Thanks Max for this look back at the ERTL company. In the 1970's I built every truck model ERTL produced, including the massive IH 350 Pay Hauler off road dump truck. I always felt ERTL produced better truck models verses AMT for the fact ERTL designed their models with steerable front wheels. I also remember receiving the ERTL newsletter, which I believe was called "The Blue printer" This newsletter had articles on how to customize their model kits, which seconded my idea that ERTL was a top notch company. Just a shame how things have changed in the plastic model world, the remaining ERTL kits are currently selling for outragious prices on ebay. It was good to see Round 2 re-release the ERTL International Transtar 4300 Eagle Tractor Truck Kit, hopefully they'll add the other ERTL truck kits to their ever expanding line up of plastic model truck kits. Cheers, Rich S.
You got it Ertl was the best.Their kits were molded in color as opposed to amt kits which had to be painted and werent that detailed.Ertl had ih and Mack down to a science.New amt ertl kits are all in white.No thanks.
I must admit I was never a fan of farm equipment. However, I did receive a kit of an International Harvester tractor as a gift from a relative, and I made it. I found it very detailed and the fit and finish was great. I am sure that if I liked this kind of kit I would have purchased more.
I have had too many of those IH Scout II models to possibly count over the years but I remember that the first one came from a J.C. Penny toy department ... back when they HAD a toy department .. a long time ago! Such great art work on those old boxes! More great video history work! Really looking forward to a video on Jo-Han! Thank you so much!
Thanks for researching into the interesting and somewhat complicated history of Ertl plastic kits! I seem to recall Ertl's first true plastic kit was the International CO-4070A Transtar COE truck/tractor. A very good kit even by today's standards as I bought and built it when it first came out. There's word that the original Transtar tooling was modified to make the later issue and very similar looking Transtar II Eagle COE kit. That would make the first issue Transtar a true collector's item as it can no longer be made.
The IH CO 4070A Transtar is my absolute favorite kit. Round 2 has created a brand new tooling of this kit with some minor corrections (the biggest one being the width of the front axle so the tires fit under the cab as they should) and it is going to be released this spring. The long lost Kenworth Challenge Transit Mixer by AMT has just hit the shelves after a 49 year absence and now the 4070A is coming back making 2021 the best year ever for big rig modelers! It won't let me post a link here but go to Model Cars Magazine Forum and scroll down to Truck Kit News and Reviews "IH 4070A coming back" topic for full article if you're interested.
@@captainmorgan1107 That's great to hear the original Ertl truck model, the IH CO 4070A Transtar, is indeed making a comeback. Thanks for the "heads up!" Kinda' like the long gone, original AMT "California Hauler," Peterbilt conventional making a return via Round 2.
I used to live near AMT's Troy, Michigan facility on Maple Road, back when MPC was in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The two companies would eagerly have press releases on the TV news every September giving the tiniest peeks of the new car models from the Detroit big three, often only the rear bumper of one or two cars. It was very exciting for a boy in the 60's and 70's.
My brother and I took the ERTL factory tour back in the mid '90's when Ertl was still Ertl. They had their assembly lines of tractors and the clean room with the AMT Cincinatti Milacron plastic injection molding equipment, Very fascinating. Probably just a warehouse now. If I recall the tour guide mentioned that the Ertl's started after WWII melting surplus aircraft engine pistons in their basement furnace. Yipes! And there was also a spinoff in Dyersville that had acquired the Hubley metal car kit line. PS. The "Field of Dreams" movie set is on the outskirts of Dyersville.
The sound is good on this one! The Green Acres theme at the end was even better than the video! Keep 'em coming! Oh, and I'll take Jeanie, please! (never watched Gilligan's Island, so I got nothin' to say, there)
Thanks Max 👍 great vid. from what I've watched so fare ... most of these model Companies got tossed around from 1 parent company to another like a darn frisbee ... Jeanie for $1000 with her, you could get all the other stars 😄
I may be wrong but I believe the Anerican La France pumper you showed first was released by AMT in 1972 or 1973. So the one you showed was a second generation kit.
Joe Ertl was so displeased with racing champions/rc2 management, he left and started his own company. Im not sure how it relates to Scale Models. When we restored an f20 at Red Power Roundup in 2009, he made us 250 bare metal sand-cast f20 kits to sell to benefit the University of wisconsin cataloging and digitizing the IH company archives.
Daisy Duke, Mary Ann and Samantha, since ya asked! Have you covered Renwal yet, with all the visible kits? Thanks! Fantastic series, always preferred Revell for ships and Monogram for cars and planes, AMT was OK, but didn’t seem to be up to the standards of Revell and Monogram
been trying to track down the "holy grail" of ERTL kits recently to no avail, the International Transtar CO-4070A (not the Transtar II versions) so I can finally make the toilet tissue truck from Maximum overdrive...hey, I don't question your life choices so Don't question mine (lol)
Don't waste your money on Ebay, the IH CO4070A is coming back this spring from Round 2!! They created a brand new tooling for it since the original was converted into the Transtar 2. It won't let me post the link here but go to "Model Cars Magazine Forum", scroll down to "Truck Kit News and Reviews" and find topic "New International COE CO4070A " for the article and test photos if you're interested.
