RE: CA hinges- are they reliable?
If it helps your decision any my experience may apply to the plane you are building. I have had two CA hinge failures. Both were on the hinge at the end of the wing (both ends failed at different times) on a Hangar 9 Twist. This plane is flown with extreme throws and the roll rate is very high. The hinges lasted quite a while but with the pounding I put the Twist through they both eventually failed and were repaired. The Somethin Extra you are building is a similar style plane so you may keep this in mind when making your decision. If you don't push the plane too hard the CA hinges will probably be fine but be sure to keep an eye on them just in case!