Racing Champions Ertl to Produce 100th Anniversary Harley-Davidson(R) Collectibles

GLEN ELLYN, Ill., Feb. 24 -- This month, coinciding with the Harley-Davidson semi-annual dealer show and the American International Toy Fair, Racing Champions Ertl debuted their new 2003 Harley-Davidson(R) die-cast collectibles and pre-school toys. As part of Racing Champions Ertl's Harley-Davidson product line, the Company announced it will produce special 100th Anniversary die-cast collectibles.

"Everybody knows Harley-Davidson," said Peter Henseler, President of Racing Champions Ertl. "The company is a true American success story, and we're proud to be an official licensee. We're looking forward to bringing our entire line of Harley-Davidson products, including the special 100th Anniversary die-cast collectibles, to market."

This special die-cast collection will include 100th-Anniversary trademarks on the product and packaging and will be available for a limited time during 2003. The products will be sold through Harley-Davidson dealerships, specialty, toy, collector, and hobby stores and non-discount chain retailers.

About Racing Champions Ertl

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.