The Louisville Kentucky Farm Show is to agriculture what the Grammys or the Oscars are to show business. It's a pig iron and technology extravaganza. Man, would I ever love to be able to go there some time.

Every year, the Louisville Farm Show releases a toy tractor commemorating the show. They become real collector's items. Many farm shows do this, and they select a different tractor each year, and have someone like Ertl, or Scale Models produce the tractor. Usually there is something a little different about it, such as a show location and date cast into the body, or a show decal. I don't really like show issue tractors with a bunch of writing cast into them, but I don't mind decals as much.

Anyway, my eyes sure popped when I saw this year's Louisville Farm Show commemorative toy--it's an Oliver 1355 Utility!

Izzat cool er whut?

I'd have liked it to have just a little more detail, such as the headlight lenses painted silver, and their buckets painted black. Maybe that's being too picky, and would add too much to the cost as quality hand painting isn't cheap (and cheap hand painting isn't pretty). Also, they got the 'White' decal in the wrong place, as White put their decals on these tractors directly above the front of the 'Oliver' or 'Cockshutt' or 'Minneapolis Moline' decal, and not at the rear. That part just doesn't look right. I guess the actual tractor Ertl took as the model for the model (huh?) had the decal in the wrong place and they perpetuated the mistake. Naturally, this being a steering model, the front axle looks like, well, a toy, and the steering wheel angle is thrown outta whack by necessity of simplicity in the linkage. I shouldn't be so picky; making a detailed model of something as complex in relief as a farm tractor takes skill and patience and a ton of both. This is still a cool toy for any Oliver or Fiat fan!

It'd be nice if Ertl would make this toy available as, say, an Oliver 1365, or a White 1370, also. Or, a Cockshutt 1355, or 1365, or a Moline G450. If they made any one of these models available as a regular issue, any other similar model could be attained by a suitable paint job and decals. Also, naturally, a Fiat 550, 600, or 640 could be derived from the body casting, or a Hesston 640 (although the fender headlights would have to be shaved, and headlight decals placed in the grille in their place for a Hesston 640).  

Being a four cylinder, making an Oliver or Cockshutt 1250-A, 1255, or 1265; White 1270; MM G350; or Long 350 or 445 would require a little artistic license, as they are only three cylinder tractors. I suppose you COULD cut a single cylinder section out of the hood and engine and rejoin the body, but it would take a very careful cut, and some diligent filling and grinding or sanding to hide the joint. If one went that far, then making an Allis 5040, 5045, or 5050 wouldn't be that much more; just forming the proper grille. Yeah, right... Man, my eyes hurt just thinking about it... but it's a thought...