Jason Hasert

New Ertl Tractor Sets

       The hottest new 1/64 toy to be released since our last issue has been the AGCO Challenger MT665.  This new item has already sold out and is now on back order.  Collectors are interested in the new Challenger tractor.  It is a nice AGCO tractor offering another variation in the companies 1/64 line up.  The interesting thing about the Challenger tractor is its decals.  There is no guessing about the MT665's hp. Under the Challenger name 225hp is printed across the hood.  If you have not purchased an MT665 yet you may want to give it a look.

         This month TTT will look a new trend in 1/64 that started in late 2002 and is picking up steam in 2003.  Many new Ertl tractors are being released in sets including one,  two, three or more implements.  It will be interesting to see how this new packing option plays out over time.  Do you like it? Or do you just want a tractor on a blister card?  The important thing to remember that 1/64 toys are marketed for children and these sets offer allot of playability for children.  The article will run through the sets with a collectors point of view toward them. 

              The new play sets are great for kids and fairly interesting for collectors.  A prime example is the new 3 piece AGCO Challenger.  Ertl has done a nice job with its new 1/64 packaging. It is bold and colorful. The box seems much more complete with a group photo of current 1/16, 1/64 and Precision tractors.  Ertl should get an A+ for its new art work.  The new box look adds allot to the sets collectibility if it remains unopened.  You may want to keep the current Challenger set new in the box. The set should be packaged with a Challenger MT655 but was released accidentally with an MT665.  The next run of this set will be corrected.

         The new set combo pack took off  last December with the release the John Deere 7520 4wd disk set.  In the 1970's Ertl offered the 1/16 "7520"  with a centerfold disk.  This was a popular play item and has become a very strong collectors toy.  The 1/64 7520 combo is a great retro set.

        Interestingly even though the 7520 released just a 7 months ago it is already on its third box variation.  The December 2002 7520 set was released with a 1st Edition Imprint, the second version quickly followed with out the imprint and as of June 1, 2003 the third version in the new "spark plug" Ertl box is at John Deere dealers.

              Another two pack set that was released in December 2002 was the 6220 tractor with the new 1590 no-till drill.  The 1560 no-till drill has been a strong seller and it was curious that the 1590 was not packaged alone.  Maybe Ertl wanted the new drill to stand out from 1560. The 1590 offers new paint detail and decals that are helped out by being packaged with the new 6220. 

         The 6410 tractor hangs on in the age of the John Deere Twenty series in the new John Deere haying set.  We looked at the haying sets last month but the new haying set box is worth mentioning this month.  Again this set has the new Ertl packaging with other Ertl products on the back.  It gives a nice over all presentation of the set.  It even has the "Nothing Runs Like a Deere" slogan across the back.

             The new New Holland hayset is a nice update from the New Holland 8970 Genesis hayset.  What is nice about this set is that while it offers many common haying tools it offers a new tractor.  The set includes a New Holland TG 210.  Having a new model number as a new tractor line is launched helps the set.  As a tractor become older it will catch less collectors interests. 

         The set that kicked off this new trend was the John Deere 7610 tractor and 500 grain cart.  This set was released in June 2001.  This first set was not all that interesting because it did not offer anything all that new.  The 7610 was a new model number but it is on a 9 year old casting  with an implement that is even older.  Many collectors were left scratching their heads on this set but it may become more valuable now that other grain sets are in other colors.  In a few years people may look back and think I should have gotten that one to have a complete grain cart set.

        The John Deere grain cart set was followed up with a CaseIH set in February 2003.  Ertl released a shelf-edition MX 255 Magnum with spaced rear duals and red grain cart.  This set is much more interesting because it offers a nice tractor to pull other new CaseIH  implements like the ASM 1200 corn planter. The red grain cart is a nice companion for the CaseIH Axial-Flow combines as we can see in the picture below.

        In May 2003 the New Holland grain cart set hit the market.  Again this set like its CNH red sister set offers a shelf edition tractor for the first time and a new color cart variation.  In November 2002 the TG 285 Dealer Edition sold out quickly because it was a new model with spaced duals all around.  The new TG 285 with the blue cart offers row crop rear duals and give collectors a big NH tractor to pull the blue SP580 corn planter that arrived at NH dealers at the same time as the set.  The blue grain cart gives NH fans a new option to haul grain away from CR960 combine.

       Latter in June John Deere dealers will begin stocking the new John Deere 7500 self-propelled forage harvester set.  This latest combo pack offers a chopper and a two forage wagon.  Going back to the playability factor this is a great set for young rug farmers.  The issue for collectors is the two wagons.  The 7500 is a 570 hp chopper running a great looking 10 row Kemper head.  The two wagons are classic John Deere 12ft boxes.  These boxes were good sized wagons in the 1970's although in our modern age of mega machines a chopper of the 7500 size would literally fill these wagons in seconds.  The set is still a nice looking combo and is a logical team.  Collectors who open it are most likely equipped with a truck or two to keep up with the big 7500.  One other interesting thing to note about the set is that the wagons have yellow beaters.  This is the third variation of the wagon since its release in 1982. 

         Overall the sets are a good idea. They offer some interesting variations of Ertl products.  The new packaging has sparked collectors interest who collect NIB items. To the collector who displays 1/64 items there are some new items out that can add extra color to their display.  It will be interesting to see what other sets follow in the years that come. Could we see AGCO grain cart sets with a AGCO DT with spaced duals and an orange grain cart, Challenger MT with a yellow cart or maybe an MF 8200 tractor set?  How about more 4wd disc sets such as a Case TK 1470 with an orange disk? Collectors have excepted the sets but would prefer new tractors and implements to be packaged together rather than old tractors and implements or new tractors and old implements.

TTT June 2003 Page 09

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