Greetings from wet Dyersville!

March finally has brought us some warmer weather which helped melt all of our snow. Unfortunately it did cause some flooding. Mother Nature does whatever it wants and we have to deal with it.. On my 12th blog I announced that I was a grandpa. Lucy has done lots of growing since October 2017. She now officially has more hair than me, especially on the top of her head. She is such a joy. At the end of April she’ll be 18 months old. Time sure flies.

I want to give you a few updates on new models that are coming out. The first is our new 1:16th scale John Deere 4630 tractor (Stock # 45685). The real tractor came out in 1973 as part of the Generation II series. While still featuring the 404 cubic inch engine it was the largest model coming in at 150 PTO horsepower.

On the construction side we have our new 1:50th John Deere 544L Wheel Loader that is coming out in April. (Stock # 45702) This is all new tooling. The real wheel loader features over 160 horsepower and weighs in at 30,000 pounds. We’ve also done a 1:32nd toy version of the 544L. (Stock # 46730) This unit comes with an interchangeable bucket and log fork.

We’re also able to announce two of the models we’re producing for the National Farm Toy Museum for 2019. First is a 1:32nd IH 1066 tractor with the special “5 millionth” graphics. (Stock # 44199) The real tractor came out in 1974 with a unique paint scheme and graphics.

The other model we’re announcing is a 1:64th Allis Chalmers D-21 tractor. This is all new tooling and will be ready to ship this Fall. I grew up around Allis Chalmers tractors and this is one of my favorites. I hope you’ll enjoy this model as much as I will. I’ll share more info as we get closer to shipment.

We also recently started shipping the new 1:64th John Deere 2510H with dry nutrient attachment and anydrous ammonia dual tank wagon. (Stock # 45558) The 2510H uses a single-disk opener vs. a knife. This allows faster speeds through the field with lower horsepower needs. John Deere is also advocating that you place anhydrous ammonia only 4.5 inches deep vs. the traditional 8 inches. Lastly, the underframe clearance on the 2510H is 30 inches. This gives the applicator additional time to get in the field depending upon weather conditions.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to talk about another great 1:16th vintage 4WD we have coming out. Steiger tractors have been produced in Fargo, North Dakota for the last 50 years. Steiger moved production of these tractors to their new factory in 1969. Before that most Steigers were built at the family farm near Red Lake Falls, Minnesota or at a location near Thief Rivers Falls. The first series of Steiger tractors built in Fargo were distinct. These tractors had red grilles and red rims.. In 1969 only three models were produced. These were the Wildcat, Super Wildcat and Tiger. Ertl is producing a model of the Wildcat as a special “50th Anniversary” edition. (Stock # 44099) We are only producing 2,500 units of this tractor, which will be available only to Case IH dealers. If you love Steiger tractors, then you need to get one of these tractors.

Until next time,

Bill