The Reliant is a three-place high-wing fixed tailwheel land monoplane powered with a variety of radial engines.

1,327 Reliants of all types were made from 1933 to 1941, in different models, from SR-1 to SR-10. The final commercial model, the Stinson Reliant SR-10, was introduced in 1938. A militarized version was first flown in February 1942 and remained in production through several additional versions (all externally identical) until late 1943 for the US and British armed forces.

Reliant production can be broken into two distinct types - the straight wing Reliants (all models up to SR-6) and the gull wing Reliants (all models from SR-7 and after including the militarized V-77/AT-19) with there being little in common between the two groups of types. The straight wing Reliant had a wing of constant chord and thickness which was supported by two struts each side with additional bracing struts. In contrast the taper wing Reliant had the broadest chord and thickness of the wing at mid span, with the outer wing trailing edge heavily angled forward and a rounded cutout on the leading edge root, all supported by a single strut. The taper wing had a significant step up between the fuselage and the wing, and the changes in wing thickness gave it a distinct gull appearance from the front.

The SR-9C had the curved windscreen unique to the SR-9 series and was powered by a Lycoming R-680-D5 radial piston engine.

Dekno Models is a short run resin company out of Catalonia that specializes in US interwar aircraft. These are mostly civil types as well as some racers. All of their kits are most welcomed by enthusiasts of the genre as aircraft from this time period are rarely kitted. Their new Stinson Reliant comes in two boxings. One is a survey plane from American Airlines and is this kit, the other is a Texaco executive plane.

The kit is molded in a blue resin with very nicely done surface detail. It is nice to see a fabric covered plane model where the fabric is properly taut. There are some small pour stubs to remove as well as some light flash, but this is all standard stuff with resin kits.

There are three compartmentalized bags included. One has the two fuselage halves. These have the interior molded in place and one simply installs the seats, control sticks and instrument panels. This is nicely reinforced so warping won't be an issue. A second bag of sorts contains the two wings, rudder and tailplanes with elevators. The third bag contains six compartments. one has the wing and tailplane struts, one has the landing gear legs and wheels. Interior bits and cabin doors are in a third while a fourth has the engine face, cowling, prop and firewall. Seats, instrument panel and boarding steps are in the fifth while the last section includes the clear parts. It would have been nice to have two sets of these, but I am sure Dekno will provide spares if needed.

Instructions are a small folded sheet with 9 well drawn construction steps on one side and a full color painting and markings guide on the other. Instructions provide interior color information. The decals appear to be ALPS printed as they are 'Digital Silk' from Arctic Decals. These are basically trim decals with white registration logos. Based on past experience, I'm wondering just how opaque these will be. The plane itself is overall insignia blue with international orange flight surfaces, making for a rather colorful model. All of this fits neatly into a box that looks like what I get large wooden matches in at the hardware store. This is a neat way of packaging things in that the parts tray simply slides out.