Hans "Chris" Michielssen's Page

AKA: hcmbanjo
Location: Orlando, FL
Club Memberships: NAR
Favorite Rockets: Estes Goblin
Personal Home Page: www.oddlrockets.com
Club Home Page: www.R-O-C-K.org
RocketReviews.com Pages:
Rocket Gallery
Flight Log
Flight Statistics

2025-04-25

New Way Letter - Go Build, Part 3, Engine Mount

Blog
The bottom edge of the engine mount tube got an interior wipe of CA Glue. Then the edge got a quick coat. Then sand the edge square, flat and smooth with 400 grit. This shows the engine hook retaining ring, not glued on yet. Always be sure your engine hook runs straight down the tube after gluing the ring over it. The hook can slip around so check it before the glue sets up. The upper centering ... [More]

2025-04-24

New Way Letter - Go Build, Part 2, Cleaning Up The Letter Fins

Blog
The letter fins are cut from 3/32" thick plywood. The edges are slightly laser charred. The flat faces were sanded with 400 grit on a block to remove the ash. On the left - is a before and after sanding the fin edge. On the right - The inside tighter curves were cleaned up using small half round diamond files. The laser edges are cut with a slight "wedge" cut. The ... [More]

2025-04-23

New Way Letter - Go Build, Part 1, Parts

Blog
Rick from New Way sent me a prototype for a upcoming kit. The LETTER - GO is a robust BT-60 design, but with a custom fin design. The fins spell out your name from left to right going around the tube! The fins are laser cut plywood and thru the wall. . The kit should be available after this summer's NARAM. The kit doesn't include the shorter fin attachment tube and letter fins. You send ... [More]

2025-04-22

Porthole Tube Fitting - Tip

Blog
For the new ROBOT prototype, I needed to fit short tubes, glued horizontally to the (vertical) main airframe tube. These are a like the "portholes" on the old Centuri Skylab model, only larger in diameter. To see the Centuri Skylab: CLICK HERE Wrap some 220 grit sandpaper around your main airframe tube. Sand the tube end against the sandpaper with a back and forth motion, to the left ... [More]

2025-04-21

Not A Tri-Fold Mount - Tip

Blog
This type of shock cord mount feels stronger than a thin paper ti-fold mount. It can be used on BT-55 and larger tubes. I wouldn't recommend using this in a BT-20 or BT-50. In smaller diameter tubes, the shock cord knot might block the ejection of a parachute. Cut a rectangular piece of body tube, from the same diameter as your main airframe tube. Tie your shock cord around the rectangular piece. ... [More]

2025-04-20

D.I.Y. Couplers - Tip

Blog
I needed a coupler "sleeve" to fit a Centuri sized ST-18 (1.8" diameter) tube. This is for a second prototype of a possible Odd'l Rockets ROBOT kit. You can't find couplers in this size so I'll have to make one using a 1" length of the ST-18 tubing Cut the coupler in a straight line using scissors. Slip the cut coupler and mark the overlap with pencil. On the left, you can see the pencil line. ... [More]

2025-04-18

Estes Advanced Target Drone, Kit #1913, Build, Finished

Blog
A clean design with high contrast decals. The intakes are a highlight. Wing fins are wide. The rudder and strake fin on the other side are asymmetrical. The nose cone is simply red, clean with no canopy. Out of the ordinary from other standard 4F/NC rockets. [More]

Engine Burr - Quick Tip

Blog
Before sliding an engine into an engine mount tube - Check the top end of the engine. Many have roll over "burrs" that can start fraying a BT-20 size tube. This can happen with the thin blue (Estes) or yellow (Quest) engine mount tubing. You can compress the burr down by rolling on a hard surface. Better yet - Sand off the burr using some 220 grit on a block. Just roll off the end. ... [More]

2025-04-17

Estes Advanced Target Drone, Kit #1913, Build, Part 16, Overlay Decals

Blog
Sorry I missed a day, I was camping with no internet! The Air Force logo is centered on top of the white decal set down earlier. Before doing an overlay decal like this, be sure the white underlay is completely dry. The USAF letters are centered onto the white rudder stripe. The ATD 0416 decal was white in the Estes kit, I printed it in blue. Set onto the red paint it almost looks black. ... [More]

2025-04-15

Estes Advanced Target Drone, Kit #1913, Build, Part 15, Intake & Decal Fixes

Blog
The white intake decals ended up being too long, they overhang the wing fillet joint. I redrew the decals to a closer fit. If you build this model, your decals may be too long depending on how your cardstock intake fits. After the decal dries, it's easy to cut and lift off the excess. The black intake decals were also too wide and wouldn't fit inside the mouth of the intake. These ... [More]

2025-01-04

Estes Mini Bertha Clone

Flight
- Estes A3-4t - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Estes Blue Origin, New Shepard

Flight
Stable with a B6-4, not so much with a C6-5. Flew a bit south over the trees. Recovered by other club members with the pole. No damage! - B6-4 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Semroc Snake Jumper

Flight
Launch wasn't vertical and veered off to the south. Landed in trees, given up for lost. - B6-4 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

2024-12-07

Centuri Vector V

Flight
My Centuri VECTOR V clone was first in the air with an Estes A8-3. On the left is an Estes Viking, the kit used to make my clone. Altitude was estimated to be around 225 feet. Reefed 12" chute recovery. - A8-3 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Odd'l Rockets Stealth

Flight
Stable and true. Broke off one of the smaller winglet fins, not recovered. - B6-4 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Odd'l X-15 Goony

Flight
A favorite is my Goony X-15 . Part are from a Quest X-15 parts pack but built around a shorter BT-60. Great stable flight using an older Chinese made Quest B6-4 motor. Estimated altitude was 325'. - German Made Quest B6-4 - ROCK Monthly [More]

ASP Micro Wac Corporal

Flight
This is the ASP MMX CORPORAL , a well performing MMX bird. It was easy to follow the Mylar streamer as it descended. - 1/8A-1 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

Semroc Centurion

Flight
Very stable, slow lift off. Ejection blistered the paint right above the baffle inside. - B6-4 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

2024-06-29

Odd'l Rockets Little Green Man

Flight
A little wobble on the way up. Not much altitude but recovered safely. - B4-4 - Muncie AMA Field [More]

2024-04-06

Quest MMX Saturn V

Flight
The larger fins really didn't help much, it was unstable after it cleared the short launch rod. - 1/8A-1 - Orlando R.O.C.K. [More]

2015-04-19

Rockets By Style / Kit-Bash/Modified

Photograph

Hans "Chris" Michielssen's Orange (Q Cobalt Kitbash)

2014-11-09

Rockets By Style / Kit-Bash/Modified

Photograph

MX-774 Kitbash on an Estes A8-3. Bunnell Blast, November 8, 2014

2012-09-22

Saturn Press Saturn V - Step 17

Build Entry
The outside curved lines of the Engine Fairing Shrouds were cut from the cardstock with scissors. The interior Fin Slots were cut with a knife and straight-edge. [More]

Saturn Press Saturn V - Step 16

Build Entry
The A Frames and Fins were pressed together. The C Frames are pressed into the A Frames and Fins. Be careful handling the Fin paint while assembling. Silver or metallic paints are easy to dull with fingerprints. After all were assembled dry (no glue) I applied white glue to all the joints with ... [More]