HorizonHobby.com Review - Tamiya Frog Re-Release

For more information or to purchase a Tamiya Frog Re-Release please visit :
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Perhaps no other platform has been as responsible for bringing people into RC cars and trucks as the Tamiya Frog. The Frog's chassis was spun off and tweaked for other cars such as the Hornet, Grasshopper and the Blackfoot. Back in the mid-80's this was the platform to have. Despite some issues with the drivetrain the Frog was wildly popular due to its great looks and, at the time, good handling.
Fast-forward nearly 30-years and the Frog is back after a hiatus. Re-released by Tamiya, it has seen a number of updates to the handling and durability while still retaining the overall "Frog-Experience." I recently had a chance to put one of these classics together and relive what it was like in those early days of off-road racing.
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Want to see the build of the Frog? Check it out on our UStream Page at the links below:
Part 1:
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Part 2:
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[@MattBarnesbuilds]

I had a Frog back in the early 80's and loved it. Even won some races with it. Happily, it managed to hide in my folk's basement and not get noticed for years afterward and escaped being tossed. Now I have it again and it still runs like a champ. I bought the re-release for my 8 year old son and he just finished building it yesterday. Painting the body today and then he and his old man can race together! Never would have guessed that would happen back when I bought mine. Great R/C car. Get one!

[@kernzyp]

Getting the Frog with my Mum in 1984 was one of the best days of my life. Subbed and belled. I have nothing now, but still love it all. Thank you very much. x

[@alecouzounian1755]

I'm proud to say this was my first RC. It's such an iconic little 2wd Buggy. I remember in the 80's watching all the bright colored modified frog's flying over jumps at the races.

[@schizzultz]

I'm glad they upgraded axles. That pissed me off as a kid. I had a blackfoot and a frog. Constant diff and axle issues. Once I bought a RC10, I never messed with tamiya again.

[@dreyn7780]

User error, and NO fault of the toy engineering. Inappropriate use caused by the stupid ego maniac driver. Fact. It's a FUN thing which looks funny like a frog because its got 2 bumps in the bonnet like area at the front of the car. You didn't drive it like an imaginary car, you drove it like a future space rocket and it broke and you gave yourself mental brain damage and you blamed the product like a spoilt ego maniac kid! Now we see in 2018, the rise of the ego maniac generation and its terrible effect on society and re-released tamiya toys! Stop commenting. You're NOT right!

[@tingokuman]

User error frogs are indestructible

[@sed6]

2023 here and it's the 40th Anniversary of the original Frog release!

[@keithwalter9433]

Had one of these .Now have the reissue. To solve your steering issue toe the front tires in. It will cure the under steer problem.

[@standhd]

I started all this hobby stuff with a Tamiya Super Champ, then got a Frog...back in 1986. My original Frog had the same rear shocks as the rerelease...I just put together one....and it is a project combinig old and new. I am using a Spectrum DX2S with the Marine 2 channel reciver...I have mounted both atennae to the posts. I am currently using a Traxxas XL-5 ESC...a Traxxas type 12T motor,and a Traxxas 2055 waterproof servo...and I aint done yet. I will post vids in the future.

[@jonnyspeed]

Cool I always wanted a Grasshopper or Frog.

[@HansZarkovPhD]

Frog was the most expensive back then, i had a grasshopper from race o rama in york pa. God bless that old hobby shop, spent every weekend there

[@horizonhobby]

@indy34096 Pretty close since the chassis are very similar, however you should think of the Hornet as the next generation of the Frog. The Hornet has vertical rear shocks and, instead of the front dampener tubes on the Frog the Hornet has actual front shocks.

[@RC4X4]

Awesome video and review. It was all in the driver back then. I loved my Frog. I have a new one in the case and my Original Brat next to it. It will put a smile on your face.

[@radiocontroluniverse9430]

Awesome little RC, very tempted to go retro with a Frog now. Great review 👌

[@tahustvedt]

The 1982 Kyosho Scorpion and 1983 Tomahawk were way ahead of the Frog in 1983. They had oil filled shocks front and rear. The 1983 Kyosho Tomahawk was technically like the Scorpion, but also had a differential. I really want a Frog rere though. I remember when Punky Brewster built one. The one in this video seems to have too thin oil in the rear as the rebound is kicking the rear end up inthe air on jumps.

[@clodadd468]

I have the re-release it's a shelf queen because I wanted to pay homage to the Punky Brewster Frog 🐸

[@chatbass2468]

haha...I'm from the Caribbean and they used to show Punky Brewster then, and I remember that episode! I wanted one of those cars so bad...we did not even have a model shop on the island!

[@subj109]

Watched this vid originally in 2015. It's the reason i have a frog. Lol. That and nostalgia. Man i miss the 80s. Great vid 👍

[@horizonhobby]

@0012554 It's called Eli Field in Monticello, IL. It's run by a local club.

[@j0nnyism]

Ive got a rerelease wild one and people are quite shocked at how well it performed

[@parkesy82]

j0nnyism I’ve either got or have driven pretty much all the 2wd buggies of that early to mid 80’s era and the Wild One is a real standout! I think it was designed to have scale looks more than anything, but handling wise I reckon it leaves the others for dead.

[@horizonhobby]

@teamlaguna It's a standard 540 Type J motor, not a 550.

[@jtgdot73]

Pretty sure finned aluminum body shocks were standard back in the day. I had a Frog in the 80's.

[@rich3559]

They were mate: the only difference is the rerelease version has plastic ends as opposed to the original’s metal ones.

[@m1l6bushmaster31]

Yep they were ..i had one in 83.. Glad they addressed the rear axle issue and beefed up the gears..thats the only issue i ever had...

[@horizonhobby]

@beabiker They're not that expensive! It's only $159.99

[@horizonhobby]

@deadeye120596 Very cool. I have an M05 that I am debating about taking to Memphis next year. I also just ran a TA-05V2 and was very impressed with that too.

[@nomusicrc]

Great video could’ve done without the music I like how you explained how they upgraded the rear hex drive shafts to dog bones that was my biggest complaint when I owned it back in 83 it looks like they also gave you a lipo compatible ESC

[@horizonhobby]

Was it Tamiya themselves that had those gears? Wasn't it Thorp?

[@iggytse]

My old frog in the 80s developed the dreaded gearbox grind.

[@powersmodelgarage]

Love the Frog!

[@DaveyGa]

Just rewatching this old vid - must say that the OG Frog also had ali rear dampers. As for "there were no front oil shocks in 1983", the 1982 Kyosho Scorpion had them and would eat Frogs all day long.

[@horizonhobby]

@620ILoveSoccer620 No, we simply distribute and sell their products

[@rojman123]

Wow HorizonRCdotCom, The Frog is a completely different car than the Hornet. How can the Hornet be a next generation Frog? The ONLY parts they shared were the wheels and tires.

[@manuelrosado5548]

I had this car back in the 80's. I loved it.

[@MatthewBerginGarage]

Too cool! Im going to have to pick one of those up, I still have my Frog I found in the garbage when I was 10 LOL I have a Brat too, I had ton of fun with the Frog, and only replaced it with my JRX2(It was an oldie when I got it too) after I broke it and we had real hard time finding parts. Seems I can make a clone of my OG Frog.

[@horizonhobby]

@deadeye120596 Is that at Glen Burnie? I have friends out that way that race.

[@darrellcummings9139]

I got one on the way!

[@hvy55chvy01]

Any particular reason the twin roll correction spring rods were not installed for this run? Are they inclued in the rerelease? One of my favorite features of the frog back in the day was its ability to use those to bounce back onto its wheels after i rolled or flipped it on the track. The way it bounced or "hopped" around off the rods until it righted its self was i thought the reason tamiya named it the Frog. Aslo, just doesnt look quite right without the rx antenna wire wound around one of them :)

[@horizonhobby]

Since we were using a Spektrum Receiver with a short antenna they just weren't needed was all.

[@perfectsplit5515]

The Frog was also the basis for the Tamiya Blackfoot, which was a Frog converted as a truck.

[@bestamerica]

perfectsplit The Frog was also the basis for the Tamiya Blackfoot, which was a Frog converted as a truck. ' brat / frog / lancia rally are same color gray chassics... beetle / blacktruck are same red chassics

[@teamlaguna]

WOW , that thing comes with a 550 not a 540 like the original one? I bet it fly's ! The BRAT was also built on that chassis, but it had a 380 motor , but handled like a dream on pavement.

[@socimall]

My bro had the original frog with the 7V bat... he put a 9V out of my nan's hand help vacume cleaner, he raced are dad in his car it was clocked a 30+ :D the lil white resister used to smoke if ya left in standing still though lol

[@Sgtsavage75]

I used to own the original Frog and superwheelie . The frog was my fav. Just curious with the batteries of today do they last longer than the ones that came with back in the 80's ? I could only go about 10min before recharge :/

[@beabiker1757]

nice video if i had enough money i might buy one

[@perfectsplit5515]

The Frog had the same wheels, front tires, and front bumper as the Grasshopper and Hornet. Unlike the Grasshopper and Hornet, the Frog had independent rear suspension. Unlike the Grasshopper, the Frog had an RS-540S motor, whereas the Grasshopper had the smaller RS-380S. The Frog was like the "older brother" to the Grasshopper and Hornet. At one time, the Frog was considered Tamiya's best car ever. There were gazillions of aftermarket upgrade parts for it. Tamiya's later attempts to make a competitive car, such as the Avante and the Astute, were never as successful as the original Frog was in the early 80's.

[@horizonhobby]

And companies such as Thorp THRIVED because of the aftermarket parts, specifically the driveline components, for the Frog and Blackfoot!

[@horizonhobby]

@deadeye120596 I've been friends with Doug Mertes for almost 15-years, I know both Bruce and Steve Hickman and Ray K.

[@DaveyGa]

original Frog had alloy rear dampers too.. Stickers are also different in the re-re, Tamiya must've let the licences expire or whatever.

[@horizonhobby]

@deadeye120596 So what class do you run in TCS :)

[@deadeye120596]

@HorizonRCdotCom really thats awsome..i race ray k all the time at glen bernie hes the best mini driver we have and he won the 2010 tcs....and ive met steve and bruce...i might have seen douge a few times

[@timbulb]

Tamiya has "gone ahead" with a lot of stuff. I love this review format though.

[@j0hnnykn0xv1lle]

It's designed well, it's weight distribution is good, and it has a nice wide footprint so it typically lands right side up and flat. It literally sounds like a frog "splat" when it lands, especially on pavement.

[@gozone]

What´s happening to your toe-angle on those front wheels? And why is the right-side front wheel built in the wrong way (nuts on the outside). Also, the original 1983 Frog came with aluminum-bodied rear shocks.. These new ones has been altered a little however. ;) Great reviwe however. I also have great fun running both my re-re Frogs, even though i have hopped up both of them. :) Cheers..

[@Sirvalorsax]

Anyone remember the name of that front wheel drive car? I think it was Tamiya but I'm not sure. It smoked 2wd cars and got destroyed by 4wd cars. It failed ultimately because it had no class to race in.

[@DaveyGa]

Kyosho Maxxum

[@trevorfrancis3175]

What gear did you use for the demo video? I believe it ships with 3 choices?

[@ewilloch]

It wouldn't have hurt to get the information about the original release Frog correct.

[@reformedmedia2705]

Nice

[@rcfreak363]

those shocks are the same ones that came on my dads original frog

[@BRMN8R]

At 2:30 it looks like you have the front wheels on back to front

[@DaveyGa]

It's not a real Frog without the twin aerial masts :P Yes, Frogs had ali rear shocks standard.

[@AdamAus85]

Hmmm, Horizon is a Tamiya distributor in the US? Never knew that.

[@bestamerica]

Adddam Hmmm, Horizon is a Tamiya distributor in the US? Never knew that. ' any hobbies stores and tower hobbies are still has tamiya brat / frog cars

[@anataking]

i wonder if this is like the grass hopper looks like it

[@hammerhome7879]

It always had rear aluminium oil filled shocks.

[@IbaLabs]

i have the origional frog from the 80s.

[@SI13O14GF]

what upgrade parts can you get for it?

[@8888carnival]

Can anyone tell me whats a thrub lock???

[@Nyislander313]

The stock Tamiya ESC was able to handle the lipo battery??

[@nearbyninja8786]

NY ISLANDER313 no

[@parkesy82]

NY ISLANDER313 They can handle them fine.

[@ejam865]

Tamiya the frog best💪

[@horizonhobby]

As equipped? Eh, Maybe 20-22MPH.

[@moejr1974]

I know this is old but my stock frog with the speed gear set does 23-24 mph with the stock rear tires

[@FranklinUHyde]

If you build it... the Frog will come.

[@indy34096]

does the hornet have similar performance

[@gilbertsanchez2568]

that's pretty quick for a stock buggy

[@MrGirodog]

Top speed ?

[@DetroitDiesel671]

NO cars of that time had oil filled front shocks? I'm not sure that's true... I got my Kyosho Scorpion around 1983-1984 at the same time my brother got his Tamiya Frog, and my Scorpion had front shocks. The Frog was a significantly better car... Faster, and much more robust. I always envied my brother's Frog... I'm going to get one!

[@horizonhobby]

There weren't oil filled shocks for the front of the Frog, not that there weren't oil filled shocks at all.

[@sunriseshell]

+Horizon Hobby The original Frog DID come with the oil-filled rear shocks. That was one of the selling points, compared to many models at that time with just spring shocks.

[@timbulb]

Tamiya has "gone ahead" with a lot of stuff.

[@deadeye120596]

@HorizonRCdotCom i ran mini cooper..i have an mo3 :)

[@deadeye120596]

i have that same shirt :)

[@deadeye120596]

@HorizonRCdotCom yes it is!..wow small world :)..who do u know?

[@deadeye120596]

@HorizonRCdotCom i hope i can travel and race like u eventually ive been stuck in mayland racing in a parking lot..but i make due

[@rcfreak363]

@Hewey19 just like you?

[@8888carnival]

Whats a thrub lock????

[@horizonhobby]

Thread Lock. It's used to help keep screws from vibrating out of metal-to-metal fittings.

[@uroprop]

i had a grasshopper lol

[@LukesVintageRC]

Gotta love a “Doooon Buggy” !

[@DogSoldier1973]

Great video!!! Makes me cringe every time you pronounce "Tamiya" like you do though.....😖

[@Gamerontheaspot]

Srry to bother u guys but my traxxas cat beaten all of this

[@TheKingPhisher]

Haha good eye..

[@Gamerontheaspot]

Traxxas cat is wayy faster in the 80s

[@jaydenfelix4732]

no wounder it jumps its a frog

[@YourFriendlyMe]

looks and jumps like a frog

[@derhampaul1117]

Nice Rc car though

[@derhampaul1117]

Most boring