PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: 5th Royal Tank Regiment, North Africa, 1942

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 7 February 2009

5th Royal Tank Regiment, North Africa, 1942

Labels: Alpine Miniatures - 5th Royal Tank Regiment North Africa 1942 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 10:18

After completing the paint work of the two figures in time for their timely release this month, I decided to embellish the seemingly plain groundwork with an Allied road sign and some litter left behind by the retreating Germans. The figures are now avaliable through Alpine Miniatures together with their 5th Anniversary figure, WSS Gebirgsjäger "Prinz Eugen", sculpted by Thai sculptor Pongsatorn Kanthaboon and painted by Spanish master painter Jaume Ortiz.
Also in celebration with Alpine Miniature's 5th anniversary, a Figure Painting & Photographing Contest has been announced on the company's site and several modeling forums. Click HERE for more contest information and here's also hoping to see some jaw dropping work from you guys out there!

Calvin

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Very Nice Good sir Looking forward to seeing more
Joel; 7 February 2009 at 17:14
Orb said...: Calvin, great work on these two, and the offset sign behind the barrel is inspired!

As ever, you and Taesung are THE perfect combination of sculpting and painting

Rob; 7 February 2009 at 19:21
CALVIN TAN said...: Joel, thank you for your comment.

Rob, I'm glad you like the extra extension to the groundwork . I was not too convinced that a sawed off section of an oil drum will fit with the composition. Hence, I decided to extend the ground beyond the limit of the square base to accommodate the drum and also a road sign as a backdrop.

Calvin; 8 February 2009 at 12:09
Radek Pituch said...: Hi Calvin
Congrats to you and Taesung. The figures look very cool and an allied subject it's a nice refreshment. The paintjob is excellent as always.
By the way thanks for adding a link to my blog. You only mistyped my surname :)

Radek; 8 February 2009 at 22:19