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

Construction started out well. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, matey, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, arrr, matey, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It was very thoughtful o' Quest t' provide an empty 18mm engine casin' (intended for use in pushin' in t' engine block). Aye aye! Nice touch. Arrr! Avast!

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

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

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

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

Next up, matey, 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, me hearties, me hearties, t' form rectangular air passageway. Ya scallywag! 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. Ahoy!

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

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

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! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, me hearties, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, ya bilge rat, with an end cap glued t' one end. Begad! Ahoy! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Begad! Well, arrr, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, arrr, ya bilge rat, I be surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap be too small. Nay a big deal, but odd, me bucko, because everythin' else fit well enough. Avast! I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Begad! Fixed. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Fixed. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Avast! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), me hearties, me hearties, shiver me timbers, or on t' outside (facin' back). Begad! T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Blimey! Avast! My guess is that that would probably cause t' streamer t' get caught in this compartment, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, shiver me timbers, rather than glide back. I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), as you can see from t' aft photo, above.

There is one more construction step (described in t' section "Preppin' your HL-20 for flight"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Begad! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Avast! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, me hearties, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Well, blow me down! Then, me hearties, 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, arrr, and you're all set. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Avast! Blimey! 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, big spiral. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Ya scallywag! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Begad!

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

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

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

T' first launch was ugly. Begad! Avast! It went up in a wobbly arc, reached about 50feet AGL, me hearties, and headed down, arrr, ya bilge rat, still under power. Begad! I'm nay sure if it was still under power when it plowed nose-first into t' (fortunately soft) ground, me bucko, matey, but it definitely hit hard. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' nose stuck in t' ground, ya bilge rat, and t' ejection charge blew t' engine up and out. Aye aye! T' streamer separated from t' "gripper" tab, makin' t' engine casing, with t' Keelhaul®©™ line still attached, rather difficult t' locate. Begad! 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. Aye aye!

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

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

As a final note, arrr, I would like t' assure you that I'm nay tryin' t' bash Quest as a rocket company. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I have several o' their rockets, me bucko, me bucko, 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. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey!