As can be seen, the transporter was in a very poor overall state, and had lost it's entire front cab section. To keep it 100% Dinky, I decided to use a donor AEC articulated cab, which itself was in need of restoration.
All parts were stripped back down to bare metal, and the AEC was chopped across the back of the cab. A tail of metal was left which was used to attach to the chassis of the Transporter. Normally a steel right angle would be used to put back some of the rigidity, however because of the winding arm underneath this was not possible. The 'cut and shut' was achieved with layers of metal putty built up to form a rigid chassis, and as you can see from the first joining pictures, the model soon began to look like it was a good match.
The last picture above shows a section of white plasticard behind the cab. This has been placed to hide the joining putty as when the sides are replaced it will be the place least likely for any change to be noticed. The Transporter next to it is an origional one also awaiting restoration, and the picture gives a good comparison between the two.
The pictures above show the underside and the awkward join because of the necessity of leaving room for the winding arm to be able to move. The first picture shows the model in it's basic state just after it had been joined. The second a few days later after it had been tidied up. White plasticard has again been used to box in much of the evidence of the metal putty. Gaps had to be left at the edges, as the sides would at some stage need pop riveting back into place at these points. The third picture shows the underside as it was completed and laying next to the origional one. Finished in similar colours it bears up very well in inspection to the origional.
Finally here are some pictures of the finished article. Due to the expense of the donor models, there are I doubt many of this type about, but I think if the origional Auto Transporter was a ninteen fifties creation, this 'Code 3' version makes a rather good imagined nineteen sixties version. It certainly has a presence on any display shelf.
