Bollinger Edgerly Scale Trains. Wow, that's a mouthful. In contrast to the name these kits are far from complicated. Good thing they also use B.E.S.T. Trains as their name, as I know the first doesn't roll off my Frenchman's tongue so easily. This easy build will amaze you, with its attention to detail. The final product is one that will fit in so many places on your layout, you might just have to buy two.

To start off the build, as any, we prefer to read the instructions and the included weathering techniques page. Reading these will allow you to pull the next steps from memory. This fills in the blanks during the build. Being prepared pays off in full each time you build a craftsman kit.

Locate the 1/32" x 1/4" and the 1/16" x 1/2" and cut to length. Glue together with a 1/16" space on three sides.

Lay the front section of the store face down and lay the backside on top. Trace the backside piece roof profile onto the front with pen. Glue two pieces of scrap square stock along the lines to attach the roof to, later. At this time, we decided to reinforce all four walls with scrap square stock.

Locate the 1/16" x 1/4". Cut to match the width of the front side piece and glue to the top, as shown. Locate the 1/16" square stock pieces and glue to the front and back pieces and allow to dry.

Cut the corners to length and glue the walls together, as described in the instructions. Wait for these to dry and glue the sections together. We used elastic bands to hold it together, overnight.

Paint the model and weather to your standards. Add acetate to the windows and install them along with the doors.

Glue the card roof on and let dry. Now is a good time to start assembling the loading docks. Don't worry about making all the stands the perfect size. Just glue and let dry completely. After the glue is cured, lightly sand the bottom level. Easy, huh? Finish off the decking with the provided scale wood. Finish the cornice by pre-painting it. Add the top of the false front and the cornice after. My suggestion is to do it all in one shot. This makes it so you can be sure your angles are correct, before the glue stops you from fixing it effectively.

Brian from BEST Trains makes a mighty fine model, and this is proof. We found he added a scale Model-T to the kit, which makes for a mighty fine scene. However, building the vehicle is pretty darn difficult. We left it aside, as it didn't fit our era. However, one day, we will do a build on it too.

BEST Trains packs a complete kit. The materials are there without needing to worry about a few bad cuts. It is our opinion that you would not find a problem with these kits.

http://www.besttrains.com/

Ron Pare