 | | The box has some good photos and information. |  |  | | The TS150 being towed by a Peterbilt 357 in matching colours. |  | | The turntable base is carried on the side. |  | | Landing leg has hydraulic cabling. |  | | The conveyor mounted on the turntable. The draw bar is pinned into the end. |  | | The drive motors for the belts are really good with protection boxes for the drive chains. A sensor is attached to monitor material discharging over the belt. |  | | The conveyor is fully extended. |  | | It would look excellent in a quarry diorama. A Liebherr L 586 2plus2 stands by. |
| Superior Industries of Minnesota manufactures a range of conveyors and this is a model of one of the larger units, the TS150, which has an extended length of 150 feet. It has a fold down (FD) axle arrangement to enable transverse movement whilst operating. It can handle stockpiles of over 130,000 tons.
A feature of the machine is that it is fully programmable to enable the building of different stockpile configurations.
Packaging
The box is Superior Industries branded and has good photos and graphics, and it also includes the unique number for the model in the production run. Inside, the model is well packed within expanded polystyrene trays. There were no defects or missing parts on the review model.
Included in the box are a few small parts to fit although there are no instructions. A small leaflet describes the features and specifications of the real machine.
Detail
The model looks very convincing when taken out of the box.
The lower structure is modelled very well with the main structural members finely detailed and the area around the wheels is complex with plenty of hydraulic hoses leading to the wheels and cylinders. The automation control centre has an authentic feel and the wheels have detailed hubs and nicely treaded rubber tyres. Heavy duty landing legs are all metal and there are hydraulic lines running to the cylinders. Nice rubber mud flaps hang off support arms.
The main conveyor structures are excellent with the lattice work rendered very well and the mesh screening on each side is great. At the lower end the rock box receiving hopper is another all metal part. The turntable base is carried on lugs on the side during transportation and there is also a pin holder which is a nice detail.
The rubber belts are first class and underneath them all the training idlers are functioning. The belt drives on the two belts are beautifully modelled with realistic looking motors and perforated protection covers on the drive chains.
A sensor fits into the end of the inner belt to provide information to the programmable controller.
Features
The TeleStacker makes for a great transport load when matched with the Peterbilt 357 tractor available in the same colours. It tows well.
To set the conveyor up, the landing legs can be lowered, and the turntable placed under the hopper end. The telescoping legs open smoothly and are pinned into position. The fold down axles can support the conveyor for radial movement and are also pinned to secure them.
The telescopic conveyor structure moves very smoothly because it is supported on working rollers and so it is a joy to extend and retract.
Both belts can be turned and they move very well indeed.
Quality
This is a very high quality model. It is beautifully made with very little plastic, and the finish and graphics are excellent.
Price
Although it is not cheap, its quality fully justifies the price.
Overall
It is very unusual to see a model of a machine like the TeleStacker, but the good news is that it has been executed very well. It is full of fine details and works really well. It is a great model for posing within a quarrying diorama and all things considered it is an outstanding model.
Footnotes
The model was released in December 2005 and was made in a run of 2000 models. The manufacturer is TWH on behalf of Sword Models.
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|  | | The model in the tray. |  | | The parts out of the box. |  | | It is a great transport model. |  | | Excellent control centre. |  | | Detail underneath. |  | | This is the FD (fold down) axle version of the machine. It has great detailing. |  | | Fully extended the conveyor is about 95cm long. |  | | First class details throughout. |
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