T' Quest X-30 Aerospace plane caught me eye, and it be on sale at Magnum for $4. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! 50, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I was a little wary o' t' paper shroud construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!   Well, shiver me timbers, t' Quest HL-20 uses paper shroud construction, too, and it be also on sale, me hearties, for $2. Arrr! Blimey! 50, and it's supposed t' be easier. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I figured I'd try t' HL-20 as an introduction t' paper shroud construction. (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, me bucko, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, 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. It be very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Aye aye! Blimey! Nice touch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Next came t' main body shroud. This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Well, blow me down! (No painting, matey, ya bilge rat, 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. Aye aye! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Avast! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! That went fine. Ahoy! Begad!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Aye aye! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Ahoy! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' paper is scored, ya bilge rat, me hearties, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Begad! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. 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. Ahoy! Nice.

Next up, 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, t' form rectangular air passageway. Arrr! As you can see in t' photo above, arrr, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Avast, me proud beauty! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Begad!

Next, addin' tail weight. Arrr! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Begad! No problem. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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! Arrr! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, with an end cap glued t' one end. Avast! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, matey, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap be too small. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nay a big deal, matey, but odd, because everythin' else fit well enough. Blimey! 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. What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), shiver me timbers, me bucko, or on t' outside (facin' back). T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! 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. Well, blow me down! I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), as you can see from t' aft photo, arrr, above.

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

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Avast, me proud beauty! In other words, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, big spiral. Avast! Unfortunately, me hearties, 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! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag!

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, arrr, 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. Begad! Well, blow me down! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Ya scallywag! Blimey! . Avast, matey, me proud beauty! .

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

T' first launch was ugly. Ahoy! It went up in a wobbly arc, reached about 50feet AGL, and headed down, arrr, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, still under power. 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. Aye aye! Blimey! T' nose stuck in t' ground, and t' ejection charge blew t' engine up and out. T' streamer separated from t' "gripper" tab, makin' t' engine casing, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, with t' Keelhaul®©™ line still attached, rather difficult t' locate. Avast! Nay exactly a picture-perfect flight, but thar was absolutely no damage t' any o' t' pieces, and I was determined t' try again. Avast, me proud beauty!

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

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

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. Blimey! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, matey, me bucko, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Aye aye!