SS Panzer Regiment 25, Norrey-En-Bessin, Normandy 1944

 Here are some work in progress on the painting of the Erbsenmuster camouflage pattern.

Cheers,

Calvin

SS Panzer Regiment 25, Norrey-En-Bessin, Normandy 1944

This figure is a conversion I have been working on since May. It is based on Rado Miniature's most recent release (35055) W-SS NCO with MP-40. 

The original pose showing the figure dodging shrapnel (as opposed to evading paparazzi). 

The anatomy of the face was rather lacking in the prototype shown on the right (it might have been fixed by now). I was compelled to re-sculpt the entire face with Milliput -Super Fine.  

Despite several jarring flaws, this figure has one redeeming quality, the tilt and balance in figure's pose perfectly conveys forward movement. Thus in the spirit of Wasi Sabi I decided to convert it into a forward advance towards enemy lines. 

In the first phase of the conversion, the right shoulder of the figure was completely carved down.to accommodate the new position of the right arm gripping onto the MP40. It is sculpted with Black Milliput and further touched up with Standard-grey Milliput. The trousers at the hip area was bulked up to enhance the silhouette of the figure,  

In the second phase, I added the inner tunic and bulked up the right arm and trousers with standard Milliput. 

Most of the re construction work was performed on the back. I remodeled the bread bag as the original did not have the in-print for the canteen and the mess tin. The Zeltbahn roll was flat and could not conform to the curved surface of the belt. This was solved by first slicing it into two, contouring it against the curved surface and connecting the two halves with Milliput. The D rings and O rings are made from fine copper wire. The helmet cover was also corrected to represent the Spring/Summer side.

In the next update, I will publish on the progress of the painting. Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Calvin

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Last weekend I was able to finally put on the crowning touches to this shelf queen that has been languishing since 2021. Despite the many false starts along the way, I finally made the decision to buckle down, rein in my expectations and get a move on this project. I admit that there are some parts that do need more refinement but I figured as long as the story is clear, I can always rework those problem areas in the future. For now, I an just contented that this idea has come to fruition.

 Cheers,

Calvin

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Slowly getting there....

Cheers,

Calvin

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

A little more progress over the week using some pastel colours for the highlights in the shadows.

Cheers,

Calvin

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Resuming work on this piece for this November,

 

Cheers,

Calvin

Unterscharführer, SS Panzer Regiment 1, Operation Barbarossa, 1941

Over the past weekend, I completed a quick paint job of an old metal figure from Takahashi Modelling. Overall it is a very nice sculpt and still holds up well by today's standards. My only gripe was that the hands are a tad chunky and I went about replacing them with ones from Royal Model. In the interest of time and convenience, I also used the decals from Passion Model for the insignias. Painting is done with AK Gen 3 acrylic paint. For the first time I tried out AK Interactive's new enamel liquid pigment for the groundwork and I am very delighted by the natural results. Finally, a special mention to Sven Finch for initiating this project and Chang Chung Fu for donating the figure.

Cheers,

Calvin