PERSPECTIVES IN MINIATURE

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.

Monday, 4 September 2023

Royal Model - Scharführer, LSSAH, Ardennes, 1944

Labels: Royal Model Posted by Calvin Tan at 07:58

I am currently working on this 1/16 scale figure from Royal Model. It was previously released in 1/35 scale and I now have the pleasure of painting the upsized version. It is fully painted in Gen AK Interactive Gen 3 and ABT 502 acrylics. The base colour is AK 11416 Waffen Brown Grey. For colour variation, I added a touch of Saddle Brown for a more warmer/reddish hue and Basalt Grey for a faded "stone washed" appearance. The green areas are painted with AK11415 Splintermuster Green. Again, for colour variation, I added a little AK11139 Golden Olive for a warmer/yellowish hue and AK 11411 Light Green for a lighter tone. An equal of blend of AK11410 Dark Green and AK11418 Brown Black is used to paint the dark green areas. ABT 1146 Raw Umber from the ABT 502 family of acrylic paints is used to paint the outline border of the green regions.

Cheers,

Calvin

Monday, 28 August 2023

561st Volksgrenadier Division, East Prussia 1944

Another one completed for the month of August.

Cheers,

Calvin

Wednesday, 23 August 2023

561st Volksgrenadier Division, East Prussia 1944

Labels: Tamiya, Tamiya German Infantry Set (Late-WWII) Posted by Calvin Tan at 22:03

Over the past week, I have been intermittently working on this minor figure conversion based on Tamiya's most recent German Late War Infantry Set. I swapped out the stock face for another from Tamiya's Wehrmacht Tank Crew Set and replaced the right hand to grip onto the Panzerfaust (the set provides two extra Panzerfausts). The groundwork is made up of miscellaneous items found in my scrap box.

Cheers,

Calvin

Saturday, 12 August 2023

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 00:28

Spent the past week detailing the sandbags from MiniArt.

Cheers,

Calvin

Tuesday, 8 August 2023

Unternehmen Sonnenblume, Afrika Korps, Libya, 1941

Labels: Alpine Miniatures Posted by Calvin Tan at 14:24

This is another shelf queen that I am determined to complete for this month of August. The figure is an early Alpine Miniatures release with a Hornet head. I modified the hands to accommodate the British Brodie helmet and the Walther P38 pistol. The sandbags, Enfield rifle and ammo pouches are from MiniArt Models and the tin containers are from Ultracast.