Here's the Bat Rat Spider Crab from 'Angry Red Planet'. The movie was never a winner, but this beasty has a bit of a cult following. The original marionette used in the movie was built by Howard Weeks. The kit's design deviates significantly from the original, creating a beast, that while still completely outlandish, looks a bit more realistic.

Right is how the Bat Rat appeared in the film with a solarization process called 'Cinemagic' used for all scenes set on the Martian surface.
The kit is from Alchemy Works, the sculpt by Chris Lynch and the casting by the legend, Randy Guthrie (Lilmonsters). A sensational job all round.
I found it a challenging build. Once painted, it took me some time to figure out how to get the creature to stand, have all the legs touching the base to support it and not have the front claws/pincers cause the model to tip forward. I eventually sorted it by putting the body on its back supported by a cardboard ring and then glued the legs in place so the 'knee joints' touched the desk. I just kept raising the ring supporting the body until legs were at the right angle. Because all legs are configured/angled similarly this put the claw tips at much the same level. Because of the fragility of the build I applied glue 3 times over as many days to ensure a secure bond. I then made the decision to Dremel out groves in the base into which the claw tips were glued very securely and the grooves then filled and painted. In the film the toe claws didn't penetrate the surface at all, but this was not a design decision but a function of the fact that its representation was a light-as-air marionette. Besides, liking the kit not the movie, I felt no requirement to faithfulness.






