Frog

Frog
Headquarters	United Kingdom

Frog was a British brand of flying model aircraft and scale model construction kits from the 1930s to the 1970s. The company's first flying model was launched in 1932, followed in 1936 by a range of 1:72 scale model aircraft kits made from cellulose acetate.

Polystyrene models were introduced in 1955, which offered kits of aircraft, ships and cars in various scales.

The last Frog-branded kits were produced in 1976, whereupon many of the Frog moulds were sold to the Soviet Union and marketed under the Novo name.

History

Founded in 1931 by Charles Wilmot and Joe Mansour, International Model Aircraft Ltd. (IMA) originally used the Frog brand name (said to stand for "Flies Right Off the Ground") on the Interceptor Mk.4 semi-scale rubber-band powered flying model, launched the following year. Also in 1932, a marketing partnership with the toy company Lines Bros Ltd. was formed and other Frog brand flying models followed. In 1936, a range of 1:72 scale aircraft models in kit or pre-built form, moulded in cellulose acetate, was launched under the Frog Penguin name (alluding to the non-flying nature of these models). These were the world's first plastic model construction kits.

During the Second World War, the company produced flying models for target purposes and 1:72 scale aircraft recognition models. The Penguin range was dropped in 1949 but a new range of Frog polystyrene kits was introduced in 1955. A wide variety of aircraft, ship and car subjects in various scales were issued during the 1950s and 60s, 1:72 scale being standardised from 1963 onwards for aircraft models.

Production of scale and non-scale flying models continued into the early 1960s.

Frog's 1:72 line-up by the 1970s including a large number of lesser-known aircraft types that were not available from any other model manufacturer at the time. Frog also produced a line of larger-sized aircraft as 1:96 scale models.

In addition to aircraft models, Frog also produced a number of ship kits

From 1968, Frog issued around 30 ex-Hasegawa kits, mostly 1:72 scale modern jet fighters, some 1:32 scale WWII-era fighters and 1:450 scale battleships. At the same time, Hasegawa issued around 20 ex-Frog aircraft kits in Japan.

In France, due to cultural disquiet over the word "frog", these kits were sold and marketed under the "Tri-ang" brand, whilst in North America, for similar reasons, the kits were repackaged as "Air Lines" – an allusion to Lines Brothers Ltd – the founders of IMA / Tri-ang.

In 1971, IMA's parent company, now Rovex Tri-ang, entered receivership and was acquired by Dunbee-Combex-Marx the following year. During the mid-1970s, some of the Frog kit moulds were transferred to various factories in the Soviet Union and the kits began to reappear under the Novo brand name. Moulds of Second World War Axis Powers subjects were acquired by Revell around 1977, the Axis types having been declined by Novo. The last Frog-branded kits were produced in 1976. In more recent years, some ex-Frog/Novo kits have been reissued by Revell and various East European manufacturers.

From 1990s to 2000s, Frog brand was owned by Hobby Bounties, Singapore. It released 1/600 scale ships (ex.Airfix) and 1/48 scale military behicles (ex.Bandai) under Frog Brand.

Products

• Aircraft : 1/144, 1/96, 1/72
• Military vehicles : 1/32 (ex.Renwal)
• Ships : 1/600, 1/450 (ex.Hasegawa), etc.
• Automobiles : 1/25, 1/20, 1/16