Frog was a well-known British brand of flying model aircraft and scale model construction kits from the 1930s to the 1970s. The company's first model, an Interceptor Mk. 4, was launched in 1932, followed in 1936 by a range of 1:72 scale model aircraft kits made from cellulose acetate, which were the world's first.
Polystyrene models were introduced in 1955, which offered kits of aircraft, ships and cars in various scales. By the 1970s, Frog's catalogue included a large number of lesser-known aircraft types, manufactured only by the company, as well as a number of ship kits.
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 (the F.R.O.G. name was registered as an acronym in 1932 and contrary to later urban myth, did not, at least initially, stand for "Flies Right Off the Ground", which was believed because the first Frog Penguin models were gliders made out of metal that, opposed to being thrown or launched, actually took off from the ground.)[1][2] 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. An early release was the No.21P Empire Flying Boat, issued in 1938.
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.
Product Lines
Model subjects produced by Frog over the years include:
- Aircraft: 1:72, 1:96, and other scales, covering aircraft from World War I to Cold War era.
- Famous Warships:Various scales, mostly World War II era.
In popular culture
On 9 December 2008 on the BBC2 programme "Flog It", a child's walking aid toy, namely a teddy bear on Tri-ang wheels, was shown being auctioned at Calder Valley auction house for the sum of £85.00. On the left flank of the bear is sewn a label stating that it was manufactured by International Model Aircraft Ltd.
External links
References
- Frog Penguin Model Kits, 1936-50, Ron Bell, IPMS/USA Reviews^
- FROG Penguin plastic scale model kits 1936-1950 by Peter van Lune, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2018^
- John W. Burns, The Collectors Value Guide for Scale Model Plastic Kits, Sixth Edition, 1994^