EquipmentWorld.com | July 2014
31
Equipment manufacturers often
celebrate milestones with special edi-
tion scale models, such as this Bobcat 1
Million Loader edition unveiled at ConExpo.
other dealers and custom model makers.
DHS Diecast also has an open house, enticing
around 700 people with free hot dogs, diorama
and model contests, and displays of full-size his-
torical equipment. To hear Sword tell it, it takes
on the nature of a swap meet, especially when
it comes to stories. "People will come up to me
and say "I bought my fi rst model from you 15
years ago," he recounts.
In 2013, one DHS Diecast open house at-
tendee brought a fully operational 1:16
Manitowoc model; another – an 8-year-
old boy – showed off a Roadtec Shuttle
Buggy he'd made out of cardboard.
"They come from all walks of life,"
Sword says. "You'll get rich
collectors and guys
who are scraping to-
gether every dollar
to buy. The only
thing they have in
common is a love
of models."
