The Frog v The Hornet

[The Frog]

I've just orderd the new Frog but I'm not sure if I should have gone for the Hornet. Is it the best choice? What's the real differnce?

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

Welcome to the site!

Is the frog you've bought the 1/10 scale re release, or the 1/16 tamtech gear version?

I dont know much about the tamtech 1/16 scale ones, but i dont think there is much difference between a tamtech frog and a temtech hornet.

But...

If its the 1/10 scale re release buggy, i think you've made the best choice.

The frog is not a beginners buggy, but the hornet is. The hornet is a very simple design with a tub chassis, swing arm front suspension and a solid rear axel.

The frog has proper 4 wheel independent suspension which is much better on or off road, and a far better chassis design in the form of a space frame.

The only advantage the Hornet has is a very simple but very strong gearbox - the gears are about twice the size of the frogs gears. Hornet gears will not wear out, but are very simple and cannot be tuned like the frogs gears can.  

The frog retails for more than the hornet, so unless you was on a tight budget you've made the perfect choice [] 

[The Frog]

Thanks for the help and the welcome - i'm just getting back in to it, i've thretend to do it for ages and the rerelese of the vintage models pushed me over the edge.

I've never built one before but I plan to this time - having not done it before but being fairly practical how long should it take and i'm not looking forward to the shell painting - can you buy them pre painted?

[The Frog]

Sorry it's the 1/10 scale.

[billg4]

I have to agree, frog over a hornet any day of the week

 handling is much better, plus more options than you can afford

[The Frog]

Thanks can wait for it to arrive!

[Shodog]

just to further put your mind at ease, definetly a frog over the hornet.  I would recomend that you buy a spare C parts which includes the rear arms and an H part which has the front bumper mount.  These parts were often broken back in the day. 

[necronomicon]

I've never built one before but I plan to this time - having not done it before but being fairly practical how long should it take and i'm not looking forward to the shell painting - can you buy them pre painted?

Dont think you can get the frog shell pre painted, but painting the shell is half of the fun!- take your time, carefully wash the shell with washing up liquid to remove traces of grease and ensure good paint adhesion. make sure you buy the proper polycarbonate paint for the shell, dont use enamels or other 'hobby' paint as it will most likely crack/ come off!-

hope that helped

Neil

[meridian]

good choice I love the Frog. you should really consider putting ball bearings throughout. you'll need 8  5x11 to cover the four corners. it comes with four for the gear box.

 I too wondered about buying a painted body, the Expert Built RTR Frog by Tamiya has a painted bod but I didnt see them listed for sale on Tamiyausa.com as a part to buy. wish I could I really suck at painting!!

[Hopperboy]

You've definately made the right choice.  As another member has said the main benefit of the Hornet is the unbreakable gearbox.  I have both chassis (re-re Hornet and re-re Brat) and the Hornet handles like a supermarket trolley with a wonky wheel - steering far too darty but then shedloads of understeer under full power and chronic rear axle hopping at the same time!!!  Don't even get me started on the weird torque reversal that afflicts the rear end too - if the Hornet were a person it would be in therapy.  I still love it to bits though mainly because its so crude.

[The Frog]

Thanks - On the painting thing to get a good line Pink to white would you mask it?

I'm glad I went for the frog now. As I'm just getting back in to it I have the chance to buy a combo pack with it that includes servo, quick chargee ect. Is this the best thing? 

 

[HunterZero]

Definitely Frog over Hornet, it's a much better car to build and drive.

I second Shodog's recommendation to pick up C and H parts as spares for the trailing arms and bumper mount, as these are bits likely to break in a crash. That said, I've broken a bumper mount on mine, but have never broken a trailing arm.

In the long run the metal suspension parts (including the rear arm pivot point on the gearbox plates) are the bits that wear, so eventually you'll need to pick up spares for them as well.

Only real problems the reissue Frog have are the diff becoming sloppy with wear, and the drive shafts occasionally popping out in a crash. The former is fixed with a couple of 5mm shims, and there's a UJ set for the Frog which helps stop losing drive shafts.

- James

[Shodog]

I have seen ebay sellers selling off the XB painted shell for about $50.  You could sell yours for $25 so it would only cost you about $25 for a painted shell.

[Toonz]

i have both...

when i play the hornet, i'm happy

when i play the frog, i'm crazy

[Tamiya King]

Welcome to the forums! The Frog re-release will be better over the Hornet re-release any day as I have a Frog re-release ans a original Hornet with every hop up imaginable! Enjoy the frog!

[acorn]

Hang on. Let me stick up for the poor old Hornet.

No, Im not gonna say its a better car, but it does have some plus points

1 the diff is stronger

2 the rigid axel takes any motor

3 the front is stronger

4 diff can be LSD modded

5 less maintanance

6 better front suspension (just)

 

There, the Hornet isnt that bad

[backtomyroots]

Hang on. Let me stick up for the poor old Hornet.

There, the Hornet isnt that bad

 

I second that [Y].  The hornet is nearly indestructible & a great "fun basher".  Plus it was my first car many years ago ! I'd pick it any day ! 

[Shodog]

I agree that the hornet is not that bad but it isn't that good either.  The suspension is horrible.  the wild front wheel camber  it no good and while the frog frame does have weak point in the front, the hornets shock towers bust off with far more regularity

[backtomyroots]

I agree that the hornet is not that bad but it isn't that good either.  The suspension is horrible.  the wild front wheel camber  it no good and while the frog frame does have weak point in the front, the hornets shock towers bust off with far more regularity

Hmmmm, I guess I wasn't driving my Hornet properly [].  Guess I'll have to build another one and see if I can find these weak spots with some proper driving !

[acorn]

I agree that the hornet is not that bad but it isn't that good either.  The suspension is horrible.  the wild front wheel camber  it no good and while the frog frame does have weak point in the front, the hornets shock towers bust off with far more regularity

Hmmmm, I guess I wasn't driving my Hornet properly [].  Guess I'll have to build another one and see if I can find these weak spots with some proper driving !

 I cant have been either!! Which is odd, because the Hornet was my 2nd car and I treated really badly. Infact the chassis only broke when I hacked off the front spring mounts to fit a new mount to take proper shocks !!

Sure, it drove terribly, but it never broke. My Frog was always broken. **** gearbox and drive shafts.

[Guest DImblum]

I'm not sure how to break the Hornet either? The closest I've come is breaking a shock on my GrassHopper. I had to run it with a 19turn motor, full speed and rollover on pavement.... Several times []

[HunterZero]

Yeah, the bits on the Hornet that break are the front suspension towers which necessitates replacing the whole chassis, and the rear axles. The rear shock towers can be a break point. I had one Hornet with the gearbox axle tunnel broken off the gearbox, and the axle shaft completely bent. That was some impact - it was driven at full speed in reverse into an object that was harder than the Hornet was.

The Hornet gearbox is incredibly simple and strong, with a diff that is much stronger than the Frog's - it's only the diff that lets the Frog's gearbox down. That said, I have cracked the plastic gear diff in a Hornet.

I would say that the front suspension on both cars is pretty terrible, but the Frog's is marginally less terrible in stock form. You can update both to use oil dampers for a bit of an improvement, but the Hornet's still has horrible camber swing, and the Frog's has limited travel.

- James