Brief:
A skill level three build. Very interesting design featuring two offset body tubes, elliptical primary fins intersected with smaller and similar secondary fins and many small details, some that can be included or modified at the builder's option. Recovery is by way of 16" parachute which is deployed via ducted ejection gasses. The kit as the "Farscape" has been discontinued due to legal issues but will be reissued as the "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, 2 .976" x 18" body tubes, 1 .69" x 2.75" motor tube, 1 .50" x 3" body tube, 1 16" parachute, 2 1/8" x 2" launch lugs, 4 centering rings, 1 engine block, 1 engine hook, 1 medium size screw eye, 96" shroud line, 1 36" Kevlar® shock line, 1 sheet of tape discs, 2 round fiber slugs, 1 .062" x 4" square basswood strip, 3 .040" x 4" square basswood strips, 1 24" elastic shock cord, 1 fin pattern sheet, and 1 instruction sheet. All parts are packaged great and arrived without damage. The basswood strips are taped to the instruction book, assuring that they were not snapped in transit.

The instructions were very easy to follow considering how complex an assembly this model is. The steps are in a logical order and the templates are properly sized. My kit was Farscape #49 (early in the production run) so there was a handful of minor typos which have since been addressed and corrected by the manufacturer. The illustrations are clear and accurate. It is very important to distinguish between the upper body tube and the lower body tube during assembly so elements end up in the correct orientation. A rectangular slot (included in tube cutting pattern) is cut in each body tube to channel the exhaust gasses from the lower body tube where the motor is housed into the upper body tube which contains the parachute and shock cord which is anchored to the exhaust duct plug by a Kevlar® cord. A really neat technique that was new to me was Fliskits' method of shaping the curved bulkheads that terminate each body tube. Once fiber exhaust plugs are glued into place flush at the curved end in each tube, oversized bulkheads are cut from 1/32" balsa with the grain running across. This allows it to flex smoothly to follow the curves in each of the body tube ends containing the exhaust plugs. The bulkheads are glued over the curved cut ends of the body tubes and at this point they overhang the edges of the body tube. Per instructions I used masking tape to hold them in their curved positions while the glue set. Once these were dry, the tape was removed and the bulkhead edges were sanded smooth flush with the sides of the body tubes. At this point the upper and lower body tubes are glued together, taking care to align the previously cut rectangular exhaust ducts on the surface of each tube.

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

Finishing:
Because the Farscape contains fins attached to fins and various small delicate details, I decided to sand and finish my balsa parts before assembly. The nose cone was very porous and may require 3 or more passes with your favorite balsa filler and sandpaper. Two coats of white primer and three coats of gloss black with attention given to the insides of the bulkheads and the Hyper-TAC and Antenna supports had our Farscape covered and she was ready for the waterslide decals. The decals look a lot more intimidating then they are with rows of white windows taking up a lot of the space, contoured ones that fit onto the curved bulkheads, serial numbers, cooling fins and other markings. The builder is given a guide to the decal locations but encouraged to apply the decals as he sees fit. I applied my decals pretty much by the numbers. They were quite strong when moistened which allowed for a nice amount of time to fine tune their locations. Once the decals were dry, I applied two coats of clear coat gloss for a nice finish. When completed, the Farscape looks dark and dangerous.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors for the Farscape are B6-4 and C6-5. A motor hook holds the motor in the engine tube. The first two flights on B6-4 engines took off a little slow but ascended very straight only arcing slightly as the engine thrust slowed. There was no noticeable rotation. The altitude was about 200 feet and the parachute deployed fine with the nose still pointed a little up. Flight number three on a C6-5 took off a little quicker and followed a very gentle arc to about 400 feet. With all of the surface area on the fins it is very susceptible to wind interference. It's profile was easy to see at maximum altitude and the 5 second delay resulted in a perfect angle for chute deployment at apogee. The chute deployed fine but on recovering the model it turned out that the midsection of the body where the two tubes and exhaust ducts meet had been ruptured possibly due to an overpowered ejection charge, an adhesive malfunction, or a combination of both. The Farscape requires no recovery wadding because of the ducted ejection gasses, so between flights you can pretty much repack your chute and load in your engine.

Recovery:
The shock cord is a 24" elastic tied to the nosecone by a screw eye. The other end is tied to a 36" length of Kevlar® thread which is anchored through two holes in the exhaust duct plug in the base of the upper body tube. The parachute is 16" plastic with a Fliskits logo in the center. The chute seemed to be the right size for the model because the Farscape neither drifted too far nor descended too fast. There was no damage to the chute or vehicle sustained from the parachute recoveries.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This was my 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. I'm not yet to the stage where I can personally design a model of such complexity. It keeps our hobby interesting when companies offer such well thought out, great flying model kits that are courageous departures from the basic 3 fin and a nosecone designs. The completed Fliskits Farscape is a jaw dropping rocket which always gets the first "wow" and raises the most intrigue ("You built that?") when someone sees my fleet for the first time. It is a challenging, rewarding build that really gets exciting as the body tubes are joined and the fin assemblies progress. The small parts made from the basswood strips are very delicate and the Farscape needs to be handled with care during flight prep. That said, these delicate parts can be omitted or made from more flexible materials.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5