Where r/c planes are concerned...it interesting to observe that variations on the same basic platforms that have existed for 30-40-50 years are still at the forefront of sport model design.
Let's look at that a little closer.
I've had a couple of Ultra Sticks. They flew like Ultra Sticks. I had a CAP232. It flew like a CAP232. My Cub flies like a Cub. I expect the Skybolt to fly like a Skybolt. My P40 flies like a model P40. Not one of those is "the same basic platform".
I'm good enough at flying now that I can tell what a models flight characteristics are. I can tell that they fly differently, and what differs with each and how much it differs. And darned if any one of them was made up with the one size fits all list of simple formulas. But they all fly decently and some fly like magic.
But if I want to get an idea of why the P40's pitch authority is what it is, I have a fairly easy way to do it. And if I wanted to build a P40 version like the later P40N that was measurably different than the P40D (which is what most models are scaled from), I would have a fairly simple way to give myself some idea of how the two might differ in flight. And I'd have a clue before I hacked the first piece of balsa or uncorked the CA. And if I didn't like the clue, I'd know how to fudge some dimensions or areas to get what I thought would be more apt to give me what I was looking for.
Does that work? You betcha. example????? I wasn't entirely happy with the way my UltraSticks stalled going into inside or outside snaps. So I did a bit of number twiddling and could see right away what the UltraStick was lacking and what would probably help get the sucker to fly more like I wanted. So I drew up a different horizontal tail for it. Building a tail wouldn't take an evening but I decided to look around at the existing designs to see if one was pretty much like an UltraStick but had the numbers I wanted. I found it. Bought it. Flew it. And now fly it most of the time. That turned out to be what I consider the ultimate solution to a problem. I was FORCED to buy another model.
I cried all the way to the LHS.....
So let's look closely at the idea that all models are the same basic platform. Wait a minute..... we just did.......
didn't we?