Greetings from Home!

One of the nice things about working from home is having more time to be outside in the yard, and also the garden.

Every spring, for the last 40+ years I get to see if our trusty garden tiller will start again. I have a love/hate relationship with this tiller. Some days it will start with two pulls while other times it takes hours. The manual choke is very touchy, and it also loves to destroy spark plugs. I’ve been using this tiller since I was in high school and it just keeps going. Even though it’s a pain, I still get a smile on my face every time it starts.

Something else that puts a smile on my face is my apple tree. If you’ve read my previous blogs you know some of the history. So far this spring it is looking good. Hopefully I can get more than 9 apples this year

Let’s start talking about toys of some of the vehicles we are currently seeing in the fields. The first is our new 1:64th Case IH Trident 5550 Combination Applicator (Stock # 44182) Case IH’s website says that you can switch between the dry and liquid applications in as little as 42 minutes with a 3-person crew. You should be able to change out the applicators on our toy a little quickerJ This toy will come with both the dry nutrient applicator as well as the liquid tank sprayer. We’ve also added in dual wheels, the detailed “Surveyor” cab and hand railings. I thought you might be interested to see a breakout of the number of parts it takes to produce a toy like this. Check out the 35 parts needed to produce the dry nutrient applicator version. This item will be coming in August. Watch for it at your local Case IH dealership.

In addition please check out our new 1:64th John Deere F4365 High-Capacity Nutrient Applicator. (Stock # 45660) This unit is 365 horsepower and has a 330 cubic foot capacity dry box. You can apply at speeds up to 30 mph and go down the road at 46 mph. Our unit features a detailed CommandView III cab, authentic dry box detail and rugged chassis. This unit will be available in September at your local John Deere dealership.

Switching over to another color, the Toy Farmer recently announced their two tractors for the National Farm Toy Show. This year the two tractors include a 1:16th Allis Chalmers 190XT (Stock # 16405OTP) and 1:64th Allis Chalmers 4W-220. (Stock # 16406OTP) Both of these models are new tooling and will have all the features associated with Toy Farmer models including 3-point hitches. The AC 190XT will replicate an early model version with the bar grille. When I was young I had an uncle with a 190XT. The huge fuel tank in the back was so different from our AC 185. Our 185 was turned up to 85 horsepower, but it still wasn’t a match against my uncle’s 190XT. Both of these tractors seem small compared to the 4W-220 that has 220 horsepower. This is a rare tractor with only 175 units produced over a 3-year period. Be sure to get these ordered from Toy Farmer or through our Ertl Collectors Club website.

In closing I’m sure many of you have heard that the Summer Farm Toy Show has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19. I know many of you like to attend the show and visit our outlet store and showroom. We’re working on a virtual showroom series of videos where we can show you our new items and talk about our 75th Anniversary, including special promotions we have planned. We will also highlight the products that are available for shipping through the TOMY Outlet Store. Keep checking the Ertl Facebook page, upcoming blogs and our Ertl website for more details.

Until next time,

Bill