The Frog
Model Number: 58041
Released
16-Dec-83
Drive
Rear 2WD
Suspension
Friction front, Coil over oil filled rear
Chassis Description
Spaceframe grey plastic
Body Type
Lexan polycarbonate
Motor
RS-540S
Original Price
N/A
Width
230mm
Length
400mm
Height
150mm
Wheel Base
248mm
Tread Front
185mm
Tread Rear
187mm
Ground Clearance
30mm
Weight
1700g
Scale
1/10
Tires
front:21/73mm
Rear:51/88mm
Deisgned as a successful competition off road car, the Frog offered most of the hop ups in the kit. It came with a rear differential giving superior handling. The spaceframe chassis gave low weight and high strength. A very popular Tamiya model.
Reviews
zakspeed
Some good comments on the Frog so far and rightly so, I'm convinced this was designed before the Brat because the proportions are spot on and doesn't look as clumsy as the original Brat with it's wider front wheels and miss fitting body.
The Frog must be one of the fastest standard kits of vintage time straight out of the box, helped by the mix of gear ratios (even if they are a pain to swap without fully dismantling) I had the pleasure of running an original Frog back in the day and compared to what was out at the time it was a step ahead (although it wasn't long before it was being left behind) The rear dampers were far too stiff and fitting the extra aluminium collar included in the kit only enhanced the problem. The front was improved over the Brat with the fitment of longer stiffer springs and removing the rubber bushes. You had a good suspension movement but sadly no dampening. I've tried various kits on the front but to no avail - I've never been 100% happy - the best system I developed was fitting a Hornet shock as a mono shock across the top, looked dire but worked a treat. I personally think they look clumsy with large suspension towers on the front. The wheels and tyres offered great grip and steering was far superior to the Brat (more direct) fitting the servo centrally helped still further. Overall this is a cracking kit and if you have never owned one you don't know what your missing, they have to be run in the right environment and in my opinion there are better car park bashers however on a proper lightly dusty off road track or packed sand they are perfect.. Another one I've owned many of and will always have in the collection. Be warned if you plan to run an original the first edition plastics are very brittle and if you have the narrow bumper look after it or it will break...
Twmaster
The Frog is a superb piece of model engineering in my opinion. After recently aquiring one I am amazed at the strenth of this model, the thought that went into the chassis design and the overall clever but simple construction. This is a great addition and a must have. If you only ever get one buggy this should be one of a handful for consideration
Beave
The Frog sould end up in the Smithsonion , it is a example of rc'ing at its finest . Well built and awsome handling makes it a buggie worth keeping on the go for 20 years or more . Remember "No Guts No Glory" If you dont get it your not a frog lover.
tamiyaromantic
I remember when this car 1st came into the modelshops, this car was also the talk of the school playground.
I was the 1st kid in the school to own one, and at lunch time when we all went to the playground to show off our classics everyone loved the look of it and my father completley replicated the box art and applied the decals correctly without placing them out of shape. when racing it, the frog out paced the superchamp which didn't please my friend as he had one and was racing me along with other kids who had pajero and one had a lancia rally (which had a 380) another had a sand scorcher.
No one could say a bad thing about it and everyone complimented it as we were all into speed not build quality. when I got my frog I did keep thinking about the Lancia rally, but like me I went by the popularity and the talk of the school playground and decided on the frog, I did not have any regrets as this car was excellent entertainment and could take a lot of abuse.
The only problems with the car were the rear tyres, I must of got through 5 sets of tyres, and I would service the car every month by stripping it and cleaning the dirt etc. I had a Nib bodyset at the time in case I ruined the 1st body, although I didn't suprisingly as one thing that did not happen with this car and that was it didn't roll and I did use this car for high jumps and it just would land on all fours, it never flipped!!
The Nib Bodyset I got with the kit was Only £9.50, and you think how much it commands on ebay!
This car was great fun and a great purchase, it is certainly in my top 10 for Tamiya classics..
HunterZero
Ah, the Tamiya Frog. This car truly marks Tamiya's departure from designing radio controlled buggies that were first and foremost accurate scale replicas of real cars to cars designed for higher scale model performance. Plus, this car can be attributed with drawing many first timers into the off-road radio controlled buggy arena.
The car had a reasonable suspension setup, with friction damped front double wishbone and coil over oil trailing arm rear suspension. Although the rear suspension was great (if a little stiff), the front suspension was a little bouncy, and could make for some interesting 'excursions' from controlled travel.
Power is provided by a stock RS540 motor. Ball racing for the gearbox was included with the kit, as were three interchangeable gear ratios. On top of all this was a nicely shaped clear lexan body, making the Frog a great looking off-roader.
The car did have its problems, however. Although the battery was situated low in the car, the servos sat upright, and the motor well above the axles, so the centre of gravity was quite high. When cornering at speed, the Frog was easy to flip. Luckily, the steel antennas made quite an effective roll cage, protecting the lexan body somewhat.
Care was needed to ensure the rubber bag did not melt all over an overheating speed controller. Most Frogs dispensed with the troublesome rubber bag altogether.
The gearbox and drivetrain were probably most prone to failure, with the hexagonal drive shaft joints wearing quickly if not properly maintained, and problems with the differential. Plus, the steering horn was likely to break if the front wheels took a reasonably stiff knock.
Otherwise, the car was as sturdy as they come. The industrial plastic ladder frame chassis was very strong, and the suspension system lasted well. If a driveshaft popped out, you could just force it back in. As with any car, replacing the plastic wheel bearings with ball bearings is highly recommended for this car for longevity of the axles.
For restoration, you'll have a tough time locating original wheels and tyres for the Frog (especially the front tyres, which are snapped up by Sand Scorcher owners trying to restore their buggies!), plus new chassis/battery hatches and C parts trees are quite tough to come by. Expect to pay very high prices for a complete lexan body parts set.
An incredibly fun car to build and drive.