PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: January 2007

ARTIST STATEMENT

In the words of Wilbur Smith "War is the game played by old men with the lives of the young". The pawn in this game is the combat soldier, represented by the miniature toy soldier; an insignificant being on the battlefield. Combat is the most intense moment of war, where life and death balances on a knife's edge. The results are terrifying and reveal the worst part of our human nature. Conversely, there are moments when it exudes the best of our human spirit. Most of the miniatures you see here are diligently researched from historical sources and handcrafted between scales of 1/35 to 1/16 (approx 50mm to 120mm). The intricate rendition of human expression and fine details not only demonstrates the level of craftsmanship but also serves as a reminder of the fragile nature of human life. I represent no political bias though my miniature creations. My aim is to portray humanity through the chronicles of military history and thus it is my pleasure that I present to you my weblog Perspectives in Miniature.

Calvin Tan

WWII GERMAN UNIFORMS - PERSONAL MIXES BY CALVIN TAN

In conjunction with AK Interactive, this exclusive Gen 3 acrylic paint set is specially composed with the essential colours that I use to render WWII German Uniforms. It contains 18 colours and a small pamphlet with my personal colour mixes. If you are keen to acquire all the colours on my palette to paint a field grey tunic, a splinter pattern zeltbahn, an oak-leaf pattern smock or the Kharkov anorak, look no further, this is the set for you to get started.

CALVIN TAN'S BASIC GUIDE TO FIGURE PAINTING

This instructional DVD published by Model Art magazine was primarily developed for the beginner armour and diorama modeller in mind. The video presentation will feature a variety of easy to master techniques used to render a 1/35 scale plastic injected moulded figure.Topics include proper paint application techniques, choice of brushes as well as some little tricks for painting fine detail. It is fundamentally a showcase of some of my methods and techniques for painting military figures and I am certain it will prove beneficial for any modeller who wishes to improve on figure painting. It is currently available in both Japanese and English.

CALVIN TAN'S GUIDE TO CONVERTING AND PAINTING FIGURES

In this third instalment, I will share my techniques and materials to customize and detail an inexpensive stock plastic figure. Watch as I take you through the steps on how I modify a pose, model details such as hands, belts and webbing and insignias. Learn about working effectively with epoxy putty as well as plastic styrene and paper. As a continuation from my first two DVDs, I will demonstrate how to model and paint a simple groundwork as well as an alternate approach using a monochromatic underpainting to render both a field grey tunic and the World War 2 German Splinter Camouflage pattern on a helmet cover. If you have enjoyed and benefitted from those previous titles, this edition will be a welcome addition to your journey in scale figure modelling – regardless of your current skill level. It is my sincere hope that this could inspire you to embark on your own creative adventure in this fantastic hobby. .

Thursday, 25 January 2007

Labels: Fallschirmjager Panzershcreck Team - Normandy 1944, Makan, The M Workshop Posted by CALVIN TAN at 22:24

Finally got the move on the Fallschirmjager vignette today with the groundwork.

I will probably finish this piece according to the painting suggestions from this wonderful book. With a black undercoat that is!

I guess the main reason for a box art on Alpine figures is so that modellers will start posing Taesung's figures like that :P

Made the trip down to Bernard's shop on Wednesday to snap some photos of Dinesh's Pacific Sherman and John Tham's petite little Hotchkiss tank...

....and forgetting some Kweh Pie Tee.

Cheers,

Calvin

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

Final Touches

Labels: LSSAH Taganrog 1941, Makan Posted by CALVIN TAN at 23:09

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Phew.....Finally placed the finishing touches to the LSSAH Taganrog figure and moving on to the Fallschirmjäger Panzerschreck Vignette.

On a lighter note, here's a picture of my Friday night's supper down town. Yes....Bak Chor Mee (mince meat noodles).

Calvin

Thursday, 18 January 2007

Some new pics...

Labels: Alpine Miniatures LSSAH Tankers 1941-42 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 11:01

Here are some new pictures of the pair of Recon Sturmartillerie figures from Alpine Miniatures I did a while back for the official box art. Some newer additions include the carrying and fastening strap on the Unterscharführer's bino and a pair of goggles for the Sturmann.

Cheers,

Calvin

Slow and Steady....

Labels: LSSAH Taganrog 1941 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 00:51

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Hi Folks,

progress on this project finally picked up a little yesterday with most of the little details painted. The helmet cover still remains largely incomplete especially towards the back. I've also stumbled upon a new technique(at least for myself) to create the SS runes after encountering so many problems in the past trying to adhere photo-etched ones to uneven collars.

cheers,

Calvin

Thursday, 11 January 2007

Tunic and trousers

Labels: LSSAH Taganrog 1941 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 00:22

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Moving on to apply the base coat for the tunic and trousers. It's pretty smooth sailing from here on... all except maybe the belt of ammo around the MG-34.