Deadtired, I always "dry fit" arf's together as much as is practical before I commence to build them looking for any issues like you found with yours. So far I have been lucky and haven't had a problem like yours. In the event that I had found a plane to be that far out of square I think I would have sent it back but honestly, I don't know wether I would have noticed it had I been in your shoes. Haven't tried "steaming an airframe but I used to repair old wooden boats and we did steam bend the ribs for them so I think you may have a valid technique there. I would love to know how it turns out for you.

Personally, I like the pull pull method for rudders, I use it on most of my planes. Everything over .40 size anyway. When it comes to elevators it can be a trade-off as they are a hassle to get correct but once they are installed properly there is NO slop which is always a good thing. Dual servo's on the elevator is the preferred way to go but does add weight to the tail end of the plane. Rods, whether made from fiberglass, wood, steel or carbon fiber will all flex a little bit after they reach a certain length and they always seemed to me to be just a little less precise then the cables.

The advantage to dual stab servo's is two fold. One is redundancy which is always a good thing (most planes can fly with only one elevator half) and the other is the programming advantages you gain by being able to control the elevator halves independantly. With proper mixing you can do things not possible with a single elevator control.

I went through a period earlier this year when it seemed every plane I had had issues and it was pretty depressing. Hang in there and I'm sure you will get the enjoyment back. If you want a piece of advice (not that you are asking) get yourself a nice cheap aerobat like a modeltech magic extra or better yet one of the Vector flight extra's and use it for having fun with while building your confidence and when your Katana is finally done you will be much more prepared for it. If you have been reading the Katana thread then you know I am in the middle of one of those as well and I put it on hold until after the holidays due to the engine issue. In the meantime I am flying a large .40 size Extra with a Saito .72 on it. That little plane flies like a bigger one and does all the Imac moves suprisingly well. The best thing about it is when it reaches it's expiration date, the airframe was only $120.00 so I am not out all that much. I am also learning the IMAC intermediate and advanced sequences to increase my skills. It is amazing how satisfying it is to execute 4 or 5 manuevers in sequence and have them look exactly the way they are supposed to. I always thought it would be a piece of cake until I tried it.