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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Well, blow me down! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. (No painting, arrr, yeah!) I took me time and was very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, and had no problems with it. Blimey! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, matey, 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. Ahoy! But, me hearties, me bucko, o' course, you don't want it flat, 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. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! That went fine. Avast!

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

Nope. Ya scallywag! T' trouble was just beginning. T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Well, blow me down! This is done in two steps. Arrr! Begad! 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! Well, me bucko, blow me down! 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and it's basically impossible t' get t' nose cone t' slip through that hole without gettin' plastic cement all over t' nose cone. Ahoy! I wiped this up immediately, me hearties, but, as you can probably guess, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' result be a pretty screwed up nose cone. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone be disfigured. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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, clever way t' avoid this. Begad! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! No problemo, ya bilge rat, right? No problemo, right? Wrong. Blimey! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, me bucko, so I went with yellow glue (a. k. Aye aye! Avast! a. carpenter's wood glue, matey, a. Begad! k. Arrr! a. Ya scallywag! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, it be still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, and nay a pretty one at that. 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. This, me hearties, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, matey, shiver me timbers, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. (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. Avast, me proud beauty! )White glue may give better results, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Thick CA, 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. 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. Blimey!

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Ya scallywag! Arrr! These are referred t' as t' rudder (center one) and wings (outer two) in t' instructions. Ya scallywag! Begad! These are made o' t' same pre-printed heavy paper as t' shroud. Ya scallywag! T' paper is scored, then folded over once t' form t' fin. Begad! 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. Arrr! 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 hearties, 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. T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Begad! Nice.

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Begad! Blimey! T' "air scoop" is just a piece o' paper attached on t' outside bottom o' t' main body shroud, t' form rectangular air passageway. Blimey! As you can see in t' photo above, arrr, me hearties, 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. Blimey!

Next, me hearties, addin' tail weight. You glue two pennies t' a piece o' paper, and glue that t' t' inside bottom o' t' main body shroud. No problem. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Next, t' cockpit canopy. Arrr! This must be cut from a large piece o' excess plastic. Avast! It was unclear exactly where t' cut, and t' instructions aren't helpful here. Aye aye! T' idea is that you need t' cut so that thar's a little base (about 2mm) all t' way around t' canopy, me bucko, so that you have somethin' for t' glue t' hold onto. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're a stickler for such details, you might want t' cut it out with more edge material initially, me bucko, and try placin' it on t' shroud t' see where you can remove t' excess. Avast, me proud beauty! This piece, unlike t' rest o' t' rocket, me hearties, requires some finishing, arrr, although t' instructions don't mention this at all. Ya scallywag! Havin' nay yet achieved oneness with me paint brush, I opted t' use black magic marker. Ahoy! This worked out very well, me bucko, if I do say so myself. Begad! Nice, smooth, glossy finish that didn't take 2 hours t' dry. Ya scallywag! Gluin' t' canopy in place be simple and straightforward, arrr, 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). Ahoy! This compartment is a small 1 1/4" long, 13mm diameter (BT-5) tube, shiver me timbers, with an end cap glued t' one end. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' streamer is stored here durin' t' boost phase. Well, arrr, as accurate as t' rest o' t' paper pieces had been, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I was surprised when t' streamer compartment end cap was too small. Aye aye! Nay a big deal, but odd, me bucko, 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. Fixed. Ya scallywag! Fixed. Arrr! T' instructions just say t' glue this compartment on top o' t' penny ballast holder, shiver me timbers, arrr, inside t' back o' t' rocket. Avast! Well, blow me down! What's missin' is whether t' end cap should be on t' inside (facin' forward), or on t' outside (facin' back). T' supplied diagram makes it look like t' end cap should be on t' outside (facin' back). Begad! My guess is that that would probably cause t' streamer t' get caught in this compartment, and thus cause t' model t' tumble, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, rather than glide back. I mounted mine with t' end cap on t' inside (facin' forward), 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"), settin' up t' streamer for t' engine. Blimey! Supplied with t' kit are a 12" long piece o' Keelhaul®©™ string, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a plastic "gripper" tab. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! You tie t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' t' t' tab, and then attach t' tab t' t' streamer with t' adhesive on t' tab. Then, me hearties, for each flight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you tie t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' end o' t' engine (reinforce this with tape), me hearties, and stuff t' streamer in t' streamer compartment, and you're all set. Avast! T' packagin' says that thar's a 24" streamer in t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' instructions say that thar's a 12" streamer in t' kit. Well, blow me down! Begad! Mine measured 11". Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

T' only other step before flight is t' hand-toss t' glider (without an engine) t' get it trimmed properly. Begad! In other words, me bucko, me hearties, you may need t' adjust t' tabs on t' wings t' make it glide in a nice, big spiral. Unfortunately, t' model glides like a brick in hand-toss mode, shiver me timbers, me hearties, makin' it basically impossible t' trim in any meaningful way. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Trimmin' will have t' wait until after t' first flight. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

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

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

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

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

T' streamer was re-attached, me bucko, and Keelhaul®©™ line was taped t' another B6-4 engine. Arrr! I thought about tryin' a C6-3, me hearties, but was afraid t' extra power would simply get used t' ram t' rocket into t' ground even harder. Begad! Begad! This launch was quite a bit nicer, arrr, but by no means a beautiful flight. T' rocket went up, shiver me timbers, a bit straighter, ya bilge rat, but still hit apogee before burnout. Avast! 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, matey, tail first. Begad! Then t' engine ejected, arrr, and t' rocket transitioned t' "glide" mode. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! 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. Begad! Aye aye! . . more like a brick than a plane. Well, blow me down! It hit t' ground nose-first with moderate velocity, matey, but again, ya bilge rat, thar was absolutely no damage. Begad! It does appear t' be a fairly sturdy rocket, if nothin' else. Avast! As for t' glide, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it simply seems rather nose-heavy, me bucko, 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. Once again, t' "gripper" tab didn't grip, arrr, ya bilge rat, and t' streamer separated from t' engine. Begad! Aye aye! All parts were found. Avast!

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

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, and have been pretty happy with t' others. Avast! Begad! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Ya scallywag!