Preview: Gecko Models 16th scale WWII US WLA-42 Motorbike & MP Rider

The pig's high on his hog! Gecko Model's latest is the 16th scale WWII US WLA-42 Motorbike & MP Rider, due around Xmas. We look at the CADs, sprues, art, etch & decals in our preview...

Preview: Gecko Models 16th scale WWII US WLA-42 Motorbike & MP Rider

WWII US WLA-42 Motorbike & MP Rider

From Gecko Models

Kit No. #16GM0021

1/16th scale

Gecko Models FB Page

The Subject: The 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA

The 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA, affectionately nicknamed the "Liberator" by Allied troops, became the mechanical backbone of American Military Police operations during World War II. Built specifically to U.S. Army specifications from the civilian WL model, the 42WLA featured a rugged 45-cubic-inch flathead V-twin engine designed to run reliably on low-octane fuel across brutal terrain. To survive frontline conditions, Harley-Davidson stripped away civilian chrome in favour of olive drab paint, parkerised hardware, and specialised blackout lighting. Engineers also added high-clearance fenders to prevent mud buildup, a heavy-duty luggage rack, an ammunition box, and a signature leather scabbard bolted to the front fork to carry an MP's Thompson submachine gun.

Military policemen on their 1942 WLA models with the high-mounted headlight and early horn cover with the embossed Harley-Davidson logo clearly visible. 

In the hands of U.S. Army Military Police, the WLA-42 proved to be an indispensable tool for maintaining order amid the chaos of war. Unlike heavy jeeps or supply trucks, the nimble 576-pound motorcycle allowed MPs to weave through congested supply routes, direct massive armoured columns, and clear bottlenecks at ruined crossroads. Armed with a three-speed hand-shift transmission and a tough springer front suspension, MP riders escorted high-ranking officers, patrolled rear-echelon towns, and enforced curfews across North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe. Their presence on the iconic olive-drab machines became an immediate symbol of Allied authority and logistical control in newly liberated cities.

 This restored 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA was on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Beyond its wartime duties, the partnership between the WLA-42 and the Military Police who rode it left a lasting mark on post-war American culture. Throughout the conflict, tens of thousands of these machines carried MPs to victory across every major theatre of operations. When the war ended, thousands of returning MPs bought surplus WLAs for pennies on the dollar, stripping off the heavy military racks, blackout lights, and fenders to create lighter, faster "bobbers." That post-war tinkering by former military policemen directly sparked the birth of modern custom motorcycle and chopper culture, cementing the 42WLA's legacy both on the battlefield and on the open road.

Four MPs from the 82nd Airborne Division with their bikes in Liege, Belgium, in late 1945.

The kit:

Gecko Models' new 1/16th scale kit, 16GM0021, WWII US WLA-42 Motorbike & MP Rider gives us the 1942 Harley Davidson motorcycle and MP rider from a WWII setting. The box art illustrates the rider in a tan field jacket, trousers, and an "MP"-marked helmet, riding a weathered olive drab WLA-42 with a white star on the fuel tank, brown leather panniers, and a Thompson submachine gun stowed up front. Standard kit notes confirm the inclusion of decals, photo-etched parts, and the single rider figure.

The CAD images of Gecko's WLA-42 motorcycle feature an olive drab frame, forks, fenders, rear cargo rack, and engine housing. Leather accessories include a sprung saddle, rear pannier bags, and a front fork-mounted scabbard holding a Thompson submachine gun. Fine details around the bike include straps and buckles securing the saddlebags and scabbard, alongside wiring and control cables routed around the V-twin engine and frame.

The included military police figure (shown below as a printed prototype; the kit version is plastic) is posed in a seated riding position with both hands gripping the handlebars and feet resting on the floorboards. He wears a standard M1 helmet, a buttoned field jacket with a belted waist, trousers, and tall lace-up boots. The folds in the jacket and trousers, the laces on the boots, and the facial features are all moulded into the figure.

The plastic components are spread across multiple sprues, led by four main light grey frames containing the WLA-42 chassis, V-twin engine block, fuel tanks, fenders, exhaust pipes, leg shields, and saddlebags, as well as the parts for the rider and a Thompson submachine gun. A separate sprue holds the spoked wheels, while two black flexible sprues provide four tyres with moulded tread patterns, giving builders spares or options. 

Clear parts for the windscreen and light lenses are packed in a protective foam frame, accompanied by two smaller grey sprues containing additional detail parts.

A small fret of photo-etched brass parts is supplied to handle the finer strapping and hardware on the bike. It contains multiple buckled straps of varying lengths and separate pierced strap ends for the saddlebags and front scabbard. Additional brass details include a long tie-down strap, small mounting brackets, clasp loops, a fuel cap detail, and a small "OIL" plate.

The kit's decal sheet provides a range of white Military Police stencils, including full "MILITARY POLICE" lettering, three separate "MP" markings in varying sizes, two five-pointed stars, and a white stripe. Alongside these tactical markings are two sets of white serial numbers reading "C 2561973" and a block of white vehicle shipping weights and dimensions. Smaller details on the sheet include a black and silver Military Police shield insignia, a dial face for the speedometer, and a black specification data plate for the motorcycle.

This kit has not been advertised by distributors yet, who are usually the first people to know of them, so there is no pricing or other information yet. We will let you know when we know more.

You can find out more about Gecko Models kits on their website