ive had a little more success with my tacks; I upped the amps to max for the rod which really helped the tacking process.
I think I need to work on some fillet practise now. I reckon a lot of the problems I've had are due to my arc being too long. I saw a good video on YouTube where the guy was advising to almost drag the rod in the corner joint, and I've had some better results following that advice.