Brief:
Redstone Rockets is apparently out o' North Carolina [that's only a guess] that sells it's products on e-bay. Well, blow me down! I have seen two kits, arrr, o' which t' Gyro be t' smaller o' t' two offered. Begad! Ahoy! I have also seen some other rocketry related items such as a 2.1"/54mm Electronics Bay for HPR. I've always had an attraction for small manufacturers, arrr, arrr, so I picked up t' Gyro kit on e-bay in t' fall o' 2008. It's a single-stage, me hearties, shiver me timbers, streamer recovered model based on t' Estes BT-60 body tube and a very familiar nose cone - think Big Bertha with four very small delta fins and a 24mm motor mount.

Construction:
There were two body tubes, one bein' t' 18-inch long BT-60 main airframe, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and t' other bein' a 2.75-inch long BT-50 motor mount tube. A total o' six fins, me hearties, made o' pre-cut lite-ply were included in t' kit, which is odd because t' model uses only 4 o' them. Arrr! T' modeler may be left with t' option o' usin' all six, I suppose. Arrr! There were three centerin' rings, matey, two o' t' standard Estes-type paper rings, me bucko, and one o' a thicker material. I really don't know what that was all about, matey, but I used all three. Blimey! Well, blow me down! A steel engine hook be included. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' recovery package be a small yellow plastic streamer, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, an attachment line, and a strip o' 6 gummed reinforcements. Begad! I have no idea what they were for. Ahoy! T' shock cord is a length o' Keelhaul®©™ t' which you attach a length o' braided nylon. Ya scallywag! This setup is a very nice feature o' t' model. Begad! T' kit provides a 3/16-inch launch lug.

As for t' instructions....well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, thar really weren't any. Arrr! Begad! T' only paperwork that came with t' kit was what looks like a print-out from a RocSim file. Blimey! Aye aye! This shows a four-finned rocket - remember those six fins we discussed earlier? Aside from all o' that, t' construction really be very easy and took only a few hours. Assemble t' motor mount in t' standard fashion, install, arrr, shiver me timbers, assemble and install t' shock cord and mount, glue on t' fins and launch lug.

Finishing:
Because this model be designed t' be flown with a streamer for recovery, I used epoxy fillets on t' fins for some added strength. Blimey! Other than that, I used yellow glue for assembly, me hearties, which was very easy. Ahoy! Begad! I sealed t' fins with thin CA, arrr, as that was all that be needed with t' lite-ply. I used one coat o' Krylon grey primer, shiver me timbers, and topped that off with Testor's Competition Orange for t' body and Krylon gloss black for t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! There were no decals included with t' kit, but I added a couple o' "NAR" logo decals and a strip o' chrome Trim Monocote t' break things up a bit.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If I remember correctly, t' eBay listin' said somethin' about how streamer recovery has been overlooked in model rocketry for all but t' smallest, me bucko, low-powered models. Begad! Back t' that in a second. Aye aye! Before I flew this model, shiver me timbers, I decided t' RocSim it myself, arrr, ya bilge rat, despite t' fact that was looked like a RocSim copy was in t' kit. Ahoy! Those four little fins and a 24mm Estes D motor in t' tail concerned me. Sure enough, RocSim indicated t' model as built would be stable.

Recovery:
I loaded up a D12-7 and a 4" by 38" rip-stop nylon streamer, that I'd bought from NCR eons ago instead o' t' tiny yellow plastic streamer from t' kit. T' model took off like a shot, and flew arrow straight. Well, blow me down! T' problem occurred on landin' - with t' tail end hittin' t' ground straight on with a thud. T' result be a slightly kinked body tube just above one o' t' fins. T' model can fly again, me bucko, wether I do anythin' about that kink or not. Well, blow me down! Begad! Lesson learned - despite what t' designer/manufacturer might say about this rocket, me bucko, me bucko, or unless you are flyin' in some real tall grass use a parachute.

One other point - while t' D12 really made this model perform, ya bilge rat, it's first flight be in extremely calm conditions. Begad! Ya scallywag! I think that t' Estes 24mm C11-5 would be great for this model if it is flown in any breeze. O' course t' problem with that idea is that "T' Big E" no longer makes t' C11-5.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket really isn't very remarkable, and fails t' live up t' t' notion that a streamer is adequate for recovery. Well, blow me down! That said, shiver me timbers, matey, it really screams on a D12 and flies straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It has a quirky look with those little fins. Begad! I honestly don't recall anymore what I paid for t' kit on e-bay, but betwixt $10 and $15 sticks in me mind.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

Other:
If you are lookin' for a simple, easy t' build model that screams, t' Gyro fills that description. However, t' notion that it can be flown with a streamer is doubtful given t' damage suffered by mine on it's first flight.