Power Car Instructions

Read these important assembly instructions before starting!

Also make sure you've read the General Instructions first.

Note that this will be the most difficult part of your trainset to assemble. You will have better chances of success if you've made the trailers first!

Step 1 Cut out the base of the power unit (part number 2) leaving about 5 mm (1/4 inch) margin around the edge of the part.

Step 2 Find a piece of cardboard slightly larger than the part you just cut out. A cereal box will do nicely. The cardboard will stiffen the base of the model and ensure that it is straight. Glue the part from step 1 to the cardboard. When it is dry, cut out around the edge of the part (cutting off the margin you left earlier).

Step 3 Score the main body (part number 1) at each place indicated by the arrows.

Step 4 Cut out the main body. Where the small scissors symbol is indicated, cut along the black line until you reach the orange part (at the base of the cab windows)

Step 5 Mark the folds on the main body. All folds are "peak" folds.

Step 6 Score the roof (part number 4) at the places indicated by the arrows and along the base of each flap (F, G, H, J).

Step 7 Cut out the roof and mark the folds. All folds are "peak" folds.

Step 8 Apply glue to flap F and glue it to the edge of the roof on the main body. The roof should now form one continuous surface along the entire length of the power unit. Apply glue to flaps G and glue them to the edges of part 1, the main body. Make sure you don't do this on a flat surface since the front section of the roof slopes downward very slightly.

Step 9 Apply glue to flaps H and glue them to the edge of the cab roof (just above the side windows). The roof profile should follow the profile of the body side, as it slopes down from the top of the unit onto the cab.

Step 10 Apply glue to flap E and glue it to the opposite side of the body so that the windshield now forms the front of the unit. Next, from inside the body (underneath), apply glue to flaps J and glue them to the back of the 2 windshield windows.

Step 11 Apply glue to the back side of flap A. Glue flap A onto the base (part 1) so that it wraps around the bottom of the base (see Figure 1). Make sure that the blue marks on flap A align with the blue marks on part 2, and that the green marks on flap A align with the green marks on part 2. This alignment is very important; if you don't get it right the model will be twisted or bent. Also make sure that you don't glue part 2 backwards; it is labelled "front" and "rear". Pressing down on flaps A and B is difficult; try holding the base (part 2) by the edges.

Figure 1 Cross-section of the model. This shows how the parts fit together. Step 12 Repeat Step 11 for flap B. Step 13 Glue flaps T, U and V to close the ends of the body. Step 14 Fold flap S onto part 2 and glue it down. Make sure the green alignment marks are lined up. Since it's difficult to press down on this area, temporarily insert a piece of cardboard crosswise in the space under part 2 to press against. Step 15 Repeat the procedure for flap R. Step 16 Score part 3, the underbody. Score along its entire length at the six places indicated by arrows, and cut it out. Step 17 Mark the folds on the underbody. In the order from flap C to flap D, the first and last fold should be "valley" folds and the four others should be "peak" folds. Refer to the blue part of Figure 1. Step 18 Apply glue to the back side of flap C. Glue flap C onto the back side of the underbody so that you form the shape shown on the blue part of Figure 1 (seen from the end). The colored part of the underbody should slope inwards at an angle of about 30 degrees. Step 19 Repeat the last step for flap D. Step 20 Apply glue to the top of the underbody and glue it to the underside of the main body. The underbody should cover flaps A and B. Make sure the underbody is centered, both lengthwise and crosswise. Step 21 Score and cut out the nose, part 5. Bend the hood (where the headlights are) into a hump, just like the shape of a fingernail. Step 22 Bend the sides of the nose around and glue them to the hood using flaps K. Next, bend the underside of the nose (the two curved sections) and glue them together at the small white flap. Finally, glue the underside of the nose to flap M. The assembled nose is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 Front of the model. This shows how the nose fits on the main body. Step 23 Apply glue to the front edge of the sides, as shown in the gray shaded area on Figure 2. (Do one side after the other.) Glue the nose to the main body, making sure everything lines up (use the white stripe for reference). Step 24 Score part 6, the wheels, according to the arrows. Also score on the red lines beneath flaps Q. Step 25 Cut out part 6 and fold it. All folds are "peak" folds. Fold the bottom flaps (unlabeled) to the back of the wheels. These flaps are not glued to anything and are used only for stiffness. Step 26 Glue flap P so that part 6 forms a box. Fold flaps Q inward, and glue one wheelset to each spot on part 4 (one in the front, one in the rear.) This completes the assembly of the TGV PSE power unit. You can now return to the model page. TGVweb > TGV Models > Build Your Own > Instructions Back to Top