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

Construction started out well. Avast! Avast! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, and gluin' in t' engine block. Blimey! Begad! 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). Well, blow me down! Nice touch. Well, blow me down!

Next came t' main body shroud. Ahoy! Begad! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! (No painting, me hearties, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, shiver me timbers, and had no problems with it. Arrr! 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! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Well, blow me down! But, me bucko, o' course, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you don't want it flat, 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. Avast! Aye aye! That went fine. Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next, me hearties, addin' tail weight. You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Arrr! No problem. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

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

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

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Begad! Arrr! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. 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. Begad! T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but I didn't have any o' those, so I opted for a B6-4. Aye aye! 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. Begad! Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time.

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

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

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

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, and have been pretty happy with t' others. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Well, blow me down!