Custom From the National Toy Show

       There were lots of interesting custom toys to see at the national. Many of them were one of a kind pieces on the displays entered in the show contest.  Some were also for sale on Gordy Schultz's table.   Here are some of the more interesting pieces photographed by The Toy Tractor Times. 

           Jason Jeffers hill side wheat farm display was both unique and impressive.  No one has shown a hill side wheat farm before.  What made this the display interesting were the two combines custom built by Jason.  In the 1980's IH offered a special side-hill combine with model number 1470. This combine was built to work the steep slopes in Washington State.  Today modern CaseIH combines like the 2188 and 2388 are made into hill-side machines with after market components.  Jason added hill side kits to his IH and CaseIH combines. He also built hill side access ladders found on the special combines.  All of these details are impressive including the handrails and mirrors.  The one extra detail that Jason added that sets these combines apart is that they have drivers.  Jason built interiors for the combines and added a miniature farmer.  Here you can see the 1470's cab taken apart to show the driver in the cab seat. 

         Jason has been well known over the past few years to ToyTractorShow.com members as bi-directional customizer.  Jason custom built a New Holland TV-140 with loader, front mower and rear NH 116 haybine. This model was made using an NH 8970 body cut in half.  For his National display Jason scratch built the earlier Ford 9030 with a working loader. 

         Two other interesting items on display on Jason's Washington wheat farm included a Flexi-Coil air drill and a 120 ft boom sprayer. Both pieces were scratch built for the display. 

        Richard Morgan has displayed at the National several times.  This year his display included a number of custom 4wds. One interesting item was a John Deere 9400 set up to mow hay.  This model represents a real working tractor in Wisconsin used to mow hay.  It may seem outlandish but with 425hp a farm can cut allot of hay. A farm in Pavilion, NY uses a John Deere 9520 to cut 30ft hay per pass. 

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         New Idea Uni-Harvesters dominated two displays at the National.  The most interesting one was on Jon Sampson's display.  Jon has collected Uni literature for a number of years. Uni's could be used to pick, chop, shell and even plant corn corn.  One of the more interesting combinations was a combine attachment that unloaded in the rear.  The combine had a bin that would unload into a gravity wagon towed by the Uni. This concept was developed long before grain carts and gave the Uni more capacity than its competitors like the 100 bu. John Deere 105, IH 503 and Case 1660 combines.  

        Gordy Schultz has been busy in his shop this year.  He had three new hay implements ready for the National and one new prototype. 

        The AGCO Challenger brand has become the big new thing in 1/64 this year with a tire MT665 from Ertl and a tracked MT765 from Scale Models.  So far the only Challenger implements have come from Ertl, including an SC12 Challenger disc-mower and a yellow disk.  Gordy custom bales with a big baler all summer in hay and straw.  He decided to make a big baler to match the Challenger tractors.  The baler has great detail with a pick up header, hand rails, acid tank and folding baler chute. 

         Gordy has built several self-propelled disc-mowers to fill gaps on dairy displays. He has made a green and yellow mower to look like John Deere's, a yellow and red for New Holland, red and black for a CaseIH and now a white and brown for Hesston.  These models can really add to a modern 1/64 dairy display. 

         Gordy has built 16 and 18ft forage wagons this year.  They have great frame detail and silage beaters.  Special project on display at Gordy's table was a New Holland 1600 forage harvester.  This chopper was offered by Sperry-New Holland from 1983 through the Ford years ending production in 1988. The 1600 could handle a 4 row corn head and a big 12ft hay head.  The 1600 was built to work with tractors over 200 hp which at the time was mainly 4wds.  To complete a perfect New Holland set Gordy added cab windows, a radio and paint detail to an Ertl Ford 8830. 

We Build 1/64 scale HillCo Combines

TTT November 2003 Page 13

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