PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: Alpine Miniatures - Grenadier, 558. Volksgrenadier-Division, East Prussia 1945

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, 18 June 2009

Alpine Miniatures - Grenadier, 558. Volksgrenadier-Division, East Prussia 1945

Labels: Alpine Miniatures - Grenadier 558. Volksgrenadier-Division East Prussia 1945 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 15:13

Once again I'm very privileged to host a sneak peak of Alpine Miniature's upcoming release of another 1/16 scale German figure. Before one recoils into exasperated sighs of another "boring and imaginative" subject, it has to be said though many were made, few what so ever surpasses the quality put forth by such.

Sculpted by proprietor and principal sculptor Taesung Harmms, this figure bears the quintessential quality trademarks of Alpine Miniatures. From the demeanor and characterization, the styling of the Zeltbahn (shelter quarter) over the winter greatcoat and canvas webbing, to outfitting of the ubiquitous Gewehr-43 rifle, this figure resonates everything about the archetypal German soldier from the late-war period of 1944-45. As usual,two head options with different styles of helmet head gear will be provided.

Though provided is the single option of a Wehrmacht soldier, depiction to a Waffen-SS soldier can easily be done by changing the belt buckle. Some 1/16 scale Tamiya figure kits provide two options of belt buckles, allowing a spare for such an undertaking.

In this coming weekend, I'll try to provide an update to the progress on the painting of the kit from the past week.

cheers,

Calvin

5 comments:

Dani Serrano said...: Great figure, can't wait to see it painted, mate!; 18 June 2009 at 17:38
Rudi Richardson said...: Oooooh, very nice Taesung! I have no idea why, but the pose makes me think "Shhhhh, be vewy, vewy qwiet. We'wre hunting wabbits." :D (Just kidding TS ;) ) But then I see all the detail and that goes right out my head :D

I'm looking forward to following your progress on this one, Calvin.; 18 June 2009 at 20:17
Andreas said...: WOW Ive seen it as sculpt on TL

great figure!!!

I hope youll paint it as well xDDD

Andreas; 18 June 2009 at 20:53
Jim Johnston said...: Really nice subject and pose. I look forward to seeing what you do with this figure as your work is truly outstanding.; 19 June 2009 at 05:49
Anonymous said...: Great figure, can't wait till it is in the shops. Greetings form Holland.

John van Pelt; 28 June 2009 at 18:19