PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE: HD Models

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

I developed this instructional DVD with Model Art magazine to help beginner armor and diorama modelers master the art of the 1/35 scale figure. In this video, I demonstrate easy-to-follow techniques for painting injection-molded plastics—from choosing the right brushes to the 'little tricks' I use for fine details. This is a complete showcase of my personal methods, and I’m confident it will help any modeler take their work to the next level. For your convenience, the DVD is available in both English and Japanese."

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.

Showing posts with label HD Models. Show all posts

Thursday, 29 January 2026

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

Labels: AK Interactive, Alpine Miniatures, HD Models, Miniart Posted by Calvin Tan at 13:45

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

Tuesday, 9 July 2024

Bewährungsbataillon 500

Labels: HD Models, Hornet Models, Tamiya Posted by Calvin Tan at 14:00

Wehrmacht penal units (Strafbataillon) are rather obscure subjects that have appeared in popular culture like the novels of Sven Hassel, movies like Stalingrad (1993) and the TV series Generation War (2013).

I had always wanted portray such a subject and it was not until my imagination was sparked by the Goliath operator from Tamiya's Assault Team and Goliath Set (MM35357) that I went ahead.

As far as the narrative goes, I planned to depict the character in his element - on a mine clearing detail. I picked out a suitable character head from the Hornet Models range sculpted by Roger Saunders and replaced the right arm taken from the rider figure from Tamiya's KS600 Motorcycle and Side Car set (MM35384). The hands and TM-41 Soviet land mine are from HD Models of Italy.