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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:
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2025-02-22

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 7, Paint & More Sanding

Blog
Here's the launch lug that will slide over the launch rod. The rear of the lug is 5/8" from the rear. After spraying the the model with gloss white, some fillet bubbles showed. These were filled with more glue. After the paint dried, the launch lugs showed how rough they were. This required some 400 grit sanding before another coat of spray. No masking! Just a clean, glossy white finish, ... [More]

2025-02-21

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 6, Fin Assemblies

Blog
Keep your glue lines short - Set the lugs in place and make the fin edges with pencil. Apply some glue up to the pencil lines and place the lugs. Here's how the lugs set when set against the fin joint. The wing fin assemblies are glued to a standard 120 degree three fin spacing, using just two of the pencil lines. This makes a wide "W" shape. The "flight" launch lug is ... [More]

2025-02-20

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 5, Fin & Launch Lug Assemblies

Blog
The dowels are glued to the top of the upper (unmarked) fins. Two launch lugs are glued side by side. Make two sets. I found it easier to make glue fillets now. On the left, I've lightly sanded the glue line for better glue adhesion. On the right, the dowel fins are glued with that spacing overhang on the outside. Be sure to make two "mirrored" fins. [More]

2025-02-19

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 4, Engine Block & Kevlar ShockCord

Blog
The original kit had two engine blocks, one for the engine stop, the second to tie a rubber shock cord. No parachute or streamer, just nose-blow recovery. Enlarge the picture on the left. I can't imagine trying to slide in that upper block ring into a ring of glue with a binding rubber shock cord tied around it. I'll be installing a single lower engine block with a tied on Kevlar line. The ... [More]

2025-02-18

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 3, Filling Seams & Gluing On Dowels

Blog
The body tube, dowels and launch lugs were CWF filled and sanded. A dowel was slipped in for support while sanding. A shot of filler/primer followed . Here I'm sanding the filler/primer to surface with an old piece of 400 grit. Any filler/primer that might collect on the sandpaper can be cleaned off under running water with a soft brass wire brush. Two of the four fins are marked 1" down from ... [More]

2025-02-17

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 2, Parts Prep

Blog
The Star Seeker fins are the 4 parallelogram shapes, fourth row down from the top. Cut out four from 1/16" thick balsa. Before the launch lugs were cut to length, I filled the seams with CWF. The long lug was held by pushing it onto a Q-tip. There is a slight flared lip on the shoulder of the nose cone. Roll down the lip with some 400 grit. The balsa fins, dowels and launch lugs were ... [More]

2025-02-16

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Part 1, Parts

Blog
The dowels and launch lugs (shown above) were cut too short. The build will show the longer and correct 1 1/4" long lugs and dowel pieces. Mistakes can happen when lengths aren't listed in the instructions. I took a guess by simply looking at the instruction drawings. You might assume a BT-5 is 1/2" diameter and the BT-50 at 1" diameter. That would mean a simple 2x upscale. But, the BT-5 ... [More]

2025-02-15

Estes Star Seeker (Tri-Pack) Kit #0866, Background

Blog
The Star Seeker was part of the new Mini Tri-Pack. Introduced in the 1983 catalog CLICK HERE , it was available until 1990. Three BT-5 "T" motor models in one kit bag! The second model was a two-stager called the Sting Ray. Descriptive copy says it could reach 2,500 feet! The third design was a multi fin rocket named S.C.R.A.M. Years later, Estes brought back a variation of the ... [More]

2025-02-14

Donate? Why Not!

Blog
I watch a lot of YouTube videos. In every video, producers say to be sure to "Like", visit their Etsy Store or donate to Patreon. I only bring up blog donations once a year. If the blog has helped you through a difficult step, if your builds have improved, maybe you've picked up a tip or two - Why not consider a monthly donation through Patreon? The monthly donations start at $1.00. If I ... [More]

2025-02-13

Estes Black Star Voyager Build, Finished

Blog
The upper section with nine basswood strips. The smaller vanes - The large vanes below that. I took this picture outside to try and show the reflection of the metallic paint. Like I mentioned earlier, probably not worth the extra effort. Nine more vanes around the engine mount tube. This is an impressive model and a challenging build. I've never encountered built up fins like this. ... [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]