I have a friend who has built and flown this ARF. I have not flown his, nor seen it flown, but he has talked about it. Since no one else has responed to your questions yet, I can relay the comments of an owner.

Like all Top Flite kits and ARFs, it is an excellent flying model. The gentleman I know who owns one went with gas power for his. The model's flying characteristics don't make it overly challenging, but the overall cost and complexity of the model raise the "pucker factor" quite a bit. You're going to want to have a couple of previous scale projects under your belt prior to tackling this ARF.

You might find more information on the Top Flight Staggerwing in the scale forums.

Good luck and good shopping!