PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: September 2022

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. .

Friday 30 September 2022

BAR Gunner, US 2nd Infantry Division - Germany 1945

Painting this figure for the third time to represent the US 2nd Infantry Division during the closing stages of the war.

Cheers,

Calvin

Thursday 22 September 2022

Alpine Miniatures - Oberscharführer, LSSAH, Büllingen, 1944

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 22:37

No significant progress except to finish the building of the Jerry cans and transfer the overgrown composition to a slightly larger base.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday 21 September 2022

Alpine Miniatures - Oberscharführer, LSSAH, Büllingen, 1944

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 00:18

This evening I decided to swap out the Tamiya oil drums in favour of those from MiniArt. I also expanded the composition with another two more oil drums and several Jerry cans to convey the detritus at the Büllingen fuel deport. It looks precarious. but Jerry Can balance.

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday 19 September 2022

Alpine Miniatures - Oberscharführer, LSSAH, Büllingen, 1944

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:37

A little something unorthodox, an Alpine head swapped out with a Tamiya face.

Cheers,

Calvin

Tuesday 13 September 2022

US 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, Germany, 1945.

Labels: Tamiya US Infantry Scout Set Posted by Calvin Tan at 22:31

All done with this piece.

A close up of the Goliath tracked mine. This is probably the closest I will ever get to painting a 3-tone WW2 German armour model with an airbrush. This is also my first time trying out the delicately turned spent brass casings from MASTER of Poland that was given to me by Sudhesh. Judging by the fine results, I might be knocking on his door for more.

A view of the vignette when it's held in my hand.

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday 12 September 2022

Tamiya - US Infantry Scout Set (35379)

Labels: Tamiya, Tamiya US Infantry Scout Set Posted by Calvin Tan at 00:30

Refining the details over this weekend.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday 7 September 2022

Tamiya - US Infantry Scout Set (35379)

Labels: Tamiya, Tamiya US Infantry Scout Set Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:46

Working from remote. A minor conversion to last weekend's demo figure and a recycled concept for the groundwork with the Goliath tracked mine.

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday 5 September 2022

Tamiya - US Infantry Scout Set (35379)

Labels: Tamiya, Tamiya US Infantry Scout Set Posted by Calvin Tan at 20:35

This evening I managed to skip out on a family dinner by the in-laws to add some refinements to the figure I used for the painting demonstration at the AK Interactive International Competition held in Bangkok last weekend. Evidently, "Not tonight Dear, I have a headache" can be employed for such situations too :D.

Cheers,

Calvin

AK Interactive International Competition - Thailand 2022

Labels: AK Interactive International Competition 2022 Posted by Calvin Tan at 13:14

Here are some excerpts of the contest entries and model displays from the premier AK Interactive International Competition held in Bangkok Thailand over the weekend of 3 and 4 September 2022.