| |
When America entered WW II, Harley-Davidson was a well-established motorcycle company, having provided bikes for WW I soldiers. It was no wonder then that the military again sought them out to supply motorcycles for this war effort. And Harley-Davidson delivered with a powerful, rugged bike fit for the demanding terrain of the battlefield. What red-blooded American man wouldn’t want a WLA to ride – especially when it came equipped with a Thompson .45 Automatic Machine Gun?
I held off getting this image because I didn’t particularly want a military Harley. But, since FM looks like they’ll be discontinuing this image in the near future, I sprung for it. Now that I’ve had some time to live with it, the image is quite feature rich. It has working starter, brake and shift pedals, a moveable shift lever, operating front “springer” forks, a brown leather-covered seat, regulation helmet with goggles, shin guards, saddle bags, canteen, dispatch bag, entrenching tool, ammo box (with 3 magazines), and the aforementioned Thompson, complete with front-mounted scabbard. Done in military olive drab paint (no camouflage – this is WW II after all), the image sports full military blackout lighting in addition to the standard headlight. They even included the undercarriage skid-plate that protected the engine and exhaust, as well as the front and rear safety bars in case the bike went down. In all, this is one authentically reproduced 1:10 scale image – a really nice presentation indeed.
Because they were fast, maneuverable and rugged, Harleys saw a lot of service as messenger vehicles, carrying vital information back and forth to the front lines through the worst of terrain and weather conditions. It’s a proud heritage for any motorcycle company, but business-as-usual for the versatile machines from Milwaukee. The issue price is $135.
(08/04/2002)
|
|
