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

Construction started out well. Aye aye! Blimey! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, me bucko, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, 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. Ya scallywag! It be 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.

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

And then came t' moment o' truth. . Begad! . Ahoy! time t' put t' shroud together, permanently. Begad! Avast! Provided in t' kit for this purpose, is a strip o' double-sided adhesive. Arrr! Blimey! 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, matey, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, and finally attach t' other edge o' t' shroud. Avast! Despite some problems gettin' t' coverings off t' adhesive, this actually worked quite well. Avast! Arrr! It took care, but be nay particularly difficult t' get t' shroud edges lined up and held in place. Whew. Blimey! Whew. Aye aye! It's all downhill from here. Begad! . . Begad! right?

Nope. Begad! Avast! T' trouble was just beginning. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Begad! Aye aye! This is done in two steps. Ahoy! 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. Begad! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Aye aye! Begad! T' problem is that t' nose cone is attached t' t' engine tube and tri-oval centerin' ring, matey, me bucko, 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! I wiped this up immediately, but, me hearties, as you can probably guess, matey, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Arrr! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone be disfigured. Blimey! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, ya bilge rat, but it wasn't nice. Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, matey, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, arrr, clever way t' avoid this. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Let me know if you figure it out. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!

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, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Aye aye! Part o' t' problem be me choice o' glues. Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, arrr, so I went with yellow glue (a. Arrr! k. Ahoy! a. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! carpenter's wood glue, matey, ya bilge rat, a. Ahoy! k. Ya scallywag! a. Arrr! Ya scallywag! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Ahoy! Well, arrr, arrr, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, arrr, shiver me timbers, and nay a pretty one at that. Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, me bucko, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Aye aye! Avast! (You can't see them well in t' photos, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, me bucko, 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. Begad! Blimey! Thick CA, me bucko, 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. Ahoy! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, about this time, me hearties, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, arrr, was startin' t' let go. Begad! It wasn't bad, ya bilge rat, but it be clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. I wicked some thin CA into this area. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! It's permanent now. Aye aye! It's permanent now. Ahoy! Ok, ya bilge rat, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Begad! Ya scallywag! . Avast! . Avast!

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' paper is scored, arrr, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Avast! Blimey! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ahoy! Blimey! This actually worked out quite well, shiver me timbers, but you have t' be aware (and t' instructions do not point this out) that t' rudder has a wider base than t' wings, me hearties, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Ya scallywag! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Avast! Avast! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Nice. Well, blow me down!

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

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

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. It was unclear exactly where t' cut, 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, me hearties, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Ya scallywag! If you're a stickler for such details, ya bilge rat, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, ya bilge rat, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Begad! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, shiver me timbers, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Begad! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. Ya scallywag! This worked out very well, arrr, if I do say so myself. Blimey! Avast! Nice, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Gluin' t' canopy in place was simple and straightforward, 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, me bucko, me bucko, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, arrr, with an end cap glued t' one end. Well, blow me down! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, shiver me timbers, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Nay a big deal, me hearties, but odd, arrr, shiver me timbers, because everythin' else fit well enough. I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Arrr! Fixed. Begad! Begad! Fixed. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). Well, blow me down! 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, matey, arrr, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, ya bilge rat, rather than glide back. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, ya bilge rat, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, matey, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Blimey! Arrr! 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, and you're all set. T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Blimey! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Blimey! Mine measured 11". Well, blow me down!

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

To summarize t' construction, arrr, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Begad! It's nay bilge-suckin' or outrageously complex, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

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

So, me hearties, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. Blimey! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, matey, matey, arrr, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Blimey! Begad! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, and report any successes here. I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, me hearties, 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. I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. At this point, 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! Ya scallywag! I have several o' their rockets, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and have been pretty happy with t' others. Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, ya bilge rat, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely.