Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s ‘Scuz-Fink with Dingbat’ plastic model kit – by Revell
The long-out-of-print Scuz-Fink was my Big Daddy Roth kit holy grail so I was thrilled to find an “affordable” and almost untouched one on eBay.
the glued arms I had to crack back open
By “almost untouched” I mean that most of the parts had been removed from the sprues and a few had even been glued together: the gun, jet pack, and arms. Unfortunately, whomever did this missed that the hands should be inserted in the arms prior to gluing. Maybe that’s why they were selling the kit on ebay at so “low” a price?
In any case, one of the very first things I did was to crack these arms back open so I could add the hands, which are meant to articulate on a post at the wrist. My attempt was only semi-successful.
While I was able to add the hands, they ended up glued in place. Not in position, mind you, just in place. Long story short, I ended up having to take them back off, jury-rig new posts from leftover sprue, and then glue them in place.
Modifications To The Kit
Other than the above, which was more necessity than choice, I actually did very little modding to this kit.
One of the biggest changes was my decision to leave off Dingbat.
I actually like the Dingbat sculpt and look forward to painting it someday but, for my tastes, it just didn’t belong with this kit. I found it almost as confounding as the nut and bolt molded into the detail of the base plate. What?
The finished model sample from the kit box
Anyway, with Dingbat eliminated, I needed another way to attach Scuz-Fink. I ended up drilling the feet, adding two posts of leftover sprue, then drilling the base plate to accommodate said pegs.
It was during the gluing of the base plate that I realized I could paint most of the bottom black but for the “lava pockets” which I left white so light could come through. The idea is to light it from below so that the “lava” glows. My attempts at demonstrating and capturing this effect are sketchy at best.
Another modification I made was to tighten Scuzzy’s grip on his laser pistol. Initially it just kind of lay there in his hand, so I took a heatgun on the lower setting and gently reformed the hand around the butt of the pistol.
As it was my first time doing such a thing, the process really freaked me out. I was so worried I would ruin the hand. Luckily, it worked. So well, in fact, I never even had to glue the gun in place.
I worked with the flag right up to the end of the kit, then decided I just didn’t want to use it.
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Scuz-Fink with Dingbat
This kit was another absolute blast. Roth’s sculpts are so fantastic, so detailed, so nutty, they’re a joy to paint. One of my favorite aspects was trying to make realistic irises in the eyes. I did alright on the two big eyes, too, if I do say so, myself.
If they ever reissue this kit, I will grab it up so fast … and you should, too!
