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

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, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, ya bilge rat, and gluin' in t' engine block. Avast, me proud beauty! About t' only hint here is t' use an 18mm engine casin' cut around t' nose cone positionin' disk. Begad! 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. Begad!

Next came t' main body shroud. Ya scallywag! This is made o' heavy paper, matey, me hearties, with t' design already printed on it. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! (No painting, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, arrr, and had no problems with it. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, so it does nay immediate roll itself into t' desired shape. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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, arrr, o' course, you don't want it flat, arrr, me bucko, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, arrr, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. Arrr! Well, blow me down! That went fine. Begad! Begad!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Arrr! Blimey! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! T' paper is scored, me hearties, shiver me timbers, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ahoy! This actually worked out quite well, arrr, 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 bucko, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Arrr! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Arrr! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Well, blow me down! Avast! 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, ya bilge rat, t' form rectangular air passageway. Arrr! As you can see in t' photo above, matey, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, me hearties, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Ya scallywag! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug be a nice aesthetic touch. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

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

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

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Blimey! Blimey! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, me bucko, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Arrr! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, arrr, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Blimey! Then, matey, for each flight, 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, 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! Begad! Blimey!

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

To summarize t' construction, me hearties, 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, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 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 be 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! . .

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

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

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

So, arrr, 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I will update this page immediately. Ahoy! Blimey! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, and report any successes here. Aye aye! Blimey! 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, me bucko, arrr, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. Ahoy! I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Begad! Ahoy! 5 out o' 5 points (at least it didn't self-destruct), ya bilge rat, and an overall ratin' o' 2 out o' 5 points. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! At this point, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Begad!

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