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

2025-10-05

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Finished

Blog
This is a big one, just over 36" tall. Lots of adapters and body tube diameters especially made for this kit. That might be why Estes probably wouldn't re-release it. Decals were tricky and subject to cracking, but in the end came out okay. The horizontal wrap stripes tend to cover any breaks between the body tube sections and adapters. The conduits (runways) reminded me of the old Mercury ... [More]

2025-10-04

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 24, Touching Up The Black

Blog
The decals are old and subject to cracking, especially on the open ends where the section are slid together. The end edges were sealed with clear acrylic applied with a Q-tip. The white areas were blackened in with a medium point Sharpie. Done! [More]

2025-10-03

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 23, Finishing Up Decals & Fin Gluing

Blog
These red copy decals go underneath the black "tooth" ring. Space them evenly around the body. Where does this red copy decal go? I can't find it on the decal placement pictures in the instructions. It's tiny! I left it off the model. The tabs molded into the root edge of the fins fit very tightly in their slots on the end cap. I had to scrape the black paint overspray off the inside wall of the ... [More]

2025-10-02

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 22, Mid Section Decals

Blog
The vertical ITALIA is set with the lower diagonal stripe set into the conduit glue fillet. The lower horizontal black bar is used for spacing when set against the adapter/tube joint. The diagonals are tricky. They finish the length of the bars and are a little long for trimming after they dry. The decal was worked into the conduit fillet recesses with a wet Q-tip. The upper diagonal strips end ... [More]

2025-10-01

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 21, Lower Decals

Blog
I checked the original kit decals against the CMR (Tango Papa) decals. The vertical UNITED STATES decals were wider spaced! On the Estes kit decals, the UNITED STATES decals were one continuous strip with clear overlay between the two words. I cut the words apart for easier placement. The vertical black bars were also cut apart. Three are centered between and over the raised conduits. The ... [More]

2025-09-27

Some Family Matters -

Blog
Sorry, no blog posts until after I return on Wednesday October 1. I have some family things to take care of - [More]

2025-09-26

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 20, Oops! & Upper Decals

Blog
Oops! I gave the fins two days to dry before the final shot of black paint. It happens to all of us! I should have waited another day. Plastic takes longer to dry than paint on balsa or Kraft tubes. The paint crazed on one side of a fin. I'll sand and reshoot before gluing onto the model. I tried the old, kit decals. To my surprise, they were fine! They stuck and conformed pretty well. I ... [More]

2025-09-25

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 19, Black Top & Bottom

Blog
I tried to mask the nose cone using curves strips of Scotch tape, but I couldn't get the arc correct. Something new - Using a ultra fine point Sharpie, the border line was drawn using the slight recess ring molded into the nose cone. The rest was filled in using a wide point Sharpie. This Sharpie fill will only work on a small area. This isn't my best work. I would have preferred a ... [More]

2025-09-24

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 18, Mask & Paint Fins

Blog
The fins are an interesting but easy mask. I simply put Scotch tape over the backside of the fins I wanted to stay white. The side facing in the picture will be painted black. Any white areas left on the vanes (lower left) will be painted by hand. Here's the fin after pulling the tape. Look close at the leading edge in the left side picture. The fin leading edge is so thin it came out pretty ... [More]

2025-09-23

Estes LTV Scout, Build, Part 17, Red Vernier Covers

Blog
This is a tall rocket. Long models are difficult to spray evenly. It's easier to paint in two segments. I mentioned the red dot Vernier Covers in an earlier post. There is plenty of Cricut vinyl left over from the red trim on the Skylab build. I pulled out one of my more valuable tools, the rotary punch. Small red dots were punched. My rotary tool isn't as sharp as it once was. ... [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]