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

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

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

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

Nope. Arrr! Blimey! T' trouble was just beginning. T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Ahoy! Blimey! This is done in two steps. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I wiped this up immediately, but, as you can probably guess, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, matey, but it wasn't nice. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Unfortunately, matey, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, clever way t' avoid this. Begad! Blimey! Let me know if you figure it out. Avast! Blimey!

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! Arrr! No problemo, matey, me hearties, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Part o' t' problem be me choice o' glues. I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. Well, blow me down! k. Avast! a. carpenter's wood glue, a. Aye aye! k. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! a. Begad! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Begad! Arrr! Well, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, arrr, arrr, arrr, and nay a pretty one at that. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Avast! Avast! (You can't see them well in t' photos, ya bilge rat, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, me bucko, 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. Well, blow me down! Thick CA, ya bilge rat, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, ya bilge rat, but if it leaks through, me hearties, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. 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.

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

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. Arrr! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions say t' apply a small amount o' glue t' t' inside at t' top and pinch together. Blimey! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. 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, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Nice. Ahoy! Begad!

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Ya scallywag! 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. 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. Ya scallywag! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Well, me bucko, blow me down!

Next, arrr, addin' tail weight. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. Blimey! Blimey! No problem. Avast! Blimey!

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

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

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Well, blow me down! Begad! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Begad! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, me hearties, me bucko, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. 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, shiver me timbers, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, and you're all set. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Mine measured 11".

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. In other words, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, me hearties, big spiral. Begad! Avast! Unfortunately, matey, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag!

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! It's nay bilge-suckin' or outrageously complex, but thar were too many little problems and shortcomings t' even give it an "average" rating. Ya scallywag!

I must preface this flight description and me opinion by sayin' that it be very windy t' day o' these flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Blimey! . Blimey! Aye aye! . Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

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