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Featured Modeller - Chris Baxter
My name is Chris Baxter. Born South African in 1965, my modelling started at the age of 4. It was an Airfix Harrier. Packaged in a plastic bag. By the time my brother (Murray) got home from school, the stabilising wheels were pointing up and I had no idea why Airfix gave me 4 wings for a plane that only needed 2. Murray helped me right and tried his best to rebuild the model.
I would like to say that was the last time he ever helped me during our long modelling life, but as things went on, we modelled together and built up a collection of models that would stun most collectors.
Between the two of us we collected armies. We had armies from all over the world ranging from WWII to modern. However, there were one army that we could never have – A Modern South African Armoured Division. The models available did not match anything the SADF was using. The only alternative was scratch building the real thing. The first attempts were horrible, but as I mastered the art of scratch building, the models became better.
I started casting my first models as late as 1998 after meeting up with Stevin Henn (Aerografix). He showed me the ropes by allowing me to hang around his workshop and even allowing me to build some projects with him for the military and other companies.
Starting my own company (BaxMod) was inevitable. The models became popular within South Africa and soon people started asking for more than just Ratels. In 2000, BaxMod officially became a company and from the start I decided that the difference between BaxMod and other companies would be the following: BaxMod, no matter how difficult, will never sell a solid casted resin kit. As far as possible, BaxMod will provide the modeller with a model that will have interior detail and as the industry and the technology grows, so we will try our best to keep up and produce a better kit every time the moulds are redone.
I hope that I have achieved that. I hope the models are appreciated and that the modeller enjoys building the models as much as I enjoy producing the masters. I have a passion for the South African produced vehicles and as a result the main stream of BaxMod will always remain South African Vehicles produced during the Border War.
Ratel 20 1/35Scale
Production of the Ratel in 1/35 scale started after I have released the 1/72 model. The model in the photo was the first model out of the moulds. It is however not the first Ratel I ever build.
Stevin and myself decided to launch a Ratel kit together. At the time I lost the battle and as a result a solid casted Ratel was produced. This model is still available from Aerografix, though I am sure Stevin has done considerable work on the model.
Back to the above. The first run of this kit was still done in F18 resin. At the time the kit had no photo-etch parts. It did however have the axle struts and interior firing ports. It was not until after the build that I decided that the struts would be better in metal and that the interior firing ports did not add much value to the kit. Therefore it was left out during the following batch. The turret basket was also found to be a difficult build. The basket was hanging from 1mm F18 resin rods and I found the cast to be rubbish and very prone to breakage. The next run contained metal parts for everything thin. The barrel of the kit was also resin and I soon found that it was difficult to move the model without changing my Ratel 20 into a Command Ratel as the 20mm would be snapped off. That too was changed to a metal casted barrel for the next batch.
The above shows that it pays to build your own creations. That way you can fix the mistakes of the model before the modellers blast you in reviews.
In my view the model goes together very nicely and even though the parts sometimes needs a little work, the end result is a lovely representation of a armoured vehicle that was respected not only by those that served, lived and slept in them, but those that had to fight against them.
The latest release (batch 3) includes photo-etch parts for the basket supports and the engine deck. The barrel is metal casted and the rest of the model is casted from F18 resin. Mk3 wheels are available for those that what to build the model as a post 1994 variant and can be obtained on request.
Casspir 106 1/35scale
The Casspir 106 is the latest model in the BaxMod range. In my view, the best model I’ve ever produced! From the outset, the model contained the everything and there is nothing that BaxMod will need to change or enhance with the next run.
I have always been interested in this variant of the Casspir. The 106mm recoilless has a special place in my history. During my 2 years in the South African Defence Force in 1984 and 1985, I was trained as an instructor in Anti-Tank. The 106mm was our primary weapon. At the time, the Anti-Tank platoons operated with long wheel based Jeeps. Training was done on the open fields of Oodtshoorn, but as soon as we found ourselves in the bush of Angola, the Jeeps were not a suitable weapons platform. It was just too low. The grass was always higher than the weapon. Other vehicles were tried as weapon Platforms, but the military never officially designed an alternative to the Jeep. Years later, on a visit to Infantry School in Oodtshoorn, I was introduced to the new Casspir 106. The vehicle was specially designed for the 106mm and with a stable chassis and the extra height, I believe, a perfect substitute for the Jeep. It also provided the crew with an anti-landmine and armour protection capability, something I always thought we needed when travelling around in our jeeps in Angola.
Back to the model. BaxMod used the Casspir model as a starting point. Chopped off the cab behind the first window and constructed the fold down sides and ammo boxes. A few extra’s were added to the side and the back of the vehicle was extended as per the design of the original vehicle. Photo-etch parts and clear parts for the windows finish off the model. At this stage the model sells without the 106mm, but negotiations are under way with a company to supply BaxMod with a plastic injection 106mm model. Until then however, the modeller will need to use the AFV, Military Wheels or academy models available for the 106mm.
The resin is also new. BaxMod has changed the resin from the old F18 to the new SmoothCast range. The new resin is stronger and therefore smaller parts like the shocks, driving shafts and other parts can be casted with more accuracy and confidence in knowing that the parts will not break.
Building the model was particularly enjoyable. The parts go together easy and as stated before, there is no need to change any of the parts for the second run.
If you are into building something new and strange, this is the model for you. Truly South African and in my view a must for any modeller interested in South African Armour.
Cassipir 106 1/35 scale