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I bought this DT03 Neo Fighter last year as a fun buggy. Most of the time, I'm racing my RC10s and Ultimas. I didn't realize this at first, but the kit I got is the super cheap one without the CVA dampers and ESC. I've added bearings, the DT03 turnbuckle set and a set of CVAs that originally came with my TD4. I've decorated it like my re-release Frog by combining the stock decal set with the re-release frog decal set. I think it looks pretty good aside from a few green paint bleeds which are mostly covered with decals. I will probably add a better pic...I was lazy today.

A couple of days ago I decided to try rallying my M06, some tarmac slides and some light off-roading. Long story short I decided that I'd be better off with a buggy. I went on ebay looking for a used Grasshopper 2 and ended up with two Frogs. Frog A was the first one, this one came with a body, good back tires, and a controller. I didn't realise until later that it was short a dog bone! So I looked up dogbones, the Universal Driveshaft hop up, I decided to use vintage car restoration logic and buy Frog B which has shafts, posts, and a bumper. Frog B was the first to arrive, I must have spent 20 minutes looking it over un amusement, and not in a cynical "this is so bad" way, I was actually quite fascinated. The front suspension actually had halfway decent damping despite the lack of shocks, certainly better than the friction shocks on modern entry level kits. Unfortunately Frog Bs battery was misplaced I guess, but I did get a card for the sellers social media accounts (which I promptly pitched because I dont care). But I couldn't complain, you'll see why.

I went online and started searching for Grasshopper 2s, somehow this lead to me buying a cheap original Frog that will need a few things. So what do I need to know about these? I know about transmission braces, and theres tons of rear axle and diff mods. My plan is to re-build it with bearings, fix whatever needs fixing, drop a Bolink beetle body on it, and keep it stock right down to the mechanical speed controller. If theres enough interest I might even make a build thread on it.

The issue: click click click For almost 30 years we've put up with this until @mheald provided us with a solution back in 2016 (a cheap and effective one that didn’t involve us spending £70 on a ball diff). As mentioned in a few other posts, been trying to develop a new ORV gearbox strengthener with my friend as the @mheald ones aren’t available any more (massive thank you to him as my one is still going strong with a brushless) Mk1 is now in development and have test fitted. We are now confident of fitment and everything lines up we can get the LH side going. this is a single shaped piece that will (hopefully - pending testing) clamp the gearbox and limit/minimise/remove the clicking. I’m hoping that it being a 1 piece solution it will be nice and easy to fit, won’t cost much and will come with bolts. I guess to plan how much more effort goes into this I’d be interested in knowing who’d like one (or two). if you are interested then please reply and I’ll add your name to the list List: @Problemchild x2 @Duvetdo x1 @Juhunio x2 @Frog Jumper x1 @Peter_B x2 @KEV THE REV x2 @J@mes x1 @jlcox7 x2 @toyolien x2 @Badcrumble x1 @tamiya3speed x1 @tamiya_1971 x2 @slimleeroy x1

Looks like the Subaru Brats shell has been disconinued on TamiyaUSA, and some sites say that the kit itself is discontinued or out of stock. Does anyone know if the Brat kit is still in production?

Hello Tamiya Club. I’ve decided to share my first hobby grade RC buggy build, the Tamiya Frog, or Frogs, (see below). I had a Tyco Fast Traxx back in the day and have done quite a bit of building and painting Warhammer minis but for a change of pace (literally) I’ve decided to venture in to the wonderful world of RC. I went ahead and bought myself a Frog (and the misses a Grasshopper, to race against) and set about painting the driver, because to me there seemed to be no point building the car until there’s someone to drive it! I picked up a dark grey King Blackfoot chassis off ebay as it looked nicer than the standard grey one and started building the kit with the bundled Tamiya ESC and a cheap servo/receiver that came as a starter bundle. I didn’t like the extra orange ESC wire not connected to anything and the brown Planet receiver looks awful. I wanted to build as nice a Frog as possible so began looking in to what bits I actually thought would be nice. I'm not really sure if I’m going way over the top or buying the wrong things as I’m just getting to grips with RC stuff. I switched the ESC for the Hobbywing Quicrun 1060 which is way neater than the TBLE-02 and decided on a cool looking black fast response Savox SC-1257 servo and, thinking I might want more buggies in the future, I've ordered a Futaba 3PV with antenna less receiver. These more compact gubbins should fit better in the slightly cramped Frog space frame. I also did a bit of research and found that a quite a few custom parts are available for the ORV chassis vehicles, and although they’re expensive they seemed great for customising your buggy, so I ordered some random parts, a selection of lights off ebay and some other bits and bobs (MIP Ball Diff, faster Motor, etc), and I’m now in the process of trying to finish it all off. When I bought the buggy I also bought a second body because I knew I wanted to paint 2 bodies, so I could have 2 different colours (I like painting things), having bought all these extra bits I seemed to have acquired more than half of another Frog, so in some strange way the idea of building a second Frog came about. So here's where I'm at: The "Alpha Frog" (on the right) is nearly finished but is waiting for the Receiver to arrive along with a UGT Tuned Motor, it also requires a bit more work wiring up the lights and adjusting the steering. The other chassis is project "Blazing Frog", (I swapped my original grey frame for the Monster Beetle one). I'll build the MIP Ball Diff. into the new gearbox, but then I'll swap it into the Alpha Frog, because I'm thinking of going with the AMPRO double wishbone rear suspension on the Blazing Frog, which I believe has a bit of a gearbox brace built in to help keep the standard diff. gears in check? (I can always upgrade to MIP later if it needs it). Painting the first body took me the best part of a week, trimming, masking, making mistakes having to clean it and start over. I’m still not totally happy with how it came out as I missed some specks of dirt when I was cleaning it and dust landed on it between coats, which show up on the yellow, but the stickers covered the worst of it and at least it’s done. The front lights had to be re worked so the wires would go through the body neatly, and I’m working on a mount for a rear brake light. I’ve used as much stainless steel hardware as possible, (I might upgrade to titanium at a later date), the turnbuckles are titanium and I used the Tamiya High Torque servo horn and low friction balls and cups. I’ve added AW-119 detail stainless steel mesh to the sides of the space frame and extensively used 3M dual lock low profile tape to create the semi-permanent attachment for the driver, ESC, Rx, etc. I've ordered a driver, some shocks and wheels for the Blazing Frog and I'm still waiting for a few more bits to arrive before I can do much more on either of these builds. Am I insane? Probably. Feedback is more than welcome. Thanks for looking.

Since this seems to come up every once in a while, I thought I would write this all down in one spot for the sake of posterity. SRB (Special Racing Buggy) wheels can be placed into (3) groups: 1. Rough Rider/Buggy Champ. 2. Super Champ/Fighting Buggy/Sand Scorcher. 3. Ford Ranger XLT/Brat. The RR/BC wheels are 1.7”, 5 spoke, and silver. The Fast Attack Vehicle uses the same but molded in brown. All of these sets use the square block style road/sand tires. The SC/FB/SS wheels are 1.5”, 5 spoke, and white. These are also used on the Grasshopper, Hornet, and Frog. All of these sets use the same ribbed sand tire on the front. On the rear, the SS and GH use sand paddles, and the SC/FB, Frog, and Hornet use the spiked off road tires. The XLT/Brat wheels are 1.7”, 8 spoke (thanks @mtbkym01), and white. The front wheel on these sets are the same width as the rear so all four wheels use the same square block tire as the rear of the RR/BC. There are some variations to these such as the Jun Watanabe Hornet (black wheels) and the Brat blue edition (black wheels). If anyone else would like to info or corrections, please do so! Also, this might be a good place to list 3rd party manufacturers that made wheels or tires for these cars or in this size range.

Hey guys, happy to have found this community as I love Tamiya RC and have nobody to discuss it with! I used to race at my local tracks probably ten years ago and just got back into the hobby when I saw they were selling Tamiya buggy re releases. I have an original Frog that I restored back then but I had no idea re release was even a thing! I had to have some so I picked up a Frog and a Hotshot. My questions are about the Frog, what motor do you suggest for the most speed and power without destroying the car? I have upgraded the front suspension as well as the transmission with an MIP Super Ball Bearing Differential and added larger buggy wheels. I wanted to go brushless but I spoke with the guy who helped create this differential and he said even with the upgrade he wouldn't recommend it other than a very mild brushless motor or a 20 turn brushed motor. I am currently running an old Revenge of the Monster Horsepower Stock motor I had from when I used to race and I believe it's a 27 turn. I found a Traxxas 20 turn brushed motor but I'm not sure what would be best. Please let me know your brushless and brushed suggestions as well as gearing for a good all around basher. I will also be upgrading the Hotshot differentials to ball bearing in the future so I will be able to try a few of your suggestions. Thanks in advance!

I am nearly finished on my Frog build and am checking everything over before I add the ESC and battery for a quick indoor test. Not sure what the technical term is, but the amount of free spin you should have in the rear wheels on the Frog has me questioning if I have assembled the gearbox correctly. I have chosen the "speed" gear ratio if this makes a difference. So, if I hand spin the wheels (no power connected, motor in place), they have no free play in them - the wheels move in opposite directions as expected, but they don't spin. I am comparing the amount of free spin in my rear Hornet wheels, which if you spin them by hand, just keep spinning nicely on their own (no power, motor in place). Is this correct? Free hand spin on Hornet wheels last at least 20 seconds, same force used to hand spin Frog wheels lasts not even 1 second, if at all. Many thanks in advance.

Hi Everyone! I just finished a scratch-built Frog and am looking for input on what I should do for modifications. I currently have the 49T x 19T gears in it, a Redback rear sway bar on it, and some LED fitted pod lights. It also has a GoolRC 4370KV motor and a 120W ESC on 2S Lipo. I have a front sway bar on the way and would like to ask everyone for what they would like to see me do to it.

Hi Everyone, I am new to this site, new to RC but having a blast with it. It is extremely addictive. Anyways, I bought a beat up used frog. Hooked my transmitter up to it and it ran fine. Of course, this was not good enough. I purchased many hop ups. I got all new parts for the gearbox, new gears, ball bearings, etc. I built the gearbox. I also got the 2005 Universal Shafts for it. I followed the directions (in fact several times). Without wheels on it, the gears are nice and tight, sounds smooth. Once I put wheels on, I hear a grind. This last time I put it back together, I left the boots off to try to see what is happening. It appears that the Gearbox joints on both sides slide out of the gearbox, just slightly. This is enough to make the swing shaft hit the slot in the gearbox joint everytime it rotates, making a grind noise. Has anyone else run into this? What makes this worse is I got so frustrated with it, I put the original hex shafts back on and now they do this as well. Just so you know, The entire rear end is brand new, including the rear arms. HELP!!! Thanks.

Hi all, A newb here. Been meaning to join for sometime, but now seems to be a perfect time. I’m currently in the process of building out the new Tamiya Frog and having issues with attaching the stock motor with the BB1 30mm screws. The screws go through the gear box and into the two holes in the motor. The holes don’t seem to have a thread and the screws just won’t take and hence the motor is loose. Pretty sure I’ve followed the instructions correctly. Has any other Frog builder had/seen this issue? Would appreciate any advice or tips to fix this. Thanks, Patrick.

Hi there. I have dug out my 30yr old Frog. When I plug in the power, the motor runs at full belt. Can anyone shed any light on what the fault could be. many thanks

this is my first post on the forum and have recently completed my re-re frog and am wandering on a cheap and good upgrade for it (not ballraces please).

Hi everyone. Just a heads up, I have been in contact with Don regarding his .50 caliber customs CNC rear ORV arms, and he is now considering the option of another parts run if there is enough interest. He is going to contact some local machine shops to work out minimum numbers and minimum pricing required and take it from there. Obviously the rear swing arms are the crown jewel item, but other possible parts if it goes ahead are steering blocks, front arms, rear shock mounts, rear body post brace, and motor cover. Some links to show examples of his parts - https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-frog-brat-orv-aluminum-468167415 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-monster-beetle-black-foot-mud-440019891 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-vintage-blackfoot-monster-481068476 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-monster-beetle-black-foot-mud-401325750 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-frog-monster-beetle-blackfoot-132398427 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tamiya-frog-brat-blackfoot-monster-137667539 https://www.tamiyaclub.com/trades_model.asp?cid=97760&id=23382 Don's plan once he knows minimum cost and numbers is to start a go fund me page to raise the capital required. He is happy for me to share his email address so any questions can be sent directly to him, but please genuinely interested inquiries only - Don McAtee - mcateedon@gmail.com Lets all support him on this and cross our fingers in the hope that it goes ahead Cheers, Dave.

Evening folks. I have built many cars over the years- and was an avid racer in the 80s. I have 4 Tamiya hornets, 3 Kyosho Ultima 2s, an original Ultima, a Lunchbox and now a re-re Frog that is DRIVING ME CRAZY. I always wanted a Frog as a kid so decided to pull the trigger on one as an adult. Everything seemed to go together great. On the first drive (pavement) it was ALL OVER THE PLACE. Stability was horrible. It was almost like driving without the steering rods connected. I have searched forum after forum and went over the build diagrams ten times. I can't figure out what is wrong. I can't imagine this is normal for a Frog! Is it? I have spent hours looking closely at photos from the web of many different builds. The front end looks exactly like everyone else! Any suggestions? I have bearings throughout and used the Tamiya RC Frog 2005 Assem Univ. Shaft kit to prevent the dog bones from popping out. Any suggestions? Help!

Gearbox for the Monster Beetle, although it should be a direct fit for all ORV cars. The design has been tested hard in my MB, through several vintage events and bashing sessions in all weathers. This eliminates the main problem with the car, the separation of the gearbox sides and destruction of the diff. With this transmission the kit diff will hold up to high powered motors without needing to be upgraded. You can also move the motor to set the pinion mesh and change ratios, viewing the mesh clearly through a polycarbonate window. What's included: - 3mm carbon fibre gearbox sides, CNC cut and engraved - CNC machined billet aluminium gear box structure - CNC machined aluminium motor mount plate - Polycarbonate end cap - All necessary additional fasteners inc. hex socket screws all round - Shipping worldwide £120

http://r.ebay.com/38p1st I found this during my daily EBAY search... What would be the purpose of this??? Are the benefits worth buying this or making one out of spare parts at home??? Thanks, Terry

Couple of auctions here for some of these nice little replicas made by San-s about a decade ago. Boxed opened (and included), but model unbuilt and mint – as are the cute little leaflets. Buggy champ Frog

Want to buy: NIB or used (in good working condition) Tamiya Frog "sway bar" or "stabilizer" set for rear. Looking for Trinity #7002, or You-G #TM-8413, or a CRA rear stabilizer set. If you have one you can sell me (USA), please get in touch! Thanks, Terry

Lately I've been working on parts for my re released cars. Here are some gearbox side plates for my ORV, a replacement for the first one I bought in the mid 80's I was happy to see that Tamiya have replaced the hex drives but as most of us know, the side plates are still weak. These plates are machined out of FRP or g10 material with areas around the suspension pivot, battery door pin, motor and bearing holders left at full thickness for reinforcement. I don't plan on making this a production piece since I don't have the time to make them. Anyway, a much more economical and elegant solution is already available from mheald elsewhere in this forum :-)

When I purchased my Lancia Rally years ago, there was evidence that the chassis was original. One of the clues was its gearbox, which had a solid final drive gear and hex-style outdrives and cups. My Lancia has been anything but period-correct since then, so now I offer its complete supplanted gearbox. What you see here is a complete gearbox from an early ORV-chassis Tamiya. This sale features a fully-assembled gearbox; matching hex-style outdrives, driveshafts, and axle stubs; rubber boots; and the plastic pinion gear cover cap (Part C12, not pictured). Also included are two rear suspension arms and complete dampers (not pictured). The gearbox is in used condition and complete, featuring the original solid final drive gear instead of the later differential - a distinguishing feature of a stock Lancia Rally/Subaru Brat gearbox. It is fully assembled but not greased. Part C12 is not pictured but will be included in the sale; two 3 x 27 mm screws will be required to attach a 380 motor, or two 3 x 30 mm screws for a 540 motor. Upon request, a proper 380 motor adaptor can be included in the sale. To my knowledge, this gearbox was built up with plastic bearings. The gears turn smoothly with no binding, and visual inspection reveals minimal wear. The outdrives, driveshafts, and axle stubs are also in used condition, but with intact hexagonal ends showing little wear. The accompanying rubber boots are supple but show a single small hole each at one end, at its widest point. It is unknown to what extent these components were used - I swapped them out for modern CV joints prior to running the model on which the outdrive assemblies were equipped. I am open to offers and trades; however money is a priority given the circumstances under which I am selling these parts. At present, I am looking for approximately $60 CAD, which will include shipping from their location in Canada. I am able to open up this figure to negotiation where a specific shipping cost is requested. Where other currencies are considered, the Canadian dollar will provide a baseline for conversions (and remember that it is weak right now ). I accept PayPal, either marked as 'gift' or with a nominal increase added to compensate for transaction fees. As well as I have attempted to describe these parts, pictures do a better job; thus: One set of axle stub and outdrive is shown here: The other set is in this photo: The condition of one of the driveshaft ends, which inspection confirms applies to both ends of each assembly: I am also including a pair of rear suspension arms. These are in used condition, with a single crack at each damper mount point, but still usable. Plastic bearings will be fitted to these if part of the purchase. Note that I cannot endorse the 'vintage' nature of the arms with absolute certainty. The rear dampers are in used working condition, and are proper vintage parts. Of course, if you wish for more detailed photos and/or have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me! I have ready access to all parts mentioned and wish for you to buy with confidence, so I will be more than happy to answer your queries. Thanks for reading! Edit: Note that I will be absent from May 11th - 28th, so communications will be sparse during that time, and shipments delayed until the 29th.

Hi there, I am after a pair of rear Beetle CVA shocks to put on my Frog (hopefully they are a direct fit?) 80mm long please. Happy with an all white pair so I can dye them. Cheers

Hey All Some of you may have seen my eBay listing for this item but i figured i would try to sell it on the forum as well. I have been parting out my ORV related items to fund other builds. Up for sale is a great package for someone with a Re-release Frog or Brat or Vintage Frog, Brat, Monster Beetle, or Blackfoot. Selling a very lightly used MIP Ball differential that has less that 3 runs on it! These Ball diffs only began selling at the start of this year. You will get: - Assembled MIP Tamiya Super ball Diff Part Number: #16210 - Remaining MIP Ball diff grease - Tamiya ORV Gearbox with all mounting and closure screws - 16 Tooth pinion with set screw and matching spur gear - Tamiya gearbox pinon gear cover with screws - Assembled Tamiya Universal Shaft Kit Part Number 53908 (dog bone ends are in the boot so you cannot see them in the picture) - Tamiya rear axle shaft joint boots - Tamiya rear plastic hubs with drive pins The re-release Monster Beetle and Blackfoot now come with the universal shaft kit. The re-release Frog and Brat need the universal shaft kit to take advantage of the MIP Ball differential. If you have a Re-release Frog or Brat or any vintage Frog, Brat, Monster Beetle, or Blackfoot, this would be everything you'd need to take advantage of this new ball differential setup. Price is $105 PayPal'd and shipped to the US.

Have the follow for sale, From what I can I am correct in say the Frog and Brat are vintage while the Grasshopper and Hornet are Re-re's. Vintage: - Frog €65 - MSC/No servos - Brat Rolling Chassis - SOLD Re-Re's - Grasshopper - SOLD - Hornet - €50 - has steering servo Also have a couple Tamiya Hump Battery Packs and a couple of unpainted drivers if any one is interested Paypal Only, Postage at buyers cost. Buyer pays PayPal fees I will let the pictures do all the talking for these. More are availalbe on request. Frog: Brat - SOLD Grasshopper: Hornet