T' Quest X-30 Aerospace plane caught me eye, me hearties, and it was on sale at Magnum for $4. 50, but I be a little wary o' t' paper shroud construction. Begad! Blimey!   Well, t' Quest HL-20 uses paper shroud construction, me bucko, arrr, too, and it was also on sale, matey, for $2. Avast! 50, and it's supposed t' be easier. Blimey! 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. 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. Avast! 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. Blimey! Begad!

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

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

Nope. Avast, me proud beauty! T' trouble be just beginning. Begad! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Avast! This is done in two steps. 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. Avast! Arrr! 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. Aye aye! Begad! I wiped this up immediately, but, ya bilge rat, as you can probably guess, t' result be a pretty screwed up nose cone. Blimey! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Well, blow me down! This was 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, clever way t' avoid this. Let me know if you figure it out. Avast!

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, me hearties, right? No problemo, ya bilge rat, right? Wrong. Arrr! Part o' t' problem be me choice o' glues. I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, arrr, so I went with yellow glue (a. k. Arrr! a. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! carpenter's wood glue, a. Begad! k. Ya scallywag! a. aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, me bucko, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. This, ya bilge rat, 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! Ahoy! (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. Avast! )White glue may give better results, me bucko, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Thick CA, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, ya bilge rat, but if it leaks through, ya bilge rat, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Ya scallywag! 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. Aye aye!

Well, me bucko, about this time, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, me hearties, was startin' t' let go. It wasn't bad, but it was clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. Ya scallywag! I wicked some thin CA into this area. It's permanent now. It's permanent now. Well, blow me down! Ok, me bucko, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Well, blow me down! . . Aye aye!

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

Next up, ya bilge rat, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch.

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

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Avast, me proud beauty! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Aye aye! It be 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, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Arrr! 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. Ahoy! Begad! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, matey, requires some finishing, arrr, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, matey, I opted t' use black magic marker. Arrr! This worked out very well, matey, if I do say so myself. Nice, smooth, shiver me timbers, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Blimey! Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Blimey! Ahoy!

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, matey, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, me hearties, with an end cap glued t' one end. Begad! Begad! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Well, shiver me timbers, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, ya bilge rat, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap be too small. Avast! Nay a big deal, me bucko, arrr, arrr, but odd, because everythin' else fit well enough. Begad! Arrr! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Blimey! Fixed. Avast! Fixed. Arrr! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, me bucko, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Ahoy! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), me bucko, or on t' outside (facin' back). Ahoy! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), me hearties, as you can see from t' aft photo, me hearties, above. Ahoy!

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Ya scallywag! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Ahoy! Arrr! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Then, for each flight, you tie t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' end o' t' engine (reinforce this with tape), me bucko, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, matey, and you're all set. T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Begad! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Mine measured 11".

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Blimey! Arrr! In other words, arrr, me hearties, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, big spiral. Arrr! Unfortunately, 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. Avast!

To summarize t' construction, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Avast! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating.

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

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

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

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

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

As a final note, I would like t' assure you that I'm nay tryin' t' bash Quest as a rocket company. I have several o' their rockets, ya bilge rat, arrr, me bucko, 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. Ahoy!