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

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

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

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

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

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. No problemo, arrr, right? No problemo, me bucko, shiver me timbers, right? Wrong. Blimey! Part o' t' problem be me choice o' glues. Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. Avast! k. Ahoy! a. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! carpenter's wood glue, arrr, a. Begad! k. Well, blow me down! a. aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Arrr! Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Avast! Blimey! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. Begad! Arrr! This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Blimey! (You can't see them well in t' photos, me bucko, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! Thick CA, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, matey, but if it leaks through, arrr, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Blimey! 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! Well, blow me down!

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

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

Next up, arrr, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Well, blow me down! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, ya bilge rat, t' form rectangular air passageway. Begad! As you can see in t' photo above, matey, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Arrr! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Avast, me proud beauty!

Next, me hearties, addin' tail weight. Aye aye! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, me hearties, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. No problem. Avast! Ahoy!

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

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

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

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

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. It's nay bilge-suckin' or outrageously complex, matey, me bucko, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Avast!

I must preface this flight description and me opinion by sayin' that it was very windy t' day o' these flights. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Aye aye! Begad! . Aye aye! . Ahoy!

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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. T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, me hearties, but I didn't have any o' those, shiver me timbers, so I opted for a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, t' engine fell out, matey, arrr, me hearties, and pulled t' streamer out with it. Arrr! No biggie, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, ya bilge rat, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Aye aye!

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

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

So, shiver me timbers, matey, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights be less than inspiring. I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, matey, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, and report any successes here. Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag! I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Aye aye! Begad! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), ya bilge rat, arrr, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Well, blow me down! Blimey! At this point, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Begad! Arrr! Blimey!

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