PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: SS- Obersturmführer, Das Reich, Russia 1941

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. .

Sunday, 4 April 2010

SS- Obersturmführer, Das Reich, Russia 1941

Labels: SS- Obersturmführer Das Reich Russia 1941 Posted by CALVIN TAN at 20:40

Here's another quick update on the sculpt. Thanks for all the constructive comments and as you can see some alterations were made. I decided to spread the digits of the left hand for a more natural appearance as the original cupped hand felt rather contrived. Also I had to lengthen the barrel of the Luger as it was almost a scale inch too short. The belt buckle and stick grenade were castings made by Taesung Harmms from my originals. I'm pretty much happy at this point with the overall look of the figure and I do hope to proceed to creating the groundwork as soon as the refinements are in place.

Also completed is a scratch-built 1/16 scale M-16A1 rifle built whilst waiting for my castings to arrive back from Taesung. I almost forgot how painful it was to scratch-build firearms. And yes, there are plans to use it with a figure ;)

Calvin

7 comments:

Andreas said...: great news! a calvin tan alpine figure!; 5 April 2010 at 01:29
Andreas said...: let's guess which subject he will sculpt guys!

I say U.S. 'nam seal;); 5 April 2010 at 18:13
markus said...: Just found your blog..an I'm quite impressed!

Would be glad if you could help me with a bust. It's the young miniatures Waffen SS 1944 Ardennes. I've got problems with the camo. Just klick the link and write a comment here or send me a mail to sk4telive.de

THANKS!; 7 April 2010 at 03:45
Marc said...: Oh Wow...nice job on the m16 too. Busy of late? Seldom see u online...stay frosty.

Cheers~; 9 April 2010 at 14:33
Anonymous said...: Actually Calvin, you are right about the first Luger, there are 3 barrel lengths made. Check your email, I sent you the photo of the one you made before and the present one of the real weapon.

Norman Lim; 10 April 2010 at 12:19
CALVIN TAN said...: Hi Norman,

I'm actually modeling the Artillery Luger which has a much longer barrel length.

Thanks for offering to help anyway.
I'll take up you up on your offer sometime soon ;)

Calvin; 11 May 2010 at 14:34
CALVIN TAN said...: Hi Andreas,

close but no cigar ;)

Calvin; 11 May 2010 at 14:35