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

Construction started out well. Begad! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, shiver me timbers, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, arrr, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, and gluin' in t' engine block. Begad! Blimey! About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Arrr! This is made o' heavy paper, shiver me timbers, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, arrr, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, me bucko, and had no problems with it. T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, me hearties, 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, o' course, you don't want it flat, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! Aye aye! That went fine.

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

Nope. Ahoy! T' trouble was just beginning. T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Avast! This is done in two steps. Well, blow me down! In t' first step, 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. Ya scallywag! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Begad! 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. Begad! I wiped this up immediately, arrr, but, shiver me timbers, as you can probably guess, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, me bucko, me hearties, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Avast, me proud beauty! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Aye aye! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, me bucko, me hearties, clever way t' avoid this. Begad! Ahoy! Let me know if you figure it out. 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, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Blimey! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Begad! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. Ya scallywag! k. Avast, me proud beauty! a. Begad! carpenter's wood glue, me hearties, a. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! k. a. Aye aye! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, it be still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, me hearties, and nay a pretty one at that. Arrr! Blimey! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. Well, blow me down! This, me hearties, shiver me timbers, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Well, blow me down! (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. Avast! Aye aye! )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Aye aye! Thick CA, me hearties, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, but if it leaks through, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. This actually worked out quite well, 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. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Blimey! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Well, blow me down! Nice. Blimey!

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

Next, me bucko, addin' tail weight. You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, ya bilge rat, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! No problem. Blimey! Blimey!

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

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

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), ya bilge rat, settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, ya bilge rat, arrr, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Avast, me proud beauty! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Begad! Well, blow me down! Then, arrr, 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. T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Well, blow me down! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Begad! Begad! Mine measured 11". Aye aye!

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

To summarize t' construction, me hearties, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Avast, me proud beauty! It's nay bilge-suckin' or outrageously complex, arrr, 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 be very windy t' day o' these flights. Avast! Begad! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Avast, me proud beauty! . Aye aye! . Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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