T' Quest X-30 Aerospace plane caught me eye, me bucko, and it was on sale at Magnum for $4. Blimey! 50, me bucko, but I was a little wary o' t' paper shroud construction.   Well, matey, me hearties, t' Quest HL-20 uses paper shroud construction, too, me hearties, and it be also on sale, for $2. 50, shiver me timbers, and it's supposed t' be easier. Aye aye! I figured I'd try t' HL-20 as an introduction t' paper shroud construction. Avast! (I got two o' each just in case. Blimey! Ya scallywag! )

Construction started out well. Begad! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, me bucko, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, and gluin' in t' engine block. About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Avast! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Nice touch. Avast!

Next came t' main body shroud. Well, blow me down! This is made o' heavy paper, shiver me timbers, me hearties, with t' design already printed on it. Avast, me proud beauty! (No painting, me bucko, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, shiver me timbers, and had no problems with it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, so it does nay immediate roll itself into t' desired shape. Begad! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Avast! But, matey, o' course, arrr, matey, you don't want it flat, ya bilge rat, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, ya bilge rat, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. That went fine. Aye aye!

And then came t' moment o' truth. Arrr! Ahoy! . Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! . Avast, me proud beauty! time t' put t' shroud together, permanently. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Provided in t' kit for this purpose, is a strip o' double-sided adhesive. Arrr! T' idea is t' peel back t' coverin' on one side o' t' adhesive strip, matey, place that on t' tab o' t' shroud, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and finally attach t' other edge o' t' shroud. Arrr! Despite some problems gettin' t' coverings off t' adhesive, arrr, this actually worked quite well. Well, blow me down! Begad! It took care, but was nay particularly difficult t' get t' shroud edges lined up and held in place. Well, blow me down! Whew. Whew. It's all downhill from here. Begad! . Begad! . Begad! Ya scallywag! right?

Nope. Ahoy! Blimey! T' trouble was just beginning. T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Begad! This is done in two steps. In t' first step, you put plastic cement around t' inside front edge o' t' shroud, and push t' nose cone (with engine tube and tri-oval centerin' rin' attached) through. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Aye aye! Blimey! T' problem is that t' nose cone is attached t' t' engine tube and tri-oval centerin' ring, matey, and it's basically impossible t' get t' nose cone t' slip through that hole without gettin' plastic cement all over t' nose cone. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I wiped this up immediately, but, matey, me hearties, as you can probably guess, t' result be a pretty screwed up nose cone. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Aye aye! Blimey! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Ahoy! Blimey! Unfortunately, me bucko, me bucko, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, matey, me bucko, clever way t' avoid this. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Let me know if you figure it out. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' second part o' attachin' t' engine tube assembly t' t' main body shroud is t' apply a fillet o' glue around t' tri-oval centerin' rin' / shroud joint. Avast! Begad! No problemo, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Aye aye! Blimey! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Blimey! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. Ahoy! k. Well, me hearties, blow me down! a. carpenter's wood glue, shiver me timbers, a. Begad! Arrr! k. a. aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Avast! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, me hearties, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, me hearties, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Aye aye! (You can't see them well in t' photos, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. Begad! )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Begad! Thick CA, shiver me timbers, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, matey, but if it leaks through, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Begad! I've been told that Aleene's Original "Tacky" Glue sets up quick and doesn't shrink so much (and it dries clear); I may try that on me second one. Arrr! Blimey!

Well, arrr, about this time, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, was startin' t' let go. Arrr! It wasn't bad, but it be clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I wicked some thin CA into this area. Avast! It's permanent now. Ahoy! It's permanent now. Well, blow me down! Ok, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Blimey! . . Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Well, blow me down! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Blimey! Begad! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Ya scallywag! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Begad! Begad! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! This actually worked out quite well, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but you have t' be aware (and t' instructions do not point this out) that t' rudder has a wider base than t' wings, ya bilge rat, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Aye aye! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Ahoy! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Nice. Avast!

Next up, shiver me timbers, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Arrr! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, me hearties, me bucko, t' form rectangular air passageway. Begad! Well, blow me down! As you can see in t' photo above, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. I thought that hidin' t' launch lug be a nice aesthetic touch. Well, blow me down!

Next, shiver me timbers, addin' tail weight. Begad! Blimey! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! No problem.

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It was unclear exactly where t' cut, shiver me timbers, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' idea is that you need t' cut so that thar's a little base (about 2mm) all t' way around t' canopy, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If you're a stickler for such details, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This piece, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, matey, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This worked out very well, if I do say so myself. Nice, me bucko, smooth, matey, me bucko, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Blimey! Blimey! Gluin' t' canopy in place was simple and straightforward, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Blimey! Blimey!

T' last step in t' instructions makes a small compartment for t' streamer (which attaches t' t' engine for proper recovery when it ejects t' engine t' enable glide mode). Ya scallywag! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, with an end cap glued t' one end. Aye aye! Blimey! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Arrr! Blimey! Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, shiver me timbers, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Nay a big deal, me hearties, but odd, because everythin' else fit well enough. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Ahoy! Blimey! Fixed. Begad! Blimey! Fixed. Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, inside t' back o' t' rocket. What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). Begad! Blimey! Blimey! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Avast! Arrr! Blimey! My guess is that that would probably cause t' streamer t' get caught in this compartment, me bucko, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, shiver me timbers, rather than glide back. Blimey! Blimey! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), me bucko, as you can see from t' aft photo, above. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey!

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, me bucko, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Avast! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, matey, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Begad! Ahoy! Then, for each flight, shiver me timbers, you tie t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' end o' t' engine (reinforce this with tape), matey, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, and you're all set. T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Aye aye! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Blimey! Begad! Mine measured 11". Ahoy!

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Begad! Avast! In other words, ya bilge rat, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, ya bilge rat, big spiral. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Unfortunately, me hearties, matey, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight.

To summarize t' construction, shiver me timbers, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Blimey! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Begad! Begad!

I must preface this flight description and me opinion by sayin' that it was very windy t' day o' these flights. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Avast! Blimey! . Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! . Well, blow me down! Blimey!

T' launch was held on Saturday, shiver me timbers, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Avast! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, thar's no need for recovery wadding, me bucko, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. Aye aye! T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, matey, but I didn't have any o' those, so I opted for a B6-4. There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, me hearties, t' engine fell out, and pulled t' streamer out with it. No biggie, matey, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, shiver me timbers, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Ya scallywag! I repacked it, arrr, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Begad! Avast!

T' first launch be ugly. Avast, me proud beauty! It went up in a wobbly arc, reached about 50feet AGL, matey, matey, and headed down, arrr, still under power. I'm nay sure if it was still under power when it plowed nose-first into t' (fortunately soft) ground, but it definitely hit hard. T' nose stuck in t' ground, me hearties, and t' ejection charge blew t' engine up and out. Begad! T' streamer separated from t' "gripper" tab, makin' t' engine casing, with t' Keelhaul®©™ line still attached, rather difficult t' locate. Ya scallywag! Nay exactly a picture-perfect flight, but thar be absolutely no damage t' any o' t' pieces, and I be determined t' try again. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!

T' streamer was re-attached, and Keelhaul®©™ line was taped t' another B6-4 engine. I thought about tryin' a C6-3, ya bilge rat, but was afraid t' extra power would simply get used t' ram t' rocket into t' ground even harder. Begad! This launch was quite a bit nicer, me hearties, me hearties, but by no means a beautiful flight. T' rocket went up, me hearties, a bit straighter, arrr, but still hit apogee before burnout. Begad! This time, ya bilge rat, though, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it stayed in a nose-up attitude, so t' last little bit o' thrust had t' rocket losin' altitude slowly, tail first. Blimey! Then t' engine ejected, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' rocket transitioned t' "glide" mode. Arrr! I'm usin' t' term "glide" rather loosely here, since this glide was pretty much a repeat o' me hand-tossed glide attempts. Aye aye! . . Arrr! more like a brick than a plane. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It hit t' ground nose-first with moderate velocity, me bucko, but again, thar be absolutely no damage. Blimey! Well, blow me down! It does appear t' be a fairly sturdy rocket, if nothin' else. Begad! As for t' glide, me hearties, it simply seems rather nose-heavy, with little in t' way o' lift. Begad! I may try addin' more tail weight for t' next flight, arrr, but, arrr, shiver me timbers, with so little lift, matey, I'm nay sure addin' weight anywhere is a good idea. Once again, t' "gripper" tab didn't grip, and t' streamer separated from t' engine. Ahoy! All parts were found. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down!

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights be less than inspiring. Avast! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, and report any successes here. I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, and I'll be t' first t' admit that t' conditions weren't ideal, but so far, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. Begad! I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Aye aye! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), ya bilge rat, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. At this point, I simply cannot recommend this rocket.

As a final note, ya bilge rat, I would like t' assure you that I'm nay tryin' t' bash Quest as a rocket company. Well, blow me down! I have several o' their rockets, and have been pretty happy with t' others. Ya scallywag! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, me bucko, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely.