CASE Construction Equipment Designs Distinctive Skid Steer Inspired By Metallica Front Man James Hetfield
One-off special edition loader follows on from charitable foundation’s compact
tracked loader, with graphics inspired by Hetfield’s career and persona.
Munich, April 7, 2025 – At Bauma 2025, the CASE Construction Equipment stand
will host a very special SV340B skid steer loader. The custom-designed machine
draws inspiration from rock band Metallica’s frontman and co-founder, James
Hetfield.
“Our remarkable team transformed this special edition skid steer loader from a
designer’s sketch into a one-of-a-kind machine,” said David Wilkie, Head of
Industrial Design.
“This special edition truly captures CASE's rock spirit and attitude, like the sound
of the Metallica’s front man’s guitar solos”.
In December 2024, CASE presented an equally distinctive TV450B compact tracked
loader to James Hetfield in person at the YouTube Theatre in California, USA, at
the Helping Hands charity concert, organised by the band’s All Within My Hands
charitable foundation. Hetfield commissioned the design as part of an equipment
supply agreement with our CASE brand.
The original design was inspired by one of Hetfield’s tattoos—a skull with wings—
paired with a sharp, iconic font that echoes his band's graphics and album artwork,
as well as the pinstriping found in Hetfield’s private hotrod collection. These
elements were seamlessly integrated into a sandy camouflage pattern reminiscent
of Hetfield’s signature Snakebyte electric guitar, a direct request from the artist.
For the Bauma edition, the sandy camouflage was replaced with a grey camouflage
that better reflects CASE brand colors.