PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: The Big Day!

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. .

Friday, 4 July 2008

The Big Day!

Labels: Model Shows - WE 2008 Girona Spain Posted by CALVIN TAN at 20:29

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The day got off to a good start for me as I was awaken to the smell of freshly baked croissants and butter rolls.

A picture of the kitchenette in the dining hall of the Hotel Margarit, notice in far center the oven where the fresh croissants and rolls are made, ahhhhh........

A shot of the medieval city Girona in the morning on the way towards the exhibition/contest halls.

I must say right from the start, the show was very well organized.(Possibly the best I've ever attended). Though the expected long wait in the queue for registration, it was however made enjoyable by the wonderful company of friends whom I've not met for a long time. And despite a fee of 30 Euros, every participant was entitled to an environmentally friendly shopping bag, a discount voucher from Corte Inglés (a nice touch to keep the wives and girlfriends busy ) and a voucher to redeem a souvenir item commemorating the show. I picked the Raul Latorre figure as I did not want to cough out another 20 euros for the fantasy piece. Goodies aside, because most of the registration was done via the internet, upon arrival at the registration station, all contestants received an envelope containing the show pass (with the flag of their representing countries), a printed list of their contest entries accompanied by two sets of bar-coded stickers ; one attached to the contest entry and the other retained by the contestant for retrieval purposes towards the end of the show.

The show pass and envelope with my registration number and entry particulars.

The contingent from Singapore and Malaysia at the entrance of the show.

Lunch buffet at a Chinese diner 5 minutes walk away from the convention center.

Friends from today's show:

Together with Quang and Anemie from Pilipili Miniatures

Marijn Van Gils

Here are some of my favorite picks from part of the judges' display:

Bill Horan

The Cannone Brothers

Diego Ruina

Adrian Bay

Gianfranco Speranza

Marijn van Gils

Mike Blank

Pepe Gallardo

The show closed at 8pm and as we left the convention halls, we made plans with Bernard Lutsig and a couple of other guys to meet again later for dinner and drinks somewhere in the town center.

Hasta Mañana,

Calvin