Customized Scale Tractors

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
Published on November 21, 2008
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A parade of toy tractors at the ready after Dan Severson customized them.
A parade of toy tractors at the ready after Dan Severson customized them.
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Where the magic happens: part of Dan’s work area.
Where the magic happens: part of Dan’s work area.
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A White 2-155 with front wheel assist.
A White 2-155 with front wheel assist.
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An International 5488, one of Dan’s first projects.
An International 5488, one of Dan’s first projects.
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A Minneapolis-Moline G1000 Vista with front wheel assist. Dan detailed the piece, a sentimental favorite. “My dad worked for MM in the 1960s,” he says, “so I have a soft spot for yellow.”
A Minneapolis-Moline G1000 Vista with front wheel assist. Dan detailed the piece, a sentimental favorite. “My dad worked for MM in the 1960s,” he says, “so I have a soft spot for yellow.”
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John Deere 7730 with a 746 loader and functioning grapple.
John Deere 7730 with a 746 loader and functioning grapple.
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Dan detailed this Case-IH Quadtrac 530.
Dan detailed this Case-IH Quadtrac 530.
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This International 5488 is a relic from Dan’s childhood. He’s restored and customized the piece.
This International 5488 is a relic from Dan’s childhood. He’s restored and customized the piece.
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Although he primarily uses tweezers, Dan has a variety of instruments on hand.
Although he primarily uses tweezers, Dan has a variety of instruments on hand.

Dan Severson has at least 20 tractors. And he’s working quite diligently on all of them – with tweezers, in the dining room.

“I start with a plain toy out of a package from any store,” explains the Chatfield, Minn., man whose hobby is reconstructing, detailing and building 1/64-scale metal and plastic toy tractors. “I strip all the paint off, add lights, handrails, interior details like levers, and repaint it.”

Though he’s never lived on a farm, Dan’s passion for painting and detailing miniature farm machinery fills his spare time. It began with a battered toy tractor he had as a child and a suggestion from his wife, Angie, to find a hobby that would keep him busy and give him a breather after a long day’s work as an air conditioning and heating installer.

“There used to be a Minneapolis-Moline dealer in town that my dad worked for when he was 18 or 19, so that piece has sentimental value,” he says, eyeing his collection. “Some of these were toys my brother and I had when we were younger. The paint was chipped, and they were all beat up. I decided to restore them and add all the details.”

Before finding that there were other toy-tractor enthusiasts in the area, Dan kept his hobby to himself, thinking it was nothing of consequence. “I had a large collection and I found some guys that do custom detailing kind of like this, so I started doing this about four years ago,” he says. “I’ve just gone from there. Even my parents said they didn’t think this would turn into this big a hobby.”       

Small-scale workshop

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