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

Construction started out well. Blimey! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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 be very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Well, blow me down! Begad! Nice touch. Begad!

Next came t' main body shroud. Avast! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, matey, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, me hearties, and had no problems with it. Ahoy! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, so it does nay immediate roll itself into t' desired shape. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Avast! But, o' course, 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! That went fine. Well, blow me down!

And then came t' moment o' truth. . . Avast! Begad! time t' put t' shroud together, ya bilge rat, permanently. 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, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, and finally attach t' other edge o' t' shroud. Despite some problems gettin' t' coverings off t' adhesive, 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. Whew. Well, blow me down! Whew. It's all downhill from here. Blimey! . Avast! . Well, blow me down! right?

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

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

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

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 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. Aye aye! As you can see in t' photo above, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, arrr, ya bilge rat, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Arrr! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug be a nice aesthetic touch. Begad!

Next, ya bilge rat, addin' tail weight. Well, blow me down! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Ya scallywag! Begad! No problem. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights be less than inspiring. Avast! Well, blow me down! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Begad! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, ya bilge rat, and report any successes here. Arrr! Begad! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, matey, 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), me hearties, me bucko, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At this point, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Arrr! Blimey!

As a final note, arrr, I would like t' assure you that I'm nay tryin' t' bash Quest as a rocket company. Avast, me proud beauty! I have several o' their rockets, 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. Blimey! Arrr!