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

Construction started out well. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Aye aye! Nice touch.

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

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

Nope. T' trouble be just beginning. Begad! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Well, blow me down! This is done in two steps. Ahoy! 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. Begad! Begad! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. 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. I wiped this up immediately, me hearties, arrr, but, ya bilge rat, arrr, as you can probably guess, matey, t' result be a pretty screwed up nose cone. Aye aye! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, me hearties, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Avast, me proud beauty! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Avast! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, me hearties, clever way t' avoid this. Aye aye! Blimey! 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. No problemo, me bucko, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. 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! Blimey! k. Avast! a. carpenter's wood glue, me hearties, matey, a. k. Ahoy! Ahoy! a. Well, blow me down! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Well, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, ya bilge rat, and nay a pretty one at that. Ahoy! 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. Avast! Aye aye! This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Blimey! (You can't see them well in t' photos, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, shiver me timbers, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. Avast! )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Arrr! Thick CA, me hearties, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, matey, but if it leaks through, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Avast, me proud beauty! 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! Blimey!

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Avast! 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. T' paper is scored, ya bilge rat, matey, 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. Arrr! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Avast! Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Begad! Blimey! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nice. Begad! Blimey!

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

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

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Arrr! It was unclear exactly where t' cut, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Arrr! 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. Aye aye! 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, me hearties, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Arrr! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, matey, I opted t' use black magic marker. Blimey! Aye aye! This worked out very well, me hearties, if I do say so myself. Blimey! Nice, me hearties, ya bilge rat, smooth, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Ahoy! Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, but it didn't make a complete seal all t' way around. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

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

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Aye aye! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Begad! . Aye aye! . Blimey! Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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