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

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

Next came t' main body shroud. Arrr! This is made o' heavy paper, with t' design already printed on it. Avast, me proud beauty! (No painting, yeah!) I took me time and be very careful when cuttin' out t' shroud, and had no problems with it. Avast! Aye aye! T' shroud paper comes rolled up in an oval shape in t' kit, so it does nay immediate roll itself into t' desired shape. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions suggest layin' t' shroud printed side down and usin' a steam iron on it t' flatten it out. But, o' course, you don't want it flat, me bucko, 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. Begad! . Ahoy! . Avast! time t' put t' shroud together, permanently. Arrr! Begad! Provided in t' kit for this purpose, is a strip o' double-sided adhesive. Ahoy! T' idea is t' peel back t' coverin' on one side o' t' adhesive strip, me hearties, place that on t' tab o' t' shroud, then peel off t' coverin' on t' 2nd side, matey, ya bilge rat, and finally attach t' other edge o' t' shroud. Ahoy! Despite some problems gettin' t' coverings off t' adhesive, this actually worked quite well. Avast, me proud beauty! It took care, arrr, arrr, but be nay particularly difficult t' get t' shroud edges lined up and held in place. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Whew. Avast! Whew. Avast! It's all downhill from here. Ya scallywag! . Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! . Begad! Begad! right?

Nope. Aye aye! T' trouble was just beginning. Avast, me proud beauty! T' next step is t' attach t' engine tube assembly into t' body shroud. Blimey! This is done in two steps. Begad! Aye aye! In t' first step, matey, 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! 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. Avast! I wiped this up immediately, me bucko, matey, but, as you can probably guess, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' result was a pretty screwed up nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' plastic cement actually melts t' plastic, me hearties, and anyplace where t' cement touched t' cone was disfigured. Aye aye! Well, me hearties, blow me down! This was almost completely fixed after some sandin' with 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, but it wasn't nice. Arrr! Unfortunately, I haven't been able t' think o' any simple, me bucko, shiver me timbers, clever way t' avoid this. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! Let me know if you figure it out. Blimey! Arrr!

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! No problemo, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, right? No problemo, arrr, right? Wrong. Blimey! Begad! Part o' t' problem was me choice o' glues. Begad! Begad! I didn't want t' be holdin' this thin' all night, so I went with yellow glue (a. Begad! k. Begad! a. Begad! carpenter's wood glue, ya bilge rat, a. k. Ya scallywag! a. Well, arrr, blow me down! aliphatic resin glue) because it grabs quickly. Aye aye! Avast! Well, it was still a marathon "hold until t' glue grabs" session, shiver me timbers, and nay a pretty one at that. Blimey! T' shroud didn't want t' form t' t' tri-oval shape, arrr, matey, and it's difficult t' hold this awkward shape with even pressure everywhere t' avoid waves in t' paper shroud. This, combined with t' fact that yellow glue shrinks a lot when it dries, matey, resulted in very noticeable waves in t' final product. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! (You can't see them well in t' photos, arrr, shiver me timbers, because t' white paper gets washed out in t' image, arrr, me bucko, but you can see them quite well with t' naked eye. Arrr! )White glue may give better results, me hearties, but you're goin' t' have t' hold it forever. Avast! Thick CA, with CA-kicker applied just when things are lined up might be t' ideal way t' go, matey, but if it leaks through, t' end product may end up lookin' even worse. Arrr! 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! Blimey!

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

T' next step is t' attach t' fins (I had already cut them out). Blimey! Avast! 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, 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. Ahoy! This forms t' proper shape for t' fin. Begad! 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! T' rudder and wings then attached t' t' main body shroud easily. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' main body shroud is pre-printed with t' proper location o' all externally attached items. Avast! Nice. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!

Next up, attachment o' t' launch lug and air scoop. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, hidden betwixt t' main body shroud and t' air scoop. Begad! I thought that hidin' t' launch lug was a nice aesthetic touch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

T' first launch was ugly. Arrr! Begad! It went up in a wobbly arc, reached about 50feet AGL, and headed down, me bucko, arrr, still under power. Begad! Avast! 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. T' nose stuck in t' ground, and t' ejection charge blew t' engine up and out. T' streamer separated from t' "gripper" tab, matey, makin' t' engine casing, ya bilge rat, with t' Keelhaul®©™ line still attached, shiver me timbers, rather difficult t' locate. Avast! Nay exactly a picture-perfect flight, but thar was absolutely no damage t' any o' t' pieces, matey, and I was determined t' try again. Begad!

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

So, ya bilge rat, t' conclusion from t' first couple flights was less than inspiring. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I will launch this rocket again in calmer weather, arrr, and if t' flights are much better, I will update this page immediately. Ahoy! I will also try alterin' t' weight distribution t' achieve a better glide, and report any successes here. Ahoy! 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. 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, me bucko, me hearties, me bucko, I simply cannot recommend this rocket. Begad! Avast!

As a final note, matey, 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. Arrr! Try t' ICARUS or Zenith II, both are very nice rockets that build and fly with quite nicely. Begad!