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

Construction started out well. It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, ya bilge rat, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, me bucko, me hearties, and gluin' in t' engine block. Aye aye! Blimey! About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Blimey! Blimey! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Nice touch.

Next came t' main body shroud. Ahoy! Aye aye! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Aye aye! Begad! (No painting, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and had no problems with it. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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. But, o' course, me hearties, you don't want it flat, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! That went fine. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down!

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

Nope. T' trouble was just beginning. Begad! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Begad! Aye aye! This is done in two steps. Avast! In t' first step, 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. T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' problem is that t' nose cone is attached t' t' engine tube and tri-oval centerin' ring, arrr, arrr, and it's basically impossible t' get t' nose cone t' slip through that hole without gettin' plastic cement all over t' nose cone. Ahoy! Arrr! I wiped this up immediately, arrr, me hearties, but, me hearties, 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 was disfigured. Ya scallywag! Avast! This be almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, arrr, but it wasn't nice. Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, me bucko, clever way t' avoid this. Begad! Avast! Let me know if you figure it out. Begad! Arrr!

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! No problemo, me hearties, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Avast! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Blimey! Ahoy! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, matey, me bucko, so I went with yellow glue (a. Blimey! Blimey! k. Begad! a. carpenter's wood glue, me bucko, a. Ahoy! Aye aye! k. a. Well, blow me down! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Avast! Well, it be still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, me hearties, and nay a pretty one at that. T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, me hearties, me bucko, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. Arrr! Blimey! This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, matey, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. 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. Begad! )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Thick CA, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, but if it leaks through, matey, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Begad! 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, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, was startin' t' let go. It wasn't bad, but it be clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. Well, blow me down! I wicked some thin CA into this area. Blimey! It's permanent now. Ya scallywag! It's permanent now. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ok, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. . . Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Blimey! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Avast! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' paper is scored, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. 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, me hearties, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Blimey! Blimey! Nice. Arrr! Blimey!

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

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

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

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), ya bilge rat, settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, arrr, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Arrr! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, shiver me timbers, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Arrr! Then, shiver me timbers, for each flight, you tie t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' end o' t' engine (reinforce this with tape), matey, 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. Avast! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Blimey! Blimey! Mine measured 11". Begad!

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

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. . Arrr! .

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, me bucko, arrr, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Aye aye! Blimey! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, shiver me timbers, thar's no need for recovery wadding, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, but I didn't have any o' those, so I opted for a B6-4. Aye aye! Blimey! There were no problems preppin' t' rocket, me bucko, but when I tried t' slide it down t' launch rod, me hearties, t' engine fell out, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I repacked it, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

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

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

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

As a final note, me hearties, 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. Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!