The Prairie Star Elevator doesn’t occupy much space (its footprint is 6″ x 6¾”), but its 10″ height captures the towering size of large-capacity prairie skyscrapers.
The parts have crisp window and siding detail. There were trace amounts of flash in a few of the windows, but I was able to remove this with a square jeweler’s file and hobby knife. The walls fit together well, and there were no gaps between the clapboard siding and corner trim boards.
Since the Prairie Star Elevator can be used as either a stand-alone structure or as part of a mill com-plex (with Prairie Star Milling), Walthers includes parts to model the dormer opened or closed. The kit also features working doors in the freight car loading bay.
Adding glazing to the lower elevator windows was difficult. There’s no easy access to reach these windows, so you’ll need to paint the walls before assembly, cut a hole in the base, or use Testor’s Clear Parts Cement or Microscale Krystal Kleer to fill in the individual panes. I used the Testor’s product.
Decals are included to letter the structure for Prairie Star Milling, but I added my own lettering.
Prairie Star Milling is a hybrid of a traditional Cornerstone Series kit and Walthers’ new Modulars building components. The first story of the mill features one-piece walls, while the upper floors have modular wall components. It’s easiest to build the modular walls at the workbench and then attach them to the building.
The mill is a large brick build-ing (8¾” x 9¾” x 12¾”) and has a lot of parts, so patience is a must when assembling the kit. For example, the structure has nearly 100 windows. Fortunately, though, many of the window castings fill a pair of adjacent openings, which speeds the assembly process.
In addition, the mill includes a one-piece smokestack and a con-veyor to connect to the elevator. The mill also includes decals.
The only other problem with this kit – a small one – is that the ejector-pin marks are visible above the roof-line. These can be filled with putty and concealed with weathering.
I was impressed with these new kit offerings from Walthers. The models are well designed and are must-haves for modelers of grain-hauling railroads.
Price: Prairie Star Elevator
$34.98, Prairie Star Mill $64.98
Manufacturer
Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
P.O. Box 3039
Milwaukee, WI 53201
www.walthers.com
Description
Injection-molded styrene industrial structure kits
