Chris,
Most Cleveland scale models are at 1:16 scale. (As are many of the Guillow kits.) This is my favorite scale since most subjects that I would want to model will have a 22 to 35 inch wing span, a size the is large enough for the model to have reasonable scale detail without being too structurally "dense". This is also a size that is relatively convenient to build and store while not being small enough to make trimming difficult.
Racing planes, however, are a different story. Even the mighty Schneider Trophy racers were rather small aircraft. They look larger because of the floats, but look at the attached pictures of the R3C and the Supermarine S5, and compare the size of the men to the size of the airplanes. (That's Jimmy Doolittle standing on the R3C float. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall.)
general-james-harold-jimmy-doolittle-on-his-curtiss-r3c-2-racer-C2N221.jpg
HighFlight-S5-219.jpg
If I were to kit Schneider Trophy racers I would do it at 1:12 scale. At that scale the S6B would have a wing span of 30 inches. Even the diminutive R3C would have a 22 inch wing span, which is OK since it's a biplane.
Cleveland kits, usually, were drawn with exceptional fidelity to scale, with every rib and stringer, and moveable control surfaces. This makes the smaller ones structurally "dense" and requires some lightening to make them flyable. Back in the 50s, when you could still buy Cleveland kits off the shelf in a hobby shop, I built a Widell-Williams 44 racer, (19-1/2 inch wing span) complete with all the ribs, and with a little lightening (although not as much as I would apply now) got it to fly rather well.
You can order the Cleveland plans at 1:12 scale or larger.
Keep 'Em Flying!
Howard
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