Superior Industries recently entered into the realm of die-cast models with a 1:50-scale replica of the TeleStacker manufactured to blueprint specifications. It is a 3-foot-long die-cast model with moving parts. The sliding, telescoping section extends 36 inches, and the model features working hydraulic cylinders. It is moveable and can be displayed in travel or working modes. The flip-down axle operates, and the fifth wheel pin connects to an available trailer.

“I saw one and it was beautiful,” says Mark Macreading, senior columnist for Toy Trucker & Contractor. “(Superior Industries) must have paid a fortune to have that model produced, if you think of how many parts had to be cast and molded.”

The TeleStacker model is intended for the adult collector, but there also is the Duratoy Sand Master built for the child's sandbox. It stands 4 feet long, 2 feet high and 30 inches wide. The 18-gauge-steel toy weighs 57 pounds. The conveyor operates manually to move material from a collecting hopper to the dispensing chute. The chute operates with a lever to dump material into a truck. It is built to fit Tonka and Bruder toys.

The Duratoy project was designed as a charity, says Neil Schmidgall, an original founder of Superior Industries. It benefits the family of former Superior Industries engineer, Jerry Nohl. Nohl conceived the idea but was unable to see it through after dying in a plane crash in 2003. He left behind his widow and three children. Upon Nohl's death, Schmidgall finished the project and donated all the profits to the remaining Nohls.

Both the Duratoy and the TeleStacker model are being sold for $349 through DHS Diecast and can be purchased from the Superior Industries Web site. There were only 2,000 made and each is numbered.