Ben,
My suggestion would be to remove the front transmission, disassemble everything, and start from scratch.
Make sure the mushroom gear is pressed completely into the bearings and bearings are fully seated in the bearing block.
Try leaving the bolts slightly loose and checking the gear mesh. Slowly tighten everything down to see if the gear mesh becomes too tight.
Make sure transmission parts are all present per the online manual.
Make certain transmission is smooth before reinstalling into the helicopter.
Gears should have very little lash when they are brand new.
Matt