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

Construction started out well. Blimey! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, ya bilge rat, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, and gluin' in t' engine block. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad!

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

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

Nope. Ahoy! Avast! T' trouble was just beginning. Arrr! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. This is done in two steps. Avast! Ahoy! 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. Begad! Blimey! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. 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. I wiped this up immediately, me hearties, but, as you can probably guess, ya bilge rat, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone be disfigured. Arrr! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, me hearties, but it wasn't nice. Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, clever way t' avoid this. 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. Blimey! No problemo, right? No problemo, arrr, right? Wrong. Begad! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, matey, so I went with yellow glue (a. Well, blow me down! k. Begad! a. Aye aye! Begad! carpenter's wood glue, shiver me timbers, a. k. Avast, me proud beauty! a. aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Ya scallywag! Avast! Well, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Begad! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, arrr, 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, 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, matey, 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. Thick CA, shiver me timbers, arrr, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, shiver me timbers, matey, but if it leaks through, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Ahoy! 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, ya bilge rat, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, shiver me timbers, was startin' t' let go. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It wasn't bad, shiver me timbers, but it be clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! I wicked some thin CA into this area. It's permanent now. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's permanent now. Aye aye! Blimey! Ok, me hearties, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! . Aye aye! Blimey! . Ahoy! Blimey!

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

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Blimey! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, matey, t' form rectangular air passageway. Avast! As you can see in t' photo above, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch.

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

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

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

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Well, me bucko, blow me down! In other words, matey, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, big spiral. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, matey, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down!

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

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

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

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

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, and if t' flights are much better, ya bilge rat, I will update this page immediately. Blimey! Blimey! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, ya bilge rat, matey, and report any successes here. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, and I'll be t' first t' admit that t' conditions weren't ideal, arrr, shiver me timbers, but so far, me hearties, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. Avast! Blimey! I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Begad! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), matey, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Blimey! Avast! At this point, me bucko, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down!

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