Doug Harke
Six years passed after the introduction of the John Deere 1/64 scale tractors until Ertl expanded production of these small scale tractors to include the International 1466 and the Massey Ferguson 1155. These new cab tractors coincided with the introduction of the John Deere 4430 which was also a cab tractor that expanded the John Deere set from seven to eight tractors. Early versions of these three cab tractors came with small wheels which were a carryover from the wheels on the John Deere 4010. All of these new cab tractors shared the problem of being rather crude because the diecasting machines used were designed for larger parts. This added to the reputation of American-made small toys are being “basic” or generic. Eventually, Ertl developed slightly larger wheels for these new cab tractors and the proportions more closely resembled the real tractors. These early small wheel cab tractors added a variation for the serious collectors because they are worth at least three times as much as the regular ones with larger wheels. Many of the catalog pictures that I will show of these tractors are prototypes because the toys did not apparently come out until late 1973 or early 1974. Catalogs are generally printed at the end of the preceding year so they are ready for the new marketing year.
The new IH 1466 in the 1973 IH toy catalog.
Introduction of the MF 1155 in the 1973 Ertl catalog
All of the Ertl farm toys continued to be produced in the United States until the new series was introduced in 1978. Newer machines and modern factories in other countries could make the good quality small diecast parts which resulted in a more realistic 1/64 scale toy. Ertl introduced six new 1/64 tractors in 1978 and they included:
Allis-Chalmers 7045 back belly. Some early ones had the square decal and these bring a high price.
Case Agri-King with a Power White cab and hood and a Power Red (orange) underbody.
Ford 9700 came in either a light or dark grill decal. Early ones had a pto shield which got in the road of the hitch.
IH 1086
JD 4440
MF 2775 Early ones had a 2800 decal and dome style rear rims. A number of decal and rear rim combinations permutations are possible.
A-C 7045 in the 1978 A-C toy catalog (Note the 7050 decal)
Case Agri-King in the 1978 Case toys catalog
Ford 9700 in the 1978 Ford toy catalog
IH 1086 in the 1978 IH toy catalog (Note the dual wheels)
John Deere "4430" in the 1978 Ertl toy catalog
MF 2800 or 2775 in the 1978 MF toy catalog
The engineering on the new 1/64 line was outstanding because one of the features was a pivoting front axle. Early cast mufflers were replaced on some models with flexible plastic ones. Many of these 1978 models remained in the line for several years and they were joined, in the early 1980’s with an expanding line of 1/64 implements.
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What is New in 1/16? |
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| 1/16th IH Farmall
504 from Spec-Cast's "High Detail" Series - "2004 Lafayette Show" - Limited Edition - Gas Engine, 2 Point Fast Hitch - Flat Top Fenders |
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| 1/16th John Deere 8000 Series Die-Cast Tractor Kit with Cab Glass, Decals are 8320 or 8220 |
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