By the way, the Brodak Pathfinder kit is a fair amount shorter span than the original...I'm not sure why. Steve
Gordan will probably jump in and share his thoughts, but the span was shortened and the tail moved forward to improve various flying characteristics. Penetration in the wind and tracking in the rounds are two of the things that spurred the reductions. In addition to Gordan's observations, I know Bart Klapinsky had some direct input that led to these changes. I have the crashed remains of one of the early versions of the Pathfinder that was built by Gordan
(and my brother Curtis) in the mid 1990's and it was quite a bit larger than the current specs. It's wingspan was 59" and the hinge to hinge was 17-5/8". Current specs are 55" and 16" respectively. Specs have been refined and adjusted over the years to where they are now.
Here's a picture of that early Pathfinder and the current version. Gordan and Curtis.