Brief:
A skill level three build. Blimey! Very interestin' design featurin' two offset body tubes, shiver me timbers, elliptical primary fins intersected with smaller and similar secondary fins and many small details, arrr, some that can be included or modified at the builder's option. Avast! Avast! Recovery is by way o' 16" parachute which is deployed via ducted ejection gasses. Ahoy! T' kit as t' "Farscape" has been discontinued due t' legal issues but will be reissued as t' "Night Whisper".

Construction:
All parts were present and accounted for: 3 balsa fin stock sheets (1/8", 3/32" and 1/32" thick), 1 balsa nose cone, me hearties, 2 .976" x 18" body tubes, 1 .69" x 2.75" motor tube, me hearties, 1 .50" x 3" body tube, ya bilge rat, 1 16" parachute, shiver me timbers, 2 1/8" x 2" launch lugs, me bucko, arrr, 4 centering rings, shiver me timbers, 1 engine block, matey, 1 engine hook, me bucko, 1 medium size screw eye, 96" shroud line, 1 36" Keelhaul®©™® shock line, 1 sheet o' tape discs, 2 round fiber slugs, arrr, 1 .062" x 4" square basswood strip, matey, matey, 3 .040" x 4" square basswood strips, ya bilge rat, 1 24" elastic shock cord, 1 fin pattern sheet, and 1 instruction sheet. All parts are packaged great and arrived without damage. Ahoy! T' basswood strips are taped t' t' instruction book, assurin' that they were nay snapped in transit.

The instructions were very easy t' follow considerin' how complex an assembly this model is. T' steps are in a logical order and t' templates are properly sized. Begad! My kit was Farscape #49 (early in t' production run) so thar was a handful o' minor typos which have since been addressed and corrected by the manufacturer. Avast! T' illustrations are clear and accurate. Avast! It is very important to distinguish betwixt t' upper body tube and t' lower body tube durin' assembly so elements end up in t' correct orientation. A rectangular slot (included in tube cuttin' pattern) is cut in each body tube t' channel t' exhaust gasses from t' lower body tube where t' motor is housed into t' upper body tube which contains t' parachute and shock cord which is anchored t' t' exhaust duct plug by a Keelhaul®©™® cord. Begad! A really neat technique that was new t' me be Fliskits' method of shapin' t' curved bulkheads that terminate each body tube. Aye aye! Once fiber exhaust plugs are glued into place flush at t' curved end in each tube, oversized bulkheads are cut from 1/32" balsa with t' grain runnin' across. Begad! Arrr! This allows it t' flex smoothly t' follow t' curves in each o' t' body tube ends containin' t' exhaust plugs. T' bulkheads are glued over t' curved cut ends of t' body tubes and at this point they overhang t' edges o' t' body tube. Per instructions I used maskin' tape t' hold them in their curved positions while t' glue set. Once these were dry, matey, me hearties, t' tape was removed and t' bulkhead edges were sanded smooth flush with t' sides o' t' body tubes. Avast! Begad! At this point the upper and lower body tubes are glued together, takin' care t' align the previously cut rectangular exhaust ducts on t' surface o' each tube.

Time and care must also be taken with t' fin assembly as well as all o' t' balsa and basswood accent pieces: 2 large fins, 4 secondary fins 2 Hyper-TAC Antenna supports, ya bilge rat, and 2 Long Range Sensor supports. Begad! Begad! After these pieces were cut from the provided patterns and t' edges sanded for smooth curves and uniformity, they were sealed and sanded prior t' attachin' them t' t' body tubes and each other. Begad! Begad! T' large fin pattern has a gray area, ya bilge rat, which needs t' be marked off on fin #1 only. This section is removed from t' fin t' make room for a 3" length o' .50" body tube. Aye aye! T' larger section o' fin #1 is then glued to the lower body tube positioned so that it is slantin' rearward. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' 3" section o' small body tube is then marked with t' provided wrap in four 90-degree increments. Arrr! It is also marked 1/4" from t' end and glued t' the large section o' fin #1 so that it is extendin' rearward beyond t' fin. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! The remainin' tip section o' fin #1 is then glued t' t' tube opposite t' main section o' fin #1 positionin' it so that t' curve o' both sections o' t' fin interrupted by t' tube form a continuous curve. Fin #2 is glued onto the airframe opposite fin #1. Arrr! A set o' secondary fins is attached parallel t' the body tube and perpendicular t' fin#2. T' secondary fins are shaped so they give t' illusion o' a single continuous elliptical fin runnin' through fin #2. T' two remainin' secondary fins are then glued t' t' 3" tube, me hearties, which is now incorporated into fin #1. Begad! Begad! They are also attached parallel t' t' body tube and perpendicular t' t' win' so that they appear t' be another single elliptical fin runnin' through t' sensor tube. Begad! Arrr! This array o' fins is kind of tricky t' align as lookin' at it from different angles makes it seem t' be misaligned when in fact it is not. Ahoy! T' small pieces o' basswood are cut to shape t' be used as antennae and sensors. Aye aye! T' pattern sheet contains these templates also. Ya scallywag! T' antennae are glued t' t' balsa support pieces cut earlier and then glued and sandwiched betwixt cardstock wraps (skins) from t' template sheet for support. Aye aye! These assemblies are t' Hyper-TAC Antennas and Long Range Sensors. Begad! Ya scallywag! There are two o' each. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' two Long Range Sensor pieces are attached to t' top and bottom o' fin #2, perpendicular t' fin #2 on t' indentation made from t' fin template. T' Hyper-TAC Antennas are attached centered t' the upper and lower body tubes both facin' forward in flight. Aye aye! T' instructions indicate that these delicate details can be omitted if desired. I really like how t' Hyper-TAC antennas brin' t' sweep o' body tubes t' an elegant point so I included them. Well, blow me down! Two launch lugs are attached on t' line at 1.5" and 7.5" forward on t' lower body tube. T' be certain that t' two launch lugs were aligned, matey, I ran a 1/8" dowel through both lugs, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, which also reassured me that they were straight in relation t' t' entire model. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! At this point, t' detailin' is left t' t' builder who is furnished with two different thicknesses o' basswood strips. Ahoy! These strips are intended t' be antennae or guns. Aye aye! Begad! Small holes can be bored in t' primary fins t' insert these strips or they can be attached on t' surface o' t' fins. Ahoy! Aye aye! I chose t' mount two on one surface o' each fin and one t' t' opposite surface o' each fin. Begad! Then I reinforced them with strips o' gauze medical tape, which I then smoothed and sealed over with several coats o' white glue. Avast! These are delicate and will hopefully survive some flights. Arrr! Another suggestion from Jim Flis is t' use 150lb monofilament as from a weed whacker in place o' t' basswood strips, which is more flexible than t' basswood. Aye aye! Avast!

Finishing:
Because t' Farscape contains fins attached t' fins and various small delicate details, I decided t' sand and finish me balsa parts before assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' nose cone was very porous and may require 3 or more passes with your favorite balsa filler and sandpaper. Two coats o' white primer and three coats o' gloss black with attention given t' t' insides o' t' bulkheads and t' Hyper-TAC and Antenna supports had our Farscape covered and she was ready for t' waterslide decals. Aye aye! T' decals look a lot more intimidatin' then they are with rows of white windows takin' up a lot o' t' space, me bucko, contoured ones that fit onto the curved bulkheads, ya bilge rat, serial numbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, coolin' fins and other markings. Avast, me proud beauty! T' builder is given a guide t' t' decal locations but encouraged t' apply t' decals as he sees fit. I applied me decals pretty much by t' numbers. They were quite strong when moistened which allowed for a nice amount o' time t' fine tune their locations. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Once t' decals were dry, ya bilge rat, I applied two coats o' clear coat gloss for a nice finish. Begad! When completed, arrr, t' Farscape looks dark and dangerous.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for t' Farscape are B6-4 and C6-5. A motor hook holds the motor in t' engine tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first two flights on B6-4 engines took off a little slow but ascended very straight only arcin' slightly as t' engine thrust slowed. Ya scallywag! There be no noticeable rotation. Well, blow me down! T' altitude was about 200 feet and t' parachute deployed fine with t' nose still pointed a little up. Flight number three on a C6-5 took off a little quicker and followed a very gentle arc t' about 400 feet. With all o' t' surface area on t' fins it is very susceptible t' wind interference. Avast! It's profile be easy t' see at maximum altitude and t' 5 second delay resulted in a perfect angle for chute deployment at apogee. Begad! T' chute deployed fine but on recoverin' t' model it turned out that t' midsection o' t' body where t' two tubes and exhaust ducts meet had been ruptured possibly due t' an overpowered ejection charge, shiver me timbers, an adhesive malfunction, or a combination o' both. Begad! T' Farscape requires no recovery waddin' because o' t' ducted ejection gasses, shiver me timbers, so betwixt flights you can pretty much repack your chute and load in your engine.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is a 24" elastic tied t' t' nosecone by a screw eye. Begad! The other end is tied t' a 36" length o' Keelhaul®©™® thread which is anchored through two holes in t' exhaust duct plug in t' base of t' upper body tube. Blimey! Ahoy! T' parachute is 16" plastic with a Fliskits logo in t' center. Ya scallywag! T' chute seemed t' be t' right size for t' model because the Farscape neither drifted too far nor descended too fast. Well, blow me down! Begad! There be no damage to the chute or vehicle sustained from t' parachute recoveries. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was me first skill level 3 model, but I have previously built more than 15 skill level 1 rockets and 3 or 4 skill level 2 birds. Avast! I'm nay yet t' t' stage where I can personally design a model o' such complexity. Well, me hearties, blow me down! It keeps our hobby interestin' when companies offer such well thought out, me bucko, great flyin' model kits that are courageous departures from t' basic 3 fin and a nosecone designs. The completed Fliskits Farscape is a jaw droppin' rocket which always gets the first "wow" and raises t' most intrigue ("You built that?") when someone sees me fleet for t' first time. It is a challenging, matey, rewardin' build that really gets excitin' as t' body tubes are joined and t' fin assemblies progress. Arrr! T' small parts made from t' basswood strips are very delicate and t' Farscape needs t' be handled with care during flight prep. Ahoy! That said, these delicate parts can be omitted or made from more flexible materials.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5