle, girly man black powder motors with their compressed kitty litter nozzles that swell up in the lake. Gone were the Estes logos, for none were to be found any where on these kits. The circle was now complete. When I left Vern Estes I was the learner, now I am the Master. Gone too was the sweat smell of burned powder and brown paper, only the spicy poisonous smell of AP would linger in the air, with the bright white flame pouring from that shinny black plastic casing. I will not underestimate the power of the composite side, for I am now and forever on the road to join the High Power Gods and Monsters.

Then there was Zack’s dad, naughty Zack’s dad, who, with his unstable T-Shirt began chanting “TOG…TOG…TOG” as I loaded her up on the competition rack. Yes, some of us were actually flying for fun that day. The pink and green paint scheme had gained more acceptance as the First Fire Jr. lit the mighty E. With a tremendous roar the pink clad TOG shot straight up, waaay up, deployed the chute at apogee and gently drifted straight down – just like the flight profile on the side of the Estes box. On its way up I exclaimed something like “we love you Jim Flis” or “that Jim Flis is a real genius,” making sure the all the vendors who did not carry his kits could hear. It landed just off range and very close to the spot landing pole. Zack’s dad exclaimed it was a wonderful spot landing which immediately sent several of the seasoned pro competition fliers into a near coronary. “That was a spot landing flight!” one exclaimed. I had to quickly tell them that was not the case before they threw me to the raging mob of Boy Scouts waiting to launch. “Hey Mister, what kind of rocket is that?” they asked,” Why this is a Flis Kit US TOG!” I answered. The vendors present could only dream.

At the next launch I finally got to the Adfecta. A wise old rocket man who had witnessed the first flippin’ launch again warned me of using non recommended motors and of that ever tight CP – CG relationship, but with the added nose weight I was sure more power would not be a problem. He thought the result would be cool if it worked so he decided to stay another 5 minutes to watch it launch. This time I would use my first copperhead igniter. After finally getting the tape job right the Adfecta tore off the pad on an E-15 7. Again, nice and straight and waaay up. The chute got tangled in the upper portion fins but that only lessoned the distance I had to walk. The Adfecta landed on the very soft grassy bank of the little stream that runs below the dam. I knew then the rocket Gods had been pleased. For a brief time the clouds parted and the rays of the sun shown down, Flistopia at last.

[jflis]

Incredible, and thank you :)

As for the color choices discussed earlier... ...why do you think many of our kits omit decals? It's not *just* to keep kit costs down, but also to keep the builders imaginations *UP* and free to go they way THEY want and not the way *I* want :)

Good stuff!

[MarkII]

Incredible, and thank you :)

As for the color choices discussed earlier... ...why do you think many of our kits omit decals? It's not *just* to keep kit costs down, but also to keep the builders imaginations *UP* and free to go they way THEY want and not the way *I* want :)

Good stuff!http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:f39ctZRMlKYiIM:http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/nov2008/5/3/92ACAD61-C990-638A-AD90DD36016599EE.jpg

You...mean...I...have to....THINK...when I build them? :eek: :shock:


http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:NwFVU2bpKQsssM:http://badattitudes.com/MT/homer-simpson-5.jpg

:cool: :D :cool: :D

MarkII

[DexterLB]

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:f39ctZRMlKYiIM:http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/nov2008/5/3/92ACAD61-C990-638A-AD90DD36016599EE.jpg

You...mean...I...have to....THINK...when I build them? :eek: :shock:


http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:NwFVU2bpKQsssM:http://badattitudes.com/MT/homer-simpson-5.jpg

:cool: :D :cool: :D

MarkII
ROFL

[jflis]

We SO need a Homer "DOH" smiley here.... LOL