Rat Fink, by Ed Roth! Oh my! I happen to be fortunate enough to have lived in the same town as Ed Roth. Such a shame when he passed away. Now every year they have a celebration for him here.

My dad was really into Rat Fink. He said that when he was a kid, a nun hit him for drawing a Rat Fink picture during school! I guess he actually met Ed Roth before he died.

I actually came across a couple of these about 15 yrs ago in toys r us for $1.99! I bought them and spent an afternoon having races with friends in their tattoo shop.Such fun!

The story of how Ed Roth's Revell model kits quickly inspired copycat competitors. One in particular, The Hawk Company out of Chicago. Hawk started in 1928. For most of 35 years, its model kits were of aircraft and motor vehicles. Hawk's freelance illustrator, Bill Campbell, quickly created a Rat Fink look-alike for the 1963 Weird-Oh series, called Wade A Minnit (one who started drag races). The first of strange people kits (Car-Yich-Catures) came out in late 1963. Next was the short Silly Surfer series (1964), with the favorite, Beach Bunny. The final series, from 1965, was Frantics, featuring mainly Beatle-like characters. The Weird-Ohs ended the original run in 1966, going back to aircraft and vehicle kits. In 1970, Hawk was purchased by Testor, which made the cement and enamel paint for model kits. Ownership changed three more times up to today. The Weird-Ohs were the first kits that used no pins to align parts while gluing.

Found a few original Ed Roth Revell model kits up for auction on eBay, including the first Rat Fink and Brother Rat Fink from 1963. The Revell kits always came with the part trees and instruction sheet bagged in clear plastic. The Hawk kits, everything was loose in box. Value of sealed Roth kits ranged from $75 to $300. eBay also has a few vintage Hawk kits, like the Frantics Totally Fab and Silly Surfer Hodad up for auction. While in Chicago, Hawk had factories on W. Lake St. (original), moving to 4600 N. Olcott (Wilson Av., few blocks W. of Harlem Av.) in 1960. Hawk closed the Chicago plant by 1980, subsequent model kits were made in China or Taiwan. The Weird-Oh kits originally sold for a dollar in the 1960s, with most being simple (50 parts or less). The reissues from 2006 on sell for around $15. The Roth reissues, being more elaborate, sell for around $25 (originals, around $2 in 1960s). Revell, expressing a dislike for Testor products, sold its own brand of enamel paint and cement.