The Surfite

[hobbybobby]

Good call on the tires. Makes alot more sense than the kit pieces. Nice execution overall, but that color combination is a bit ...jarring

I agree with you, but that everything has turned out, it started with BDR's signature, then the writing on the board, the red engine block, then the interior, and actually, that is the color combination of the original Ratfink...

[hobbybobby]

Isn't it 1/20?

Looks good BTW. Love the tyres and the paint.

In 1/20 this would have been a very great model...

No, it is 1/25, extremely small and, well, pretty much what all BDR's kits are: small and very delicate ...

In fact, the little Motor and transaxle is comprised of 18 separate pieces, topped off by a shifter that actually passes through a hole in the interior into the transaxle, and the chrome tie rods connect to the actual steering column!

Very Detailed, but as I said, nothing for sausage fingers and bad eyes!

Edited October 12, 2013 by hobbybobby

[Mike 1017]

Kool

[hobbybobby]

A bit of background. The original Surfite kit became pretty rare before Revell reissued. I believe it was only out for one release. The rumor was that it had a short shelf life because Ed Roth got associated with Hells Angels and Revell didn't want that association since kits were marketed mainly to kids in those days. So I spoke to Bob Paeth, who was a product manager at Revell back then. He confirmed your quote that the Surfite got dropped because it was a poor seller and nothing more.

Bob also relayed an interesting story about the release of the kit. All model boxes are a standard size due to shelf space and the size of the cases they are shipped in. Everything in the system, from kit assembly onward depends on the uniformity of the box. So when they got the test shots of the Surfite, it was very small and looked miniscule in that big box! The fear was that people wouldn't perceive it as a good value so they needed to do something to fill the box. Someone came up with the idea of the Tiki Hut, mainly as a way to fill up that box, and history was made!

Thank you for the info, Tom.

The statement that I used, actually came from Bob Paeth (R.I.P. my friend).

I understand that if all cars have the same scale, this is great for the collectors and builders, but anyway I wonder why Revell has not selected a larger scale for this one.

And yes, the fact that The Surfite made such a small model, Revell added the Tiki Hut to fill up the empty space in its standard model car box.

I have finally finished the base.

The base is an old picture frame with rear wall, on which I had poured a thin layer of plaster.

There is no sand, just color...

Well, i'm still not quite satisfied, but for the moment I leave it that way.

Hope, you like it.

[Tom Geiger]

Cool! Here's my Surfite. I think I had more fun building and shading the Tiki Hut!

I believe Revell did the Surfite in 1/25 because that was the scale of the series, and the scale they worked in. I sort of remember that they had a five kit deal with Roth and this was the last one to fulfill that contract.

There was also some Roth controversy on a custom model contest (I believe it was a Revell contest) where the first place was that Roth would build you a full size replica of your model. It was won by a fellow named Chuck (his last name eludes me at the moment) that I got to meet at GSL a few years ago. Roth never delivered the car, so Chuck got involved in some litigation where the promotion company agreed to give him a new Corvette in lieu of the Roth car. This whole ordeal took so long that Chuck barely had some time with the Corvette when he got drafted and sent to Viet Nam.

[hobbybobby]

Great story, Tom, thank you, and your version of the kit also looks wonderful!

During this time, there were six car models:

Outlaw, Beatnik Bandit, Mysterion, Surfite, Tweedy Pie & Road Agent.

Here is a very interesting note:

During 1963 Revell paid Ed a one cent royalty for each model sold (Cars & Monsters), he brought in $32,000 that year in royalties, now figure out the math, that's how popular Ed's creations were!

Roth had his shop at 4616 Slauson Avenue in Maywood, California (about 8 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles) that he started in early 1959.

For a period in the mid 1960s, Roth associated with various Outlaw motorcycle Clubs, who congregated at his shop as a lot of bikers were then living in Lynwood and Maywood.

Well, it is true, Revell dropped BDR after he began riding and designing souped-up Harley-Davidson motorcycles and hanging out with Hell's Angels.

Roth had taken black and white photos of different bikers, he made posters, with titles like "Beautiful Buzzard", or "Gray Cat" out of these photos, and sold them at car shows.

Roth would periodically give these bikers small amounts of money, but soon some of the bikers started to feel that Roth was "getting rich" off of them and they wanted a larger cut.

Despite Roth's agreement, rumors began to circulate that a certain club intended to attack Roth's shop.

The gang arrived at the shop with guns drawn, but Roth's crew defended themselves.

Roth challenged the head biker to a one-on-one fist fight to settle matters in the middle of the shop.

Eventually Roth gained the upper hand and "just started to beat the living BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH out of the guy".

After this incident, Roth burnt his biker posters, leaving the lifestyle behind at the same time, things started winding down at the shop in the late 1960s, and in 1970 the shop closed.

And, he lost all his money on a motorcyle magazine called Choppers.

He became a Mormon and stayed mostly away from the car culture for much of the 70's and 80's...

Here are a few engine details of my build:

[Tom Geiger]

He became a Mormon and stayed mostly away from the car culture for much of the 70's and 80's...

He did move to Utah and established a rural shop there. Ed was to appear at the Greater Salt Lake Championship (GSL) in 2001, but died just prior to the show date. I attended that show and was looking forward to meeting him, something just not meant to be.

[unclescott58]

Tough kit to build. A lot of very small parts. As I work on mine, I can see why I've not seen a lot of them built before. One really needs to take their time building this one. And anybody who gets one together, I have a lot of respect for. Now, to search for engines water pump, that fell on the floor. Man, is it small.

 

Scott

 

Edited July 24, 2015 by unclescott58

[PatW]

Super build, but as an aircooled nut I'd change the motor for a VW and if the interior is flocked isn't that difficult to sweep the sand out?

I love the kit to go with my manx builds but we can't get it here in the UK! Unless I import it but that costs $27 shipping plus the kit! 

Edited July 24, 2015 by PatW

[Tom Geiger]

Tough kit to build. A lot of very small parts. As I work on mine, I can see why I've not seen a lot of them built before. One really needs to take their time building this one. And anybody who gets one together, I have a lot of respect for. Now, to search for engines water pump, that fell on the floor. Man, is it small.

 

Scott

 

Yes!  It is a difficult little bugger. It has that classic Revell "fiddly" quality. Lots of realistic but tiny.little parts, but a lot of clean up of seams and ejector pin marks. Much of the chassis components are chrome, but I had to abandon it due to the clean up. So I used Testors Metalizers instead.  I also found that the interior tub doesn't fit well against the body. I remember adding plastic to the edge to fill it in, and then sanded both the tub and body to a decent fit.  I also glued on all the body panels, puttied them in and then scribed the seams to get it to look right. And I learned patience on that model.  I kept putting it away for a breather, then going back to it.  At one point I promised myself that I wouldn't start anything else until I finished it!

Mine is a more mellow yellow than the real car.  I built it back when the kit reappeared and we didn't have the Internet as a research tool. I worked from one photo where the color looks like mine... but ya know, I like my version better than Roths!

[Jonathan]

That's a pretty sweet build!  Did you know that Lego is actually the world's largest tire/tyre manufacturer?

http://www.lego.com/en-US/aboutus/news-room/2012/june/guiness-world-record-to-the-lego-group

Very nice work!  And now, I have to find one to add yet another kit to my ever growing pile of yet-to-be-builts!

[Dave Van]

Cool spin!!

Same story I heard Tom G.........I recall how it was such a high dollar kit before the reissue.  First one I ever saw was at Toledo.  Never saw it first issue.....and I lived in So Cal!! 

[Roadrunner]

This is very cool. Nice job.

[jbwelda]

the Surfite certainly isn't in 1/25 scale, not if any of the other Roth cars are in that scale. all you have to do is put it next to the Mysterion for instance to see the difference...it towers over the Mysterion. and in real life the Surfite was very tiny...it was built on an Austin mini frame that Roth found at the junkyard along with the motor he used in the car. so its got to be closer to 1/20.

built one a few years ago, actually went together really well for such fiddly parts. lots of flash though. I added some detail like the scuff guards on the rear deck/cockpit entrance and I redid the board like the original had instead of my first attempts. I really wanted to put on some floatation tires but maybe not so big as those on the original posters car.

 

 

 

[PatW]

Wow jb! You've built one as well. I must get one! So you reckon it's nearer 1/20 then? Having had a few Mini's (The first a Countryman with wood sides) it's definitely a mini motor, I will change mine for a VW!

[aurfalien]

Wow I just love all your builds pplz!

I had no idea such a car exsisted.

He must have surfed is all I can say.

I sorta feel like buying that kit now

I think a wooden long board would go well with such a car.

PS jbwelda, truly lovely diorama, totally love it!

PSS Actually just noticed you all have the killer huts and see that the kit came with it, how cool.  Hobbybobby, I love the added sand, great touch!

Edited July 26, 2015 by aurfalien

[Dave Van]

You are correct in that Surfite towers over other Roth creations......

It does so because you sit up in it like you would in a dining table chair. And if you find photos of Roth in the car.....LOTS of head room yet!! 

The more traditional Roth showrods were cramped and you almost laid down in them to get bubble tops to close!! 

I myself have never measured the Revell Surfite but a buddy of mine that is informed on Roth and the models (knew him personally) says it's 1/25.  Take it for what it is worth.  There is a story about how when Revell tooled it they feared it was to SMALL....thus they added the hut to fill the box more. 

[jbwelda]

huh well that photo certainly shoots holes in my thoughts on scale. I saw the Surfite at a car show in about 2005 or so (well I saw it back in the day but don't recall  much about it) and thought it was much smaller than that, but sitting there next to the bandit I would have to guess that it might well be 1/25. funny thing was while I was building it, it seemed to me like the chassis/engine/wheels/tires were all proper scale but somehow when it was built it just looked, well, BIG. that photo explains why and it is true that one climbed into it and it had headroom to let you do that (through the back window hence the scuff bars I put on the back deck to resemble or real car more.

ps: I got the hood piece to fit a lot better than it did in that photo I posted

 

jb

 

Edited July 26, 2015 by jbwelda

[Jon Cole]

Never cared for the little runt. Now as I look at it, I think I would just lop the roof off all together. Maybe go with a roll bar or roll cage instead, along with bigger tires.

[Rob Hall]

Neat..those tires make sense for a beach buggy.  i didn't realize the kit had an engine..neat.

[Tom Geiger]

ps: I got the hood piece to fit a lot better than it did in that photo I posted

 

 

 

The hood is like a small potato chip.  Mine doesn't sit right at all. 

One story I heard was that the Surfite was a side project for Roth.  As he was working on other cars and was laying fiberglass on them, anything left over got added to the Surfite as it sat in the corner of the shop.    I've always loved the little bugger!  Just because it's so different from the show cars of that period!