What happened to Ertl’s presence in the HO marketplace. They were putting out some pretty nice tractors and trucks for a reasonable price. I was hoping theyd start making some implements but now I havent seen or heard anything from them. If anyone knows what happened?
Tom
I don’t know. I’ve seen some offerings at the LHS once in a while, that’s about it.
Can you say Racing Champions. The company who is buying up alot of the model companies is Called RC2 racing champions. They mainly focus on diecast popular scales of 1/18, 1/64th. Etc… Unfortunitly they are pissing off alot of people in the hobby community. Me being 1 of them. I also build Sci Fi kits and they bought polar lights and dis continued a lot of kits claming they make no money.
But any way if it isnt fast and the furious they have a problem making anything.
Curt
I don’t know much about the company except for the single flat car that I just purchased from them. The detail on it is pretty decent, but the trucks and super cheap plastic wheels are junk. I replaced the entire truck and wheels with Kadee. Now it rolls pretty well.
Ertl got out of the HO railroad business a few years ago. I picked up several of their freight cars at a train show for a very good price, then there were absolutely no more to be found anywhere. Too bad, too - the detail and weathering on the cars is pretty decent. I replaced the wheelsets and couplers, and they roll along just great!
Ertl never did get the credit they deserved for those models - they were some of the very first decent RTR freight cars. A bit too early, I guess…
www.rcertl.com says there are supposed to be 1:87th scale models, but none are listed.
In the Portage, MI location of Tractor Supply Company there is a rack with mixed items. Some of them are HO Scale Tractors, but they are more toy like models than fine scale models.
Andrew
I believe they sold the molds as the mine head parts are supposed to be out as a separate item by someone else, wish they would bring back paige thou ( another co. that was the poor mans fsm ).
Life like must have gotten the Ertl molds for the flat car loads, because they’ve been offering them for a while. There were diesel generators, a steam donkey with a crate, a farm machinery doohickey and probably a few others that I don’t remember because I wasn’t interested in them. I’ve got several packages of the diesel generators (2 to a pack).
I remember when Ertl came out with their freight cars, they were relatively high priced. I won a boxcar in a model contest, and wasn’t overly impressed with the details for the price. The “weathering” was just a spray of tan colored paint along the bottom edge of the car. I sold or traded it not long after I got it.
I seem to remember there were 3 cars; a boxcar, flatcar and maybe a gondola. They sat on shelves forever (or so it seemed) at the LHS. They were high dollar when released and that was probably a factor. I do not believe there were a great many road names offered.
Jim
When they came out they retailed for about $30.00 but that was about 10 years ago so for the time they were expensive, deatail was good with individual grabs, ect.
OUCH! When I picked them up at the train show they were $3.00 each. I sure wouldn’t have paid $30 each for them (hey! same as now for an RTR freight car! [:D]).
But that simple tan stripe for weathering was more than other manfacturers do for the same money today!
Ya and they were the only ones to make rtr flat cars but I hear tichy is going to do their entire line as rtr as well as kits, love their ore cars.
I remember walking into a John Deere dealership (after I was done looking around outside, of course) and seeing a whole shelf of Ertl products. Mostly 1/64th scale tractors, tractor trailers, implements, and other farm-related equipment. But, if you looked around a little, you could find a few HO scale tractors and tractor trailers. I should know, I found a nice little Kenworth that came with a modern flatbed trailer (not a lowboy) and two John Deere 8310 tractors. They are all made of diecast metal, and are very well detailed pieces of equipment. And the whole set was cheap! Like $8.50 or so. I used to collect 1/64th scale farm equipment, just so you know.
John Deere all the way!
-Brandon
I was also going to mention the local John Deere Dealership. I got 2 nice 4020 replicas(ide front ends) actually for an Ertl flatcar. The rolling stock was high $$$. I think they were competing with Kadee, at least, that is what I would compare them to. They did have excellent detail ans very good weathering effects, but the trucks were junk as well as the couplers. They were also seriously under weight, the reason for the dicast JD trator load. I bought 2 lats & 2 boxcars online for $10.00. S&H was as much as their total. BTW, a boxcar was BO’ed, I guess I got the last one. I think they still make 1/87 farm equipment because in May I bouht my little 4 yr. old nephew a little collrctor set of 4 antique tractor(Model 70, Waterloo Boy, & 2 others. I knew the guy at the parts counter and the price wasn’t marked so he let me have it for $4.00($1.00 ea.). I’m sure being a JD licensed product they retailed for more than that. JD thinks highly of their stuff & its reflected in the price.
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They also offered pre-weathered structures at the same time. They soon faded from sight too.
I used to work in the service dept. at the local JD dealership and have decided “If It Has Green Paint On It, Add 25%” to the price. Mike