PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: October 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, 31 October 2025

ScaleACT, Canberra, 2025

Labels: AK Interactive, Alpine Miniatures, ScaleACT 2025 Posted by Calvin Tan at 15:01

Gearing up for next weekend's 1-day painting workshop in Canberra, Australia, with this painting sample accomplished with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. For those who have signed up (you know who you are) for the workshop, this will be the specimen you will be following. Please note that I will be sharing my approach to optimising the use of AK-Interactive's Gen 3 and Quick Gen to attain smooth tonal transitions in record time. I do need to emphasise that this workshop can improve your knowledge of figure painting; it cannot fix deeper issues like how you behave in group settings or your general baseline mood. That’s a job for incremental lifestyle changes sustained over time. Anyhow, here's looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend.

Cheers,

Calvin

Sunday, 12 October 2025

Alpine Miniatures - US 2nd Infantry Division, ETO, 1944-45

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 14:51

Finally completed, ahead of the SMC show next weekend.

I took the opportunity to try out our AK Interactive's new Quick Gen paints to render this assignment.

Cheers,

Calvin

Thursday, 9 October 2025

US 1st Marine Division, Operation Desert Storm, Kuwait 1991

Labels: AK Interactive, Young Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 18:36

This is the box art of a US Marine from Operation Desert Storm. It is a 1/10 scale bust from Young Miniatures, and it is painted with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics. I really enjoyed painting this piece, especially having watched the movie Jarhead starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx. It should hit the retail shelves sometime next week or at the Young Miniatures trade stand at SMC next weekend.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

Groundwork Time

Labels: Alpine Miniatures, Groundwork, Miniart Posted by Calvin Tan at 01:13

Working on the groundwork for a new 1/16 figure from MiniArt Building Accessories (35005). The bricks are made from DAS Terracotta fitted through a scratch-built styrene gig.