Richie, nothing wrong with stick and tissue. Doped tissue will take airbrushed paint. However, scale is the issue. Balsa comes in set sizes and even with a decent balsa stripper it is difficult to cut anything smaller than 1/32 sq. and that is pushing how frail a frame you want to apply tissue and thinned dope to.
A 1/32" sq stick would represent a 1" sq piece in full size and a 1/16" sq stick would represent a 2"x2" piece when working to 1:32. Stick and tissue would be a more useful media if you are working in 1:16 scale, then 1/16" sq would be 1" sq and 1/32"sq would represent 1/2". You wouldn't have to make design concessions to flyability so you could build a heavier structure where strength was required and save the really light stuff for structure visible through the cockpit opening. also if you could find 1/32 Basswood, that might take stain and paint better than balsa.
sp