Fred and Gertrude Ertl, founders of the Ertl Company in early 1945, forged his first tractor replica in his Dubuque, Iowa basement, confident that children young and old would embrace toys created with exacting attention to durability and detail. Ertl licensed the designs of agriculture giants I-H and J-D, melted surplus aluminum aircraft pistons in his basement furnace, poured the slag into hand-made sand molds, and put his five sons to work assembling and painting the tractors at the kitchen table.
The company later moved to Dyersville, Iowa and has since grown into the largest producer of farm toy replicas in the world by holding licenses to produce all major brands of farm toy tractors. The Ertl Company helped spur the growth of the farm toy hobby, and has been most instrumental in the building of the National Farm Toy Museum. The Ertl’s were a guiding force at the Ertl Company until they sold their business in 1968. In 1999, Racing Champions acquired ERTL. Racing Champions has committed to continuing and expanding the ERTL product lines and tradition of excellence.
During 2006, ERTL/RC2 celebrated a 60-year history of quality and innovation in toy making.
Fred Ertl, Jr. was continuously involved in the Ertl Company until retirement 47 years later. Fred assumed the active management and Vice President position in September 1948 at the age of 18. He led the continued growth, including the move to Dyersville, Iowa and sale of the company to Victor Comptometer in December 1967 when he became President. He continued in this position through the acquisition of Victor by Kidde Corp. in December 1977 and Hanson PLC in September 1987. He became CEO in 1990 and retired on September 30, 1992. He was inducted into the Toy Manufacturers of America Hall of Fame in February 2000. He served on many toy and hobby industry boards and President of the Toy Manufacturers of America from 1970-1971 and the Hobby Association in 1976. The Ertl Co. became and still is, the heart of farm toy collecting worldwide.
Joseph Ertl, son of Fred, Sr., founded Scale Models in 1978. Scale Models is devoted to smaller production runs of models, filling a niche for both the farm toy collector and original equipment manufacturers. Ertl has been an innovator of new models for the collecting hobby with Scale Model’s large scale models (1:8), the revision of pedal tractors and the reissue of past farm toys.
Weldon Yoder worked with his father on the farm for many years giving him a good knowledge of farm tractors. As a boy, he began carving airplanes from wood. Later he spent some years working as a tool & die maker. During this time, he would often restore and add details to toys he found in dumps. In 1975 he started his own machine shop. Then, in the late '70's he began collecting toy tractors and producing replacement and customizing parts for collectors. In 1980 Weldon, along with his son Terrill, started Yoder Models. Weldon's vision was to produce highly detailed, accurate models for the average collector. Weldon, with his wife Helen, and another son Kenton, produced over 50,000 plastic model tractors in their family business over the next 16 years. These models included show tractors for the Lafayette, Goshen Indiana, and Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, shows. Weldon was a pioneer in the detailed model tractor industry.
Ev and Myra Weber along with family members had created many award-winning
exhibits depicting a wide variety of significant milestones in agricultural
history. The Weber’s use of hand crafted precisely detailed scale models having
operating features makes exhibits almost come alive. Their dedication to
accurate research and creativity is not only admired by farm toy collectors, but
serves as a foundation for farm toy manufacturers’ new products satisfying an
every more demanding market.
Gilson Riecke’s talent to build models “just like the real thing” has made
him recognizable to farm toy collectors around the world. A dedicated artesian
who never thought any detail was too small to display; Riecke was faced with
many challenges during his early years. His work is now widely recognized as
some of the finest in the farm toy collecting hobby today.
Considered a pioneer in the farm model building business, Lyle Dingman, working hand in hand with Gilson Riecke, provided a steady stream of quality custom-made models that were not readily available from major farm toy manufacturers. Dingman was one who always had time to explain to collectors the How’s, What’s and Why’s of farm toy collecting. Dingman passed away in 1992.
It is unlikely that Claire and
Cathy Scheibe realized the impact they would
have on the farm toy hobby when they started a new magazine, Toy Farmer in
January 1978. Toy Farmer has grown from a meager seventeen subscribers to 30,000
subscribers worldwide and is regarded as the bible for farm toy collectors.
Another project initiated by the Scheibes in 1978 was the first National Farm
Toy Show in Dyersville, Iowa, and annual event-like Toy Farmer-that has grown
tremendously since its early years. In addition, the Scheibes lent their support
and played a major role in establishment of the National Farm Toy Museum. Claire
Scheibe passed away in 2000.