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

Construction started out well. It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, matey, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Nice touch. Avast!

Next came t' main body shroud. Begad! This is made o' heavy paper, arrr, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, me bucko, matey, matey, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, me hearties, and had no problems with it. 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. Ya scallywag! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Ya scallywag! But, o' course, you don't want it flat, arrr, 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. Aye aye! That went fine. Avast!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Ya scallywag! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Avast! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Avast, me proud beauty! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Aye aye! This actually worked out quite well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Well, blow me down! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Aye aye! Nice. Avast, me proud beauty!

Next up, me hearties, arrr, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. 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. Blimey! Blimey! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch.

Next, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, arrr, addin' tail weight. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! No problem. Begad!

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

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). Aye aye! Blimey! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, shiver me timbers, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, with an end cap glued t' one end. T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Nay a big deal, shiver me timbers, but odd, because everythin' else fit well enough. Avast! Blimey! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Fixed. Avast! Blimey! Fixed. T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, me bucko, inside t' back o' t' rocket. What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), arrr, or on t' outside (facin' back). Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, rather than glide back. I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), 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. Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, matey, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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), matey, ya bilge rat, matey, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, me hearties, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and you're all set. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Well, matey, blow me down! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Blimey! Mine measured 11".

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

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

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

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Begad! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, thar's no need for recovery wadding, ya bilge rat, matey, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. Blimey! 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, t' engine fell out, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and pulled t' streamer out with it. No biggie, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, matey, shiver me timbers, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Blimey! Ahoy! I repacked it, shiver me timbers, arrr, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Ahoy!

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

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

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

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