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

Construction started out well. Avast! 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. Aye aye! About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Avast! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Ahoy! Aye aye! Nice touch. Ya scallywag!

Next came t' main body shroud. Begad! This is made o' heavy paper, shiver me timbers, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, me hearties, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, and had no problems with it. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. But, me hearties, o' course, you don't want it flat, shiver me timbers, 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. That went fine. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' paper is scored, shiver me timbers, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This actually worked out quite well, matey, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Arrr! 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. Begad! Nice. Aye aye! Begad!

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Well, blow me down! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, me hearties, t' form rectangular air passageway. Well, blow me down! As you can see in t' photo above, arrr, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Begad! Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. No problem. Blimey!

Next, me hearties, t' cockpit canopy. This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Arrr! Arrr! It be unclear exactly where t' cut, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Aye aye! Begad! T' idea is that you need t' cut so that thar's a little base (about 2mm) all t' way around t' canopy, matey, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Arrr! Blimey! If you're a stickler for such details, me hearties, me bucko, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, me bucko, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Ahoy! This piece, ya bilge rat, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, matey, requires some finishing, matey, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, ya bilge rat, I opted t' use black magic marker. Ya scallywag! This worked out very well, me bucko, if I do say so myself. Begad! Nice, matey, smooth, me bucko, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Avast! Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, arrr, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Ahoy! 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). This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, with an end cap glued t' one end. T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Well, blow me down! Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Ya scallywag! Nay a big deal, but odd, shiver me timbers, matey, because everythin' else fit well enough. Avast, me proud beauty! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Arrr! Arrr! Fixed. Begad! Fixed. Arrr! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, matey, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), arrr, or on t' outside (facin' back). Avast! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Arrr! 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, rather than glide back. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), as you can see from t' aft photo, ya bilge rat, matey, 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! Arrr! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Begad! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Begad! Then, for each flight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! Mine measured 11". Begad! Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, me bucko, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, shiver me timbers, and if t' flights are much better, me bucko, I will update this page immediately. Aye aye! 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! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, me bucko, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), me hearties, arrr, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Ya scallywag! At this point, shiver me timbers, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Begad! 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. I have several o' their rockets, arrr, and have been pretty happy with t' others. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Begad!