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

Construction started out well. Ahoy! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, arrr, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, me hearties, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, me hearties, and gluin' in t' engine block. Begad! 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). Avast! Nice touch.

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

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

Nope. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! T' trouble was just beginning. Arrr! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Arrr! This is done in two steps. Avast! Blimey! In t' first step, 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. Arrr! Blimey! T' plastic cement is intended t' seal t' nose cone t' paper shroud. Begad! T' problem is that t' nose cone is attached t' t' engine tube and tri-oval centerin' ring, me hearties, matey, and it's basically impossible t' get t' nose cone t' slip through that hole without gettin' plastic cement all over t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! I wiped this up immediately, me hearties, but, matey, arrr, arrr, as you can probably guess, 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. Avast! Blimey! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, matey, arrr, but it wasn't nice. Aye aye! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, 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! Avast, me proud beauty! No problemo, arrr, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Avast, me proud beauty! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Aye aye! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. k. Avast! a. carpenter's wood glue, a. Avast! Avast! k. Well, blow me down! a. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Well, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. Ya scallywag! 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, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Begad! (You can't see them well in t' photos, ya bilge rat, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, me hearties, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! )White glue may give better results, matey, 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, but if it leaks through, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Well, blow me down! 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. Ahoy! Ahoy!

Well, me bucko, matey, about this time, I noticed that t' adhesive strip that was holdin' t' shroud together, was startin' t' let go. Well, blow me down! It wasn't bad, shiver me timbers, but it was clear that it wasn't goin' t' hold forever. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I wicked some thin CA into this area. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's permanent now. Aye aye! Blimey! It's permanent now. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ok, now this kit is startin' t' annoy me. Aye aye! . Begad! Blimey! . Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. T' paper is scored, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 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, arrr, 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 bucko, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Avast! Blimey! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nice. Ahoy! Blimey!

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

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

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

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, matey, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Well, blow me down! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, me bucko, matey, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Avast! Then, 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. Ahoy! 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. Begad! In other words, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, matey, shiver me timbers, big spiral. Unfortunately, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Begad! Ahoy!

To summarize t' construction, me bucko, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Ahoy! 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! Begad! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. . Arrr! Aye aye! .

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

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

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

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

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. Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!