Painting for D-Day - Warlord Games Late War British Infantry

June 6th, 1944. Allied forces launch the largest amphibious assault in history to open a new front in the west and begin the liberation of France, with an eye to driving hard across Europe and into Berlin. For Britain and the men fighting under her banner, Operation Overlord opens with beaches Juno, Sword and Gold. READ MORE:
D-Day would become known as the beginning of the end. Though fraught with danger against fanatical opponents over terrain which served the defenders at almost every stage, Operation Overlord would see the landing forces establish a position from which they could launch the continued assault into France, the Low Countries and finally Germany. From this point onward, it was only a matter of time before the Allied powers would grind the strength from Nazi Germany - the only question was whose flag would be flying over the Reichstag building when Berlin was finally seized...
Pick up your own Bolt Action British or Canadian starter army here: store.warlordgames.com/produc...
Or a box of infantry to kick off your platoon! store.warlordgames.com/produc...
Kit purchased by following these links nets me a small affiliate commission and helps the channel, plus nets you some cool toys!
British infantry kit wouldn't change a great deal over the course of the war with two noteworthy exceptions in the case of these plastic miniatures: The respirator bag would become a squared-off case that sat against the hip instead of being worn against the chest when in the 'alert' position, and webbing would be Blancoed in green rather than the khaki tone of the early war. Minor equipment changes aside, these Warlord Games infantry kits are extremely versatile as a result.
Thanks to Producer level Patrons Alan Nuttall, Kyrie Crawford, Trainboy, Connor, and Fred, as well as all the other Patrons that made this video possible, and Exit23 Games for recording equipment that helps keep the channel ticking over! Find out more at the following links:
/ sonicsledgehammer
/ sonicsledge
exit23.games
If you like what I'm doing and you'd like to chip in without signing up for Patreon, why not a Ko-Fi? How I Paint Things will never be behind a pay wall, but anything dropped in the tip jar is greatly appreciated and really helps.
ko-fi.com/docwholigan
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Vallejo English Uniform Spray
VALLEJO:
English Uniform
Camo Olive Green
Beige Brown
Flat Earth
Khaki
German Camo Beige
Black
Off-White
Iraqi Sand
Ivory
(Vallejo Air) Gunmetal
THE ARMY PAINTER:
Tanned Flesh
Army Green
Strong Tone
Quickshade Mixing Medium
Barbarian Flesh
Corpse Pale
Scaly Hide
Electric Blue
Gunmetal
SPRAY VARNISHES:
Vallejo Matt Varnish

[@MrCrystalwarrior1]

My dad took part in the D-Day landings with the British forces. He got me into painting/collecting toy soldiers, and would've LOVED this video :-) Thank you so much for posting this.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Really glad to hear it! :)

[@justanothercaptain6566]

Amazing model. Clearly whoever sculpted it, either served or talked with someone that did. For 35 years, attached to my webbing, tac vest or small pack has been my coffee cup (Canadians drink coffee, not tea!) And you are absolutely right, we wouldn't have won the war without it. No matter how bad the day is going, a hot cup makes all the difference! Glad to see you're moved in and doing as well as can be expected under the circumstance. As to special projects, any of your bolt action or black power models would be awesome. I love watching you paint and recount the history around each model. Again, wishing you all the best. Cheers

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

There's no civilization that isn't moved by a little hot cup of juice, right? 😅

[@AtheAetheling]

Canadians prefer Coffee???? Bloody hell. I thought we were friends.

[@justanothercaptain6566]

@@AtheAetheling there is a reason why we have a Tim Hortons on every street corner and if you say “Double Double” means the same thing in French or English Canada 🇨🇦 🤣🤣🤣 Cheers 🍻

[@samsowden]

Who needs pervitin?

[@HeadHunterSix]

This video is brought to you by English Uniform - a uniform color for all English wearing a uniform. There's no uniform more uniform for English, than English Uniform.

[@euansmith3699]

English Uniform sounds like an especially average blend of tea. 😄

[@genxman7211]

Really should be British and Commonwealth Uniform 🙂

[@andrewbeasley]

Tea CUP - how dare you sir, that's clearly a Mk II MUG (Tea for use of) you bounder! Glad to have you back - hope life gets settled soon. (Shaking head as he leaves the comments) mutters Cup - honestly!

[@jamesfirth-haydon7381]

So glad to see your back after all that’s happened. Your painting videos are excellent. I’ve nearly finished my US Airborne and this has come in very timely as my British Infantry are needing assembling and painting. Thanks. Your awesome. 👍🏻👊🏻👏🏻

[@arnaud3299]

Very good idea to prepare a bottle of mixed paint in advance. Not to worry about painting a lot of guys in modern uniform. Great vid as usual.

[@johnkelley9877]

It is great to see you back with another outstanding tutorial! This was very helpful and the figure looks realistic. Thanks for sharing this.

[@loupiscanis9449]

A very special Thank you , Sonic . Thank you for All your work for us .

[@joshconfer209]

Welcome back and condolences. Always love your tutorials. Easy to follow and feel really doable for a beginner like myself.

[@Makon0006]

Your timing on this video is amazing! I was about to start collecting a Bolt Action British army to emulate The Black Watch in WW2, so this is invaluable, even if I normally don't go to these lengths in my painting.

[@stevepickering5978]

Yes Nice to see you back and as always Excellent job.

[@watchdogwargaming]

As usual great painting and a amazing presentation. Keep up the good works !!

[@SimonIrand]

Thank you sir as always !

[@kitchenwargamers4141]

Fantastic painting as always 👌

[@Thunderplunk]

Wonderful to have you back, mate. Hope you're getting on alright.

[@Peter-ri9ie]

I love the tea cup on his backpack. Brilliant.

[@MadmaxXXL62]

Great to see you back mate

[@davidwasilewski]

Really nice kit and lovely colours!

[@StackingLimit]

Brilliant work and instructional video.

[@jayseddon7525]

glad your back sir.

[@jhnlk]

Sooooooonnnniiiiiiccc! Good to see you again. Hope you’re keeping well and clearing headspace.

[@stuarthayes5880]

I hope we will be seeing more Bolt Action models......love your work

[@wargamesgeek1334]

Great to see you back in the saddle Sonic, it’s been a strange place without your updates.

[@MiniatureRealms]

Lovely paint job.

[@stephendavinson4441]

What a cracking looking fabulous painted figure. the extra mixer bottles are a great idea and will have to try it myself. Looking for to the next videos.🙂👍

[@LukeyWolf.]

Another great video! model looks incredible c:

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Glad you like it!

[@pbeccas]

Great work and great nod to the D-Day anniversary.

[@nintense5317]

great job, thanks!

[@user-hu1bj6ek7f]

Wow, great work! Thank you for that. I would love to see a video about the painting of the Canadian infantry. It would be great to see that. Please shoot this video. Thanks in advance!

[@stompingfreak8980]

Really enjoyed this one. I must admit I tend to paint ever miniature to a hero standard. Which is why I don’t do too many commissions. Would have been nice to see the basing as well. Great video. Have fun.

[@simongreen4378]

Thank you

[@NUMAWAR]

Thank you very much for your videos, you have taught me many techniques that I did not know, thanks to you I have bought some army painter washes for my zombicide. greetings from Spain.

[@mattsmokes2505]

Soo cool! We need more WW2 painting on KZbin all just warhammer which I love! But the WW2 stuff by warlords is soooo cool

[@patrickhawes5007]

Good stuff. Cheers 🍻

[@FransNilsen]

Regarding the everlasting goal of exact uniform color in miniatures there was a really good discussion on the latest Yarkshire Gamer podcast (ep. 35) with Henry Hyde. Even though the miniature community always has grumpies that have a stroke if the colors are not exactly the shade they think they should be in reality there was always variation in color due to dirt/dust, wear and manufacturing processes. :)

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

That's the spirit. Uniform Isn't. Best piece of advice I ever got while painting uniform!

[@davidlarge8894]

I remember my old man still had his battledress top and it was more of a greeny brown ,that was about 10 or so years after the war ,it looked more like the Canadian tunic colour .

[@philloynes]

Oh my days. This fella is enough to make me want to get some Bolt Action British guys. LEE ENFIELD RIFLES IN 28MM!!!

[@TMarlands]

Welcome back!

[@irishtom30]

I may watch your videos all the way through, but I only use the first 2/3rds lol! I love having lots of guys on the table, so I tend to skip the highlighting part. Awesome that your videos can still be useful for both approaches

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Hey, as long as it works, right? :D

[@richamaru5217]

So glad your back I love your tutorials and i am starting my own emporers spears army beacuse of your video

[@euansmith3699]

Those high-contrast highlights and shadows really make this mini look like it has come straight off the cover of a Battle & Action or War Picture Library comic.

[@grantus27]

Great to see you back! I've been waiting for this one specifically as I've a (very geeky 🤓) question for you about British webbing. I've been mixing parts with the 8th army box (so I've got some rolled up sleeves and Thompson submachine guns) to create a force themed for Sicily/Italy 43'/44'. Would their webbing and packs have been a more faded colour (say vallejo khaki or stone gray) rather than the brighter green that I seem to see on Commonwealth forces from D-Day to Germany? I've been a bit unsure from the source pictures I've found online. Ultimately though this is very niche, but thought you'd be the man to ask!

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

This is actually a really good question! In short, yes, you're right; the webbing should be something like Stone Grey or German Camo Beige. Canvas webbing was ordinarily blancoed (using Blanco, which is a whole mess of a subject) to protect the canvas and add some colour to it. An important note is that the respirator bag and its strap were actually dyed green rather than blancoed in the field - they'd still be green wherever they were issued. If you're planning on using the rolled sleeve arms from the 8th Army, check out khaki drill or 'shirt sleeve order.' Your shirts should instead be a lighter colour - I'd use Iraqi Sand as a base, shade as everything else, then highlight with Iraqi Sand again, then Pale Sand as an extreme edge.

[@grantus27]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Thanks this is really helpful, great colour recommendations! You anticipated my follow up question perfectly - khaki drill shirts. I wasn't sure if these were actually khaki or also a light green colour. I've glued in about half a dozen respirator bags but a little splash of green will add some variety I think.

[@SteelWulf]

Love the video! Will the Vallejo English uniform adhere to a washed metal miniature in the same way it would with plastic or should I prime the model traditionally and then apply a coat of the English uniform can?

[@ratelmike8825]

Absolutely fantastic guide. I'm looking forward to receiving my new British boxset.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Glad it was helpful! The new kits are really lovely. :D

[@comstr]

Now that Army Painter Speedpaints are out, is it possible to paint a British Infantry using ONLY the SpeedPaints in the basic boxes set.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

In all honesty, I'd say it would probably be more trouble than it's worth. The same is true of Contrast - there's just not any really good mid-tone browns in the ranges, it seems like, and British battledress is such a peculiar shade of brown with that hint of green... past a point it'd just be simpler to throw on a flat base of British Uniform and shade it.

[@billjenkins9422]

Where do you get the rocks for the basing material around his feet? I dont think I have ever seen the different size round rocks like that before.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

It's been a while, since I've really got just one big tub of junk that I base things with. It's a mix of - off the top of my head - Warlord Games' desert sand and some of the old Citadel sand pots.

[@Theoryze]

What citadel colours could I use for the same result ?

[@brother_wesley]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the Canadian box also, right? If so, could you use the same colours, or were they really different? Great video as always, and condolences for your loss.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Yup! These are actually listed as 'British and Canadian infantry' in the store, so they'll work well for both forces. Apparently the Canadian uniform was more green in tone, though by how much I couldn't really say - photos are sketchy and opinion seems to differ quite a bit.

[@anthonybutcher7739]

Great tutorial, thanks! Can I ask what mix you used to highlight the webbing, as it wasn’t mentioned.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Scaly Green, from Army Painter. Not a mix, which is nice and easy!

[@crossbones8956]

Anyone know what paint handle he is using?

[@theduffpig3172]

Another great video! Wondering if you could help, I tried painting an LVT-4 this week, primed it in AP Army Green Primer. Tried using Agrax Earth shade and it sort of didn't stick at all, and neither did any weathering pencils? Is this because of the way the primer is mixed or something? Hopefully you know the solution to this. 😂

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Depending on the conditions in which they're sprayed, sometimes the AP stuff can go a little glossy? Easiest way to fix this is with a quick, light coat of a matt varnish over the top of the primer. Then you can paint over it no problem, and varnish again when you're finished.

[@theduffpig3172]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Now why didn't I think of that haha! Thank you very much! Keep the videos coming! :D

[@westtexasgamer114]

Which dropper bottles did you use? There seem to be many options available on Amazon.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

It honestly doesn't matter as long as they're 20ml or bigger.

[@westtexasgamer114]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio thanks

[@daveb3589]

What would you recommend for a primer if English uniform spray isn't an option?

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Zandri Dust is a pretty good substitute. You'll still want to bang a coat of English Uniform from the bottle over the top, but it's a nice mid brown/beige that works well.

[@daveb3589]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio thank you. I shall give it a shot

[@Cptnjenks]

What do you mean by an agitator?

[@yotta_ow4720]

I cant fine Vallejo English uniform spray anywhere in the uk. Does anyone know why this might be.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Shipping into the UK is still pretty backed up, I'd guess. You can apply a light grey primer from somewhere like Halford's instead, then a couple coats of English Uniform from the bottle. It'll come out just the same.

[@yotta_ow4720]

@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Ok thanks man

[@joehendrson3815]

CAN WE USE THE CITDLE AHTREX EARTH SHADE

[@stateoftheartbangbang3650]

Has there ever been a How I Paint Things that wasn’t very special?????

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

Not in my lifetime!

[@robertlavery6896]

Flat earth is what I favour for my brit, with khaki highlights

[@user-sj6wh2rw1b]

足短いか？