CP - you do have to remember the Little Stik (and Sweet Stick, probably the best flying Stick-type plane designed) where over engineered which was the normal for the day. Today they design the planes to be made as cheaply as possible which means minimal structure to do the job, and the quality of plywood the use today is nowhere near the quality of the balsa in the old kits (not to mention you can't compare the quality difference between your Stick and the average modern day ARF). My Sweet Stiks too impacts with the ground that required only a prop change at the most that would render a lot of modern ARF designs to the trash can at the flying field.

Hogflyer