Introduction:

Polaris has been supplying the US Armed Forces with innovative ATV and LT-ATV transportation since the 1980s, and formed the Polaris Defense military division in 2005. Polaris MV850 is designed as a single-seat addition to the company extensive product line, providing individual all-terrain mobility to deployed units in austere environments and across a myriad of SOF mission types. The vehicle is exceptionally flexible and can be air-transported, but offers no protection from small-arms fire or shrapnel.

Review:

Live Resin recently released Polaris MV850 ATV in 1/35 scale together with a bunch of accessory, upgrade and figure offerings for the vehicle, many of which have been reviewed on Armorama (link). This review covers the first complete 1/35 scale model Live Resin produced so far: US Military ATV - Polaris MV 850 ATV quadrobike (LRE-35318).

The kit is packed in a hard cardboard box which features CAD images of the model, as well as several images of the ATV fitted with number of accessories available separately from Live Resin. The complete list of accessories, upgrade sets and figures for the ATV can be accessed at Live Resin website: http://live-resin.com/.

The box is barely large enough to hold all the kit parts… although safely secured in two zip-lock bags, the sheer size and amount of pieces can easily result in part damage. One of the pieces in my kit was damaged, but I found the broken bit in one of the bags. The kit consists of 59 parts cast in grey resin, with the lenses offered in transparent resin (clear and red). Closer inspection reveals amazing quality of the resin and I found no seam lines, no air bubbles or any kind of imperfections whatsoever. Some thin flash residue is present on several smaller pieces, easily removed using the back of X-acto blade. The level of details on the parts is very impressive with all the fine-points delivered perfectly in scale. Nothing but the best from Live Resin.

Larger pieces are cast on their individual casting blocks which could prove difficult to remove. I used my Dremel rotary tool, sharp nippers, X-acto blade, fine grit sandpaper… and a lot of patience. Smaller pieces are cast incredibly well with minimal casting block attachment points, so the cleanup is rather easy. However, many of these pieces are very delicate and should be handled with a lot of care.

Assembly:

There are no instructions included in the set. However, a two page assembly guide is available on Live Resin website. These sheets can be downloaded in high-res and printed.

I recently finished a build log on Armorama featuring Polaris MV850 ATV model from Live Resin, so the complete assembly procedure can be accessed there: ATV build log. This review will cover the assembly procedure in a more concise way, by annotating the pieces on their carrier blocks and displaying photos of major subassemblies, noting the position of each part. Most of the pieces feature series of protrusions and indentations which help to optimally align the parts. I would suggest dry fitting all the main parts to obtain perfect geometry of the vehicle… this is extremely important as misaligning parts in first assembly steps can result in poor fit of pieces in subsequent steps. The putty work is kept to a minimum, as most of the possible irregularities and gaps between the main pieces are not visible on the finished model… absolutely brilliant model engineering by Live Resin. Also, I have to compliment the company on the intelligent front wheel design. These can be steered, moving them left or right as the modeler chooses. Moreover, by trimming a bit of resin and careful positioning of the wheels and the axle, one can represent the weight of the vehicle with full stowage and weapons really well.

Finally, there are some things which are a part of the kit, but that I didn't install for this review. Anchoring clips (parts x) will be added when I decide on the stowage setup and clear parts (headlights (parts x) and rear light (part x)) are waiting after the painting is done.

Conclusion:

US Military ATV - Polaris MV 850 ATV quadrobike (LRE-35318) from Live Resin is a magnificent model. The pieces are cast perfectly in resin, and feature tons of details all around. The engineering is extremely smart, turning a pretty complex vehicle into an enjoyable build. Yes, I feel this is not a kit for beginners, but most modelers with experience in working with resin can assemble the model with no serious issues.

I'm very pleased with Live Resin's ATV and wouldn't mind getting another for my collection. With all the different accessory stowage sets and crew figures available separately, a larger diorama with a fleet of ATVs is a possibility.


A big thanks to Yaroslav from Live Resin for this review sample. Live Resin goodies are available from: https://models-hobby.com/.