The
TamTech Gear series of 1/12 scale vehicles came out in 2006. The
touring cars used the GT-01 chassis and were available in both kit and
RTR form. The GB series were smaller versions of classic 2WD
buggies. On the GB-01 platform we got the Frog, Hornet, Fox, and
Desert Gator. All were "Expert Built" only except for a standalone
chassis kit with no body.
Looking at the catalogs and marketing material of the time, Tamiya was
pushing this new series pretty hard with full page ads everywhere.
But for whatever reason, they didn't sell very well and were
discontinued after only two years. Nothing sparks the interest of
collectors like making something unavailable though, so now all these
models are like gold and almost impossible to find.This is a ~1/12 - 1/14 scale version of the classic Frog from 1983. The whole line uses a very tame 370 sized motor along with other miniature electronics. There is no room for an MSC here. Instead Tamiya developed a tiny ESC just for these models which still works perfectly well. The model has four wheel double wishbone independent suspension unlike the original which has trailing arms in the rear. In terms of appearance, the model does a very good job of replicating the original at a smaller scale. The vertical rear shocks are a giveaway, but the long thin body is a dead ringer for the original.
For my other TamTech Gear touring cars I swapped in a much more powerful motor for higher speeds, but I think it is better to keep this model slow. It is more of a showpiece than a serious off-road racer since it is simply too small to conquer any significant obstacle or take jumps. I still drive it from time to time though. It is actually quite a complex chassis capable of more than you'd think, but it is hampered by the lack of oil dampers. They are available but the MSRP is higher than the kit itself.
Update: The TamTech Frog was released again in 2021 as kit 56715, this time on the slightly modified GB-01S chassis.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: RTR Original |
 Page 2: Final Photos |