Jason

The S690i on tracks comes with the same 640D Flexdraper head and 16 row corn head as the North American S690 Prestige combine was released with. I am eagerly awaiting my S690i on tracks to arrive from Bossen Implements. Might be a while till I get my hands on it, but am looking forward to adding it to the collection. Jason B

The only thing that you would be able to use from the 9750STS Precision for a "9780CTS" model is the Cab. Unless you want to scratch built the entire body for it, the 9780CTS's body style is more simular to the T670i John Deere combine, then the STS. Easist way to make the 9780 CTS would be to pick up a Siku Deere T670i combine, as the body style of the T670i is very close to the 9780CTS, a few small changes but a lot closer then trying to convert a 9750STS Precision. Jason

Yeah, I don't care much for that Spring system in the rams, would be nice to have the head raised with out falling down. The detail on the header bar would have been a nice detail, but I guess it got over looked. Does appear to be a lot heavier then the previous 32nd 9870STS model, and I will give then credit for that. Overall, I really like the Ertl/Britains S690 Deere - North American Release. Would be awsome to see Wikings do the S690 in 32nd as that would be incredible. For now though, I am happy with this new S690. I am also looking forward to the 32nd S690I with TRACKS due out later this year. As soon as I found out about the 32nd S690I with tracks, I was on the phone with Bossen Implements in the US about getting one. Jason B

That was my understanding of it too. When I talked with Bossen Implements, out of Lamont Iowa, United States, they told me that they "Can Get ALL the European" releases in stock, including the John Deere models, but in limited numbers. Due to Deere's Licence agreement with Ertl, and Deere as well I heard). They CAN NOT advertise the upcoming new European toy releases on their website, however they can still sell them, if you provide a stock # for the item and order it by phone or email. They used to be able to show the new product on their website for Siku releases. I ended up getting my Deere T670I combine by SIKU through Bossen's, and had to place my order in May 2009, so that I could recive it in Oct 09. Did the same thing with the upcoming S690I with TRACKS. I knew Bossen's had a chance of getting them, so I called them and placed an order. I was able to get my other European John Deere combine models in a simular way as well, Except for the 1st 9880STS in 1/32nd. For whatever reason, Ertl choose to release the FIRST 1/32nd 9880STS European version through John Deere Dealers in North America. When the 1/32nd 9880I STS "High Performance Rotor" combine came out, with a Body change, it was ONLY Avaliable in Europe. I had to go through a smaller Toy dealer in Canada to obtain the 9880I STS, and was the only way to get one besides Ebay. When the 1/32nd "2008 Version" of the John Deere S690I combine came out, I had G&M Models bring me a 1/32nd S690I "2008 European Version" combine over to the National Show and I picked it up in person at the show in 2008. So far I have all the 1/32nd Ertl/Britain John Deere combines in my collection, up to the Lastest "S690" "North American Version" just out, and once I get the 32nd S690I "2012 Europe version" with tracks later this year, I will have 3 different "S690's" in my collection. Jason B

Yes, thoses Wiking models are pretty awsome! I have the 6930 from Wiking, and I hope to get the 7430 as well someday. I am hoping Wiking does a 32nd Deere combine eventually. I have a few Siku Deere items in my collection as well, my favourite Siku Deere model being the T670I Deere combine. Its hard trying to collect the European releases, as not many Dealers in Canada/US carry the European toy companys products. Jason B

I will be getting the S690I with Tracks! In fact, just talked with Bossen Implements, out of Lamont Iowa US and they have an S690I on order for me with tracks. Will look good on the shelf next to my Prestige S690 with Duals. Good thing for this fourm, as I probably would not have known about these upcoming releases, including the S690I on tracks which won't be sold in Deere Dealers in North America. Jason B

Nice Review of the Case IH 9120 on tracks, they are a nice model. I don't really collect Case IH toys that much, but like the detail on the 9120.

Go figure they dropped the Header trailer, I was looking over my 32nd S690 Prestige Edition last night again and noticed they added a rear hitch on the combine to pull a header cart. Not that the retired header cart was big enough to handle the new 640Draper head.

I Had a feeling that the European release of the S690 would have TRACKS on it, Really sets it apart from the Newly released North American S690 with duals. I am wondering if it will have the standard unloading auger, like the North American version has, or the folding unloading auger? Hope I can find a dealer that can get them here in Canada, as I just saw the Proto pictures of it on Britains Board. Jason B

Chris, Do you have a link to the Schuco version of the S690? That would be awsome model from them. Didn't Schuco produce the MF 9895 in 1/32nd scale? If its them, I will be definately hoping they do the 32nd version.

I will see what I can do about getting some pictures of the new 2012 Deere S690 in 32nd. Just took it out of the box this morning. Jason B

Well, I recently picked up the 1/32nd John Deere S690" Prestige combine from my Local Deere Dealership. The model I am reviewing is the 2012 John Deere "S690" Prestige in 1/32nd scale. I had to use "2012" in front of my post description as Deere Did offer the "S690I" in Europe before the new "S690" showed up in North America. I will start with the Quality Control on the 1/32nd "2012" John Deere S690 combine, which was produced by Ertl/Britains and now owned by TOMY. When I removed my 32nd Deere S690 from the box, I noticed a few quality control flaws right away, In fact I had to return one of my S690's as it was missing warning lights, before I got a replacement S690 Prestige from the Same Dealer. Well, the 2nd S690 had a few flaws as well. The outside dual tire was pushed way to far into the rim, or the outside Dual was not installed properly on the outside rim, as its noticable not flush with the rim, I figured I would over look this flaw and not have to return for a 3rd S690. The other flaw, I found was that the unloading auger had a bunch of scratch marks from the factory near the spout. Has to do with the quality of the plastic I suspect, other then that, these were the only defects I noticed with my Prestige S690 Deere, although Ertl/Britains/ TOMY should keep a better eye on their quality control for future releases, If they keep slacking off in the quality control department, it will be a wonder if they can keep sales in the 32nd department. With those small issues aside, I will focus on the combine itself. The New 32nd S690 Prestige comes with both the new 640D Draper head, and the new Deere 16 row corn head. I for one, will say that its a refreshing change to see a 32nd scale Draper head released with a 32nd scale combine, over the old Ridge 30F Grain head that was offered on the previous 1/32nd Deere S690I, 9880I STS, 9870STS, 9880STS, 9860STS Bullet Rotor, 9760STS Bullet Rotor, 9880STS, 9760STS, & 9860STS non bullet rotor models. The Draper head takes up quite the space on the shelf, but it really makes the model standout. The Biggest change with the draper head that impress's me is how the reel on the 640D Draper head is driven, it is all GEAR driven, and no cheap plastic belt to turn the REEL! -Yahooo!! The thing I hated most about the previous 630F Flexhead that was offered on the previous 32nd Deere models, was that silly cheap plastic belt used to turn the reel. I must have broke a few of them belts and was really glad when I picked up the new S690, to see those belts gone for good! The Cab detail on the new S690 Prestige is pretty decent, while not like the Precision 9750STS was, it still offers some good detail. The model has all the handrails, and warning lights on the back of the combine, as well as foldable mirrors. They also included the standard Deere GPS Reciver on the cab roof, and the work lights on the cab were painted on. Another huge change I liked, was the actually window between the cab & the grain tank! From the front of the cab, you can look right into the grain bin, to reveal the Bubble up auger that fills the bin. A nice touch, and a detail we have not seen on an Ertl/Britains John Deere 32nd combine since the 9750STS Precision from 2000. What gets me, is that the 32nd Deere combine models following the 9750STS, had the window on the back of the cab, but from the grain tank, Ertl casted plastic over the otherside of the window, so that you can not see through into the bin or cab, Anyone owning the other 32nd Deeres, besides the 9750STS will notice this. Another nice detail addition, on the S690, is the opening engine compartment pannel and drop down ladder to reach the engine compartment. Its a nice touch, and once again another detail carry over from the Precision 9750STS. What disapoints me a little, is that even though Ertl casted the new S690 with the powerfolding grain tank covers, they do not close, they are fixed in the open position. I was kind of hoping that Ertl might have offered the Tank lids to open and close, but they don't. Currently the only 32nd John Deere combine with opening and closing grain tank covers, is Siku's T670 John Deere. I am hoping that Ertl/Britains takes notice on this, and someday produce a combine with closing tank lids. Norscott, proved it could be done with their 32nd CAT 590R Lexion, and SIKU with several different models. Perhaps Ertl/Britains can take note of this. I am pretty happy with the clearence of the unloading auger on the New S690. The auger swings out and up on a very noticable angle to clear tall grain carts, while it does not swing up as high as the Britains CIH 8010 model in 32nd, it is deffinately an improvement over the unloading auger on the 32nd Deere 9870STS & models before hand. I would compare, the S690's unloading auger clearence to about the same as Siku's T670 Deere model, which also had good unloading auger clearence. While Ertl/Britains did a decent job on the New S690 Prestige, they forgot to add the side work lights on both the right & left sides of the combines. These lights on the real machine, were located on the top left corner, below the grain tank on the Left side, and on the Right side side, they were on the top right cornor below the grain tank. Interestingly, the significantly less detailed 1/32nd 9870STS had these lights included, but excluded on the new 32nd S690 Prestige! Another detail lacking, was the windows, on the Canvas covers of the folding grain tank lids. On the 32nd model, the "Canvas" covers in the cornors of the powerfolding tank. were represented by black plastic. All Ertl really needed to do, was add a window sticker to both corners on the front of the Grain tank extentions, other then that, they covered the new 32nd Deere S690 pretty well and is a step up in detail over the 1/32nd John Deere 9870STS.... I still can't figure out, why a Collectors Edition, higher detailed 32nd 9870STS was never produced, but thats a whole different story for another day. If your a John Deere fan, or a collector of 32nd scale combines, I do recommend the new 32nd Deere S690 Prestige, and despite a few flaws, it really looks great with the 640 Flexdraper head and the 616C 16 row corn head on it. While, its not a Univeral Hobbies, or Wiking model, Ertl/Britains did a nice job on it. My Rating of the 2012 1/32nd John Deere S690" Prestige Combine- North American Release Quality Control: 3 out of 5 Cost to purchase: 3 out of 5 Attention to Detail: 3.5 out of 5 Overall impression of the model: 7 out of 10 Recommendation: YES, any JD fan or combine collector would be happy with the model. Jason B

Hi Yeah your right about the front axiel, It would be nice if it turned a little bit sharper, but it's not a huge deal to me, maybe something Wiking can take notice for future references. Never really paid much attention to the 3 point links. Looks like they may have gotten it backwords. Should have the link arms go lower and not as high, but what can you do. Should be a simple fix for the customizers out there. But for only 2 flaws, very impressive indeed! Hope we see more Wiking Deeres in the futures! Jason B

Hi Well, just when I thought I had found the best toy models with the UH Agco DT275B in 1/32nd, which is an impressive model by its self, I thought that nothing could out do UH's models, but that was before I stumbled apon the 1/32nd John Deere 6930 by Wikings! UH builds some excellent products but so does Wikings as well. At first, I was a little bit skeptical about spending close to $100 Canadian for a 1/32nd model, but once I pulled the 6930 out of the enclosed Wikings box, I was blown away buy this model! I really thought Wikings took a real John Deere 6930, shrunk it down and stuffed it into a box, that's how realistic this model comes to real life. I don't know where to begin with the Wikings 6930, but I will start with the exceptional cab detail, and for those wanting detail, you won't be disapointed! All the controls and various buttoms and switches are present, plus the Command Center Screen. As well, the 6930 features a detailed concel with all the various gages. The steering wheel is crafted excellent and sports a tiny John Deere leaping Deere Logo. Other nice detail in the cab, feature the head concel above the drivers seat that even has a radio detailed into it as well as various air vents for the AC and Heater! A very impressive feature found on the Wiking 6930 is the detailed air suspension seat which really impressed me... This was a detail that was lacking on Ertl's equally impressive Precision 32nd 8430 & 8530 Row Crop tractors. I was very happy with this touch. I was also quite pleasently surprised to find a tiny John Deere name written in fancy lettering on the drivers seat! Just like the real thing indeed! The cab also supported detailed clutch and break petals and even put detail into the cabs floor mat! My biggest impression was how Wiking took the detail level one step forward! While UH does amazing models, I really wished they offered opening cab doors & windows on their 32nd models... Well Wikings did not let me down here, while the 6930 has the cab handrails inside the cab like UH, the 6930 also features opening cab doors on both sides plus an opening rear window to boot! Which is very nice indeed! I also love the much more realistic and "True" 3 point hitch detail that the 6930 supports as well! The hitch is also nicely done as well. Other exterior detail I loved on the 6930 was the opening hood, which revealied a highly detailed engine and makes me wonder if they shrunk the real thing down and put in this model! Having the opening hood and engine detail has really put Wiking ahead with this model( in my opnion only) In all the Wiking 32nd 6930 is a beauty of a model, and I love being able to see my face reflecting in the 6930's realistic mirrors, another nice touch indeed!! I REALLY hope that we see more of these Detailed Tractors to come from Wikings! I Really want to see more Deere's with this level of detail in 32nd! After examing the model, I have no regret spending nearly $100 Canadian to obtain such a beautiful model, its an extrodinary model and this is the first model I have reviewed that gets a 10/10! I found no flaws with this model! As a personal opnion, these are my top 32nd Toy manufacters: 1) Wiking 2) Univeral Hobbies( although I consider both tied for 1st) 3) Siku 4) Britains( If all there 32nd models were at the Precision level they would be 3rd, just an honest opnion). Take Care Jason B

Hi Well the other day I recived another package from Bossen Implements, and inside was the new 1/32nd Agco DT 275B! At first glance, I can see why Universal Hobbies is so popular with collectors overseas and starting in North America. The detail they put into this model is extremly precise, and costs less then what an Ertl Precision sells for! This beauty has it all, from the detailed tires, through the cab handrails, mirrors, warning strob lights and the extremly detailed cab interior which features all the controls and features just like the real deal. This model even has seperate casted break and clutch petals, plus the cab handrails inside the cab! Very nice detail. The best part of this model is that it's mostly die cast, at least the hood and cab roof is, and the plastic is much more stronger then that used on Britains and even Siku. Overall, its a beautiful model and is loaded with detail. UH did an amazing job and top notch detail. Some changes or improvements, I would like to see made on Future UH models, is an opening Hood( or Bonnet) to reveil a detailed SISU diesel engine, and perhaps even an opening cab door. Another Change, I would incorporate is a better high detailed 3-point hitch with the quick coupler. Don't get me wrong, UH did a Swell job on this model, but I would Love to see a fully functional 3 point hitch on future UH releases. The rear hitch is nice as well, if your going to pull UH built implements, But I would like to see UH incorporate a Hitch, where the model could pull either a UH implement or an implement from another Toy company: ie: Spec Cast. Spec Cast did an amazing job on the new 1/32nd Kinze 1050 Grain Cart, which has the UH level of detail, in which I wanted to pull with the DT 275B from UH( when I get the Cart) unfortunately the hitch on the cart is different then the UH hitch, so I guess my NFTS 7580 AC FWD in 32nd will get the job instead. So in case in point, I would love to see UH design a hitch that would pull both UH implements and Implements from another detailed toy company such as Spec Cast. Other then that, UH has done an incredible job capturing the realisim of the real Agco DT275B! It looks like a mini -clone of the real deal and I have a hard time beliving it's a model. As the DT275B was my first UH model, I was extremly overwhelmed with the craftsmen ship and detail that went into this model and truely appreciate there effort. It is my hope that UH continues doing more North American Agco Built models in the future as I know they would go over in a big way! I particular hope that the New DT 275B AGCO from UH will pave the way for more models. I Really Hope that UH will eventually do the BIG Class 8 Agco combine in 1/32nd that could be done in both Europe and North American Configurations plus you could get several models off the tooling: ie: Challenger 680B, Massey Ferguson 9895, Gleaner A86, plus the Fendt version( which I forget the Model #. Anyway, I give the UH Agco DT275B a 9.5 out of 10! A beautiful model indeed and well worth the money! Only quality issue on my UH Agco DT275 B was a paint chip on the seat, other then that no problems. I will definately buy more UH models in the future, especially more Agco's & hopefully UH will get to do some Deeres as well. I highly recommend the 32nd DT275B to all collectors, and a nice addition if you already have the Massey & Challenger Versions! Great Job Universal Hobbies! Keep up the great work and PLEASE try to do the BIG Class 8 Agco Combines, I would definately like a Gleaner A86 to go with the DT275B. Anyway keep it up and can't wait to see what's released in 2010. Take Care Jason B