Tamiya Frog Vintage vs Re-Release (58041 58354) - Deep Dive

[@SANDSCORCHER]

Beautifully presented and quite fascinating. Thank you 😎👍🏻

[@VintageRcGarage]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sullybiker6520]

I had one in 1985. Took me ages to build it. I absolutely love this!

[@VintageRcGarage]

I have 4 that are next on my restore project list, if I can find time these days.

[@GardenCG]

Vintage Tamiya packages are so cool when you open them 😊

[@VintageRcGarage]

There is just something about popping the top off.

[@sed6]

This is a fantastic side-by-side comparison. Thank you!

[@VintageRcGarage]

Glad you liked it!

[@Qthewingedserpent]

Great comparison, only just found your channel, shame that you appear to have stopped uploading, I will go through your others though! Thanks for your vids.

[@VintageRcGarage]

I promise I’m not done. Just been tough to get back to the projects. I am in the middle of a Frog and Blackfoot restore and have stalled. I have kits to do XR311, Blackfoot, and Hornet comparisons.

[@aussiecoastie72]

Great video , very interesting too see the comparison. I have just purchased and built the re release and loved the experience ! Such a classic RC car .

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks. I have 4 used vintage Frog's on my workbench waiting for me to get them restored for my next video.

[@manoman0]

I really like your deep dive into the differences down to the packaging, parts trees and parts themselves. Really very very interesting. I do prefer the blister pack on the box on the inside. It's more techy and the bins can be used to store parts.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thank you. Definitely agree on the blister pack.

[@superjimnz]

The letters stamped on the sprue trees specify the material. PA is nylon (polyamide), PC is polycarbonate, PS polystyrene, ABS is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, but is commonly called simply ABS. POM (polyoxymethylene) is acetal, also known as delrin.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thank you for the update. I will incorporate this into future videos.

[@SANDSCORCHER]

@superjimnz 😎😎😎👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@GyuHobbyRC]

This is a truly informative and fun video. Keep going. We cheer for passion 😉👏👏👏👏👏

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks for your support. These type of videos take a long time to pull together but are fun to do.

[@justinhaynes1085]

The hex vs dog bone axles is a big change. I noticed the vintage shell didn't have the protective film. Job well done. Thoroughly enjoyed the video

[@VintageRcGarage]

Glad you liked it!

[@alantoon5708]

I built one of those in 1985...never thought an original would become collectable! ESC's were available then but were quite expensive..

[@VintageRcGarage]

I think the Frog's are so popular because so many people had them. There are lots of them out there.

[@etoineschrdlu9382]

I had one of the vintage Frogs back in the eighties. I remember putting a '32 Ford Coupe body on it painted similar to ZZTop's Eliminator hot rod.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Custom paint jobs are something I have never done.

[@N_Fortune]

Great video! I had the Hornet as a kid & always liked the Frog & today I finally bought one! I bought the Re-release Frog XB for a good price. Also my original comment keeps being removed. What the heck YT? It has nothing wrong in it. Go AI... As of today, a vintage Frog (factory sealed) is being sold online for $2200 btw...

[@VintageRcGarage]

Enjoy your Frog! Just because its for sale doesn't mean that's what its worth :) You never know, someone might buy it but Not anywhere close to what I think its worth.

[@N_Fortune]

​@@VintageRcGarage Thx so much as my XB should be delivered by early July. I agree, $2200 for a sealed vintage Frog is a bit steep. Btw, a NIB vintage Porsche 934 is available for $12,500. 🤯 I've NEVER seen this in the blister pack and new so I took screenshots of the pics as this is extremely rare. It's the 58001 green Porsche 934.

[@VintageRcGarage]

@@N_Fortune The 58001 is not my primary collection type but is on my list just because of its uniqueness.

[@tylerseabook9423]

The no guts no glory sticker is the frog stamp. My dad bought one when I was born in 83

[@VintageRcGarage]

I had a hornet when I was a kid but my neighbor had the Frog.

[@jaycastello1171]

Had one back in 84, and have a rerelease now in 23…👍

[@VintageRcGarage]

I hope you are having fun with it!

[@jaycastello1171]

Not yet, I just got it but I will!😀

[@richardgere9365]

You can't beat the sound of the original Frog accelerating with the MSC at top speed. A mesmerizing noise.

[@VintageRcGarage]

So agree

[@mikebrannigan6530]

The vintage Frog top blister pack included all the "hop up" parts like the real ball bearings that are now an extra on the re-release.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks for the information

[@Funco1979]

@@VintageRcGarage I thought that the re-release kit includes bearings for the gearbox but not the wheels. Very nice RC car and was quite highly rated in 1985. I like the look of it. I had WW and The Hornet (which is not as good as The Frog) and was absolutely head over heels in lust with The Hotshot.

[@JunkfoodZombieGuns]

They did a nice job with the car, but I think the greatest (and probably only) disappointment is the decal sheet. Looks like no liscensed decals, so as far as I can tell, just a bunch of semi-lookalike, made up company names. The original sponsor decals give it a much more authentic feel, while the new sheet makes it look more toylike. It's a shame, really. You said the most noticeable to you was the KC Daylighter lamp covers, which are very noticeable on the box, but on the sheet and on the car, the most notoceable to me is the giant NGK spark plug logo on the hood. The new Tamiya Racing logo is nowhere near as attractive. I am sure they did it to save from paying liscensing fees, but I really wish they had kept at least a few of them. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for the kit to have them. Anyway, thanks for the video. It was very well done. Have a good one.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Yeh unfortunately Tamiya stopped using real logos a long time ago. Any re-re you see will not have the same original logo decals. Thanks for watching.

[@idesignyou...9257]

Very useful!

[@VintageRcGarage]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ZombieGamingMetalhead]

The vintage stickers has Budweiser on them as well

[@VintageRcGarage]

Excellent! The sponsor decal differences are usually the easiest way to tell vintage from re-release.

[@giusepperosato92]

Amazing video 🤩

[@VintageRcGarage]

Glad you liked it!!

[@neonnoodle1169]

Excellent video with superb presentation, but please consider skipping the music backgrounds. It really is unnecessary and very distracting.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks for the feedback. I have always struggled whether to include it or not. On my next one I can give a go without it.

[@James-kg4qu]

Great video, thank you for making it. How hard is it to find a vintage frog NIB, and how much is it worth? Thank you again for the very informative video

[@VintageRcGarage]

They are available, however there is a huge difference right now between what they are worth and what people are trying to sell them for. All Tamiya prices are insane. COVID has brought up prices. I see 2 on eBay right now for $1,500+. To put that in perspective I paid $550 for one 8 years ago. My opinion, what I would pay for one is ~650-700. But that's just me. I am sure there are people that will pay more. The good news is that high prices has brought out lots of inventory with people trying to cash in. The down side is everything is way over priced.

[@James-kg4qu]

@@VintageRcGarage thank you for the fast reply. I went on eBay and purchased a new vintage frog for $599 + $90 shipping. The frog was my first RC when I was 12. So I thought it would be fun to build the same car with my 13 year old son (accept this particular car will be his shelf queen ☺️). Thanks again for all the information, and I can’t wait to build this 1983 kit with my kiddo.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Good score. That is a nice price these days. Enjoy!

[@James-kg4qu]

@@VintageRcGarage You seem incredibly knowledgeable about everything RC so I was wondering if you can help me. The 1983 frog got here and it is stunning. My question is that the entire instruction booklet is in Japanese. Does it increase or decrease the value in any way? It even has a few small paper advertisements put in between the pages. It almost looks like the box was only opened to take pictures when he sold it. The box itself is even amazing. Thank you again for any input on this.

[@VintageRcGarage]

I don't know exactly but my NIB Frog manual is also completely in Japanese but I have some beat up manuals that are in English. Sometimes boxes are released in different geographies. I didn't see any such markings on mine. So I don't know if the English was added in later releases or if maybe it was released outside Japan in English. As for value, the condition of the box and contents usually plays a bigger role in its value.

[@red7fifty]

I think "PC" on the sprue, refers to Poly Carbonate plastic being used.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks. I had another viewer comment similarly. I recognized ABS as a plastic type so I should have know the others were probably the same. Thanks for the info!

[@red7fifty]

Vintage tires are SOFTER compound, and weigh more. Smell is different. Front tires are slightly taller on ReRe vs Vintage.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Next time I will pay more detail to the more than visuals. I hadn't considered the smell. I will pull out the scale next time to give them a test. Thanks!

[@red7fifty]

Vintage Body has Motor Cut Out, and Rear Window Switch Cutout.

[@VintageRcGarage]

Thanks for pointing that out!

[@teagueriley6354]

Can I still buy the Frog ? Is it still available????

[@VintageRcGarage]

You can buy the re-release fairly easily. I am actually selling one right now :) www.ebay.com/itm/255047223117. There are used vintage Frog's on eBay and you can find a NIB from time to time.

[@teagueriley6354]

@@VintageRcGarage great! Thank you

[@giusepperosato92]

It’s is my last creation

[@VintageRcGarage]

Love it! My next task is to build the re-release and restore a vintage.

[@giusepperosato92]

@@VintageRcGarage amazing I collect also tamiya vitage to restore

[@giusepperosato92]

Amazing 🤩