T' Quest X-30 Aerospace plane caught me eye, shiver me timbers, and it be on sale at Magnum for $4. Well, me hearties, blow me down! 50, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I was a little wary o' t' paper shroud construction. Begad!   Well, matey, t' Quest HL-20 uses paper shroud construction, matey, matey, too, shiver me timbers, and it was also on sale, for $2. Ya scallywag! 50, ya bilge rat, 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! (I got two o' each just in case. Well, blow me down! )

Construction started out well. It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, matey, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, shiver me timbers, and gluin' in t' engine block. Arrr! 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). Avast, me proud beauty! Nice touch. Begad!

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

And then came t' moment o' truth. Begad! . Ahoy! . Ahoy! Ahoy! time t' put t' shroud together, permanently. Begad! Ahoy! 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, place that on t' tab o' t' shroud, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, ya bilge rat, and finally attach t' other edge o' t' shroud. Begad! Despite some problems gettin' t' coverings off t' adhesive, this actually worked quite well. Well, blow me down! It took care, matey, but be nay particularly difficult t' get t' shroud edges lined up and held in place. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Whew. Arrr! Avast! Whew. Begad! It's all downhill from here. . Avast! . right?

Nope. Avast! Arrr! T' trouble be just beginning. Ya scallywag! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Begad! 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! Blimey! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Begad! 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. Avast! I wiped this up immediately, but, as you can probably guess, ya bilge rat, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Blimey! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. This be almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, arrr, but it wasn't nice. Begad! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, clever way t' avoid this. Arrr! 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. Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Avast! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so I went with yellow glue (a. Begad! k. Begad! a. Avast! carpenter's wood glue, arrr, a. Arrr! k. Begad! a. Arrr! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, me bucko, and nay a pretty one at that. Ya scallywag! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, shiver me timbers, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. This, me hearties, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, me hearties, arrr, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! (You can't see them well in t' photos, ya bilge rat, me hearties, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Ya scallywag! Thick CA, me bucko, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, ya bilge rat, but if it leaks through, matey, 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. Well, blow me down!

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

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

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Begad! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. Begad! As you can see in t' photo above, me hearties, 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 was a nice aesthetic touch. Blimey!

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

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

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! Blimey! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, matey, with an end cap glued t' one end. T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, matey, I be surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Nay a big deal, matey, but odd, because everythin' else fit well enough. Aye aye! Begad! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Fixed. 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), me bucko, or on t' outside (facin' back). Blimey! 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, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, me bucko, rather than glide back. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), as you can see from t' aft photo, above. Well, blow me down! Begad!

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, and a plastic "gripper" tab. You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Aye aye! Begad! Then, arrr, me bucko, for each flight, you tie t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' end o' t' engine (reinforce this with tape), me hearties, me hearties, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, me bucko, and you're all set. Ya scallywag! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Begad! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Mine measured 11". Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

To summarize t' construction, ya bilge rat, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Avast! It's nay bilge-suckin' or outrageously complex, me hearties, me bucko, 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. Begad! Arrr! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. . . Well, blow me down!

T' launch be held on Saturday, March 14, ya bilge rat, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Begad! Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, thar's no need for recovery wadding, ya bilge rat, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. Ahoy! 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. There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, arrr, ya bilge rat, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, t' engine fell out, 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. Begad! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time.

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

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

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

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