Small Subjects

With our last episode recapping MFCA 2025, your hosts—with help from Lou Masses and Dennis Levy—kicked up a bit of a hornet’s nest by addressing a major recurring topic of discussion at the show and in our small section of the miniatures world in general: Should digital sculpting and 3D printing be judged differently than the “handmade/toothpick and putty” sculpts that have predominated in this odd art form of ours for the last five and a half decades? Okay, it was mainly Jim doing the kickin...

In this episode, your hosts mull over why some modelers (like Jim) rarely abandon a project, seeing even the dogs through to completion, while others (like Barry) regularly start one and then set it aside. And, at the risk of abandoning our policy of avoiding politics, which is generally a very good one these days, the boys felt compelled to consider how the current moment is impacting the hobby. Please note that this episode is marked as explicit as there are a couple of f-bombs....

We tackle the topic of Artificial Intelligence and some of its possible impacts on our hobby in this discussion with Jake McKee. Jake is a consultant in the digital realm, a photographer, a devoted modeler, and a blogger (with both a tech blog and a modeling blog). In the past, he’s done digital marketing for Lego, and he’s also worked at Apple. He’s been thinking about A.I. a lot, and he certainly helped us formulate our thoughts, and consider the possibilities. For photos of what we d...

In this episode, we chat with one of the legends of the hobby: Francois Verlinden, who is alive and well at age 78. He retired to Palm Beach, Florida, after the company that bore his name closed in 2016, but he is occasionally painting again “just for fun”—including some of those Warhammer minis the kids love! We also talk about our buddy build of the Gecko 1/16 Universal Carrier. For photos of what we discuss in each episode, visit the Small Subjects blog on boxdioramas.com: http://www.box...

This time we talk about the recent 2024 MMSI Chicago show with Pat Vess and Joe Berton. We also talk about some things the guys have planned for next year's 50th anniversary show. For photos of what we discuss in each episode, visit the Small Subjects blog on boxdioramas.com: http://www.boxdioramas.com/smallsubjects Join one of our group builds: Historex: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smallsubjectshistorex Flats: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smallsubjectsflats Fantasy Busts: https:/...

In this episode, your hosts chat with Minnesota-based painter and sculptor Scott Primeau, a consistent gold-medal winner, Chicago medalist, and self-effacing talent whose attitude and ambition inspires both of us. We also talk about getting over some of our modeling fears. For photos of what we discuss in each episode, visit the Small Subjects blog on boxdioramas.com: http://www.boxdioramas.com/smallsubjects Join one of our group builds: Historex: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smal...

Jim and Barry talk with Joan about her extraordinary box diorama “Algorithm As Art,” a gold-medal winner at MFCA 2024. Jim calls it one of the most important boxes in the history of the form—for its imagination, its execution, the ideas it raises, and the discussions it prompts. (Be sure to read his piece about it here.) For photos of what we discuss in each episode, visit the Small Subjects blog on boxdioramas.com: http://www.boxdioramas.com/smallsubjects Join one of our group builds: His...

In this episode, your hosts talk with Virginia Beach-based professional miniatures painter Erik Swinson, one of the most stunning talents on the scene today. Erik streams on Twitch most Wednesday evenings: https://www.twitch.tv/erik_swinson If you can't make those live streams, you can watch them later on his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@erik_swinson Follow Erik on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erik_swinson/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikswinson We also talk...