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IMAC The new Dalton 300 SP / 330

I am very fortunate to be the recipient of the new Dalton 300 SP. I will explain what this is. Received a message from Tony if I would be interested in building this new design, which is a modified 300 ML, with new upgrades, and single seater. I could not resist, and said yes. It was the last kit from his 1st run. Tom Wheeler has received two of them, and he is my mentor on this kit.

Allow me to give you all an idea of what comes with this new kit. The cost is 1649.00, which is about 300 more than the 300 ML, but wait til you hear what it contains. I paid a total of 1849.00 with Shipping to Shreveport, Louisiana.

The biggest difference you will all notice is, there is a totally redesigned system for cross bracing, in that, there is a laser cut upper and lower plywood that "squares" out the fuselage, and contains the top and bottom cross braces. As a result of this, building this will be , I cannot tell you all, way , way more easy. I am just so excited thinking about how much easier this will be. It is, as I mentioned to Tony, revolutionary, in that, this Kit can now be built by anyone who was ever intimidated in building.

In addition, being that the top plywood cross braces is the shape of the right and left side of the fuselage, it is no longer to build over the plans, or even to build with the aluminum angles. This will become apparent as we move along.

The kit includes carbon fiber stab tube and phenolic, carbon fiber wing tube and phenolic, and this awesome carbon fiber landing gear.

I will be demonstrating as many pictures as possible, and I will try to be as thorough as I can be to show every step that I can stop and snatch a picture. Tom has the lead thread on GiantScaleNews, and I will be following along with him, and try to build with his pace, as time allows me to.

Ok, some other major changes, in comparison to the 300 ML: the stabs have been upgraded in several ways:
the stab tube is now 22 mm diameters, where as it was 15.8 before. There is now a stab tube balsa support, that is in the stabs, at the end of the phenolic, which should help prevent any "play" of the stab phenolic in the foam (which would be likely to occur in the upper classes {do not quote me on this, this is based on what I have heard from a few individuals}).

Another big change is that this kit will no longer have the classical stringers on the bottom of the fuselage. Now, there will be balsa sheeted bottom pan. This will also help make building this kit much easier, and potentitally, will help to stiffen the tail.

Another new feature, the cowl comes with a built in baffle, on the bottom half of the cowl. Pictures will be coming soon.

Ok, you all ready?
 
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These pictures are courtesy of Tony. Just to demonstrate some of the features:

Dalton 330 landing gear.JPG


New carbon fiber landing gear.
 
here are two images of the top of the fuselage, before gluing on the turtle deck. this demonstrates the cross bracing.

dalton 330 rear fuselage.JPG
top view dalton 330.JPG



Every time I see this, I just get excited thinking, how clever it was for Tony to design this. It will really make building so much easier. Traditionally, to build this, you would get a 1/4" spruce stick, and make measurements from one former to another in a diagonal length, then you have to cut it and sand it, and it had to fit snug, if it was not snug, throw it away, and start all over again!

No more with this new system.
 
I just finished building a Dalton for Brian, and my wife thinks, building is over. Tony sent me the kit last week, and it arrived yesterday. Fortunatley for me, I got home at 3 pm yesterday from work, and my wife goes to pick up the girls at 3 pm, she was not home, and the packages arrived at 3:15 pm. I was able to sneak the boxes to the shop, check and inventory, and get the boxes into my truck to be dumped at my work's trash bin.


IMG_0175.JPG

on the right side, you can see the bottom and top laser cut plywood cross bracing. Under this, is the foam belly for the bottom of the fuselage.



IMG_0176.JPG

The kit also includes the 10" wide balsa sheeting, this also makes sheeting the wings/stabs/fin/turtle deck so much easier.


IMG_0177.JPG


The Foam wings/fin/stabs/turtle deck. 1/2" balsa to make the LE and TE. bag full of goodies.
 
Here, to demonstrate the new stabs:
IMG_0178.JPG

The Foam cut out for the phenolic is larger diameter.




IMG_0179.JPG


Here is the new balsa stab tube phenolic support. You can also see on the foam of the stab the cut out to allow you to glue in the support.





IMG_0180.JPG





IMG_0181.JPG

New stab tube is 22 mm in diameter. The current ones on the ML are 15.8 mm.
 
These next 3 photos are to demonstrate a very important point.

the cross braces plywood come in 5 pieces. There are 3 pieces that make up the top cross bracing (which, when building, are down on the table), and there are 2 pieces that make up the bottom cross braces.

the top cross braces have a forward segment, and middle segment, and an aft segment. each one keys into the other one.

IMG_0188.JPG

this is the top cross bracing joint from the middle segment to the aft segment.


IMG_0189.JPG


here is the joint of the top segment forward piece onto the middle piece. These are laser cut, and are extremely precise.\\






Here is the curve ball.

the bottom cross brace, where the forward piece meets the rear piece, can only be connected one way. If you get this result, then flip it.


IMG_0187.JPG
 
the next images are of the steps in building the motor box. I am using titebond glue and a epoxy brush.
total time on the build, at the completion of this step, is under 1 hour.

IMG_0190.JPG



i set the right motor box onto its right side, and glue on the firewall and the servo/CDI tray. the right motor box side is shorter than the left side, and this creates the right thrust. Very important that you pay attention to this as you adhere the parts together. Additionally, being that this will be placed upside down on the table.
 
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