The Frog Trail blazers (part one) F164 & F165
Frog announced in the beginning of 1964 a new range of 1/72 Aircraft to be known as ‘Trail Blazers’. These were models of aircraft that had become famous for feats of aviation such as the Bleriot that was the first aircraft to cross the English Channel in July 1909, the High Altitude record in 1936 by the Bristol 138, and the Schneider Trophy outright winner in 1931.
Five Trail Blazer models were released in 1964 followed by four in 1965 and the final two in 1966. The full list is as follows:
F163 Vickers Vimy (Spring 1964) F164 Supermarine S6b (the first to be issued and the only model in the purple range) F165 Bristol 138A (autumn 1964) F166 Spirit of St Louis (autumn 1964) F167 Westland Wallace (winter 1964) F168 DH Comet Racer (1965) F169 DH Gipsy moth(1965) F128 R-100 (1965 It was to 1/500 scale due to the huge size of the Airship. I have the original drawings in my collection) F173 Bleriot (1965) The final two issued in 1966 were F174 Gloster E28/39 and the F175 Southern Cross. in total eleven models were released between 1964 and 1966.
It is worth noting with the exception of the 1966 releases all the Trail Blazers carried ‘Gold Tokens’ a reward scheme introduced in April 1964 which when collected could be redeemed for gifts 15 tokens for instance would get a “Chuck Glider” 30 a book on speed record breakers and 45 a Junior sailplane kit. The tokens were printed on the instruction sheets and had to be cut out. When the scheme closed in December 1965 a lot of models appeared with stickers on the boxes stating “Gold token scheme now discontinued”.
A 1964 Advert for the Bristol 138. The price is stated as 4/6p (.22 of a pound and less than a Złoty) in today’s money.
F164 The Supermarine S6.B
The S6.B was issued by Frog in Early 1964 as F164 it was, the only model in the purple series and the first Trail Blazer. The bottom of the box was plain and did not have any printed painting instructions. It later became part of the Black series. The model represents the famous racing seaplane designed by R J Mitchell, who of course later designed the Spitfire. The S6B won the 1931 Schneider Trophy outright. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell’s quest to “perfect the design of the racing seaplane” and represented the cutting edge of aerodynamic design for the time. A true Trail Blazer.
F164 The only model in the “purple series” Luckily this mould survives and is still in production to this day.
Frogs Concise and clear instructions
The rear of the instructions showing the “Gold Tokens”. Note the very limited range at the time in 1/72 (1964). Note Frog’s very interesting history of this aircraft.
Sixty one years later and these decals appear usable.
The rather odd Transfer that was included with all the Trail blazers . This is the S6B’s offering
Luckily the mould still survives in Russia and is produced to this day. A legacy of the Merton to Moscow deal. I have some original photos of this iconic Aircraft in my collection and will make them available on this site at a later date
F165 The Bristol 138/A
The Bristol 138/A was issued by Frog in the Autumn of 1964. The model represents the aircraft that obtained a World record at the time of reaching a height of 53,937 feet (16,439 meters). Luckily this mould has survived and is still in production to this day. The example in my collection is still mint.
My mint example of the 138
The clear and concise instructions for the 138
The rear of the instructions showing the “Gold Tokens” and the history of the Aircraft.
The bottom of the box, that shows the painting instructions. Note the pilot figure in his “High Altitude suit”
The decals are still mint after sixty one years and with some care would still be usable.
The rather odd decal that Frog included in the Trail Blazer series. No mention of it was made on the box or instructions.
F165 Bristol 138. Note the original type stand still marked International Model Aircraft Ltd
A Note on numbering
Frog’s numbering sequence does not appear to be logical in the Trail Blazer series F163 to F169 are Trail Blazers this is followed by F128 The R-100 then the next models in the series are F173/4 & 5. number F170 is the P61 Black Widow (issued 1966), F171 is the Hurricane 11c (first issued as F188 in 1967 and re-numbered F171 in 1974) and finally F172 the Avro Shackleton (issued in 1967)
The first Trail Blazer is the S6B F164 however the Vickers Vimy has the number F163 which was issued after the S6B.
I have checked my primary source on Frog “Frog Model Aircraft Lines & Hellstrom 1989″ and can find no explanation. If anybody can cast further light on this mystery, please contact me.
© Frog Model Aircraft Updated April 2021