Finally, after many years of questions & detective work - mostly on 'here', with the invaluable assistance of fellow members, I've lifted the lid on my first WW1 kit.
The origins of Supply Tanks and the debates surrounding their conversion are well enough documented elsewhere on the forum - by far more knowledgeable people than I - not to need repeating here.
All I will say is that I took a small amount of artistic license with the riveting of converted parts. I don't know how else they'd have been constructed if not riveted or bolted... The rivet spacing on the stowage bins matches that of the drivers cab roof, including the staggering of rows. The blanking plates were riveted to match the tighter grouping of the sponsons.*
*To my eyes at least, there seems to be evidence of such riveting on the sponson blanking plates, between the grain & pixels of Dodo's most famous side-on photo.
Ultimately, I will load Dodo up with stowage to match the photo as faithfully as possible - once my POW cans arrive in the post. For now, I've just piled a few items on to give the general impression. [...and I think it suits her!]
Now, I just need to paint & weather everything in time for 'On Tracks' in Folkestone... whilst documenting the whole thing for a build article in Military Modelcraft International, at the same time.
Fantastic work, I cant wait to see it with paint on etc Paul
 Thanks! - You aren't the only one... I shall be quite glad to see it done also. The build was so much fun BUT it has been a bit of a trial since then... Hence I canned all ideas of showing Dodo at On Track.
I had 3 goes at painting her... 1st time I ran out of custom mix with an inch left to spray [bugger!], 2nd time I used an out-of-the-pot colour that looked rather like a cross between French Mustard and a baby's nappy - which was pretty accurate, but painful to look at. The final colour looks superb though.
To say that the New Penguin decals aren't very good would be putting it politely - they don't sit at all well, even with decal potions - which I'd already read in The Modelling News review. Matt varnish helped a little, a pin-wash also but weathering the crap out of Dodo with dirt / mud streaks is going to be the saviour there, I think.
I'll post an update when Dodo is ready for her close-ups. There will be a full build article in Military Modelcraft International ultimately.
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"You there on the port!". "S'gin actually, but thanks for noticing [hic]".
