introduction

One of the newest releases from Master Box Ltd is their Frau Muller - Woman & Women's Bicycle, Europe WWII Era kit. This kit boasts an older woman, Frau Müller (Mrs. Müller) walking her bicycle.

The kit comes supplied in Master Box’s standard end opening box with the depiction of the bicycle and rider on the front of the box and the instructions and painting guide printed on the back. This is an injection molded styrene model kit with two added photo etch sheets.

Review

The kit supplied figure, Frau Müller, is crisply molded and free from flash. With this figure, as with most Master Box Ltd figures, the detailing is excellent; very representative of an older woman from the time period. The only item not supplied with this kit is the woman’s glasses which are depicted in the kit’s box art. The construction of the figure is as expected; the parts are easy to clean up due to the placement of the sprue attachment points and the fit is excellent.

The bicycle is typical of what was seen from the time period that the kit’s theme is based on. It comes mostly molded as one-piece, having various smaller items, including the photo etch needed to be installed to complete it. This is a female’s bike, as there is not a top frame bar and it has a chain guard and rear spoke protecting mesh installed. Master Box Ltd has made the fine details for the bike from photo etched parts such as the spokes, sprocket and chain, rear fender mesh and pedal end.

The construction of the bike is fairly straight forward. There is a small set of instructions included in the kit for assembly of the bike itself. After carefully removing the delicate photo etched parts from the sheets, they easily glue into place. Some care will be needed on the smaller styrene parts as they can be broken while trying to remove them. Also, I would recommend after assembly of the spoke rims, that the outside of the rims be sanded a little as well as the inside of the styrene molded tires. This will ensure the photo etch will fit into the space nicely without trying to force the part into place. Included in the set is the woman’s umbrella and hand bag which are shown to be dangling on the handle bars while the woman walks the bike along.

Conclusion

The Frau Müller - Woman & Women's Bicycle, Europe WWII Era kit from Master Box Ltd is a great addition to the long line of Master Box Ltd figures. The subject matter can easily fit into just about any diorama or vignette either pre WWII, and honestly the present as the woman and the bike could probably be seen on the streets of an old European town today.

The parts are cleanly molded and the included photo etch parts add plenty of fine details to make for a fine representation of the subject matter at hand. I highly recommend the kit to anyone looking to enhance their diorama scene or simply build it alone as a vignette.