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A NOSTALGIC TRIBUTE TO FROG MODEL KITS


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1 hour ago, adey m said:

You are very observant Serge,  maybe the artist Carless should have signed this picture Careless  .........

 

But what is wrong here  ................

 

 

 

 

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adey

Hi,I think the German aircraft is a FW190 and it should not be dog fighting a Spitfire Mk1:lol:

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13 minutes ago, celt said:

Hi,I think the German aircraft is a FW190 and it should not be dog fighting a Spitfire Mk1

It's was a question for my from Britmodeller version show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"!

:)

I first answer on this

question! :):)

 

B.R.

Serge

 

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, adey m said:

 

 

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FROG artwork was magical. I suppose the FROG artists were not as restricted with the shape of the box front as was the case with Roy Cross the AIRFIX artist.

 

Thr FROG artwork seemed much more imaginative, more human and sometimes could be no holds barred in their portrayal of war.

 

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adey

 

 

 

 

This is a great nostalgic thread Adey, brings back so many memories of starting in the hobby. The three above were some of my favourites, and I remember building each so well (the memory, not the build quality!). Although my very first kits were Airfix, there was a period from about 1966 for a good few years when I only bought and built Frog kits. That was the time they were issuing re-boxings of Hasegawa kits that were hard to obtain in the UK, but our local grocers shop used to get all the latest under the Frog branding. I just loved the box arts, and the colour profile views on the back.

 

Happy days,

 

Cheers

 

Terry

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1 hour ago, TonyW said:

That lot look a bit special!

 

The Blenheim and Hunter are coming along very nicely.

 

What paints are you using?

 

Tony.

 

 

Cheer's Tony,Tamiya but for the Boston and Blenhiem I'm trying  Mr Hobby paints which I find superb for brushing.

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Wow Steve you are building up a wonderful collection of FROGs. I too would like to know what paints you use.

 

As for that Raiden, beautiful, my favourite Japanese fighter, a sort of Japanese Thunderbolt. Yours is the best Raiden model I have ever seen, fantastic wear and tear.

 

Keep them coming

 

regards, adey

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2 hours ago, adey m said:

Wow Steve you are building up a wonderful collection of FROGs. I too would like to know what paints you use.

 

As for that Raiden, beautiful, my favourite Japanese fighter, a sort of Japanese Thunderbolt. Yours is the best Raiden model I have ever seen, fantastic wear and tear.

 

Keep them coming

 

regards, adey

Many thank's Adey,as I've said Tamiya mainly which I spray base colours and brush camo but trying Mr colour on the Boston and Blenhiem which

only need the glazing painted and added then I should get them in RFI,the Mitchell will go into the STGB coming shortly,I got the Modelcraft boxing

of the Maryland hoping for better decal's but the S.A. option which I wanted to do are way out of register no complaint's it was only £9.

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Re Convair's FROG Revell He 115

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Thank you Convair for showing us your FROG Heinkel He 115, first time I have seen one from so many angles and in such detail.

 

Interesting that you have gone for the black undersurfaces too. I know that they were used to lay mines in shipping lanes off the British coast at night so the black undersurfaces would make sense.

 

A number of He 115s came to grief along Britain's east coast, one was found completely destroyed on the ground near Woodbridge in Suffolk, another was washed ashore on the Norfolk coast and another was salvaged by a British trawler after it had crash landed and capsized after a torpedo attack on a convoy but still remained afloat. It was towed upside down by the trawler into Eyemouth Harbour in Scotland where the boat's crew were rewarded with the petrol from the Heinkel's fuel tanks.

 

I think I have just talked myself into building mine,  thanks to inspiration from Convair.

 

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Only thing is I have not painted a splinter camouflage scheme since I built an AIRFIX Heinkel 111 way back in 1979,  better get some more Tamiya tape in .........

 

regards,  adey

Edited by adey m
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17 hours ago, celt said:

Here are four of my Frogs,all paints are humbrol acrylic and daubed on by hairy stick.

Great quartet Celt,I keep eying the Vengeance up I might have a crack at it and the Skua if Pat's Frog GB goes through which I'm sure it will,I was thinking

what with the Matchbox GB being such a hit and the Golden year's of Airfix coming up apart from the proposed Frog GB it may be time for a Revell classic

GB with a particular cut of year similar to the Airfix GB.

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On 10/03/2018 at 12:32, Eric Mc said:

I had always assumed the Revell 115 was the Matchbox one. Looks like I was wrong.

Hi Eric, here are two examples of the Revell boxing of the Matchbox He 115

 

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This is the Matchbox one. It represents a B version. The differences to the FROG one are, closely cowled engines and shorter nacelles which are rounded at their rear, narrower more tapered nose compartment windscreen, lack of navigator's cockpit behind the pilot,  gun protrudes through the rear of the canopy ( inaccurate ), thickly moulded window framing and the most obvious because it is Matchbox after all are the engraved panel line trenches. Parts for just one variant.

 

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This is the FROG one. It represents a C version.  Differences to the Matchbox one are wider engine cowlings, longer nacelles which have the remote firing defensive guns protruding from their rear, straight untapered nose cockpit canopy, navigator's cockpit behind the pilot, opening for gun to protrude in side of rear gunner's canopy , fine raised panel lines instead of engraved. You also get a choice of glazed noses for two different variants...........  choices,  choices

 

adey

Edited by adey m
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9 hours ago, adey m said:

Interesting that you have gone for the black undersurfaces too. I know that they were used to lay mines in shipping lanes off the British coast at night so the black undersurfaces would make sense.

Thank you Adey! Another reason why I chose black is that most Luftwaffe airplanes have a light colour (RLM 65 or 76) on undersurfaces, so black would be a interesting break :D.

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On 10/03/2018 at 17:20, Convair said:

Thank you Adey! Another reason why I chose black is that most Luftwaffe airplanes have a light colour (RLM 65 or 76) on undersurfaces, so black would be a interesting break :D.

REF Convair's FROG Heinkel He 115

 

Definately more interesting Convair. Another thing you have got correct which is something that so many reference drawings and Matchbox got wrong is the rear defensive gun correctly stowed protruding through an opening in the side of the gunner's canopy. The rear gun did not stick out of the rear of the canopy as so often portrayed, the gunner had to open his canopy to operate the gun.

 

Until I saw your model I thought that the gap in the rear of the FROG canopy was a moulding defect but you got me thinking and I have found a fantastic Youtube video that shows He 115s being built and test flown in the most amazing close up detail and one sequence shows a close up of the rear gunners canopy with the curved opening on one side for the stowed gun as FROG have accurately portrayed.

 

Another mystery for me which has just been solved are the strange protrusions sticking out of the rear of the FROG engine nacelles, these were remotely operated defensive guns which were fitted to the C version.

 

Thanks again Convair

 

regards, adey

Edited by adey m
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On ‎08‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 18:00, adey m said:

I got some excellent background on the Frog moulding of the He.115 (never issued in a Frog boxing) and even though I have the kit itself (Revell boxing) in the stash still to be built, I actually ended up building two Matchbox He.115's in the recent Matchbox GB - as a practice run, maybe?

 

Ah Ventora,  you must be a He115 enthusiast.  I am considering building my Revell FROG He115 for the FROG GB. or Ta152 or Me410 or Tupolev SB2 or maybe ...

 

aah decisions,  adey

Great! I'll keep my eyes open for your He.115. I have a 'spare' Matchbox kit left over from the Matchbox GB and both Revell Versions (ex- Frog and ex-Matchbox) so am keen to finish them all off at some point, just to experience all the comparisons.

All the best, Mike.

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On ‎09‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 18:00, Convair said:

Once upon a time... it was a long ago (actually, 2012 ^_^)... I built a Revell (Frog) He-115...

 

he115_1.jpg

 

 

he115_4.jpg

That looks like a fantastic build. I have convinced myself to do a Matchbox He.115 kit in FAA colours to represent one of those ex-Norwegian ones that ended up doing covert ops (if my research is right!) and your colour scheme is just how I imagined it turning out (with roundels, of course) - love it.

Edited by Ventora3300
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REF Ventora3300 Heinkel He 115 quote

 

The RAF used captured and impressed He 115s for covert work which were modified. These had most of the cockpit glazing painted or faired over ( probably to conceal the secret agents onboard ) and had defensive forward and rearward guns installed in the wings.

 

And then the Germans later used He 115s for covert work and installed defensive guns in the wings. The German special ops He 115s also had most of the cockpit glazing painted over and also had a large hole under the rear fuselage where presumably agents or special forces could parachute from.

 

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Special operations Heinkel He 115. Note the covered-in cockpit glazing, large hole under the fuselage and rearward firing guns in rear of engine nacelles.

 

adey

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THE JOY OF FROG

 

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Exciting and atmospheric artwork and choice of versions !

 

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Wonderful colour painting guide on the back of the box

 

 

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The excitement of opening that colourful box, the lovely bluish grey smooth quality plastic parts filling the box, instruction sheet and modelling tips, complaints slip, superb decals, a choice of versions and colour schemes to make, and those exciting colour images of other FROG kits adorning the box sides.

 

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Which version shall I build, the Army co-operation aircraft or the Spy transport ?

 

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Wow dad, they do an Avro Shackleton too ..............

 

adey

Edited by adey m
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13 minutes ago, JosephLalor said:

Bottom left beside the Valiant has me stumped. MC202 at top right was my first FROG kit in 1971.

 

PS: Ah, looked at pics above. He115?

You are correct Joseph, it is the He 115 minus the two optional glazed noses.

 

cheers,  adey

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