Scrog newbie. Smaller tops than untrained

So this is my first scrog on this strain and 2nd overall but the tops are smaller than an unscrogged plant.

Is this common with scrogs?

The scrog has more quantities of beefy buds, but the unscrogged plant has larger buds but only a fraction,of the quantity

Sounds like you did it correctly,

Currently day 42 but the same plant on day 28 has buds slightly smaller but def. bigger than these around day 28. If that makes sense?

The whole idea of a scrog is to get mainly evenly sized buds. This translates into more weight per sq foot of canopy and consistent bag appeal over a xmas tree.

The most buds in the most light with LST or scrog is a winner. Your plants look fine with plenty of nice branching for buds. Many strains put weight on fast after 7 weeks even.