Introduction:

Live Resin recently released Polaris MV850 ATV in 1/35 scale. A number of various stowage sets, upgrades and crew figures designed for the ATV model were offered as well, many of which have been reviewed on Armorama (link).

This review covers one of the latest figure releases designed to fit the ATV: US Special Forces modern ATV rider with Mk18 carbine, seating (LRM 35021).

Review:

The kit is packed in a hard cardboard box which features CAD box art image showing the figure sitting (not seating) on Polaris MV850 ATV. Inside the box is a zip-lock bag with the resin pieces, additionally protected by a layer of bubble wrap.

The set consists of 24 pieces organized on several casting blocks. The pieces include:

- legs
- torso
- left arm
- right arm
- head (2x)
- left boot
- right boot
- helmet
- equipment pieces (10x)
- weapon accessories (5x).

The pieces look really good: the resin is perfectly cast with no seam lines or air bubbles, with the pieces featuring amazingly sharp details. Did you notice a tiny resin microphone boom? This level of microscopic detail is not available in any of the resin figure kits I’ve seen so far. Although I’ve been reviewing Live Resin goodies for several years now, the company can still impress me with the quality of their products.

The figure depicts Special Ops operator sitting on his ATV. Although the pose seems casual, the figure has his weapon ready for any sign of hostile activity. The anatomy of the figure looks good with the facial features nicely defined. The figure wears Crye Precision Gen2 AC Combat Shirt and Pants, the uniform of choice for US Special Forces. An assortment of ammo magazine, utility and radio pouches are attached to his MBAV plate carrier. The Salomon Quest 4D boots, tactical gloves, shades and a beard add to the Special Ops feel of the figure.

Assembly:

There are no assembly instructions in the set, so it is up to the modeler to deduce which piece goes where. Main figure parts are a no-brainer, but some assistance is needed with the equipment parts. Images supplied on Live Resin website might come in handy to locate the position of each pouch. However, as most of the equipment is cast separately there are numerous possibilities of attaching the pouches and obtaining slightly different rig setup.

I annotated the pieces on their carrier blocks and I’m displaying photos of major subassemblies, noting the position of each part. I started by cleaning the pieces from the carrier blocksusing a sharp side-cutter and a new X-acto blade… patience is a key in this process as most of the small pieces can easily be damaged if manhandled. I fixed the main figure parts first. These are all designed with protrusions and indentations, which help to position the pieces optimally. I attached the boots to the legs, and left arm to the torso. When fixing the torso to the legs I aimed to ensure the left arm resting naturally on the left thigh. I had to use some putty to fill a gap between the torso and legs, but the putty work was kept to a minimum. I attached the right arm, head and the helmet without glue, using Magic Sculp only, in order to take photos for the review. I plan to get these pieces off the figure after the photo shoot to facilitate the painting process.

I fixed the equipment pieces to the tactical vest next, recreating the setup shown on the box art image. The MBITR pouch was attached first, in order to align the radio to the wire already sculpted on the vest. The wire on my review sample was slightly damaged, so I'll probably remove it and recreate the wiring using aftermarket products. I fixed the ammo magazine and utility pouches to the lower part of the vest, a tourniquet and push-to-talk (PTT) to each shoulder. I didn't fix the tiny microphone thus reducing the possibility to damage the piece while handling the miniature. In fact, I would suggest leaving the microphone off until all the figure painting is done.

As the name of the set suggests, the figure is designed to fit ATV from Live Resin. I did a test and the figure fits perfectly. I like the pose of the figure and the complete setup looks absolutely amazing.

Conclusion:

Perfection. This is a word to start the conclusion with.

US Special Forces modern ATV rider with Mk18 carbine, seating (LRM 35021) from Live Resin is one of the best 1/35 scale figures I reviewed in a while. The resin cast is perfect, the fit of the pieces really good with only minor putty work needed between the torso and leg pieces. The modular concept of the figure allows adding the equipment pouches in any way the modeler prefers. Finally, the figure fits perfectly to the Polaris MV850 ATV model, offering a show stopping focus of every vignette.

Well done Live Resin!


A big thank you to Yaroslav from Live Resin for this review sample. Please note Live Resin goodies are available at: https://models-hobby.com.