A NOSTALGIC TRIBUTE TO FROG MODEL KITS

[224 Peter]

I think this is a model of the Frog kit....

 

 

It is certainly a Spitfire XIV, and given it was built in the 1960s, can it be anything else other than the Frog one? The presence of a pilot makes me suspicious, but back then I used to paint "the man" and fit, to fill the otherwise vacant space. 

The whip antenna is a whisker from our cat at the time.  

[adey m]

On 25/02/2018 at 14:51, 224 Peter said:

I think this is a model of the Frog kit....

 

 

It is certainly a Spitfire XIV, and given it was built in the 1960s, can it be anything else other than the Frog one? The presence of a pilot makes me suspicious, but back then I used to paint "the man" and fit, to fill the otherwise vacant space. 

The whip antenna is a whisker from our cat at the time.  

Hi Peter, yes that looks like the FROG one to me, even the codes are the FROG option. It definately had a pilot too. The earlier FROG Spitfire Mk I did not have a pilot.

 

February 1971, my eleventh birthday, and my sister surprised me with the FROG Spitfire XIV and V1 flying bomb. the same one that I had seen disappear from the village Post Office window the day before.............

 

 

 

 

adey

Edited February 28, 2018 by adey m

[adey m]

16 hours ago, lars_opland said:

In fact, the old Frog moldings are superior. Liberties were taken in knocking off the Frog version & the prop spinner is too rounded & bulging, just to start at the front end. Academy also knocked off that PV-1, which I have in a crude Russian boxing, with similar results which render the older kit a better semblance at first & last glance. 

 

There's nothing wrong with fine raised lines, BTW; all those metal WWII types had lapped seams everywhere, with "trenches" only around control surfaces, cowl flaps & such. I'll be happy to see "finely engraved panel lines" go the way of raised decal outlines!

 

Rant Mode Off.

 

Cheers, -Lars

There's nothing wrong with fine raised lines, BTW; all those metal WWII types had lapped seams everywhere, with "trenches" only around control surfaces, cowl flaps & such. I'll be happy to see "finely engraved panel lines" go the way of raised decal outlines!

 

I so agree with you Lars, I too hate the engraved panel lines breaking out all over modern kits, especially all the AIRFIX HORNBY ones. I think some kit engravers get too carried away and put lines where they do not exist on the real aircraft. I think it might be called ' artistic license ' rather than accuracy.

 

When I recently wanted to build a Spitfire Mk1 I so hated the look of the engraved lines spoiling that beautiful fuselage on the AIRFIX Spitfires that I actually built a 1970s Hasegawa one with fine raised detail that does not spoil that lovely airframe. The only challenge to it was that the Hasegawa one did not have the gull shape under the wings so I used the gull wing shaped lower wing from the 1970s AIRFIX Spitfire Mk1 and managed to blend it in to the Hasegawa upper wings and fuselage.

 

Bring back raised panel lines..............and banish highlighted trenches

 

adey

Edited February 25, 2018 by adey m

[Eric Mc]

Airfix's 1979 Spitfire I is a lovely little model - if you can find it.

 

I built the FROG Spitfire XIV not so long ago. It's still a nice kit, although the canopy is a bit ropy. I think I used an acetate alternative from a Falcon set. Otherwise, all out of the box - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Eric Mc

[stevej60]

Couldn't bring myself to throw the empty boxes away!

[stevej60]

Hi folk's two new builds of very old Frog boxing's built for the Hawker GB.

 

Had to compromise on the decal's on both also broken prop on Typhoon meant a relacement.

[Neil.C]

That's cracking Steve.

 

Had a go at the Novo Tempest, didn't look a good as yours though. 

[adey m]

I love your FROG builds Steve , you have definately got the knack of producing clean, crisp and uncluttered classics as FROG intended. Off course this will not always be possible due to the vintage of the kits concerned and their diminishing availability but the four blade propeller replacement on your Typhoon looks great, and Typhoons later did have four bladers anyway. A four-bladed contra-rotating Bleriot might look odd though ..............

 

Keep em coming Steve

 

regards,  adey

[Hairtrigger]

Just found this thread after posting one regarding a Frog bf109 I recently picked up.

The model brings back early memories of model making and must admit in two minds wether to build it or just keep it intact.

Always loved the artwork Frog turned out.

Enjoyed the pics you have posted real  blast from the past.

[adey m]

 

A photo that my dad took on Christmas day 1968 in our RAF Married Quarter in Suffolk and in centre of picture are two of the models that I received from my Uncle Roger, the AIRFIX Avenger and the FROG BAC Lightning.  Happy memories.

 

adey

[adey m]

3 minutes ago, Hairtrigger said:

Just found this thread after posting one regarding a Frog bf109 I recently picked up.

The model brings back early memories of model making and must admit in two minds wether to build it or just keep it intact.

Always loved the artwork Frog turned out.

Enjoyed the pics you have posted real  blast from the past.

Thank you hairtrigger, I think you should build it after all that is what they were intended for and judging by the amazing following that this Topic has received a lot of others feel the same too.

 

I have always loved FROG kits, there was always something exciting about the presentation, the imaginative artwork, the smell when you first opened that box, the smooth quality of that lovely bluish grey plastic and the quality decals. I know that the lack of interior detail did sometimes disappoint me but they always produced unusual subjects with a finesse that AIRFIX did not have.

 

I remember how much pleasure the wonderful FROG Wessex gave me when I was ten, searching for that submarine hiding under our dining room carpet ..............

 

regards,  adey

[stevej60]

Wow Adey,that Christmas photo is superb got me thinking back to Christmas,past I remember my folk's got me a boxed Airfix set with little

glass "tubes" of paint,I remember the Stuka,Me 109 and Spitfire ix being included must have been around 1970/71.Happy day's!

[adey m]

 

Christmas day 1973 in Whitby and here I am studying my FROG Avro Shackleton which was a present from my dad, the very same Shackleton which I still have.

 

 

 

 

thanks dad

Edited March 4, 2018 by adey m

[stevej60]

That kit alway's puzzled me,I bought a bagged import many moons ago at an early Northern show which I never completed I thought all those

rivets had been added by whoever the molds had gone to, now I see they were Frog original,very strange as you could never accuse frog of doing

rivets let alone  going overboard as they seem to have done with this kit.

[adey m]

19 hours ago, stevej60 said:

That kit alway's puzzled me,I bought a bagged import many moons ago at an early Northern show which I never completed I thought all those

rivets had been added by whoever the molds had gone to, now I see they were Frog original,very strange as you could never accuse frog of doing

rivets let alone  going overboard as they seem to have done with this kit.

I absolutely agree with you Steve, I cannot think of any other FROG kits with rivets ..........oh yes I can , the 1950s FROG Venom single seater with rivets around its wooden front fuselage .............

 

maybe the mould maker was ordered to use up FROG's rivet quota for the year .............

 

regards, adey

Edited March 4, 2018 by adey m

[Neil.C]

Kudos for still having your Shackleton from 1973 Adey, and it's still looking so good. 

 

When I recently got back into aircraft modelling I told my old Mum and she said, "you're not going to throw them out of the window are you?" 

 

Gives an indication of where mine ended up. 

[PhoenixII]

Don't forget Guys, the "old grey lady" also had the monika "20,000 rivets flying in loose formation"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by PhoenixII
Shrink the size of the post!

[adey m]

Hi Paul,   is that a photo of the giant snow drift in your garden ?

 

cheers, adey

[PhoenixII]

Just part of a smallish one taken from the French door! 

[aircraftkit]

Quote

I absolutely agree with you Steve, I cannot think of any other FROG kits with rivets ..........oh yes I can , the 1950s FROG Venom single seater with rivets around its wooden front fuselage .............

The 1/72 Handley Page Herald also had a plethora of rivet detail, much like the Airfix kits of the time.

 

It would be interesting to know why these particular (and thankfully few) Frog kits deviated from Frog's normal practice of having "clean" surface detail.

Was it down to a decision by Management, was the tool maker's personal preference, was it a case of mirroring what other manufacturers of the time were doing ?

 

I guess we'll probably never have a definitive answer, but I'm glad the vast majority of Frog kits DIDN'T have the unrealistic rivet detail.  Tbh, not having unrealistic and overscale rivets was part of the attraction of Frog kits for me......

 

Donald

[TonyW]

Here's a few of my built early kits...

 

 

The Canberra and Hunter are built by me, straight out the box with no additions other than paint. The others are builds I've acquired over the years and are still wearing the paintjobs from way back in the day. They will stay like that, little snapshots of the early days of plastic modelling.

 

Tony.

[Neil.C]

I love those old stands with the nameplate transfers Tony.

 

What a lovely collection. 

[spaddad]

On 2/11/2018 at 7:17 AM, Pete in Lincs said:

Yes, a lovely 219, Eric.

 

The kid who drew that should be in detention!

It's Russian, he probably is.

[TonyW]

1 hour ago, Neil.C said:

I love those old stands with the nameplate transfers Tony.

 

What a lovely collection. 

 

Thanks.

 

The stands really do bring out the best in the models. Even the Gannet looks graceful on one, and it's not often you hear that about a Gannet!

[TonyW]

A couple more...

 

 

The Sabre has a fair few boilerplate rivets on it, it's not only the Shackleton that carries the curse.

 

One of the nicest Frog boxtops has to be this version of their Hunter. Another rivet carrier as well!

 

 

 

Here's the first issue...

 

 

... posted elsewhere on the forum before, I can't remember posting it in this thread though. Apologies if I've repeated a post, it looks nice whatever!