Kit Assembly – Frateschi Country Station – FRA1526
The Frateschi Country Station is an excellent choice for both novice and seasoned model builders. All Frateschi kits are available at Dream Trains. While these kits may require some work for parts to fit properly, and will benefit from additional painting for enhanced detail, they offer a solid foundation for your layout.
What you will need:
Precision Hobby Knife and #11 blades.
You can view all the tools and lubricants available by clicking here.
Masking tape to neatly define details, available by clicking here.
Content of the kit:
- Brazilian instructions
- Platform (3 pieces)
- Securing pieces (2 pieces, for platform stability)
- Walls (4 pieces)
- Doors (3 pieces)
- Roof (2 pieces)
- Roof rafters (10 pieces)
- Windows (6 pieces)
Preparation:
Proper preparation is essential before starting your build. The model may still have some releasing agent left on the plastic from the manufacturing process. To remove this, wash the parts with warm soapy water and a soft brush (an old toothbrush works well). After rinsing with clean water, make sure to dry the parts thoroughly with a paper towel.
Additionally, many parts may still have excess sprue attached, which needs to be carefully removed before assembly. Use a file or sanding sticks to smooth away any excess, ensuring the parts fit together properly. Be cautious not to sand off too much, and always “dry fit” the pieces before gluing to ensure a perfect fit.
The rafters have small circular sprue tabs that will need to be carefully sanded away.
The platform pieces have several extra molding tabs. To ensure a secure fit, dry fit the pieces first and identify any areas that may need sanding.
The doors have small circular sprue tabs that will need to be carefully sanded away.
Inspect the wall pieces and make sure all molding is removed, particularly from the top and bottom edges.
Assembly: Platform
Dry fit the pieces to ensure a perfect fit. Filing may be needed to make pieces fit better.
Secure the bridge with the two supporting pieces using Tamiya Extra-Thin Cement.
Assembly: Walls and doors
Dry fit the doors to ensure they are free of any excess molding, then secure them with glue.
When securing the walls together, ensure they are perpendicular to each other by using a 90-degree square.
Once you’re satisfied with the finished walls, place them on the platform to ensure everything aligns as you want it. Now apply Tamiya cement to weld the pieces together.
Assembly: Roof rafters
Note: The rafters have a ‘top’ and ‘bottom.’ The bottom has a longer support, while the top features a convex shape.
The walls have pre-made holes to secure the rafters using the pins on the rafters. Attach the rafters with glue for a secure fit.
When securing the rafters to the walls, make sure they are perpendicular to each other by using a 90-degree square.
When you’re satisfied with the results, glue everything and then move on to the windows.
Assembly: Windows
Secure the windows by gluing the border, then place the window from the inside of the wall through the window opening.
Note: Take great care when working with the windows and glue. If glue gets on the window pane, it can cause the glass to appear ‘milky’ or ‘foggy (see picture below).
Assembly: Roof
The roof has a slot that fits into the walls and rests on the rafters. We used some Prestik to hold the roof in place while we checked the alignment and made sure we were happy with it. Once satisfied, apply glue to the top of the walls and rafters, then carefully position the roof, ensuring it is properly aligned at the top of the roof notch. Make sure there was no gap between the two sections of the roof.
Hold the roof in place until the glue dried. This is what your build should look like once finished (we glued the building to the platform).
Improvement
The most important “improvement” on the kit is to make sure that the individual pieces fit perfectly.
Prime the model once assembled, before fixing the windows in place. We recommend Tamiya or Vallejo primer.
The colour scheme (paint) you decide on, will depend on what you would like to achieve with the model.
We do have a wide variety of paints available.
Final Thoughts
The Frateschi Country Station is one of the easier kits available and is very well-priced. All the necessary items and tools can be found at Dream Trains.
While the kit requires some work and cleaning for a perfect fit, it’s well worth the cost.
Its simplicity works to its advantage, offering you the flexibility to customize it with your own details and colour schemes, or leave it as is and still achieve a great-looking result.
