FlisKits: Announcement: MR Components are NOW available!

[jflis]

FlisKits would like to announce that Model Rocket Components are now available for purchase on our web site at https://fliskits.com/

From the main page, simply click on PRODUCT then on COMPONENTS. This will display a sub-menu of categories giving you the following choices:

- Body Tubes
- Nose Cones
- Engine Mounts
- Payload Sections
- Stage Couplers
- Adapters and Blocks
- Centering Rings
- Recovery Devices
- Fin Stock
- Misc

In each of the categories you will see items that are CURRENTLY available, those that are COMING SOON, and those that are FUTURE products.

Items that are "Coming Soon" should be available in the next 1-3 weeks. "Future Products" could be 1-4 months out and will be relisted as "Coming Soon" once the materials have been ordered.

Feedback, as always, is most welcome.

Jim

 

[jflis]

hey guys!

You folks are the first to hear the official announcement of parts now being available.

Feedback is most desired. This inclusion of parts on our site (and from our company) was no small task.

Between deciding on what to offer, how to offer it, ordering excess stock and finding places to safely store it. The capital investment and logistics, etc.

mind you, i ain't complaining, just commenting on discovering that there was far more to this than I expected (hence the delay).

Also, in putting this up on our site, we had to make a lot of decisions including packaging (how many to a package), pricing, visual impact so that the pages were interesting looking yet efficient and productive. Hoping that we included the desires part specifications, etc, etc, etc...

For example, one decision that we made was to list, not only those parts that *are* currently available, but also those parts that we know are coming, in short order. Sort of an on-going pre-announcement, as it were...

anything this forum can do to help us understand what we've done right and what we need to tweek/change, will be most appreciated....

have fun

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Hi Jim,

I just went to your site and have a small problem looking at the Components section. I can't scroll down the left frame where the component subcatagories are listed. I can only see as far as the first three and then it's cut off. So I can see Nose Cones, Body Tubes and Engine Mounts but nothing else. I have this issue in both Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Just thought you would like to know.

 

[jflis]

yep, i've a few folks complain about this.

usually, there is no *real* information down there (just some pretty images), but now, with the components section, there is real data there...

so (for now) i've set the index up so that scroll bars appear.... i really don't like the looks of it, but if it gets the job done...

I will look into more attractive ways to get the same effective operation.

Let me know if this works for you! (oh yea, be sure to hit RELOAD or clear Cache)

I'm curious... what is the resolution of your screen and/or how big/small is your browser window?

jim

 

[cuttbow2]

YEAH ! ! !


CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,CLAP,


I can replace my DW nosecone.........

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Yea....

It works now. My screen resolution is 800 x 600 and my browser window pretty much fills the screen.

 

[jflis]

Cuttbow: thank you, thank you... (now, do I bow or curtsy?... )

SecretSquirrel: I knew exactly what you were seeing, and why. While the vast majority of users use either low-res setups, and/or have screen/pitch size set to low-res (large fonts) as a preference, we had to make choices on the web.

One of the choices was that of using frames. Many people balk at framed sites, but that is usually because they're done wrong. Done properly, a framed site can be a good thing, cuz it can be fast and easy to maintain.

But... with frames, you have problems with scrolling. A good example of a *bad* framed site is one with scroll bars in all of the frames. I designed this site to have scroll bars only in the main frame then did my best to design the left navigation frame to have all of the necessary information up high enough so that even a low-res setup would see it all.

that fell apart with the components section. I will look at different ways of presenting the information so that I can get rid of those scroll bars cuz I KNOW i'm gonna hear about them from someone... *S*

Good to see this new addition to the site (parts) is appreciated!

thanx!

 

[astronboy]

I had the same problem viewing all of the categories when I visited the site at about 4pm. I can see and access everything now, thanks!!

I am anxious to order, but I seem to mostly desire items that are 'coming soon' (esp few of each size of those baffle kits that I myself requested!!) So I expect to place an order in 1-2 weeks.

I have only one item of feedback, but the site is so nice that I feel like I am complaining that I didn't get a large enough piece of fresh, moist, gooey chocolate cake!!

Anyway, here goes:

My only request is in the nosecone area, it would be beneficial to me to be able to see a pic of each designation of cone. I know this may be impossible spacewise, but it would be helpful.

Keep it up!!!

 

[jflis]

hard to stay ahead of youse guys! but i'm trying! LOL

Astronboy: I thought you'd appreciate those baffle kits. We have a lot going on right now with working up instructions for the motor mount kits. The baffles are next (gotta get the plates designed and ordered)

As for pictures... I'd like to say "i'm way ahead of you", but i'm only close... LOL

I thought the SAME thing, last night, as I uploaded the components section. Just this morning, I worked up some scripts so that I can provide a link that will allow you to click on the model number and a small 400 X 300 window will appear with an image of *that* part.

This will be true for ALL of our parts (eventually), but I will make a point of working it into the nose cone section first. thanx!

Now I gotta go git a bazillion pictures taken, formated and uploaded....

I'm still asking who was the engineer who put only 24 hours in a day!

 

[astronboy]

That sounds great!! I feel kinda like a whiner as your offerings look pretty enticing as they stand. I will try to be patient!!

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by astronboy

My only request is in the nosecone area, it would be beneficial to me to be able to see a pic of each designation of cone. I know this may be impossible spacewise, but it would be helpful.

Keep it up!!!

ask, and ye shall receive...

I don't have all of the nose cones loose here at the house (to take pix of), but will make an attempt to get down to the production shop this weekend and get the rest.

You will notice 5 nose cones (and one adapter in the adapters section) hyperlinked. When you click on it, a small window (325 X 425 pixels) will appear in the upper left of your screen and will display a photo of *that* part, near a ruler, with the part number on the image. You can leave this window up and, as you click on other part numbers, the image will be replaced in the same window.

Let me know if this is what you had in mind.

jim

 

[KermieD]

Love the new product selection! How 'bout clear payload bays? The kids love 'em.

Originally posted by jflis
yep, i've a few folks complain about this.

usually, there is no *real* information down there (just some pretty images), but now, with the components section, there is real data there...

so (for now) i've set the index up so that scroll bars appear.... i really don't like the looks of it, but if it gets the job done...

jim

I have noticed this before on the site, not only in this section. When I click on, say for example, "Rockets by Type", it brings up the different types in the left frame, thus obscuring all of the other selections below that (yeah, I'm one of those 800 x 600 people--the g/f doesn't like 1024 x 768).

 

[sandman]

Jim,

Great selection!

How about decals? Not everybody lives 3 miles away from JimZ.

Maybe some different sets from your kits too for customizing and scratchbuilding.

sandman

 

[jflis]

decals are something we've discussed. the Grissom is the first with true silk screened waterslide decals. Others are on the way. would be an easy matter to offer them for sale.

We are looking at other, readily available decal sets that we could offer too.

Also, payload bays and at least *one* clear payload tube are "coming soon"...

as for resolution... i'm spoiled with 1920 X 1200...

 

[jflis]

One thing I was curious about.

What do you folks think of having "coming soon" and "future" items on there?

Part of me says it clutters the page (but i think i have come up with an attractive way of doing it), but without those items, some of the pages (adapters, payload sections) are awful barren.

Also, our thoughts are that it gives our rocketry community an idea of where we're going and the opportunity to help us guide it one way or another (like the decal suggestion, and others)

thoughts?
jim

 

[airforce]

Clutter when organized becomes information.
Coming soon and future are both good ideas, I like to see whats coming at me.
You're doing a good job, don't start thinking about to much just keep on doing.
Randy

 

[bmhiii]

Jim,

I too, like the coming soon and future items on the site. For one, like you said, some of the pages would look a little barren and could give a wrong impression that you're not doing much in the component area (TRFers know this is not true). Secondly, I got excited going, "Oh, I'll need those" and "Can't wait till he stocks that".

Airforce was right, the pages conveyed information not clutter.

Now, if I hadn't promised the wife I'd tone it back after the HL sales...

You're doing good, Jim, keep it up.

bmhiii

 

[jflis]

thanx guys. it's nice to know it's appreciated

And, here's an update! We've just uploaded 4 of the Engine Mount Kits available now (see, "coming soon" really *does* mean "soon" )

Now available are:

EMK-13-20 (13mm mount for BT-20)

EMK-18-50 (18mm mount for BT-50 - NOTE: This kit includes an extra centering ring so that you can build it as an adapter for converting 24mm kits to 18mm flight)

EMK-18-60 (18mm mount for BT-60)

EMK-24-60 (24mm mount for BT-60 NOTE: This kit comes with a 4" motor tube so that it can be configures for Standard (2.75") or LONG (3.75") 24mm motors.)

More coming soon !
jim

 

[jflis]

OH! I almost forgot!

So that you have an idea of what you're getting, here's a pix of one of the engine mount kits, kitted up.

As time goes on, we will be showing packaging pix on our site also. Hope this helps in understanding what these things are like.

jim

 

[astronboy]

OOOHH!! AAAHHH!

 

[Darian Rachal]

Jim, Have you given any thought to producing cluster engine holders(2,3, &4) for various size body tubes?