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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Avast, me proud beauty! This is made o' heavy paper, me hearties, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, arrr, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and had no problems with it. 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Begad! Begad! But, ya bilge rat, me hearties, o' course, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, you don't want it flat, so I chose t' roll it up close t' it's intended shape, me hearties, and hold it in place with rubber bands while I cut out t' rest o' t' paper pieces. Ahoy! That went fine. Begad!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Begad! 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. Begad! T' paper is scored, me bucko, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Nice. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Arrr! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. Aye aye! As you can see in t' photo above, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

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

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. Blimey! Unfortunately, me bucko, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, matey, ya bilge rat, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

To summarize t' construction, I have t' give this model a construction ratin' o' 2 out o' 5. Arrr! Begad! It's nay bilge-suckin' 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 be very windy t' day o' these flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Ya scallywag! . Ahoy! .

T' launch was held on Saturday, March 14, 1998 at Deer Path Park in central New Jersey. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I set up t' pad and prepped t' rocket. Bein' a rear-ejection boost glider, shiver me timbers, thar's no need for recovery wadding, shiver me timbers, but you have t' tape t' streamer line t' t' motor itself. Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit documentation recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight, but I didn't have any o' those, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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, t' engine fell out, and pulled t' streamer out with it. Avast! Blimey! No biggie, but I didn't put tape around t' engine t' get a tighter fit, shiver me timbers, for fear that t' engine would jam at ejection time. Ahoy! I repacked it, shiver me timbers, and held t' engine in place while I set it up this time. Well, blow me down!

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

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

So, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, and report any successes here. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I don't want t' misrepresent this rocket, and I'll be t' first t' admit that t' conditions weren't ideal, me hearties, but so far, I have t' say I'm rather disappointed. I have t' give it a flight ratin' o' 1. Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! Arrr! At this point, ya bilge rat, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

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