Dave,

If I am reading your post correctly, your alignments with your finderscope were enough for 56sec integrations on the Mallincam. If I understand correctly this would be no more accurate than Tom O's RDF platform polar alignment stalk....but its enough for the Mallincam?

Its just I put the scope on the platform today and there is no way in hell I'd be able to adjust the platform with the bulk of the 16" Lightbridge on it. But if your finder method is accurate enough for Mallincam and Tom O's stalk is just as accurate, then I could purchase a Tom O RDF stalk to align my platform before I place the scope down on it. (I know I would have to drill out a hole in the top of my RTP to attach a stalk to the south bearing as its not exposed on the RTP like it is on a Tom O platform)

This would be fine for Dark Sky trips or outreach where I could see Polaris but I had a Homer Simpson moment when I remembered that the last time I used the platform was at my old house with a view of Polaris. My new house is blocking the view!!

So for Home observing sessions I couldn't even use this method of aligning the platform.

However all might not be lost. Did you ever re-adjust or mark your compass face. ie. when you did your polar alignment and new you had great mallincam tracking, did you ever readjust the dial on the compass to get N aligned to the compass needle or did you ever mark the compass face in line with the needle, such that in future aligning the needle to these marks would give you an approximation of your finder on scope on platform alignment technique results which gave you good mallincam tracking.

If thats all thats needed then I would be good to go regardless of my house blocking polaris. I'd just need to to a good alignment once even if it broke my back and save on the cost of a Tom O stalk too