Surely though there must be some nice compromise airfoils for WWI models, for example, some of the Göttingen airfoils:

http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/a...ots/goe238.gif

http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/a...atabase.html#G

Also what's the relationship between a thinner airfoil and the necessary angle of attack? My impression is that the thinner the airfoil, the greater the AofA.