6th Guards Tank Army, Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy, 1944

 Finally completed this shelf queen. One less model from the stash.

Cheers,

Calvin

6th Guards Tank Army, Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy, 1944

I recalled making this quick conversion of an early Alpine figure (35040) paired with another Alpine head from set (35282) back in 2023.

It has been languishing on my shelf for quite some time, and this weekend I thought I would give it a final push through the door and give it a quick and simple groundwork using parts from the scrap box. The legs were repositioned to fit into the grooves of the tracks to attain a more natural stance. I also added a white flag fashioned from epoxy putty in the background to echo the breeze carrying the flaps of the tanker's helmet. 

I painted the groundwork and sealed it with a mist of Flat Clear before adding glass powder to represent the light snow. 

Cheers,

Calvin

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

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

Cheers,

Calvin

Sergeant, 5th Royal Armored Regiment, Normandy 1944

This quick project was completed over the past week using the spare head from the earlier Alpine Miniatures box art assignment.

Here is the lineup of colours used to paint the British Battledress. The base colour is a 1:1 mixture of N5 Earth Brown and British Uniform Base. Brown Black Quick Gen is added to the base colour for the shadows, whereas Light Earth is for the highlights.  

As mentioned, I had the opportunity to try out the new AK Quick Gen paints on this figure. My assessment is that this series of paints are specially formulated to provide a quick translucent wash/glaze to deepen and enrich the tones of the AK Gen 3 acrylics. I suspect that the Quick Gen is mainly dye/ink-based, whereas the AK Gen 3 acrylics are heavily pigment-based. For those who have experience using the AK Gen 3 paint to perform thin glazes, they might occasionally encounter a "chalky" matt finish, sometimes lacking in colour saturation and depth. That is where the AK Quick Gen comes in to enrich and deepen that particular tone. 

In summary, consider the Gen 3 acrylics as gouache, viscous and highly opaque. Its main purpose is to provide effective coverage. The Quick Gen on the other hand, are like inks and watercolours; though fluid and translucent, they possess a richer tone and are therefore most ideal for staining surfaces. This is the perfect complement to the Gen 3 acrylics, and it will definitely take one's painting to another higher level.   

Calvin

Alpine Miniatures - WW2 British Commonwealth Tank Crews, 1944-45

Finally done. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Alpine Miniatures - WW2 British Commonwealth Tank Crews, 1944-45

Completed the NCO figure.

WIP on the officer taking a fag.

Testing fitting the pair onto the groundwork with a concrete road sign from MiniArt as a backdrop.

Cheers,

Calvin

Alpine Miniatures - WW2 British Commonwealth Tank Crews, 1944-45

I am putting the bust aside for now to embark on this 1/35 scale box art assignment from Alpine Miniatures.

Cheers,

Calvin

Lieutenant, US 45th Infantry Division, Bavaria, 1945

All done for this piece.

Cheers,

Calvin

Lieutenant, US 45th Infantry Division, Bavaria, 1945

This weekend I managed to get most of the painting done for the figure, with the exception of the boots and the grease gun. Some parts of the groundwork remain quite raw and will need some attention once I complete the painting of the figure. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Lieutenant, US 45th Infantry Division, Bavaria, 1945

A little more progress on the groundwork before I resume work on the figure.

Cheers,

Calvin

Lieutenant, US 45th Infantry Division, Bavaria, 1945

 A little more progress on this compositional exercise. The main takeaway for such a project is to engage as much play as possible with the available material and improvise the layout and composition according to one's intuition and design knowledge. The scene is rather busy at this stage, and I will probably need to figure out how to harmonise all the elements to sustain the viewing interest of the audience.

Cheers,

Calvin

Lieutenant, US 45th Infantry Division, Bavaria, 1945

As they say, inspiration can come from many places. I got the idea to create a street barricade from a clutter of trash and debris while I was assessing my expanding collection of MiniArt accessories. Let's see how this stacks up.

The barrels are undercoated with Real Color Marker RCM007 Wood.

A light wash of ABT1114 Dark Earth is applied to provide additional tooth for the paint to adhere.

The wood grain is simulated with several glazes of ABT1114 Dark Earth.

 The hoops are painted with Rubber Black.

Cheers,

Calvin

US 104th Infantry Division, Germany 1945

I finally placed the finishing touches on this weeklong project. It has been quite enjoyable toying with the composition, utilising some of the diorama accessories from Miniart from my stash.

For the first time, I used the RC markers from AK Interactive to lay in the base colours for the accessories. I find them incredibly convenient to use and, if I might add, virtually idiot-proof. The paint flows smoothly from the felt tip and dries to a very even finish. I was pleasantly surprised that it cures stubbornly strong (scratch proof when fully cured for a day). This product has definitely saved me a lot of time agitating paint, uncapping bottles and washing brushes. I do hope that they expand the offering of colours from this range of products.

Cheers,

Calvin