With your years of building, it''s very probably not your slot cutting technique. But there must be something you''re doing that results in such a high failure rate. I don''t know a modeler at any of the 3 clubs where I fly who has seen more than one or two failures in the last 3 years.

A tight hinge gap really should have a good effect, not a bad one. And freely moving surfaces says that you don''t have hinges out of line or canted.

So do you use some off brand hinges? Or have always used the same brand of CA? Don''t make your own hinges out of something?

Do you mark the centerline of hinges when installing? With what?