PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: August 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. .

Friday, 22 August 2025

Young Miniatures - British Airborne, 156th Parachute Battalion, Arnhem 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 01:07

Calling this piece done. One more for the display, one less from the stash.

Cheers,

Calvin

Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Young Miniatures - British Airborne, 156th Parachute Battalion, Arnhem 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 22:59

This is the most gruelling part of the project, near the finishing line, but there is still lots of housekeeping to do for the details.

Cheers,

Calvin

Young Miniatures - British Airborne, 156th Parachute Battalion, Arnhem 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 01:11

About 80% there. Some housekeeping is needed at the back. Time to hit the sack.....

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday, 18 August 2025

Young Miniatures - British Airborne, 156th Parachute Battalion, Arnhem 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 00:16

A little more progress.....

Cheers,

Calvin

Sunday, 17 August 2025

Young Miniatures - British Airborne, 156th Parachute Battalion, Arnhem 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 21:11

Last weekend I did a short painting demo at the Hong Kong International Model Festival with this 1/10 scale head from Young Miniatures using AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. This afternoon, I decided to spend a little more time rendering the facial features. To be continued.....

Cheers,

Calvin

Thursday, 14 August 2025

US Tankcrew from King and Country Toy Soldiers

Labels: AK Interactive, King and Country Toy Soldiers Posted by Calvin Tan at 10:20

Earlier this week, I visited the head office of King and Country Toy Soldiers in Hong Kong and was given a sample of their toy soldiers. As a result, I decided to attempt something new: elevate their paintwork using the AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. It took me approximately 4 hours to render the additional tones straight over the factory matt finish. The figure's proportion borders on the caricatured, and it reminds me of the old Series 77 figures from the 1980s by Pat Bird as well as the smaller 28 mm tabletop wargaming figures. Nonetheless, it does have its appeal, and despite some imperfections, I must say it was unexpectedly fun to paint.

AK Quick Gen colours were used to render the dark tones for this figure.

One can compare the factory finish on the left and the elevated finish on the right using the AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics.

At the head office of King & Country in Hong Kong, together with co-founder Andy Neilson and possibly one of Hong Kong's finest military figure painters, Angus Wong.

Cheers,

Calvin

Sunday, 3 August 2025

Leutnant, Großdeutschland Div., Battle of Targu Frumos, 1944

Labels: AK Interactive, Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 23:46

WIP – Alpine Miniatures 35193 with a Hornet head. Painted with AK Interactive Gen 3 acrylics and Quick Gen.

Cheers,

Calvin

Friday, 1 August 2025

Young Miniatures - The Liberator, Western Ukraine, 1941

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 00:10

I have finally placed the finishing touches on this piece. The symbolic reason behind the flamboyant Ukrainian embroidered scarf relates to the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa when Nazi Germany was seen as the liberators of Western Ukraine from Soviet oppressive rule. The soldier has obviously been showered with a token of gratitude, but as history would unfold, a far greater evil lurked behind the lavish facade.