PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: December 2020

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 31 December 2020

Alpine Miniatures - 28th Jäger Division, East Prussia, 1945

I am very privileged to close the year 2020 by painting the box art of this 1/16 scale upcoming release from Alpine Miniatures sculpted by the acclaimed artist John Rosengrant. It has been a while since I painted a sculpture from John Rosengrant and this has been an absolutely delightful experience. Despite a couple of false starts for the Sumpfmunster 44 pattern, I managed to gradually get the gist of recreating this elusive camouflage pattern using Vallejo acrylics. Evidently the trick is to meticulously stipple the hard edges of the shapes with very thin paint to achieve the diffused look - trademark to this pattern.

Posing another challenge to this assignment are the markings on the Panzerfaust. My solution was to create my own decals on Photoshop and printing them from my trusty Canon Selphy photo/postcard printer. Do check out this link for a full run down on my process of creating your very own DIY decals.

Well, that is all for the year 2020. Despite the pandemic situation with all major scale modelling events called off, it was still a bountiful year with a couple of shelve queens cleared off. Here's looking forward to a better year ahead for everyone.

Cheers,

Calvin

Thursday 24 December 2020

Young Miniatures - Wardaddy, US 2nd Armored Division, 1944-45

Labels: Young Miniatures, Young Miniatures - Wardaddy US 2nd Armored Division 1944-45 Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:27

Made some updates to this bust painted back in April this year. I realised that the colour temperature of the warm zone was too cold and desaturated. This lack of temperature contrast resulted in a colour scheme that is dull and thus lacking in visual appeal. The solution as I came to realise from studying cinematography lighting was to employ a complementary colour scheme which in this repainting the warm zone in an more orange hue. I think it looks significantly better and that is another lesson learnt in 2020.

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Calvin

Friday 4 December 2020

IDF 7th Armoured Brigade, Valley of Tears, Yom Kippur 1973

Labels: IDF 7th Armoured Brigade Yom Kippur 1973, Verlinden Productions Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:35

After a busy week I managed to squeeze some time to take some photos of the tank crew from the Yom Kippur War of 1973. The timing couldn't be more perfect as the Israeli TV series Valley of Tears is currently aired. It is really a magnificent series and possibly the best war drama series I have watched since Band of Brothers and The Pacific. For a scale modeller, there are a lot great references on the uniforms and field gear. Highly recommended!