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

Construction started out well. 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. 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). Avast, me proud beauty! Nice touch. Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Aye aye! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Begad! Avast! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Blimey! 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, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Begad! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Nice. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty!

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Arrr! Aye aye! 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. As you can see in t' photo above, arrr, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, shiver me timbers, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Blimey!

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

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Ya scallywag! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Ya scallywag! It was unclear exactly where t' cut, matey, me bucko, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Blimey! Avast! 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. Avast! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, me hearties, 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. This worked out very well, if I do say so myself. Begad! Nice, smooth, matey, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Ya scallywag! Avast! Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, ya bilge rat, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Begad! 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! Aye aye! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, shiver me timbers, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, with an end cap glued t' one end. Begad! Arrr! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Avast! Aye aye! Well, matey, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap be too small. Nay a big deal, but odd, 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. Begad! Aye aye! Fixed. Begad! Fixed. Well, blow me down! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Begad! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). Ahoy! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Aye aye! 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, rather than glide back. I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), as you can see from t' aft photo, me bucko, above. Well, blow me down!

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. Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, me hearties, matey, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Blimey! Then, 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, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Mine measured 11". Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey!

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

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

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

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

T' first launch was ugly. Aye aye! It went up in a wobbly arc, arrr, shiver me timbers, reached about 50feet AGL, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and headed down, me hearties, still under power. Ahoy! 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, shiver me timbers, 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 was absolutely no damage t' any o' t' pieces, and I was determined t' try again. Well, blow me down!

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

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