NH 9880 Artic

[weblet375]

HELLO ,CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW MANY VERSIONS OF THIS MODEL WERE MADE.THE ONE I HAVE HAS BLACKED OUT CAB,BUT IVE SEEN ONE ON HERE WITH CLEAR GLASS. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

[FordTractorCrazy]

Hello, there are 4 versions by my knowledge. The blacked-out cab i have not seen before.

2 1:16 scale NH 9880's and 2 1:32 scale NH 9880's. Of the 1:32 versions one has clear glass and the rest is normal, the other has "microsoft" on the hood but is the same in every other way with the first version.

for more information, you might want to check my website : www.fordcrazy001.com , go to collection -> articulated -> NH 80-series

[weblet375]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.TRY TO FIND ONE NOW WITH CLEAR GLASS,ONCE AGAIN MANY THANKS.

[ploughmaster]

There have been four 32nd scale versions of this model.

The original one was issued in 1997 as a 9682 (#3021), and had solid black plastic cab windows (as was the norm for most of the shelf version 32nd Ertl artics at the time).

There was a second version, issued as a 9882 collector edition in a special box (#3017) with triple wheels, some extra details such as cab hand rails, and clear cab glazing/detailed cab interior (well....detailed for those days!).

The same model was then re-issued in 2004 as a 9880 (#13654) on dual wheels and having clear glazing/cab interior.  Ertl also produced 500 special editions with the 'Microsoft' logo on the top of the bonnet, for Microsoft to use in a US promotion of agriculture related software (these were issued under the same catalogue number).

From 2005 to 2006, the same clear glazed model was re-issued on triple wheels and this time badged as a 9884 (#13680).

All of these were only officially released in North America, and only came to Europe via a small number of specialist dealers.

The two later models were issued in the black, white and blue Ertl New Holland boxes with both an Ertl and a (smaller) Britains logo, and so may be seen in The Pocket Guide to Britains Farm Model Tractors 1998 - 2008 by David Pullen.

[powerrabbit]

Regarding the Microsoft version, it was a promotion model as stated but Ford New Holland never never took up the software so it is not known exactly how many of these models were actually produced of the stated 500, it is suspected not that many.

[ploughmaster]

I would think the full 500 were produced - I would expect they would have all been produced in one batch. 

Certainly there were a fair number appeared on eBay over the months following its first appearance, and Bill Walters actually stated on this site that 500 had been produced: http://www.farmtoysforum.com/forum/index.php/topic,2201.msg20903.html#msg20903 

I don't think it was aimed specifically at New Holland as it was a promo for Microsoft:

First off' date=' we did produce this tractor for Microsoft.  It is legitimate.

We were approached by Microsoft.  Apparently they have some software that is specialized for agricultural activities.  They wanted to have something to give to their customers of this software.  To make a long story short, it ended up being this NH tractor that was chosen.

Less than 500 were produced, so if you have one, you're indeed lucky.

[powerrabbit]

Ploughmaster. I'm not saying you are wrong but read the last seperated line of your post 'insert'.

I read in an article, Diecast & Collector Magazine I think it was, that the software was written for Ford New Holland and the tractors were commissioned by Mictosoft for the 'trade' but this software was in the end never taken on by FNH. You do see these turn up occasionally. I found the one I have on fleabay, as new in its box, the seller never mentioned in the description anything about the Microsoft script on the top of the bonnet so obviously didn't know anything about it. I bought it for £16 at the time and the reason I did was because of the article I read and transfering the picture in the listing to my photo programme and 'manipulating' it was able to see the script on the bonnet, if I had not seen the article in the mag I would probably never have given it a second thought. It would be interesting if we could find out the truth about this one.

[ploughmaster]

Whilst Bills' comment clearly suggests that the number is below 500, it also indicates that there were more than 400.  He would not have suggested "less than 500" if they had produced less than 300 for instance - he would certainly have a fair idea of the numbers - he is the Managing Director of the Ertl Brand for farm and construction after all.

At the time they first came to light, everyone got excited about them being hyper rare and only given away by Microsoft, but the number that surfaced on eBay.com and from various toy dealers over the subsequent months suggested to me that a fair few had been made. 

I also take what I have read, along with the wording in Bill Walters' post, to suggest that the software was not directed particularly at New Holland, and that the choice of a New Holland tractor was to a great extent an arbitrary one (it could have just as easily been a Case-IH or John Deere), so New Holland not utilising the software is perhaps ironic, but not necessarily significant.