PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: March 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. .

Saturday, 17 March 2007

One for the SAF

Labels: SAF Figure Commissions Posted by CALVIN TAN at 16:03

Hi Guys,
after weeks of radio silence, I can finally unveil the second project that I was working along side the Manga figure master. Commissioned by the General Staff of the Singapore Armed Forces, it's a 1/15 scale miniature portrait of the out-going Chief of Army, Major General Desmond Kuek posed on a "fictional" variant of our army's newly acquired Leopard 2 A4 tank. Quite a challenging project considering it's my first miniature portraiture and completed in a record time (for me at least) of three weeks, from sculpting to painting. Plenty of photo references of the subject was provided by the General Staff which made the sculpting proceed much smoother than expected. Due to the tight deadline imposed, I was fortunate to be able to drag an old modeller friend of mine, Juilan Yap from impending retirement from this hobby to assist in the modification and construction of the 1/15 scale Leopard tank. The base kit as most might know is the 1/15 Tamiya Leopard 2A6 remote control tank which Julian has deftly back dated it to what remotely resembles an A4 version. Call it a "Hollywood" version of the A4 if you must, the only justification for such a measure is due to security issues within the military as information pertaining to the design of the actual tank is still kept under key and lock.

The completed model was placed on a gloss lacquered teak wood base and presented to Major General Kuek last night by the head of General Staff during special ceremony cum happy hour. Wah piang eh! Everyone there all had "crabs" on their shoulders. It was like a nite out at Jumbo Seafood man! I saw quite a number of familiar faces too like my ex-CO and RSMs from my stint as an enlistee at 46 SAR. I also never knew you could indent Laksa, Poh Piah, roast beef, scallops and prawns in marinara sauce from SFI! Plus it was the first time I tasted SAF wine too! This 3rd Generation SAF really know how to enjoy man!

And in case some of you might be wondering.....NO...I'm not exempted from reservist and IPPT. No such luck....yet!

Calvin