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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Arrr! This is made o' heavy paper, ya bilge rat, 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, and had no problems with it. Avast! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, so it does nay immediate roll itself into t' desired shape. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Well, blow me down! But, ya bilge rat, o' course, me hearties, you don't want it flat, arrr, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, matey, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. Ya scallywag! That went fine. Ahoy!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Begad! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. T' paper is scored, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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. Ahoy! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Avast, me proud beauty! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Well, blow me down! Begad! Nice.

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

Next, addin' tail weight. Ya scallywag! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Arrr! Blimey! No problem. Aye aye!

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

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

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

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, me hearties, big spiral. Begad! Blimey! Unfortunately, matey, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Avast! Blimey! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

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

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

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Begad! Begad! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Begad! Ahoy! Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, arrr, thar's no need for recovery wadding, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. Begad! T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, but I didn't have any o' those, me hearties, me hearties, so I opted for a B6-4. There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Aye aye! No biggie, me hearties, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, arrr, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Avast! Arrr! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

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

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