Introduction

Late last fall MiniArt released one of the gems of their product line in kit #35085 U’S’ Military Police. The kit combines the previous release of the WLA Harley Davidson 750cc from kit #35080, MiniArt thoughtfully doubles your pleasure with not one but two complete bikes along with a new sprue that consists of a pair of US MP figures.

Review

For an in-depth look at the motorcycles you can’t do better that Andy Renshaw’s excellent build review here on Armorama.

Andy has done such a superb job with his build that there is little that I could add to improve his effort. Of particular note are his tips on achieving a perfect alignment of the front wheel within the forks; great idea Andy!
As far as the figures go another fine effort by MiniArt. While the two bikes are exactly alike (trade material anyone?) the figures are two different and engaging poses. The first is a figure directing traffic who looks like he means business. The figures parts are in the normal breakdown; separate legs and arms, torso, head, and some personal equipment as separate items. The head is well done with good definition and the chin strap for the helmet molded in place. I like the facial features as they have a look that avoids the cookie cutter common features of so many other head sculpts in plastic, this dude appears to have just an extra bit of cartilage in his nose that gives him a unique appearance. He is armed with the Colt .45 sidearm and carries a pouch with extra pistol magazines as well as the small first aid pouch. The figure is wearing the 1941 Field Jacket, wool trousers, and canvas gaiters. The overall sculpting of this figure is very good with some excellent effort put into the folds and natural sit of the fabric of the uniform.

The other figure is the real star as far as the figures go; he is leaning up against the one of the bikes in a very relaxed pose that is rarely this well done in plastic. What really helps to give that comfortable look to his pose is the attention to detail, much like his buddy, of the folds and drapes of the uniform. This figure is dressed nearly the same as his comrade with a few small, but interesting, differences. This fellow is molded with the top buttons of his jacket opened, revealing the properly worn necktie which would have made General Patton smile. This figure has acquired a nice pair of M43 two-buckle pattern combat boots which he wears proudly. This figure is also armed with the holstered Colt .45 with extra ammo pouch but has no first-aid pouch. Both figures wear the leather gloves, which makes sense considering their mode of transportation. Also, both figures have the black MP brassard on their upper left arm for which a MP decal is provided which can be easily applied after you have painted the arm band in black.

The decals, which are different from the original release of the lone bike are not of the highest quality (I’m being generous here, I would toss them). They do provide stars, Military Police markings, and shipping data for the bikes along with a couple of blobs for the speedometer and data plate. For the figures the decals place them as part of the 2nd Infantry Division and do provide the helmet markings which appear useable along with the MP arm markings noted above. The instructions for the figures are pretty sparse, but if you’ve ever looked at another human being you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly! They do provide a nice painting guide with reference to; Vallejo, Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, and Mr. Color paint lines.

Conclusion

This is truly a very, very, nice effort by MiniArt; if you don’t already have one of these in your stash of kits what are you waiting for? The only real issue that I can see will be the decals for the bike, grab a replacement set of transfers from Archer, and you’re good to go!