The 42nd Gateway Mid-America Toy Show was the first weekend of February, and the Gateway Farm Toy Club hosted the model and display contest. Eldon Niemeyer of the club shared that this year, to keep up with toy trends, they added two new categories, a 1/64th, and a 1/16th scale 3D Printed category. To enter in this category, a model had to be made of 80 percent or more of 3D components, and the model had to be printed by the one entering the contest.

The model and display contest brings people from all over the U.S., and this year, even an international contestant from Canada. Not everyone entered the contest. Some, like Robert Denison, of West Memphis, Ark., just brought items for the fun of it. Denison is famous for his amazing remote-control toys. “My latest is a propelled grain cart that I worked about six months on before completing it. The augur folds out,” he said.

“I took a 9620RY tractor and took the rear end off a 1/16th scale grain cart, then took the wheels and added tracks and a small rotary motor that rotates the auger inside and folds it out,” Denison explained. His second latest invention was a John Deere tractor with a silage blade.

“I took a 9620RX tractor and converted it to remote control and added a hydraulic silage blade.” While these were wonderful, for days, Denison also kept young and old alike captivated with his moving semi-truck that lights up, plays music, and has a smokestack that blows smoke.

Ten-year-old – soon to be 11 – Clay Goodman, from Mayetta, Kan., had a display at the show. The fifth grader was a big winner, taking first place in the Youth Division Display Contest and walking away with the People’s Choice Award. This is his second year participating in the contest. The first year he created a sheep farm, something based on his real-life experience of living on a farm. This year he changed it up. “Dad and I like to clear trees, that’s how I got the idea.”

His favorite part of his display is the old shed. He made it with his grandpa. “Me and my grandpa built it. He has a wood shop, and we build a lot of stuff,” Goodman said.

Sawyer Woods, of Wadesville, Ind., took second place in the youth layout display contest. In the junior division, Alejandro Cantarero, of Aurora Ill., won first place, and Brayden Flinn, from Winfield, Mo., won second.

Seth Eberhardt, of Mediapolis, Iowa, also had a beautiful display. Like Goodman, Seeth based this year’s layout on his life experience. “My layout is a harvest chopper and silage. I run this machine and want to build what I run,” he said.

The display goes through all the stages from harvest to storage to feeding the silage to the cattle in the bunk. All equipment was either scratch built or customized.

“The machinery has 75 hours, and it took 12 hours just to place 45 nails in the silo representing the head bolts,” Eberhardt added.

Eberhardt won first place in the Adult Division Display contest, with Allen Kosinski, of Springfield, Mo., taking second place. Sam Franck’s, of Bolivar, Mo., won first place in the 1/64th display, and Carl Sherrill, of Mascoutah, Ill., placed second.

The model contest brings together an amazing array of talent. Kenny Wulf, of Nixa, Mo., was set up with a cool display of customized Smith Miller trucks. “I build for me, but if someone wants one, they can by it,” Wulf, a truck driver shared. “I drive full-time for Associated Wholesale Grocers,” he added.

One of his favorite trucks he had set out was one that a 13-year-old boy once built.  “I won’t change the beds on that,” he said. “I used to be into farm toys, then 1/64th scale trucks and we had a fire and I lost them.”

His new focus was on Smith Miller trucks, a couple he was able to salvage. “Smith Millers are such a neat truck. I love the old originals from the late 1940s to mid-50s.”

His favorite of the bunch was the cattle trailer. “It was in the fire. I had to build the wheels and all the nuts and bolts are real. The mud flaps are made of leather. I had to rebuild the center post for this, and the lumber truck too.”

On the gas truck he built a bridge to widen the truck to make it a tandem. Besides the trucks, he also had an amazing crane he built using two Doepke cranes, and a D6 Caterpillar.

The truck contest this year included all sizes, and the competition was stiff. Joe Browen, of Grey Eagle, Minn., took first place out of this competition, which had many entries.

Dwight Block and his wife Ginette came to the show all the way from London, Ontario. “This is my first time at this show. I just went to Dyersville, Iowa, before this,” Dwight said.

This retired policeman is into customizing and scratch building. “I have just under 1,000 pieces.”

At the show he brought his lovely field cultivator he built. He builds implements. “I make tools to make parts to make toys,” he said. He was a big winner at the show, taking first place in the 1/16th scratch-built contest.

Gene Ficken, a longtime toy builder from Independence, Iowa, was on hand with his copy of a test unit from the University of Nebraska Test Museum. “I thought it was different to bring to the contest,” Fricken said.

He was right, the model won him 1st place in the 1/16th custom class. Dave Westbrook, of Newton, Iowa, won both the 1/64th scratch and custom-built contests.

Danny and Charlotte Angotti are longtime toy builders and vendors. This year, their son Jeremy joined together with his son Thad (11) and daughter MaryMae (8) to enter a couple scratch-built trucks. “We made our own frames and cut out the beds from rusted trucks,” Jeremy said. “I started this with them in the shop to learn.”

Little MaryMae said the only way she was doing this was if her truck could be pink, and it was.

Daniel Schibel, from Minnesota, had a cool 116th customized Oliver tractor with a forklift on the back. “It was a labor of love,” he shared.

Eleven-year-old Kendall Steffens took first place in the Farm Model Contest.