History

The first design of the brand new Beech Aircraft Company, the Model 17 was, to say the least, ambitious. Developed as a high-speed luxury aircraft at the height of the depression, it was to many completely unattainable given the economic conditions of the time. Yet sufficient numbers sold for Beech to become a name to be reckoned with. The Lear Jet of its day, the Staggerwing was extremely advanced when it was first rolled out of the factory. Faster than contemporary fighter aircraft, its unorthodox reverse stagger gave its pilots remarkable visibility. The Staggerwing was voted “most beautiful aircraft of all time” in a recent AOPA poll.

First Impressions

This being the ZOOM set, there are 33 colour printed parts on one self-adhesive fret, most of which are for the interior. This simple yet very effective set will spice up Roden's somewhat bland interior to no end.

Self Adhesive fret

This fret covers the cockpit. Replacement faces are provided for the instrument panel (made up in layers) and lower console. Seatbelts, rudder pedals and window cranks make up the rest of the sheet, with one engine data plaque and dust covers for the carburettor intakes. The instructions appear to have been lifted from Eduard's larger, more complete set (Set # 49593), as they call for parts that are missing from this fret. In particular, part number 35 which appears to be pockets for the back of the pilots' seats, is not contained on the fret (I have confirmed that it is on fret #2 of set 49593). The rear bench seat is supposed to get 4 sets of seatbelts, but only 2 are provided. I have my doubts about 4 people being able to squeeze into that seat anyway; I think the instructions are incorrect. The co-pilot's rudder pedals look a little too two-dimensional. They were made from steel tube, not flat plates. I would be tempted to keep the kit parts. The pilot's pedals on the other hand, look quite nice.

conclusion

This detail set contains the basics needed to make Roden's Staggerwing look much better. Some delicate folding will be needed to complete the instrument panel.

related articles

Reviews of the Roden base kit:
UC-43
Traveller Mk.II/GB-2
D-17S
Build article
UC-43 by Jean-Luc Formery


This kit was kindly provided for review by Eduard.
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