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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Avast! (No painting, me bucko, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, matey, and had no problems with it. Begad! 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! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. Begad! But, o' course, you don't want it flat, arrr, 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. That went fine. Begad!

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

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

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! 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. T' paper is scored, 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. Begad! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Ahoy! 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, me bucko, so you shouldn't pinch it quite as much. Ya scallywag! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Nice. Avast, me proud beauty!

Next up, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! Aye aye! As you can see in t' photo above, t' launch lug is at t' bottom center, matey, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Ya scallywag! Begad! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch.

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

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Well, blow me down! Begad! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Begad! 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. Aye aye! If you're a stickler for such details, shiver me timbers, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, matey, matey, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Well, blow me down! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, requires some finishing, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Begad! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. Begad! This worked out very well, ya bilge rat, if I do say so myself. Nice, arrr, arrr, me hearties, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Ya scallywag! Gluin' t' canopy in place was simple and straightforward, 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). Begad! Well, 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. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Blimey! Well, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Ahoy! Nay a big deal, but odd, matey, because everythin' else fit well enough. I just used t' tube a template and cut a proper end cap from some o' t' scrap shroud paper. Arrr! Avast! Fixed. Begad! Fixed. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, me bucko, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Begad! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). Begad! 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, arrr, rather than glide back. I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), ya bilge rat, as you can see from t' aft photo, me bucko, above.

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

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! 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! Blimey! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Ahoy! Blimey!

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

I must preface this flight description and me opinion by sayin' that it be very windy t' day o' these flights. Ahoy! It's entirely possible that things would be very different in more rocket-friendly conditions. Well, blow me down! Blimey! . Blimey! . Begad! Ahoy!

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

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

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

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

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