T' Quest X-30 Aerospace plane caught me eye, me hearties, and it be on sale at Magnum for $4. 50, but I be a little wary o' t' paper shroud construction.   Well, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' Quest HL-20 uses paper shroud construction, too, shiver me timbers, and it was also on sale, matey, for $2. 50, and it's supposed t' be easier. 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. Ahoy! )

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

Next came t' main body shroud. This is made o' heavy paper, shiver me timbers, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, me hearties, me hearties, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and had no problems with it. Blimey! Begad! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! But, o' course, shiver me timbers, matey, you don't want it flat, 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! Well, blow me down! That went fine. Avast, me proud beauty!

And then came t' moment o' truth. Begad! . Begad! Begad! . Blimey! Ahoy! time t' put t' shroud together, permanently. Ahoy! Provided in t' kit for this purpose, 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, matey, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, 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. Begad! It took care, but be nay particularly difficult t' get t' shroud edges lined up and held in place. Whew. Aye aye! Whew. It's all downhill from here. Aye aye! . Avast! . Arrr! Begad! right?

Nope. Blimey! T' trouble was just beginning. T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. This is done in two steps. Arrr! Well, blow me down! In t' first step, 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. Avast! Arrr! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Aye aye! T' problem is that t' nose cone is attached t' t' engine tube and tri-oval centerin' ring, me hearties, and it's basically impossible t' get t' nose cone t' slip through that hole without gettin' plastic cement all over t' nose cone. I wiped this up immediately, arrr, but, as you can probably guess, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Avast! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone be disfigured. Arrr! Aye aye! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Avast! Avast! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, clever way t' avoid this. Arrr! Let me know if you figure it out. Well, blow me down!

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! Avast, me proud beauty! No problemo, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me bucko, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Aye aye! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, matey, so I went with yellow glue (a. k. a. carpenter's wood glue, a. Arrr! k. Begad! Well, blow me down! a. aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Ya scallywag! Well, it be still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Aye aye! 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. This, 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. Ahoy! (You can't see them well in t' photos, shiver me timbers, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. Arrr! Arrr! )White glue may give better results, ya bilge rat, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Thick CA, ya bilge rat, 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. 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. Aye aye!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

T' launch was held on Saturday, ya bilge rat, March 14, shiver me timbers, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Blimey! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Avast! 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. T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, me bucko, but I didn't have any o' those, so I opted for a B6-4. There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, matey, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, shiver me timbers, t' engine fell out, me bucko, and pulled t' streamer out with it. No biggie, arrr, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Begad!

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

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

So, arrr, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights be less than inspiring. Blimey! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, matey, and if t' flights are much better, 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, me hearties, and report any successes here. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), shiver me timbers, arrr, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. At this point, matey, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Ahoy! Blimey!

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