Why Vertical Shocks Destroy the Mighty Frog R/C Buggy

The 1980's R/C Racer Uniforms of the Golden Era of Radio-Control

In the iconic 1980's Punky Brewster episode, "Girls Will be Boys", the backyard R/C racer boys, as well as Punky Brewster herself, wore racecar driver racing jumpsuits when racing their vintage Tamiya 1:10th scale radio-controlled model vehicles on their backyard bashing racetrack. Was this normal for children and adults too do when racing their radio controlled model vehicles or did they wear any other type of uniform? We look back in time to the golden era of R/C and give you those answers in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.

Who First Gave the Tamiya R/C ORV Chassis it's Name?

In 1983 Tamiya created 3 very different radio-controlled model vehicles on the same chassis; the Lancia 037 Rally Car, the Subaru BRAT, and the original racing vehicle, the Frog; and would later continue to make more, including the Black Foot and the Super Beetle, on that same chassis that Tamiya simply called a "sturdy ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) space frame" originally. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we look into why that sturdy ABS space frame universally came to be known as the ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis.

R/C Print Magazines Survival Models in Japan, Germany, and France

In a previous episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we covered the last 2 surviving English language print radio-controlled model vehicle magazines. But in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we cover the RotW (Rest of the World) and detail the unique survival strategies of print versions of R/C magazines in Japan (who had 2 mags in 2025 but only 1 remains in 2026), Germany (who boasts an amazing 3 surviving print magazines), and France.

Why Vertical Shocks Destroy the Mighty Frog R/C Buggy

Many 3rd party aftermarket manufacturers since the 1980s to the present have made vertical shocks for both the front and rear of the Mighty Frog. However, a large contingent of the vintage and rere (re-release) R/C hobbyist community has rejected them completely, saying that they take the sleek and stylish Mighty Frog and turn it into just another generic, soulless radio controlled buggy, stripping it of it's iconic, classic character.  In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we tell you why we agree with those vintage Tamiya radio control enthusiasts.

Why the R/C Hobbyist Community Decided the Frog Needed a White Bumper

Pro-Line and CRP (Custom Racing Products) made white dyable nylon bumpers for the ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model vehicles, when it came to the Frog the radio control hobbyist community decided that the best color choice was to just keep it white. Why? We dig into the surprising answer to that question in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.