PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: November 2023

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, 30 November 2023

SS Panzer Regiment 25, Norrey-En-Bessin, Normandy 1944

Labels: Rado Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 13:00

This figure is a conversion I have been working on since May. It is based on Rado Miniature's most recent release (35055) W-SS NCO with MP-40.

The original pose showing the figure dodging shrapnel (as opposed to evading paparazzi).

The anatomy of the face was rather lacking in the prototype shown on the right (it might have been fixed by now). I was compelled to re-sculpt the entire face with Milliput -Super Fine.

Despite several jarring flaws, this figure has one redeeming quality, the tilt and balance in figure's pose perfectly conveys forward movement. Thus in the spirit of Wasi Sabi I decided to convert it into a forward advance towards enemy lines.

In the first phase of the conversion, the right shoulder of the figure was completely carved down.to accommodate the new position of the right arm gripping onto the MP40. It is sculpted with Black Milliput and further touched up with Standard-grey Milliput. The trousers at the hip area was bulked up to enhance the silhouette of the figure,

In the second phase, I added the inner tunic and bulked up the right arm and trousers with standard Milliput.

Most of the re construction work was performed on the back. I remodeled the bread bag as the original did not have the in-print for the canteen and the mess tin. The Zeltbahn roll was flat and could not conform to the curved surface of the belt. This was solved by first slicing it into two, contouring it against the curved surface and connecting the two halves with Milliput. The D rings and O rings are made from fine copper wire. The helmet cover was also corrected to represent the Spring/Summer side.

In the next update, I will publish on the progress of the painting. Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday, 20 November 2023

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 10:10

Last weekend I was able to finally put on the crowning touches to this shelf queen that has been languishing since 2021. Despite the many false starts along the way, I finally made the decision to buckle down, rein in my expectations and get a move on this project. I admit that there are some parts that do need more refinement but I figured as long as the story is clear, I can always rework those problem areas in the future. For now, I an just contented that this idea has come to fruition.