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

2025-03-17

Aerotech Mega Initiator #89541, Part 2, Parts Prepping

Blog
The laser burns should be sanded off the exposed edges. Charred edges won't accept paint well, the burnt edges can show through lighter colors. The rear fin shows the charred sides, the forward fin is after sanding with 320 grit on a block. I'm building two rockets, one for display, the other for flight. The display rocket will have rounded fin edges, the flight model will have squared off ... [More]

2025-03-16

Aerotech Mega Initiator #89541, Part 1, Parts

Blog
All the parts, going left to right: The 54mm Motor Mount Tube 38mm motor mount tube 29mm Adapter tube Quick Link and hardware Red elastic shock cord 36" parachute Four packs centering rings, adapter rings and bulkhead The main airframe tubes: 28" x 4" diameter body tube with three fin slots cut 12" payload tube 4" diameter black nose cone. Three fins laser cut from 1/4" thick ... [More]

2025-03-15

Aerotech Mega Initiator #89541, Part 1, Background

Blog
From the Aerotech website - AeroTech has upscaled it's famous Intitator into the Mega Intitator! Designed for multiple motor mounts and ready for anything from G to K motors, this kit is a great way to transition into high-power rocketry, or just fly a large rocket on a G motor. The kit comes fully loaded with everything needed to achieve Level 1 and Level 2 certification including ... [More]

2025-03-14

A Day At Odd'l Rockets

Blog
Now that my back is on the mend, I can pull up some "filler" posts: Kit prepping: The Odd'l Rockets F-18 is currently the more popular of the three fighter jet kits. I vacu-form the canopies, two at a time. Any more than that and the plastic gets too hot! Parachute kits: The Odd'l kits that need a chute get one of my "pick your size" parachutes at 12", 15" or 18" diameter. In the zip bag you'll ... [More]

2025-03-12

Best Laid Plans?

Blog
The plan - Go camping! I woke up yesterday with lower back pain. Hitching up the small camper, the two hour drive and setting up a campsite - put a damper on plans. I might have been able to drive and set things up, but had no guarantee I could wake up in two days and break it all down. Trip cancelled! If you've been through this, you know! I'm still at home, having trouble ... [More]

2025-03-10

Camping - for the next few days

Blog
I'm camping for the next few days. The Florida state parks have water and electric - but no internet. No build posts until Friday - This is a small camper, only 4' x 8'. It's impossible to stand up in it, but it has a bed, small TV and A/C. Easy to tow. My chance to get away for a few days! [More]

2025-03-09

Estes Star Seeker BT-50 Upscale (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Finished

Blog
Here's the shot you were waiting for - The BT-5 original and the BT-50 upscale. It's a lot easier working on the larger model. The graphics on this design really pop. The top end - There is still a bit of a yellow tinge showing through the white paint. [More]

2025-03-08

Estes Star Seeker BT-50 Upscale (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 9, Sanding & White Paint

Blog
The assembled model ready for white paint. After the first coats dried, glue boogers and glue fillets were sanded. Here you can see where the uneven glue fillet was sanded. The paint fills some of the voids. The Apogee nose cone is molded in yellow. This plastic color seems to show through light paint. I sprayed white first, still too much yellow. Then another shot of gray filler/primer. You can ... [More]

2025-03-07

Estes Star Seeker BT-50 Upscale (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 8, Nose Cone and Shock Cord Mount

Blog
On the Apogee plastic nose cones, there is sometimes a raised lip on the shoulder edge. Sand this down a bit. The nose cones can have a slight bulge at the tip. You can sand the tip so it follows the contour of the nose cone sides. The shoulder cap was glued in using Beacon Fabri-Tac glue. If you can't find a good plastic glue (most don't contain Acetone to "weld" the plastic pieces) ... [More]

2025-03-06

Estes Star Seeker BT-50 Upscale (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 7, Motor Lug Details

Blog
The motors tubes were made from 1/4" diameter launch lugs. Like the dowels, the lugs were cut to 2 1/4" long. Here I've sanded the glue lines using my sanding block with 400 grit. Evening out a glue line - mentioned earlier - On the left is the initial glue bead right out of the bottle. On the right, I've evened out the glue line by using the "V" formed by the pinched thumb and index ... [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]