Thumb reconstruction after amputation due to a squamous cell carcinoma in a burn scar sustained in infancy was accomplished by microvascular transfer of the ipsilateral scar-contracted little finger. This transfer achieved a successful functional and aesthetic thumb reconstruction and at the same time removed a 'cumbersome' little finger which had often snagged on things. This case emphasises the merits of unused part transfer in hand reconstructive surgery, made possible by microvascular techniques.