Racing Champions Ertl Showcases New Products at New York Toy Fair 2003

GLEN ELLYN, Ill., Feb. 14 -- Once again demonstrating the breadth and depth of its product line, Racing Champions Ertl is announcing an extensive line-up of new products at the 100th annual American International Toy Fair held in New York February 16-19. The new products, geared toward the Company's diverse customer base, demonstrate the on-going innovation and quality standards for which Racing Champions Ertl is known.

Marketed under the Racing Champions(R), Ertl(R), and JoyRide Studios(TM) brands, the new products on display include:

  -- The Fast and The Furious - A full line of The Fast and The Furious toy,
     collectible, hobby products, and apparel based on Universal Studios'
     blockbuster films. New introductions include die-cast replicas of the
     Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mazda RX-7, Toyota Supra, Dodge Charger, Dodge
     Viper, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta, and Chevrolet Corvette in 1:64
     scale, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mazda RX-7, and Toyota Supra in 1:18
     scale, and the first authorized die-cast key chain replicas of tuner
     cars from the new The Fast and The Furious movie coming this Summer.
     Also on display will be 1:64-scale plastic and die-cast activity kits
     that replicate the body styles and after-market parts that help define
     this cutting edge category as well as a preview of The Fast and The
     Furious race sets and launchers that will be available in the Fall.

  -- MechWarriors(R) - Articulated collectible figures that are die-cast and
     plastic replicas of the giant mechanized 'Mechs that convert into
     warriors in the extremely popular sci-fi MechWarrior: Dark Age
     collectible miniatures game and MechWarrior line of electronic games
     developed by Microsoft.

  -- Elasta Blasta(TM) - Soft foam ball shooters intended for indoor or
     outdoor use, packaged with three soft foam balls. Elasta Blasta foam
     shooters translate kids' fascination with bows and slingshots into
     true-to-life toys that appeal to kids with their realism, and to
     parents with their safety.

  -- Harley-Davidson(R) 100th Anniversary - Scale-model die-cast replicas of
     Harley-Davidson motorcycles and toys.  The die-cast replica product
     line features special products developed to celebrate the 100th
     anniversary of the legendary motorcycle manufacturer.

  -- Halo(TM) - Collectible figures and vehicles based on Microsoft Game
     Studio's Xbox(TM) and PC game properties. Primarily targeted at video
     game players and packaged with extra material that expands upon the
     actual game play experience, the new products further expand the
     Company's JoyRide Studios product category into the multi-billion
     dollar video game market.

  -- Tomica Town - An integrated play environment that children can create
     for themselves. Under agreement with Tomy, a Japanese maker of die-cast
     cars and accessories, the Company will market Tomica Town in the United
     States. Tomica Town is a miniature world, complete with scale-model
     replicas of familiar icons, including buildings such as McDonalds and
     Shell, and cars by Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi.

  -- NASCAR - Die-cast replicas of the Chevy Monte Carlo and the Pontiac
     Grand Prix for the Company's NASCAR Collector, Premier, and Authentics
     series. Coinciding with the running of the Daytona 500 in Florida on
     February 16 and reflecting the new body styling that will be introduced
     there by General Motors, the new releases, in 1:64 and 1:24 scale,
     continue the Company's tradition of creating highly detailed replicas
     that are faithful to the original.

  -- Toy of the Century - 1947 Die-Cast John Deere Tractor. Named to the Toy
     Industry Association's "Century of Toys" list of the one hundred most
     memorable and creative toys produced in the 20th century, the scale-
     model John Deere Tractor was produced in 1947 by The Ertl Company (now
     Racing Champions Ertl). During the more than 50 years that they have
     been produced by the Company, scale-model John Deere tractors and
     related products have remained a leading and successful category in the
     toy and collectibles industry worldwide.

  -- American Muscle - "Star Cars" from more than ten movie and TV licenses.
     The vehicles, authentic and highly detailed, look as if they've just
     pulled off the studio lot. The line-up includes: Speed Racer Shooting
     Star, Animal House Deathmobile, Animal House '61 Corvette, xXx GTO, The
     Car, American Graffiti '55 Chevy, Fast Times and Ridgemont High '70
     Camaro, and National Lampoons Family Truckster. Also premiering are six
     new American Muscle tools, including '68 GTO, '66 Chevy Biscayne, '72
     Chevy Vega, Ford T Bucket, '77 Pontiac Firebird, and '04 Pontiac GTO.

Racing Champions Ertl ( www.rcertl.com ) is a leading producer and marketer of innovative collectibles and toys targeted at males of all ages. The Company's diverse product offerings include scaled die-cast replicas of John Deere agricultural equipment and NASCAR stock cars, other licensed vehicle replicas, pre-teen toys, sports trading cards, racing apparel and souvenirs, and collectible figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing Champions(R), Ertl(R), Ertl Collectibles(R), American Muscle(TM), AMT(R), W. Britain(R), Press Pass(R), and JoyRide Studios(TM). The Company reinforces its brands and enhances the authenticity of its products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties including NASCAR, NHRA, John Deere, Harley- Davidson, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Hit Entertainment, Nintendo, Sega, and Electronic Arts. The Company's products are marketed through multiple channels of distribution, including mass retailers and specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers, and to corporate accounts for promotional purposes. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail outlets located in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Certain statements contained in this release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "expect," "intend," "may," "planned," "potential," "should," "will" and "would." Such forward- looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such uncertainties and other operational matters are discussed further in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's actual results and future developments could differ materially from the results or developments expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.