This week we had the wonderful opportunity to visit a friend and were invited into his home. Our intentions were to simply give back and pay forward but we received so much more!

Very recently I shared the Dragon Gyas introduction I made for my friends at Max Factory. Whilst shooting and talking about the minis and mentioning “good miniature painters” I did in fact have Chris in mind for the dragons and you can see why with his dragon below. Plus Chris lives in a much nicer part of Sydney than we do, one that my wife enjoys visiting - triple win for me right!?! Make a friend and great artist happy, off-load minis that I don’t have enough skill for -guilt free- and happy wife = happy life bonus!

Chris showed us his working space with his Daylight Task Lamp, very nice and even light. Yes it’s on my upgrade list now. This is when I had the first memory flashback and it was quite a humbling moment.

Back in 2009 Kow Yokoyama Sensei invited himself to my home. Really! It’s a very unusual thing as homes in Japan are considered very private. First step was to ask permission from my wife, yes also a very Japanese thing but she was more than fine and we prepared. You must have nice snacks and your home should be very tidy when you have auspicious guests.

Sensei and his lovely wife Ritsuko san were the most gracious of guests and once coffee and snacks were enjoyed, Sensei asked to see my workspace. Upon entering he explained, “From the old days, both in Japan and in Europe, a Master would always visit his students' workplace to ensure that he had the right lighting and productive environment. We had large glass doors on 2 sides that opened to small balconies with great light depending on the weather. Sensei pronounced it good and we went onto other topics and I had not thought about it… until this day.

Chris is very much a lifelong student and has many interests and mentors. He’s also a Sensei in his own right with Aikido and follows a number of high level painters in a handful of disciplines. He is clearly a practitioner of Kaizen, the lifelong pursuit of self improvement. I would never put myself in the shoes of a mentor but the moment struck me nonetheless. “Wait, here is someone who follows my work and suddenly I am here at his workspace making comments on the suitability of his lighting set up. I wonder how many times this scene has played out over the course of history and how despite us having the majority of our interactions over the internet and only meeting in person a handful of times, how fascinating it is that this age old ritual is maintained!”

Chris then showed us his collection of kits and yes, it’s most impressive. What struck me was the high quality and discernment of choices. It was an all star cast of AFV, AIR and Sci-Fi + miniatures but also a number of quite niche choices mixed in. This is fascinating to me from a number of perspectives but most of all, how it brings us together, there’s probably enough kits in our friend’s collections for us to be able to start up conversations over. We are more alike than dissimilar in this regard.

When Chris told me a few stories of his choices and how I was an influence over them, I was very much taken aback and speechless. It’s one thing to read online that “oh I found Maschinen Krieger through your videos, publications etc.” but to be standing with someone next to their displays and collection, it’s quite another thing. It’s an unusually moving and humbling experience and I was completely lost for words.

What started as an opportunity to give some cool minis to a friend, turned into a humbling experience on the journey from student to teacher and how it’s the same thing. We must work on and improve ourselves whilst sharing and helping others as well.

Or as Kow Yokoyama Sensei often tells me, “Make more friends!”

He’s always right. More than I knew. More than I know and I expect, more than I will know. So I will do my best and improve too.

Thanks Chris!

You can see his work on Instagram here; @tsangypaints

He’s also an active member of our Paint on Plastic Facebook Group.

Happy modelling my friends,

Linc

P.S. Easily my favourite gag of the day was when Chris mentioned he had a lathe. He’s also skilled with woodwork.

Of course, when I hear “lathe” all I can picture is this!

P.P.S. Below a gallery of Chris’ Gladiator, his entry for the Paint on Plastic Ma.K Competition 2019 and yes, it was one of the winners of course.

We also happen to hosting the Paint on Plastic Ma.K Competition 2021 now, please consider joining us!