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

Construction started out well. It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Arrr! Nice touch. Aye aye!

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

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

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

Well, me hearties, about this time, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that be holdin' t' shroud together, matey, was startin' t' let go. Blimey! 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. Begad! It's permanent now. Well, blow me down! It's permanent now. Aye aye! Ok, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Arrr! . Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! . Avast, me proud beauty!

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Arrr! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Begad! Ahoy! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Well, blow me down! T' paper is scored, me hearties, then folded over once t' form t' fin. T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. This actually worked out quite well, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! 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! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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

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

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

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). Arrr! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, me bucko, with an end cap glued t' one end. T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap be too small. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay a big deal, matey, but odd, 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. Ahoy! Fixed. Ya scallywag! Begad! Fixed. Ya scallywag! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Avast! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). Avast, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, ya bilge rat, rather than glide back. Avast! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, as you can see from t' aft photo, shiver me timbers, above. Ya scallywag! Avast!

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

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In other words, matey, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, shiver me timbers, me bucko, big spiral. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Unfortunately, me bucko, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, shiver me timbers, arrr, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! 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. It's nay awful or outrageously complex, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Begad!

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

T' launch be held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Ya scallywag! 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! T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, matey, me hearties, but I didn't have any o' those, so I opted for a B6-4. Begad! There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, me bucko, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, t' engine fell out, ya bilge rat, and pulled t' streamer out with it. No biggie, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, me bucko, 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. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

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

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

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

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