I have been thinking about getting an X3L for quite a while now, and for Christmas this year, my husband decided to get me one.
I received it from FedEx yesterday (12-23-16) but I didn`t start the build until today (12-24-16).

The X3L has a very low parts count, and it goes together very quickly. The quality of the kit is everything you would expect from Gaui, and the fit and finish of the parts is fantastic.

The manual, is a little different. It`s just a folded piece of paper with the instruction printed on both sides. Not what I`m used to, but it was not difficult to follow it by any means.

Upon opening the parts bag, I noticed that all of the hardware bags are numbered, and labeled with the diameter and length of the screws. Which saves time by not having to measure and separate them.

The build started with the main bearing blocks/servo mounts, and the frame stiffeners. This was a simple process, involving pushing the bearings into their housings, and installing a carbon fiber plate to hold the bearing blocks in place.

Frames, motor mount and the tail book mount were next to go on. Along with the frame stiffeners.

Once The frame was built, it was time to get it on its feet, and install the landing gear. I`m really not a fan of the fin style landing gear, so I`ll most likely be putting standard X3 skids on mine. Like most, I fly on an all grass flying field, and I`m a little concerned that the fins will catch the grass on takeoff/landing.

With the landing gear installed, it was time to get the main shaft, head, tail belt and the main and auto rotation gears in place. This step can be a little tricky, because there are a couple of spacers that must be put in the top of the auto rotation sleeve that contact the upper main bearing. One of the spacers is .05mm, and the other is .01mm, and it is very easy to damage them while trying to slip them into place. I used a dab of clear silicon grease to hold them onto the sleeve while I slid the assembly into the frames. Then I used a 1.5mm hex driver to reach in from the top of the upper bearing to line them up so I could slide the main shaft in.

Installing the head was nothing special. it came pre-assembled, but I never...ever rely on the factories putting loc-tite, grease...ect. in the parts when they assemble them. So I always take everything apart and redo it myself, so I know it`s been done.

Moving on. The tail boom, and tail boom cover were next to go on, and I must say that this step is a bit of a pain. You have to put the tail boom on, put the push rod on, and then install the cover. Here is where it gets fun. being a belted tail you have to push the boom in a little to keep the belt loose while installing the tail output shaft. This leaves you only about 1/2" of tail boom sticking out from the rear of the boom cover, and it`s not enough to get hold of to pull the tail boom back out to tension the belt.

* Tech tip* Once you get the tail box into place and the output shaft is through the belt..install and tighten the two screws which hold the vertical fin on, and use the tail box as a "handle" to slide the boom out to where it needs to be.*

Once the boom is pulled out, you can loosen the vertical fin screws, push the tail box in to where is needs to be and pin it. Then the belt can be tensioned, and the tail rotor can be installed.

The whole airframe  build took only a few hours, and all that is left now are the electronics. The airframe with Zeal 360mm carbon fiber blades and the Gaui stock tail blades weighs in at 1.49 pounds.

This was a fun little build, and I can hardly wait to get the electronics in it and get it test flown.