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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Begad! This is made o' heavy paper, shiver me timbers, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, arrr, and had no problems with it. 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! Well, blow me down! But, o' course, arrr, matey, you don't want it flat, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! That went fine. Blimey!

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

Nope. T' trouble be just beginning. Aye aye! Blimey! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Aye aye! Blimey! This is done in two steps. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! In t' first step, ya bilge rat, matey, you put plastic cement around t' inside front edge o' t' shroud, me bucko, 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, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I wiped this up immediately, but, shiver me timbers, me bucko, as you can probably guess, matey, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Blimey! Blimey! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Aye aye! Blimey! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, clever way t' avoid this. Let me know if you figure it out.

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

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

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

Next up, me bucko, me hearties, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. 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. Begad!

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

Next, arrr, t' cockpit canopy. Begad! Well, blow me down! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Arrr! It was unclear exactly where t' cut, me bucko, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Arrr! Begad! 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. Blimey! Ya scallywag! If you're a stickler for such details, 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. Well, blow me down! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, me bucko, requires some finishing, ya bilge rat, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Arrr! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. This worked out very well, arrr, if I do say so myself. Aye aye! Nice, ya bilge rat, arrr, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Well, blow me down! Gluin' t' canopy in place was simple and straightforward, matey, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

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

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

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

T' first launch be ugly. Avast, me proud beauty! It went up in a wobbly arc, reached about 50feet AGL, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and headed down, still under power. Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' nose stuck in t' ground, and t' ejection charge blew t' engine up and out. T' streamer separated from t' "gripper" tab, makin' t' engine casing, with t' Keelhaul®©™ line still attached, rather difficult t' locate. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Nay exactly a picture-perfect flight, matey, but thar be absolutely no damage t' any o' t' pieces, and I be determined t' try again.

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

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights be less than inspiring. Begad! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, matey, shiver me timbers, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but so far, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Arrr! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Arrr! At this point, me bucko, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Begad! Begad!

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