Frog (models)

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Frog was a well-known British brand of flying model aircraft and scale model construction kits from the 1930s to the 1970s.

[edit] 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 on from 1963 onwards for aircraft models. Production of scale and non-scale flying models continued into the early 1960s.

In 1971, IMA's parent company, now 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 re-appear under the Novo brand name. Moulds of Second World War Axis Powers subjects were acquired by Revell around 1977. The last Frog-branded kits were produced in 1976. In more recent years, some ex-Frog/Novo kits have been re-issued by Revell and various East European manufacturers.