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.
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.
Do check out my Podcast interview with Barry Biediger and Jim DeRogatis at Box Dioramas.com
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.
This video presentation documents the process of rendering a highly detailed 1/35 scale after-market resin figure. Watch as I take the viewer through the process of rendering of leather, uniform insignia as well as camouflage patterns using the techniques and materials presented in the beginner's guide to achieve convincing results. It is available in both Japanese and English.
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. .
Last week, my Canon EOS 650D gave up on me and gave me a good reason to trade it in with the local Canon dealership to get a discount on the new Canon EOS R8 camera.
I took some test shots with the EOS R8 on one of my personal favorite projects and I am no doubt very impressed with the colours and the degree of sharpness of the image.
Cheers,
Calvin
Finally done.
Adding in the rifle sling, the M1956 butt pack and canteen.
Some progress this evening. I corrected the colour for the jungle fatigues and attached the right arm to the body.
This is an old Roger Saunders sculpt from the 1980s which was part of Verlinden Productions initial range of 54mm metal figures.
I did a "face off" with a Hornet head taken from HH38 War faces and raised the shoulders to depict a commander in a raging fit.
The process is quite straightforward; simply remove the faces of the donor and recipient heads and attach them together. I find this approach less intrusive, as it does not involve modifying the collar area or rebuilding the entire neck.
After two years, I have finally gotten around to add a title plate to this piece.
Calvin
A very enjoyable painting session this evening accompanied by Jim and Barry's podcast Small Subjects.
More progress on the painting over the past weekend.
Cheers,
Calvin
Swapped out Tamiya's Tiger I barrel for a more detailed offering from Dragon.
Cheers,
Calvin
