Dan,
Consolidated 1/2A kits started life as solid models and were retooled when the 1/2A craze took on in 48/49
Thats why they have so much extra wood. To give you the satisfaction of shaping every part to perfection.
Dennis

     When Walt designed the Scientific models he called for a 3/8" thick wing.  I went to a 1/4" as did Scientific and Walt wrote to me and objected.  Some of our models still have a 3/8" wing, some 1/4" and some have a 1/8" wing like some of the Scientific models did.  Some of the Scientific models had a change in the chord of the wings from 2" to 3" like the "Little Bipe".  Many wings had added trailing edges that later disappeared.
     The Fuselages were designed to be made from a 1 1/2" x 2" block but over the years that shrunk in size too.  The early kits had one piece fuselages, later a separate tail block was added to a shorter fuselage. 
      While all of these changes and more were made, the pictures in the ads and on the boxes remained the same.  We sometimes get complaints that our kits are not exactly like the original Scientific kit was (or the one they remember), so we have settled to make the kits close but not exact. 
     Scientific like all companies had to keep an eye on the bottom line and if they could buy a load of balsa that no one else wanted and make it work they did.  That is just business.

Larry

     I did not know that our planes would do stunts until I went to a Musciano contest and saw what can be done.  After that I made a few minor adjustments to our kits to improve their stunting abilities.

Larry