Ertl 1:64 scale Farm pickups

Ertl is a well-known toy company that has been famous in the diecast world for producing 1:18 scale muscle cars and trucks in the 1990’s and has occasionally ventured into the 1:64 scale arena a few times.  Even as the diecast vehicles have subsided and Ertl under a few companies (currently with Tomica) the Farm equipment that consists of tractors, playsets, and even animals, still continues today and for years there has always been a full-size pickup truck to support hauling duties that range from trailers to fifth-wheel horse trailers.  I have pretty much all of the generation of trucks that started with the Ford F-150 which then meets up with the newest Ford F-350 Super Duty for 2018.  Here’s a look at the working trucks of Ertl (in diecast metal bodies, excluding the plastic ones) with their unique tasks.

1989 Ford F-250

Ertl started selling farm equipment in the late 1980’s just around the time the 1:64 car line was phased out as being unsuccessful.  I remember the farm sets from Ertl when I was young and even though I was living in the city at the time I appreciated the country life and farming, so I was interested in seeing these sets break up the traditional to wild diecast lines offered back then.  This Ford F-250 was the first truck in the lineup and it was connected to a trailer that was an all-metal horse trailer with opening rear gate.  That trailer was heavy so a good truck with a fifth-wheel hitch was needed to move around.  This is also the only diecast version of the updated Ford F-series that was introduced in 1987 and lasted until the next front-end change in 1992.  The two-tone white and green looks rather odd, yet somehow works as a farm-truck deco; the front has a chrome grille with flush headlights and grille that was one of the aerodynamic changes for this truck in 1987.  The proportions of this regular-cab truck is just right and the body has detailed side trim and dual gas tank doors (a novelty feature on F-150’s in the 1980’s and 1990’s), while the rear was blank, but I added some detailing to the taillights, tailgate handle, and to the silver tailgate trim common on Ford Trucks at the time.  The wheels reflect the turbine hubcaps sold on heavy-duty Ford Trucks at the time, though they are rather small on the tall rubber tires.  The plastic base offers few and far in detailings to signal the toy roots, as does the blacked-out windows with no interior (only one Ertl pickup, the Ram 2500 in 2005, has an interior along with an opening hood; those features would carry over into the 2011 Ram 2500).  The engine can be the 5.8L V8 that has fuel injection or the 7.3L turbodiesel V8 from International-Navistar to power the rear wheels through a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.  Now for towing duties this truck has two options:  the trailer hitch on the rear bumper or the fifth-wheel hole in the bed where the rear axle pin is visible.

1994 Dodge Ram 2500

The new Ram was a big hit for Dodge in 1994 and of course Ertl was on top of this one with the 1:18 Ram 2500 for the American Muscle line.  Those details carried over to the farm version in 1:64, again with no interior to show, but much better details in the process.  The height of the truck is taller and bolder than the F-250 with better detailing on the outside.  The front has the chrome grille with lower headlights attached to the grille and lower bumper where the lower section of the bumper is a gray panel separate from the chrome.  The side trim has a smoother look with detailed trim bits and stickers that have Chase IH on the sides (various stickers can profile different farm companies as dealer exclusives), while the rear has detailed taillights, chrome bumper with lower trailer hitch, and a long bed with no recess for the fifth-wheel hitch.  The base is the biggest change as detailing from the 1:18 is carried down here with detailed engine, transmission, exhaust system, driveshaft, and suspension systems; strangely for a 4x4-looking truck there is no transfer case underneath and tires are again tall even though the wheels are correct to the Ram.  The sole powertrain is a 8.0L V10 motor that is common among diecast Ram’s of that timeframe even though a Cummins I-6 diesel could fit in here as well; both through a 4-speed automatic transmission.  Despite the new truck look this Ram saw less duty as a Farm truck in sets are more of a dealer-only model from what I recall back then.

1995 GMC Sierra 3500 dually

So Ertl has a Ford and a Dodge, so what about GM?  That answer appeared a short while after the Ram with the GMC Sierra dually pickup.  A lot of the details are based on the plastic dealer promo models, yet all of them are Chevrolet C/K pickups and this is Ertl’s first GMC dually.  Also this is the first time the dually rear axle and bed is used on an Ertl farm truck.  The front has a large mesh grille with GMC letters in the middle, bending slightly to the sides from center where it meets up with split headlights and signal lights.  The sides show off a boxy look like the Ford with John Deere stickers as a dealer truck model and the flared fenders to cover the dual rear wheels, while the rear has tall taillights and a trailer hitch.  Strangely for such a brawny truck there is no fifth-wheel trailer hitch, yet unlike the Ram this GMC got more use in a few playsets.  The wheels are again small, but are accurate to the Dually model with two separate rear tires for the proper dually look, while the chassis has detailed drivetrain and exhaust components.  There is no interior, but this is the first truck to be an extended cab with seating for five over the three-passenger regular cab of the Ram and Ford.  The engine choice can be a 7.4L gas V8 or a 6.5L turbodiesel V8 through a 4-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels.  This might be the first dually, but certainly not the last.

1999 Ford F-350 Super Duty

Now it was Ford’s turn to release a new F-series and this time went for the dual rear wheels on the new Super-Duty line, which is a good call since the 1997 F-series went for a softer look on light-duty models.  The regular cab is still retained, though this time the rear bed is a separate piece to allow utility conversions (the first Ertl truck to do so).  The height is a proper 4x4 look with wheels that are now larger on the rubber tires.  The front has a large chrome grille in black with Ford logo in center, chrome headlights, and a chrome bumper with lower grille and trim.  The sides show off dips in the doors for the larger mirrors (none so far on any Ertl truck) and smoother fender flares for the dual rear wheels; the downside of separate cab and bed is the banana effect that occurs when secured to the base.  At the rear is oval taillights and badging that seems rather large on the front fenders, oh and not only does it have a trailer hitch it also has a fifth-wheel hitch in the black-painted bed area (my green example was a used version where the trailer hitch broke off).  Again, there is no interior and the base shows off excellent detailing of the drivetrain, exhaust, and suspension system on a rear-wheel drive layout.  Powertrain is likely the 7.3L Powerstroke turbodiesel V8, or it could be the 5.4L SOHC V8 or the 6.8L V10; all through a 4-speed automatic transmission.  This is by far the most common Ertl pickup that can be found anywhere and was offered in the new display for stores where kids can get the equipment or animals they need and create their own farm set.

2005 and 2011 Dodge Ram 2500

(Pictures coming soon)

At this point Ertl was growing big, the farm lineup was becoming more plentiful than in the 1990’s, and two different trucks were created: the cheap plastic ones, or the diecast versions.  While the F-350 solders on a new Ram and F-150 appeared in the diecast realm.  The 2004 F-150 was an extended-cab model with opening front hood and detailed interior, though it was less-common than the Ram 2500.  The Ram would eclipse all with a four-door quad cab that features a detailed interior with seating for five and a detailed dashboard.  The bed is a long bed that makes this truck the longest Ertl truck to date and yes that bed has a fifth-wheel hitch to go along with the trailer hitch at the rear bumper.  Wheels are 5-spoke to the Ram that are larger and fit smaller rubber tires for a more proper look, still rear-wheel drive with a detailed base that shows off the drivetrain, exhaust, and suspension.  The exterior has a bolder look with larger round headlights and signal lights, a large silver grille that seems to be canted a bit too far forward, smoother sides, detailed roof-mounted clearance lights, exterior mirrors, and at the rear detailed taillights.  The hood opens up to show off the detailed Cummins 24 valve turbodiesel I-6 to a four-speed automatic transmission.  My first example was as a three-pack set that includes the Ram with the flatbed trailer hauling a tractor (a very rare and unique trailer set find many years before Hitch and Tow would be popular) and I love the truck and trailer set.  Since then the Ram has been offered as a single set alongside the F-350.  In 2013 a new Ram 2500 debut with a new bodystyle that has a more edgier look, albeit too edgier as it looks boxy from some angles.  The grille is taller and now part of the body, headlights are larger, hood has faux vents, and rear taillights are silver for some reason.  This is a disappointing model as other than the boxy look the base and engine carry-over, not a problem since the Ram 2500 carries-over the frame and engine design, but the interior is a big issue as it is totally incorrect to the new Ram bodystyle.

2018 Ford F-350 Super Duty

2017 dawns a new era of the Ertl trucks that still carry on today, and the newest release is yet again another Ford truck, but one that is bolder and bigger than before.  The F-350 now shows a new turn in pickup truck designs: in the past heavy duty trucks were workhorses with bare minimum of creature comforts.  Today even the Super Duty has lots of comforts and features, pushing the pricetag of a fully-loaded dually model to close to 100 grand!  This is a John Deere dealer model that has the side labels now decals instead of stickers for a cleaner look.  The front has a large chrome grille with two bars that blend into the tall headlights with C-shaped LED surrounds, bumper with larger grille openings, and a tall chin spoiler for fuel efficiency.  The sides show a truck that is almost as long as the Ram 2500 with four doors to a larger cabin (again, no interior), a separate bed for a utility option (and there is one), F-350 fender vents, U-shaped windshield roof bend with clearance lights, and more rounded fender flares for the rear wheels.  The rubber tires mount on 5-spoke wheels with separate dual rear tires, while at the rear the taillights are taller, rear bumper with trailer hitch that is part of the body, and dual exhaust tips that are visible.  Breaking with tradition the roof has not only a sunroof but a full-width panoramic roof, while the bed area, painted black, has a fifth-wheel hitch that not only is function but also looks like the actual hitch in the bed!  The interior offers more room and dashboard design that shares the same up-to-date technology with the regular F-150’s, as does the all-aluminum body panels.  The base shows off detailed exhaust, suspension, and drivetrain with a transfer case (finally) and a spare tire at the rear.  The engine is the max with a 7.3L turbodiesel Powerstroke V8 that makes upwards of 900 ft-Ib’s of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission.  It’s an impressive truck that can take on a lot and despite going back to the no-interior routine this new F-350 shows how far Ertl has advanced their work-oriented farm truck lineup.

Update 12/1/19: Joining the group is two more GM dually pickups, and one of them caught me by surprise.  The gray one is the familiar GMC Sierra 3500 with extended cab and dual rear wheels, while the red one is the Chevrolet C-3500 also with extended cab and dual rear wheels.  The latter is a surprise because the GMC is more common and the Chevrolet is actually harder to find and I was fortunate to find this and the gray GMC in a set pared with some Ertl Chevy S-10 pickups and it was a welcome surprise.  The change is easy since the front grille is a separate chrome piece from the cab and this allow the Chevy version to have a split grille and a front license plate area that is noticeably missing from the GMC version: