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

2025-12-24

Merry Christmas from the Model Rocket Building Blog!

Blog
I heard him exclaim, as it flew out of sight— "Maybe I should have reefed that chute." [More]

2025-12-23

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 10, Planning Ahead For Paint & Trim

Blog
The instructions don't mention where the black paint starts on the upper end of the body. I assume the black paint separation mask is at the low end of the payload tube. The payload tube (catalog #031380) length doesn't come up on the Estes website. To estimate the length - On my computer screen, I enlarged the instruction picture close to the diameter of the downscale BT-55. The black ... [More]

2025-12-22

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 9, Gluing On The Fins

Blog
Here's the build with the rear and forward fins in place. On this downscale, the smaller fins are 4 5/16" from the rear of the tube. The rear lug is glued 1/4" from the end of the body tube. The forward launch lug is glued 7 5/8" from the rear. TIP: You can fill bubbles that form in dried lug fillets. It takes three applications of wood glue. Apply and smooth the first fillet, let dry . ... [More]

2025-12-21

Launch! R.O.A.R., Christmas, FL, December 20, 2025

Blog
Low 70s in December? That's warm for central Florida this time of year. Winds around 5 mph. Not a big group today, some first timers who bought C6-5s for their Estes Crossfire builds. I gave them some B6-4s for the first launch. First up for me was the 2/3rds size Centuri UFO with a C5-3. Perfect boost to about 150 feet. Just as advertised, at apogee it turned over and "floated" down landing on ... [More]

2025-12-20

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 8, Downsizing The Optima To A BT-55

Blog
Downsizing is often a compromise. I don't have a Optima shaped nose cone. For now, I'll be using the nose cone from the Monarch kit. The Estes online specs say the Pro Series II Optima has a 2.5" (outside diameter) body tube. This might be a BT-80 tube with the diameter rounded down to 2.5". The BT-80 diameter is actually 2.6". This downscale is built around a BT-55 at 1.325" diameter, very close ... [More]

2025-12-19

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 7, Nose Cone Seam

Blog
This kit had a definite stepped seam on both sides of the nose cone. Before filling the low side, sand the high sides down a bit using a sanding block. To fill in the remaining recess, some medium CA glue was run as a long bead down the seam. The wet glue can run so only do one side and let dry. The CA glue bead on the surface can take some time to dry. Sand to surface with 400 grit on a ... [More]

2025-12-16

No Posts? I'm Camping!

Blog
I'll be camping with Dakota the Sheltie from Tuesday, December 16 through Thursday the 18th. No posts as I won't have internet access! Build posts should resume on Friday the 19th. [More]

2025-12-15

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 6, Rounding The Leading Edges

Blog
From the new Optima kit instructions: The leading edges and outside edges are rounded. The trailing edges remain square. The short leading edge of the forward, smaller fins was tricky. I used my sanding block to knock off the edges then a piece of 400 grit around my fingers to get the final round. Here's the three forward fins, note the squared trailing edges. Here's the larger rear fins ... [More]

2025-12-14

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 5, Cutting Out The Fins

Blog
There is enough "free" balsa on one side of the Monarch fin sheet to cut out one of the larger, lower Optima fins. The other two larger fins will be cut from two glued together Monarch fin pieces. Before gluing together the fin pieces, sand the laser cut burnt edges square with a block. Glue the two pieces flat with weight on top. The third fin only needed a small fin tip ... [More]

2025-12-13

Estes Monarch Build, #7214, Part 4, Fins

Blog
I decided to kitbash the Monarch into a downscale Optima. I've always liked the dual fin design and bold graphics. I couldn't find a fin pattern so I looked up a rocksim drawing on rocketreviews.com. This was copied and dropped into Corel draw. To do the quick downscale, a circle was drawn to 1.325", the diameter of the Monarchs BT-55 tube. The drawing was reduced to match the tube ... [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]