alasdair

Zero, Zero, Zero is not the answer, unless the last Zero means zero Stability. (yes I know you mean the engine thrustline, but which end is the engine?)

You need the foreplane at a couple of degrees positive to the wing, maybe more.
I would also advocate using a wing section with little or no pitching moment, like a symmetrical section, a 5-digit NACA, or an Eppler reflexed.

I have built s series of canard delta models (called Candel, as I'm not good with original names). They all flew, but improved with development.
They all had a tractor engine, small foreplane, delta wing.
The first had elevators on the flat plate foreplane, set at +2 to 3 degrees.
The second had BIG elevators, later an all moving foreplane.
The third had elevators on the foreplane and elevons on the wing
The fourth had a fixed foreplane (Clark Y thinned to 9%) and was controlled purely by elevons. It also had rudders. The foreplane was part of a front hatch for acess to tank/radio, and its flat bottom was rigged at Zero, like the symmetrical wing.

You don't need to be "careful" with the foreplane section/size. The foreplane will ALWAYS stall before the wing, because it is always more heavily loaded. Unless of courseyou go crazy with the foreplane section, and fit a very undercambered foreplane like a NACA 6409 or something.

What is a much more common problem on tail-firstmodelsis the foreplane stalling prematurely, before the wing gets anywhere near its stalling angle.
The problem with having e.g. a flat plate foreplane is that it stalls early. So on landing, instead of flaring out for a nice touchdown the foreplane stalls early and drops the nose hard on the runway.

I would advocate a symmetrical wing, or a 5-digit NACA with 1 or 2% camber, and a cambered foreplane like a thinned Clark Y, either all moving or with an elevator.

Seems we don't get photos again today. I'll try later
(Friday, photo upload working again)