Walthers Cornerstone North Island refinery PRODUCT REVIEW
#1
Howdy all. I've got this big open space on my new layout that I've been toying with what kind of industry to put there. If you've been following my layout thread, you will have seen that it pretty much came down to either a cement factory or a refinery. Up at the LHS the other day and I noticed that Walthers has re issued the refinery for a limited production. So I got one.
What was I thinking!!!!!

Upon opening the box and looking at the instructions, it was not overwhelming. The instructions were well laid out, simple and easy to follow. However, in several of the steps, the sheer magnitude of pieces needed to complete some of them, I thought could have been broken down just a bit more. I had to bring out the highlighter on a couple steps so that I could tell what I'd done and what was left!

Quality
The pieces were well laid out on the sprues and each one was easily identifiable with easy to read numbers. Most pieces had little to no flashing that needed scraping off. Several of the railings however were twisted or warped making it nearly impossible to get them to fit right in their appropriate positions. I tried bending them to resemble their intended shape but sometimes you can only bend little plastic railings so far before they.... brake. Luckily, I knew when to stop and broke none.

Ease of construction
For the most part, this structure went together very easily. I wish that the multiple cylinder halves (stacks and tanks) fit together just a little better. The seems between the halves are very visible and I was too lazy to take the time to fill them and sand them back down. I also found it difficult to keep the stacks and cylinders perfectly perpendicular to the ground plane. It seemed stuff would move as the glue dried despite my attemps to keep them from doing so. This problems also followed through with each platforms, railings and ladders.
I thought I was going to have a lot of problems lining up all the little pipes and fittings but I did not. They went together smoothly for the most part.
Colors
When looking at other refineries, and comparing them to the pictures on the box, the silver structure with white stacks and cylinders and yellow ladders, platforms and railings seemed a bit odd to me but also seemed correct so I went with it. I wish now that I'd not painted all the yellow stuff yellow but more of a tamed down color. I think I will apply a thick coating of black wash to this structure before I'm done.
For some crazy reason, I also painted the base black and now I wish I had not of. Too late.
Complaints
The only part of this kit that really bugs me is the size of the safety railings. They are huge! Still I guess when your working with N scale, there is a limit. Tweezers were a main tool of construction on this kit for me!
Now that I've built one and am familiar with it, I wish that I could go get another and do it again the RIGHT way. But.... that aint'a going'ta happen now and I'm just gonna have to be happy with how it turned out.

Satisfaction
For the kit on a scale of 1 - 10, I give the kit a 9+. for my ability to build it and have it look proto, I give myself a 5.
Have a look!
[Image: Refinery021lowres.jpg]

[Image: Refinery024lowres.jpg]

[Image: Refinery023lowres.jpg]
Reply
#2
Looks good. I am trying to think of areas that had/have small refineries like that... 8-) Then I looked at the rio grande switcher, and thought you may enjoy this photo:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://narrowgaugememories.com/v/Rio+Grande+in+the+60s/alamosatochama/DRGWalarefinery950.jpg.html">http://narrowgaugememories.com/v/Rio+Gr ... 0.jpg.html</a><!-- m -->

actually, you might like the whole website:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://narrowgaugememories.com/main.php">http://narrowgaugememories.com/main.php</a><!-- m -->
--
Kevin
Check out my Shapeways creations!
3-d printed items in HO/HOn3 and more!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s-model-train-detail-parts">https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s ... tail-parts</a><!-- m -->
Reply
#3
Thanks Kevin. That site is very cool. In the first link, picture #9, I got a real kick out of the poor little flat car struggling under the weight of the locomotive. Picture #28 was enlightening as it showed both gauges next to each other. Finally in #32, I never really thought if it was possible for a narrow gauge engine to switch standard gauge cars... I mean how would the couplers line up? Then I saw the picture of the dual gauge idler car. Still, the coupler must have been offset at one end or something. I'll have to look into that more as well as explore the rest of the site. Thanks! I've definitely bookmarked that one.
Reply
#4
Thank you for this nice review. I think i schould by one kit.... 2285_
Santa Fe all the way
Greetings from Germany!
Reply
#5
TN, nice review on the kit. I like how yours turned out, you did an awesome job Thumbsup Thumbsup
Josh Mader

Maders Trains
Offering everyday low prices for the Model Railroad World
Reply
#6
Ahhh your too kind. I'm just displeased enough with the thickness of those platform railings and ladders that I'm darn near ready to go buy another kit and use plastruct ladders and make my own railings out of needles and thread. I think that would drastically improve the looks of the scene.
Reply
#7
TrainNut Wrote:Ahhh your too kind. I'm just displeased enough with the thickness of those platform railings and ladders that I'm darn near ready to go buy another kit and use plastruct ladders and make my own railings out of needles and thread. I think that would drastically improve the looks of the scene.

TN, if you did that and added new handrails, your right, i think that would make it even better. I have never built the N kit of the refinery from Walthers, only the HO ones. The handrail/platform thickness wasnt a problem in HO, but on the N scale version, they do look a little thick looking back. Im sure you could get new handrails from Plastruct and bend them and glue them in place to replace the Walthers ones....

Can you get the railings off now? Or are the on there for good? LOL
Josh Mader

Maders Trains
Offering everyday low prices for the Model Railroad World
Reply
#8
I could probably get them back off but there would be some battle scars to show. There are some other things I would do over right if I were to build it again. For instance, for some uknown reason, I painted the base black. I wished I hadn't of done that. Instead, I wished that I'd of painted it more of a concrete color. I also got in a little bit of a hurry on this because it was taking so long, I had a hard time getting all of those little platoforms perfectly perpendicular to the cylinders and stacks... and it shows. Plus, I think I'd do away with that gaudy yellow alltogether and pick a more toned down color even though a lot of the refineries I looked at used that same yellow. I dunno. I'm gonna coat the whole thing with a heavy black wash and see if that helps.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)