Been reading on other boards and I notice an article where RC2 is going to discontinue ERTL. Oh well, RC2 is famous for its business acumen.

ERTL itself is not going away, only the Diecast CARs are leaving, the tractors are sticking around, that's where the money is.

ERTL itself is not going away, only the Diecast CARs are leaving, the tractors are sticking around, that's where the money is.
Why can't we have both. man what a crock of crap. I grew up with both. :cry: :(

I miss the ertl 1/64 of the 1980s! They were better than Hot Wheels! Too bad they don't use the Ertl name to replace their RC line of non-RACING cars!

This might be a short term situation; things change. Ertl had an extensive line of decent 1/43 scale die cast cars in the late '80s; they were discontinued. Then ten or so years later another line of 1/43 cars came out. They were much better and still a good bargain. Then that line was discontinued. The previously mentioned 1/64 line ran from the '70s through the early '80s. Then Ertl did some very nice and well detailed 1/64 cars in about 2000, only to give up after too few releases. AMT 1/25 scale promos, kits & built ups have come and gone and come again over the years. The company has a wealth of dies, licensing agreements, designers & Asian factories. Don't necessarily write off any line for production of infant toys. Model vehicles, in a variety of scales, seem to sell and RC2 will discover, as Ertl had before, that Ertl and AMT brand vehicles sell well. While companies like RC2 may get out of some model vehicle markets, collectors are served by new companies getting in. Look at all the new die cast vehicle product in the last five or so years: IXO 1/43; Hongwell 1/43 & 1/72; RealX 1/72; Schuco Junior 1/43 & 1/72, Yat Ming 1/43 & 1/72; High Speed 1/43 & 1/87; 1BR 1/64; Jada 1/64, 1/18 & 1/24, etc. Not all of these companies may have marketed exactly what you wanted, but there is enough there to entertain collectors for years. I regret that I can no longer get new Spot On, Marklin, Tekno & Politoys 1/43 die cast cars but, things change & I still collect obsolete and buy new model cars.

I think it may be related to something i read about cost cutting measures. They were not making enough on diecast cars to warrant continued production. Costs went up because supply costs (precious metals etc.) went up and made it financially unfeasable.

Very sad news

Are all 1/18 scales gone now?

I bought a lot of Ertl 1/18s in the 1990s, and I was impressed by the good quality they offered at a reasonable price.

I stopped buying them when they introduced the terrible 1/18 version of 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix a few years ago. It looks so bad that it basically stopped me from even looking at Ertls any more.

I felt that if that awful model is the best that they are willing to produce, then I can find much better 1/18 models elsewhere made by other companies. So it's no big loss to me, I guess. It is sad to lose the great names of Ertl & AMT, though.

a lot of these 1/18`s and other products they`ve had will `probally` be marketed under the johnny lightning name now

I talked with some vendors at a toy show today , & they said Ertl will try to sell the car diecast line & the model kit line ... They are 'supposedly' going to continue what they promised for '07 .... We'll have to see what actually happens ... They made a lot of nice stuff the past couple decades . I have a lot of their cars ....

This is a bad move. I hate tractors. Bring the diecast model cars back.



THS
www.TheHobbyShopp.com (http://www.thehobbyshopp.com/)

I'm going against Hobbyshopp becuase im 100% southern and grew up on a 400acre farm in KY and have a pasion for John Deere Tractors . I have reason to believe you were one who grew up in a big city and never had a chance to actually "live" on a farm and enjoy the true piece and quiet everyday and night ??

I have to go the other way. I grew up on a 76 acre farm. The Tractors do nothing for me.
I just don't get it.... tractors are for working. The cars are for leisure.
You can have so many different versions/types/mods of a muscle car...colors, engines, wheels flames, stripes Etc.
There is like one version of a certain tractor model...and do the John Deeres have to be green? probably considered 'blasphemous' to paint it another color. :rolleyes:

I have a site that features model cars and I'm still able to get ERTL's. When are they going to stop supplying them? Tractors hold a fascination for children. There will always be interest in them.

I have to go the other way. I grew up on a 76 acre farm. The Tractors do nothing for me.
I just don't get it.... tractors are for working. The cars are for leisure.
You can have so many different versions/types/mods of a muscle car...colors, engines, wheels flames, stripes Etc.
There is like one version of a certain tractor model...and do the John Deeres have to be green? probably considered 'blasphemous' to paint it another color. :rolleyes::lol: