PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: June 2008

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. .

Tuesday, 24 June 2008

SS-Scharführer, SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502, Das Reich, 1945

Labels: SS-Scharführer SS-Panzer-Abteilung 502 Das Reich 1945 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 09:25

o
When I was taking inventory of my exhibits for the World Expo in Girona a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that they were all either private commissions or renderings for box art. Because I hadn't made anything for myself in a long time, I felt compelled to make just one piece for my own personal collection. Given the limited time frame of three weeks, this project was a "out of the box" conversion utilising stock offerings of a Hornet head and an Alpine figure (donated by Taesung Harmms)

I rummaged through my spare parts and accessories, hoping to be inspired by the objects I could find, having no idea how the figure was to be presented from the start. Soon after, I discovered an old stash of Tiger II ammunition crates from Tank Workshop, which provided me with my eureka moment. This was an old idea that I had done with a 120mm figure a long time ago, but I decided to revisit it on a smaller scale. What I like best about using these ammunition crates is that they can be used not only to build levels but also to create a variety of directional lines for visual presentation. To add variety and interest, similar elements such as the expanded tank round cartridges (from AFV Club) were introduced.

After resolving all outstanding compositional issues, I proceeded to render the scene in khakis, dark yellows, orange, and red browns using an analogous colour palette.

Not for a long time, until recently, I decided to use oil paints to render the shadows for black panzer wrap because I couldn't get satisfactory results with the acrylic paints I had on hand. As an acrylic painter, I have to admit to my oil painting colleagues that oil paints produce a much deeper tone of black.

Unfortunately, the lack of time spent rushing this figure out and performing a delicate balancing act of work and family explains the lack of any in progress shots for this project. :(

In case you're wondering, the stencilings on the crates are AFV Club water-slide decals, not hand painted.