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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Aye aye! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Ahoy! (No painting, ya bilge rat, arrr, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, and had no problems with it. Arrr! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, matey, me hearties, 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. Arrr! But, o' course, you don't want it flat, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, arrr, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. Ya scallywag! That went fine. Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

Next up, 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, arrr, me bucko, arrr, t' form rectangular air passageway. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! As you can see in t' photo above, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, arrr, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Arrr! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Blimey! Blimey!

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

Next, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' cockpit canopy. Ya scallywag! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. It was unclear exactly where t' cut, me hearties, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! If you're a stickler for such details, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Begad! Well, blow me down! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Begad! Ahoy! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. Aye aye! This worked out very well, if I do say so myself. Ya scallywag! Nice, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, shiver me timbers, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. 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, ya bilge rat, matey, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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, me hearties, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Begad! Nay a big deal, but odd, me hearties, because everythin' else fit well enough. Aye aye! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Aye aye! Fixed. Fixed. T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, me hearties, me hearties, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), me hearties, or on t' outside (facin' back). Ya scallywag! 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, rather than glide back. Ya scallywag! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), ya bilge rat, me hearties, as you can see from t' aft photo, matey, above. Ahoy!

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), shiver me timbers, settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, me hearties, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! 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, ya bilge rat, and you're all set. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Ya scallywag! 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. In other words, ya bilge rat, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, arrr, ya bilge rat, big spiral. Begad! Begad! Unfortunately, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, arrr, arrr, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Avast! Blimey! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight.

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

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

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

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

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, me bucko, and if t' flights are much better, me hearties, I will update this page immediately. I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, shiver me timbers, and report any successes here. Avast, me proud beauty! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, and I'll be t' first t' admit that t' conditions weren't ideal, shiver me timbers, but so far, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. Aye aye! Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! At this point, arrr, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Ahoy!

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