SS-Sturmbannführer, KG-LSSAH, Kamenets–Podolsky Pocket, 1944

Here is another piece completed for this month of January. What started out as a side quest got completed ahead of my box art assignment. This is the first time I experimented with AK Quick Gen paints to render the U-Boat leather jacket. I found it relatively quicker and easier to replicate the black leather effects as compared to using artist inks. Employing AK's Ultra Matt Varnish as a painting medium has been a game changer for me to achieve smooth tonal transitions without struggling with watermarks.

The groundwork consists of sandbags from MiniArt Models (skinned with Super Fine Milliput). The frost is recreated with glass powder secured with AK Ultra Matt Varnish. Tellermine and containers are from HD Models. 

Cheers,

Calvin

SS-Sturmbannführer, KG-LSSAH, Kamenets–Podolsky Pocket, 1944

The groundwork is coming along. Tellermines are from HD Models. Sandbags from Miniart. 

Cheers,

Calvin

SS-Sturmbannführer, KG-LSSAH, Kamenets–Podolsky Pocket, 1944

As the enthusiasm for the box art assignment for Dynamo Models started to wane, a side quest appeared. The premise was simple: I attached the spare head from Alpine Miniatures 35324 WSS Grenadier & Flare Gun on the body of 35075 Joachim Peiper in the Ardennes and a new idea was conceived. Such is the bane of an overactive imagination.

The Oak Leaf pattern(Spring/Summer) is undercoated with a 4:1:1 mixture of Waffen Red Brown and Light Earth and Deep Orange. Highlighting is done by increasing the proportion of Light Earth. The light green areas are painted with a 3:1 mixture of Light Green and Golden Olive, and outlined with two tones of green. The first is Waffen Green and the second is a 1:2 mixture of Tenebrous Grey and AK Quick Gen Field Grey.  

That's all for now. I will start planning on the groundwork before proceeding further with the painting.

Cheers,

Calvin

Leutnant, Brandenburg Division, Operation Rösselsprung, Yugoslavia, 1944

My first figure for 2026 – and don't worry, I did not paint this overnight. In fact, it started with the head back in August 2025 when I was designing the 3Gen and Quick Gen combination set for painting skin tones for AK Interactive. Feeling rather satisfied with the result, there was this irresistible desire to pair it with a body. It was about the same time in which AK released the range of Quick Gen paints, and I used it to great effect to recreate the ubiquitous lines on the Splittermuster pattern. In all, this was a rather straightforward painting exercise: the all-time classic "soldier carrying his firearm standing on a patch of grass" setup.
Last but not least, if you are asking about the shrubs framing the figure, these are 3D-printed plants from H-Diorama Gallery.

Cheers,

Calvin

SS Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande, Narva, 1944

Getting ready for my painting workshop at 模樂堂 Happy Hobby in Hong Kong this weekend. I will be showcasing my updated painting workflow using AK Interactive's Quick Gen and 3Gen acrylics for painting 1/35 scale figures using Alpine Miniatures 35236 WSS Grenadier at Kharkov. Here's looking forward to meeting everyone who has signed up. The workshop will be conducted in Mandarin and Chinglish.

Close-up of the groundwork, which consists mainly of accessories from MiniArt Models. The bucket and corn cobs are from HD Model.

Cheers,

Calvin

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry - Operation Martlet - Normandy 1944

Another figure completed for this month of November. Towards the final stages of completion, I serendipitously incorporated a torn Nazi flag into the defiant pose, thereby reinforcing the symbolism of this piece.  It's fully painted with AK Quick Gen and Gen 3 acrylics. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry - Operation Martlet - Normandy 1944

This is a work-in-progress of the third version of this Alpine Miniatures figure that I painted for the painting workshop at ScaleACT 2025 in Canberra last weekend. I decided to have some fun with the groundwork and placed it onto the wreckage of a Panzer IV from Ryefield Models. Painted with AK Gen 3 and Quick Gen acrylics.

Cheers,

Calvin

ScaleACT, Canberra, 2025

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

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

 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

Groundwork Time

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.  

Cheers,

Calvin

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

This is a work in progress of Alpine Miniature's upcoming 1/16 scale figure sculpted by John Rosengrant.

Cheers,

Calvin

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, Brandenburg Division, Operation Rösselsprung, Yugoslavia, 1944

WIP – Alpine Miniatures 35193 with a Hornet head (HGH 16). 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