The wood thickness used in the original kits was a bit variable, but was usually around 1/22" (this was measured from an original Junior Series scale model).
The parts for this kit you can download below are now officially authentic, as John Laycock was generous enough to send me an original kit all the way from Australia so I could scan and copy the parts. The patterns reproduced here are I think from a reasonably late issue of the kit, when they were marketed as "Free Flight Racers". It is great to know now exactly what shape the wing tips were, as well as the tailplane, and top decking with the cockpit aperture.
Bill Johnstone was quick off the mark building a Pup, and here is his excellently finished example.
It is entirely built of 1/32" balsa except for the noseblock, and Wheels are 1/64 ply. Fuselage formers were strengthened with bits of flat toothpick crossgrain (after some fractures during construction and sanding). The plastic prop has a diameter of 4.5 inches. Covering is domestic tissue.
So far the model has not been flown, but I understand it taxis very well with a loop of 1/8" rubber, and the tail comes up nicely!
Download Pup plan pdf file here (99 KB)
Download Pup plan bmp files here (136 KB)
Download plain Pup parts pdf file here (26 KB)
Download decorated Pup parts pdf file here (77 KB)
Download plain Pup parts bmp files here (25 KB)
Download decorated Pup parts bmp files here (51 KB)
Sydney Higgs has also done a very nice Pup, as you can see here, and I would like to thank him for sending this photo of it.
Speedy
Thanks to Chris Strachan for providing me another little gem, this time the very pretty Speedy. Chris built one of
these several years ago,
and it has proved to be a good indoor flyer - photo below. Wing span is 11.5 inches.
Download Speedy pdf file here (354 KB)
Download Speedy bmp files here (382 KB)
Lawrence Marks brought this pair of Speedys to the Birmingham indoor scale meeting in February 2005.
I saw one of them flying around very nicely. The other was suffering a slight case of wing droop and was not flying so well. Both were built from
1/32" balsa sheet.
Scamp
I cannot believe how many of these lovely little Frog Junior plans are turning up now - I thought I would be lucky
to find one!
I am very
grateful to Les Saxby for sending me not only a copy of the delightful Scamp plan, but also of
the printed die-cut balsa sheets. Thus the shape of the flying surfaces reproduced here are exactly
correct. There is a slight discrepancy between the fin shape on the plan, and the one on the die cut
sheet - I will leave it to you to sort that one out!
If you build a Scamp, I would be grateful for feedback about the fit of parts - especially the fuselage formers.
I will be glad to make corrections if needed.
Patterns for both plain and printed flying surfaces are provided. The shade of blue used is not guaranteed accurate
- the original printing was dark blue. The rather bright shade used for the artwork actually comes out quite dark
on my printer, but may not on yours. You should be able to adjust the shade of the bitmap in any graphics or paint
program to suit your printer. The adventurous amongst you might consider printing the patterns onto sheet balsa.
If so, you will find an excellent tutorial on how
to ink jet print directly onto balsa sheet on
Paul Bradley's excellent web site
here . If you have not been before,
expect to spend quite a long time there downloading lots of plans!
I think this model would be strong enough using 1/32" sheet throughout, with perhaps 1/20 or 1/16" for the fuselage formers
(especially near the front where weight is not so critical). The lighter it is, the better it will fly, and I
would sand that rear decking block until you can practically see through it!
Download Scamp pdf file here (209 KB)
Download Scamp bmp files here (229 KB)
Many thanks to Sydney Higgs for sending me this photo of his completed Scamp. He has done a really good job of finishing it, and the reproduction
of the printed markings looks very convincing. They were printed on to tissue and sprayed with non
shrink dope to fix it, as the printer ink used was not waterproof.
White tissue was applied to the underside of the wing to prevent warping.
Trimming has proved rather tricky apparently, but after changing the prop and trying different rubber sizes,
he has at least managed to get a full circuit out of it.
Bill Brown has also done a very nice Scamp, and I had the pleasure of seeing it fly at the small hall at
Nottingham University while the Indoor Scale Nationals were on.
Minnow
Another cracking little Junior model, again from Les Saxby's collection, and I think with the potential
to be the best flyer of the lot. Les traced the wing and tailplane outlines from the kit parts, so I
know they are accurate. As with all these models - if you build one, please send me a picture for the site, and let me know how it flew.
I have now redrawn the flying surfaces to show the original printed artwork, and also drawn the other side of the fin. The original
would have only have had the printing on one side. The parts are laid out so you could print them directly onto balsa wood
if you have an ink jet printer with a straight through printer path.
Download Minnow pdf file here (177 KB)
Download Minnow bmp files here (185 KB)
Here is a photo
of the contents of a genuine old Frog Minnow kit (not mine unfortunately!)
Many thanks to Kim Hopkins
for taking the pictures and sending them to me. You can see that the blue is actually quite a light shade.
A pair of red plastic wheels can be spotted hiding in the envelope with the rubber.
The contents are very complete, and the upper
cowling block is pre-shaped. Note the 6d off voucher for Model Aircraft magazine!
Here is a close-up of the propeller, ready installed in the nose bushing.
Graham Potter built this very neat Minnow using soft 1/20" sheet for the fuselage and 1/32" balsa for
the flying surfaces. The markings were printed on tissue and attached to the balsa. Wings and tail surfaces were doped
on both sides before the tissue was attached using dope, and they stayed flat. I can confirm that this model flies very nicely outdoors on a calm day.
Midge
The fifth Junior model on the site is the Midge, a pretty little low-winger that Chris Strachan sent me the plan for.
I have had this for a while, but did not know the shape of the wing and tailplane. Happily, Les Saxby has come to the rescue again, and sent me a drawing
showing the correct outlines.
I have provided patterns for most of the rest of the parts ready to transfer to a 3 inch sheet of balsa, but you are on your own for the curved top decking
incorporating the cockpit opening. As mentioned elsewhere, the original model would have been produced with approx. 1/22" balsa sheet, but I think 1/32" would
work fine, and be considerably lighter. As always, if you build one, I would be grateful for feedback on the fit of
parts (and a photo or two!)
Sidney Higgs is obviously a faster builder than I am, as he produced this lovely little Midge within a week of the plan appearing on the site. The markings are done the
same way as his Scamp,
so printed onto white tissue, glued to the balsa with thinned tissue paste, with a clear sheet of tissue underneath to
prevent distortion. While the glue dries, the wing is kept flat by a heavy book (or similar). Final finish is a light coat of thinned clear dope.
Here are photos of an original Frog Midge kit to further encourage feelings of nostalgia.
Download Midge pdf file here (133 KB)
Download Midge bmp files here (129 KB)
Sporty
Here is the penultimate model from the Junior range to appear on the site, and again I am grateful to Les Saxby for his tracings of the wing and tailplane shapes. I think this is rather an appealing
little aeroplane, and the only one in the range with a tricycle undercarriage.
The parts sheet contains everything except the top decking (part number 8) which you will have to work out by trial and error.
Download Sporty pdf file here (104 KB)
Download Sporty bmp files here (164 KB)
Skippy
This model, kindly lent to me by paul Briggs, means that the full set of six Junior models are now available for download.
As you can see from the photo below, this example had no colour printing on it whatsoever, and it has to be said that the die cutting was
of variable quality. Does anyone remember buying a Frog Junior kit from a shop with no colouring at all on it? Was it an economy measure?
Download Skippy pdf file here (139 KB)
Download Skippy bmp files here (165 KB)
General notes on printing the plans
The small T shaped marks you will see on the sheets are spaced 50 mm apart, to help you get the pages the correct size.
The pdf files should print off at exactly full size if you set your printer to A4 paper.
This should work even if you
do not have A4 paper in the printer, as the margins have been left deliberately large. Also, remember to set the zoom to "none" or "100%".
You will need Acrobat reader to view the pdf files, which is a free download from
the Adobe web site
Bitmap files are also provided in case you prefer to work with those.
Back to home page
Back to Frog Senior Series plans
Back to Senior Series photo gallery
Back to rubber powered scale plans
Back to more rubber model plans
On to Frog Junior Series scale plans
On to Frog glider plans
On to the 1960 catalogue page
On to the Wilmot Mansour Commemorative Exhibition report
On to the links page
If you build a Scamp, I would be grateful for feedback about the fit of parts - especially the fuselage formers. I will be glad to make corrections if needed.
Patterns for both plain and printed flying surfaces are provided. The shade of blue used is not guaranteed accurate - the original printing was dark blue. The rather bright shade used for the artwork actually comes out quite dark on my printer, but may not on yours. You should be able to adjust the shade of the bitmap in any graphics or paint program to suit your printer. The adventurous amongst you might consider printing the patterns onto sheet balsa. If so, you will find an excellent tutorial on how to ink jet print directly onto balsa sheet on Paul Bradley's excellent web site here . If you have not been before, expect to spend quite a long time there downloading lots of plans!
I think this model would be strong enough using 1/32" sheet throughout, with perhaps 1/20 or 1/16" for the fuselage formers (especially near the front where weight is not so critical). The lighter it is, the better it will fly, and I would sand that rear decking block until you can practically see through it!
Download Scamp pdf file here (209 KB)
Download Scamp bmp files here (229 KB)
Many thanks to Sydney Higgs for sending me this photo of his completed Scamp. He has done a really good job of finishing it, and the reproduction of the printed markings looks very convincing. They were printed on to tissue and sprayed with non shrink dope to fix it, as the printer ink used was not waterproof. White tissue was applied to the underside of the wing to prevent warping.
Trimming has proved rather tricky apparently, but after changing the prop and trying different rubber sizes, he has at least managed to get a full circuit out of it.
Bill Brown has also done a very nice Scamp, and I had the pleasure of seeing it fly at the small hall at Nottingham University while the Indoor Scale Nationals were on.
Minnow
Another cracking little Junior model, again from Les Saxby's collection, and I think with the potential
to be the best flyer of the lot. Les traced the wing and tailplane outlines from the kit parts, so I
know they are accurate. As with all these models - if you build one, please send me a picture for the site, and let me know how it flew.
I have now redrawn the flying surfaces to show the original printed artwork, and also drawn the other side of the fin. The original
would have only have had the printing on one side. The parts are laid out so you could print them directly onto balsa wood
if you have an ink jet printer with a straight through printer path.
Download Minnow pdf file here (177 KB)
Download Minnow bmp files here (185 KB)
Here is a photo
of the contents of a genuine old Frog Minnow kit (not mine unfortunately!)
Many thanks to Kim Hopkins
for taking the pictures and sending them to me. You can see that the blue is actually quite a light shade.
A pair of red plastic wheels can be spotted hiding in the envelope with the rubber.
The contents are very complete, and the upper
cowling block is pre-shaped. Note the 6d off voucher for Model Aircraft magazine!
Here is a close-up of the propeller, ready installed in the nose bushing.
Graham Potter built this very neat Minnow using soft 1/20" sheet for the fuselage and 1/32" balsa for
the flying surfaces. The markings were printed on tissue and attached to the balsa. Wings and tail surfaces were doped
on both sides before the tissue was attached using dope, and they stayed flat. I can confirm that this model flies very nicely outdoors on a calm day.
Midge
The fifth Junior model on the site is the Midge, a pretty little low-winger that Chris Strachan sent me the plan for.
I have had this for a while, but did not know the shape of the wing and tailplane. Happily, Les Saxby has come to the rescue again, and sent me a drawing
showing the correct outlines.
I have provided patterns for most of the rest of the parts ready to transfer to a 3 inch sheet of balsa, but you are on your own for the curved top decking
incorporating the cockpit opening. As mentioned elsewhere, the original model would have been produced with approx. 1/22" balsa sheet, but I think 1/32" would
work fine, and be considerably lighter. As always, if you build one, I would be grateful for feedback on the fit of
parts (and a photo or two!)
Sidney Higgs is obviously a faster builder than I am, as he produced this lovely little Midge within a week of the plan appearing on the site. The markings are done the
same way as his Scamp,
so printed onto white tissue, glued to the balsa with thinned tissue paste, with a clear sheet of tissue underneath to
prevent distortion. While the glue dries, the wing is kept flat by a heavy book (or similar). Final finish is a light coat of thinned clear dope.
Here are photos of an original Frog Midge kit to further encourage feelings of nostalgia.
Download Midge pdf file here (133 KB)
Download Midge bmp files here (129 KB)
Sporty
Here is the penultimate model from the Junior range to appear on the site, and again I am grateful to Les Saxby for his tracings of the wing and tailplane shapes. I think this is rather an appealing
little aeroplane, and the only one in the range with a tricycle undercarriage.
The parts sheet contains everything except the top decking (part number 8) which you will have to work out by trial and error.
Download Sporty pdf file here (104 KB)
Download Sporty bmp files here (164 KB)
Skippy
This model, kindly lent to me by paul Briggs, means that the full set of six Junior models are now available for download.
As you can see from the photo below, this example had no colour printing on it whatsoever, and it has to be said that the die cutting was
of variable quality. Does anyone remember buying a Frog Junior kit from a shop with no colouring at all on it? Was it an economy measure?
Download Skippy pdf file here (139 KB)
Download Skippy bmp files here (165 KB)
General notes on printing the plans
The small T shaped marks you will see on the sheets are spaced 50 mm apart, to help you get the pages the correct size.
The pdf files should print off at exactly full size if you set your printer to A4 paper.
This should work even if you
do not have A4 paper in the printer, as the margins have been left deliberately large. Also, remember to set the zoom to "none" or "100%".
You will need Acrobat reader to view the pdf files, which is a free download from
the Adobe web site
Bitmap files are also provided in case you prefer to work with those.
Back to home page
Back to Frog Senior Series plans
Back to Senior Series photo gallery
Back to rubber powered scale plans
Back to more rubber model plans
On to Frog Junior Series scale plans
On to Frog glider plans
On to the 1960 catalogue page
On to the Wilmot Mansour Commemorative Exhibition report
On to the links page
I have provided patterns for most of the rest of the parts ready to transfer to a 3 inch sheet of balsa, but you are on your own for the curved top decking incorporating the cockpit opening. As mentioned elsewhere, the original model would have been produced with approx. 1/22" balsa sheet, but I think 1/32" would work fine, and be considerably lighter. As always, if you build one, I would be grateful for feedback on the fit of parts (and a photo or two!)
Sidney Higgs is obviously a faster builder than I am, as he produced this lovely little Midge within a week of the plan appearing on the site. The markings are done the same way as his Scamp, so printed onto white tissue, glued to the balsa with thinned tissue paste, with a clear sheet of tissue underneath to prevent distortion. While the glue dries, the wing is kept flat by a heavy book (or similar). Final finish is a light coat of thinned clear dope.
Here are photos of an original Frog Midge kit to further encourage feelings of nostalgia.
Download Midge pdf file here (133 KB)
Download Midge bmp files here (129 KB)
Sporty
Here is the penultimate model from the Junior range to appear on the site, and again I am grateful to Les Saxby for his tracings of the wing and tailplane shapes. I think this is rather an appealing
little aeroplane, and the only one in the range with a tricycle undercarriage.
The parts sheet contains everything except the top decking (part number 8) which you will have to work out by trial and error.
Download Sporty pdf file here (104 KB)
Download Sporty bmp files here (164 KB)
Skippy
This model, kindly lent to me by paul Briggs, means that the full set of six Junior models are now available for download.
As you can see from the photo below, this example had no colour printing on it whatsoever, and it has to be said that the die cutting was
of variable quality. Does anyone remember buying a Frog Junior kit from a shop with no colouring at all on it? Was it an economy measure?
Download Skippy pdf file here (139 KB)
Download Skippy bmp files here (165 KB)
General notes on printing the plans
The small T shaped marks you will see on the sheets are spaced 50 mm apart, to help you get the pages the correct size.
The pdf files should print off at exactly full size if you set your printer to A4 paper.
This should work even if you
do not have A4 paper in the printer, as the margins have been left deliberately large. Also, remember to set the zoom to "none" or "100%".
You will need Acrobat reader to view the pdf files, which is a free download from
the Adobe web site
Bitmap files are also provided in case you prefer to work with those.
Back to home page
Back to Frog Senior Series plans
Back to Senior Series photo gallery
Back to rubber powered scale plans
Back to more rubber model plans
On to Frog Junior Series scale plans
On to Frog glider plans
On to the 1960 catalogue page
On to the Wilmot Mansour Commemorative Exhibition report
On to the links page
Download Skippy pdf file here (139 KB)
Download Skippy bmp files here (165 KB)
The small T shaped marks you will see on the sheets are spaced 50 mm apart, to help you get the pages the correct size.
The pdf files should print off at exactly full size if you set your printer to A4 paper.
This should work even if you
do not have A4 paper in the printer, as the margins have been left deliberately large. Also, remember to set the zoom to "none" or "100%".
You will need Acrobat reader to view the pdf files, which is a free download from
the Adobe web site
Bitmap files are also provided in case you prefer to work with those.
Back to home page
Back to Frog Senior Series plans
Back to Senior Series photo gallery
Back to rubber powered scale plans
Back to more rubber model plans
On to Frog Junior Series scale plans
On to Frog glider plans
On to the 1960 catalogue page
On to the Wilmot Mansour Commemorative Exhibition report
On to the links page
The pdf files should print off at exactly full size if you set your printer to A4 paper. This should work even if you do not have A4 paper in the printer, as the margins have been left deliberately large. Also, remember to set the zoom to "none" or "100%".
You will need Acrobat reader to view the pdf files, which is a free download from the Adobe web site
Bitmap files are also provided in case you prefer to work with those.
Back to home page
Back to Frog Senior Series plans
Back to Senior Series photo gallery
Back to rubber powered scale plans
Back to more rubber model plans
On to Frog Junior Series scale plans
On to Frog glider plans
On to the 1960 catalogue page
On to the Wilmot Mansour Commemorative Exhibition report
On to the links page