PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: DVD Production for Model Art Magazine

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, 4 May 2017

DVD Production for Model Art Magazine

Labels: Calvin Tan's Basic Guide to Figure Painting, DVD Production for Model Art Magazine, Makan Posted by Calvin Tan at 09:12

During the premier Malaysia Miniature Hobby Show in Penang 2016, Masahiro Doi and Manabu Sasaki from Model Art magazine attended my live demonstration on figure painting and approached me to consider producing some instructional videos on figure painting. Months later, an agreement was worked out between myself and Model Art Magazine of Tokyo and on Sunday, April 23 I traveled from Singapore to Tokyo produce the video.

I was greeted by Norio and Sasaki upon my arrival at Narita airport. With not a moment to lose, we were soon planning out the week's events over my first night's dinner in Tokyo.

Masahiro Doi, the project coordinator for this DVD filming and Norio Takemura over dinner on the first night.

I started my day early on Monday. Riding on a kick scooter I brought with me from Singapore, I managed to explore the perimeters of the imperial palace in the Chiyoda district and enjoy some fresh air before the start of the rush hour traffic.

Kitanomaru Park

Imperial Palace

After the morning sightseeing and workout it is off to the Model Art magazine office.

President of Model Art Co., Ltd. Ida-San

The afternoon was spent going around Tokyo acquiring the tools and materials needed for the painting demonstration. It was a great opportunity to visit all the main hobby shops within the Akihabara district - notably Volks, Yellow Submarine and most sentimentally Miniature Park; perhaps the last of its kind military figure specialist shops in Japan.

With my old friend Kauzo Kiuchi in front of his establishment - Miniature Park

Night view from Tokyo Tower

Norio Takemura

Yakitori dinner

My three gracious hosts; Norio, Sasaki and Masahiro Doi.

On Tuesday morning, Sasaski, Norio and I took a short road trip to the Tamiya headquarters in Shizuoka to visit the archive room. This was a trip that proved to be absolutely unforgettable....

En-route to Shizuoka - magnificent view of Mount Fuji.

In front of scale modelling mecca.

At the Shepard Paine tribute showcase in the archive room.

I was very fortunate to have met the iconic giant of scale modelling Mr Shepard Paine twice in my life; first in Rome 2002 and the second in Girona 2008. This was my first time seeing all of his iconic works done for the Tamiya catalog back in the 1980's and memories of my childhood came gushing back.

More around the archive room...

More iconic exhibits....

Francois Verlinden, Mig Jimenez and Hal Stanford

Hal Stanford's iconic masterpiece "Panther Feldwerkstatt"

It is back to Tokyo after lunch. Did some personal shopping around Shibuya and Harajuku district before getting dinner with Tokyo-based fellow Singaporean aircraft and ship modeller Adrian Koh.

A Japanese-Chinese style dinner

The filming location was situated in the Asakusa district - thus a visit to the famous Asakusa Kannon Temple was inevitable.

Filming of the DVD commenced on Wednesday and all the way through to Friday. Here are some behind the scenes shots...

The set-up

The director's station

...and a line-up of the people involved.

Management team from Model Art magazine led by Kohei-Ida, the gentleman on the far right.

Film crew and support.

Masahiro Doi

Thursday night was particularly memorable as Asami Watanabe and Shinji Hasegawa specially came down to the filming site to participate in the reunion from the first Malaysia Miniature Hobby Show held last year in Penang.

Salmon Chazuke - simple comfort food

Friday lunch - Unagi Don

Friday night outing to the Tamiya Plamodel Factory in Simbashi

With filming completed, the Saturday morning was free and easy for me. I took the ride scooter down from Kudanshita to Tsukiji Market to do some sight seeing and a very fresh bowl of Chirashi Don for breakfast.

Following a hearty breakfast, I rode the kick scooter up to Ueno. That Saturday morning was a great time to move around Tokyo on a kick scooter. The pavements and sidewalk were quite empty and not as bumpy I imagined them to be.

I rode back to Kudanshita from Ueno, passing by Akihabara to get ready for a workshop demonstration at Kiya Hobby later that afternoon.

A group photograph after the Kiya hobby workshop demonstration organized by Masahiro Doi. It was a great afternoon interacting with some of the local Japanese modellers.