The term “Beautiful Beast” aptly describes the Doepke Heiliner. Built to 1:16 scale, this Model Toy faithfully represents the real thing.
Other than tire and decal changes, the Heiliner remained basically unchanged during its production run from 1951 through 1956.
The two examples shown here represent the minor variances between early and late period toys.
Early Version – 1951-52
One view of the early Heiliner from 1951-52.
The Good Year lug tire was a highly detailed and handsome addition.
This early example has the “Model Toys” decal on the rear deck.
These large Heil hub caps are hard to find if you are missing one.
This lever controlled the movement of the pan, allowing it to either load or dump.
This thumb wheel controlled the depth of the cut.
At $16.75 this was the most expensive Doepke construction toy.
Although the box is rough, it still has the original packing insert.
The box date code of “C-2” indicates the year of manufacture as 1952.
Later Version – 1953-56
One view of the later Heiliner from the 1953-56 period.
The Fires tone turf tire did not appear on Doepke toys until 1953.
This later example had the “Model Toys” decal on the front bumper.
Other than tires and decal placement, the later toy remained basically identical.
The pan-control lever continued to function the same way on later examples.
An original Doepke stack is smooth, without any seams.
The “Heiliner” decal remained unchanged.
International Harvester Special Order
At some point, the Doepke Company produced a special-order Heiliner for the International Harvester Company.
The same red color was used, but the decals identified it as an “International Payscraper” even though the front hub caps still read “Heil.”
These IH toys are very rare.
Special-order examples for International Harvester are among the rarest Heiliner variations.