PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: April 2025

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. .

Saturday, 19 April 2025

Ultracast - IJN Pilot, Pacific, 1944

Labels: Ultracast Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:20

Finally done on this 1/32 scale figure by Mike Good. Painted with AK Interactive Gen3 acrylics.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday, 16 April 2025

Staff Sergeant, US 2nd Armored Division, ETO 1944-45

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 02:12

This is a second rendition of Alpine Miniatures 35284 with the Dragon's Teeth anti-tank obstacle from Gecko Models. Painted with AK Interactive Gen 3 acrylics and Real Colour markers.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday, 9 April 2025

Staff Sergeant, US 2nd Armored Division, ETO 1944-45

Labels: AK Interactive, Alpine Miniatures, Real Colour Markers Posted by Calvin Tan at 11:21

This is the result from two evening painting sessions on Alpine Miniatures 35284 US Tank Commander #1. For the first time, I used AK Interactive's Real Colour markers to lay in the base colour for the uniform and Gen 3 acrylics to render the rest of the figure.

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of these markers. For starters, they are absolutely convenient; just uncap and apply onto the unprimed resin surface. The adhesion is strong, and the coverage very good, requiring a single pass in most cases. The paint flow is very smooth, and it automatically levels out without clogging any of the fine details on the figure. I dare say it handles even better than the conventional brush and is particularly effective for painting small and medium-sized features.

Overall these markers are a fantastic complement to the Gen 3 acrylics. The strong adhesive quality makes it a fantastic alternative to paint primer. I will definitely be featuring these markers extensively in my future write ups.

Cheers,

Calvin