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

Construction started out well. Ya scallywag! Avast! It starts by attachin' t' tri-oval centerin' disk t' t' engine tube, ya bilge rat, gluin' a shoulder t' t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, me hearties, gluin' t' nose cone + shoulder on t' tube, arrr, matey, and gluin' in t' engine block. Ahoy! Blimey! 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). Nice touch. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

Next came t' main body shroud. This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Avast! Avast! (No painting, 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. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Arrr! But, o' course, shiver me timbers, you don't want it flat, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. Arrr! That went fine. Arrr!

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

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

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

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

Next up, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. Begad! 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. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

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

Next, arrr, t' cockpit canopy. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Blimey! Blimey! It be unclear exactly where t' cut, 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, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you're a stickler for such details, me hearties, 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. Blimey! Blimey! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, arrr, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Arrr! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, shiver me timbers, matey, I opted t' use black magic marker. Well, blow me down! This worked out very well, arrr, shiver me timbers, if I do say so myself. Arrr! Nice, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! 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. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey!

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

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

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, 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. Arrr! Begad! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Avast!

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Blimey! It's nay awful or outrageously complex, 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 was very windy t' day o' these flights. Begad! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Begad! . Ahoy! . Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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