![Creality Halot-X1 - Plenty of Volume, Relatively Compact [Review & Impressions] @SonicSledgehammerStudio](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rUABXKVGleE/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
It's vanishingly rare that something as big as a 3D printer shows up for me to review, so I like to make sure I've had plenty of chance to test the machine and push to its limits. It turns out that printing with the Halot-X1 is surprisingly difficult to screw up!
store.creality.com/de/products/halot-x1-resin-3d-drucker
I've now had seven resin printers in total and the X1 was by far the fastest from out of the box to first print. The build volume's plenty impressive for its size, and detail on prints is phenomenal. Aside from the position of that power switch, I'd struggle to find anything else to nitpick!
It's vanishingly rare that something as big as a 3D printer shows up for me to review, so I like to make sure I've had plenty of chance to test the machine and push to its limits. It turns out that printing with the Halot-X1 is surprisingly difficult to screw up!
store.creality.com/de/products/halot-x1-resin-3d-drucker
I've now had seven resin printers in total and the X1 was by far the fastest from out of the box to first print. The build volume's plenty impressive for its size, and detail on prints is phenomenal. Aside from the position of that power switch, I'd struggle to find anything else to nitpick!
![Creality Halot-X1 - Plenty of Volume, Relatively Compact [Review & Impressions]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rUABXKVGleE/mqdefault.jpg "Creality Halot-X1 - Plenty of Volume, Relatively Compact [Review & Impressions]
Its vanishingly rare that something as big as a 3D printer shows up for me to review, so I like to make sure Ive had plenty of chance to test the machine and push to its limits. It turns out that printing with the Halot-X1 is surprisingly difficult to screw up!
https://store.creality.com/de/products/halot-x1-resin-3d-drucker
Ive now had seven resin printers in total and the X1 was by far the fastest from out of the box to first print. The build volumes plenty impressive for its size, and detail on prints is phenomenal. Aside from the position of that power switch, Id struggle to find anything else to nitpick!")
![Painting D&D Minis from Scratch: Easy Results from the Basics [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s_LjXt9zCQg/mqdefault.jpg "Painting D&D Minis from Scratch: Easy Results from the Basics [How I Paint Things]
Create your own miniatures for just about any RPG or tabletop game you can imagine at https://eldritch-foundry.com/ and enter the code SONICSLEDGE24 for 15% off your first order!
Where to start painting miniatures can be daunting. Ask a dozen people where to begin and what to buy, and youll get a dozen different answers at least. Heres my two cents on the matter: without breaking the bank buying dozens upon dozens of paints to dip your toes into a new hobby, and some ways of getting the most from a starter set of paints.
If you were more patient than Ive been in painting Grond here, you could very likely get an even smoother, more refined result! The purpose in this video is to hopefully demonstrate that with just a little mixing and some fairly cheap additions to a starter set, you can be painting nifty-looking heroes - or villains! - for your games in no time, whether youre playing D&D, Pathfinder, or anything of the sort.
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Creating the Miniature @ Eldritch Foundry
05:09 - Overview of Tools, Paints & Brushes
08:24 - Preparing a 3D Printed Miniature
10:17 - Priming Notes & Cunning Tips
11:14 - Painting: Basecoats
13:07 - Fear Not! Mixing Paints
15:21 - Teeth & Eyes
16:23 - More Basecoats
22:09 - Shading Time!
24:24 - Highlights & Finishing Touches
27:30 - The Finished Miniature
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Robison, Woodcock, David Kinney, and Matt Dischner - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://twitter.com/sonicsledge
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/docwholigan
http://exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Matt Black (Army Painter Spray)
ARMY PAINTER:
Leather Brown (Fanatic)
Greenskin (Fanatic)
Brush-On Primer (Fanatic)
Pure Red (Fanatic)
Plate Mail Metal (Fanatic)
Greedy Gold (Fanatic)
Ultramarine Blue (Fanatic)
Matt Black (Fanatic)
Strong Tone (Wash)
Speedpaint Medium
VARNISH:
Varnish+ (Instar)")
![Racing the Wasteland in Style - The Anvil Industry Truck [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t1T1gRMuVS8/mqdefault.jpg "Racing the Wasteland in Style - The Anvil Industry Truck [How I Paint Things]
While you could theoretically print these at a smaller size - Anvils supports tend to work pretty well when reduced, if youre careful - surely itd be more fun to get some racing templates at 160% scale and play big, big Gaslands? :D
Check out the download link and purchase option for this beast of a machine here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-american-customisable-truck-anvil-digital-forge-loyalty-reward-315518 If youve a home printer this has an absolutely unreal number of options!
00:00 - Intro
01:17 - Miniature Notes
02:04 - Basecoats
10:48 - Shading
12:36 - Weathering & Finishing Touches
17:38 - The Finished Truck
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Robison and Woodcock - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://twitter.com/sonicsledge
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/docwholigan
http://exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Matt Black (Army Painter)
VALLEJO:
Flat Brown
Orange Brown
Dark Sand
Off-White
Green Sky
Light Sea Grey
Flat Red
Orange Red
Tan Earth
German Camo Black Brown
Red Leather
ARMY PAINTER:
Gun Metal
Viking Blue
Shining Silver
Dark Tone
CITADEL:
Lahmian Medium
A whole bunch of Contrast colours; mostly browns, yellows and grimy stuff.
VARNISH:
Varnish+ (Instar)")
![Speedpainting Snowtroopers - Imperial Reinforcements in No Time! [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t5CnWG8ULRQ/mqdefault.jpg "Speedpainting Snowtroopers - Imperial Reinforcements in No Time! [How I Paint Things]
Imperial troops might actually be some of the easiest to paint, by and large, despite whites reputation for being finicky or difficult. Especially working from a very light primer!
Most of these colours from the Army Painters Speedpaint range have similar enough variations from Citadels Contrast that you should be able to follow along without difficulty. The results will look ever so slightly different once youre finished, but theres no real problem there!
To grab the STLs that I used in todays video - along with a whole bunch more - check out Dark Fire Designs at the following link, and use code SonicSledge to get 10% off your cart total, whatever you decide to pick up!
https://darkfiredesigns.com/products/winter-warrior-wonderland-bundle-holiday-special
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - Priming
02:31 - Speedpaint Basecoats
05:51 - Drybrushing
07:57 - Greebles & Finishing Touches
11:53 - The Finished Snowtrooper
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Robison, Woodcock, and David Kinney - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://twitter.com/sonicsledge
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/docwholigan
http://exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Brainmatter Beige (Army Painter Spray)
ARMY PAINTER:
Bony Matter
Battleship Grey
Tidal Wave
Matt White
Grim Black
Occultist Cloak
Poppy Red
Speedpaint Medium
CITADEL:
Valhallan Blizzard (Technical)
VARNISH:
Matt Varnish Spray (Army Painter)")
![A Little Personal Hobby Time: Super Mutants! [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tdPxZh1GdlQ/mqdefault.jpg "A Little Personal Hobby Time: Super Mutants! [How I Paint Things]
I am a grown-up that can be trusted with an audience.
Big miniatures can seem daunting. Busy miniatures, too. So a big (well, big-ish) miniature like a Super Mutant thats covered in all manner of bits and pieces? Just break it down and work through, step by step... and drown the whole thing in a brown wash. Cant go wrong! This big guys going to pull duty in my games of Majestic 13 and Five Klicks from Home, as well as showing up to scare the pants off of my players when we swing back around to the Fallout RPG.
Find the Imitation of Life page for the STL pack here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-the-Uber-mutant-175800 Check out their main page for links to where you can get printed versions!
00:00 - Intro
01:08 - Priming
01:52 - Basecoats
12:23 - Shading
13:37 - Highlights & Finishing Touches
17:13 - The Finished Super Mutant
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Robison and Woodcock - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://twitter.com/sonicsledge
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/docwholigan
http://exit23.games
THE BASE: A layer of Stirland Mud, drybrushed heavily with Ryza Rust then Eldar Flesh. Tufts to taste, and paint the base rim in Dryad Bark. Done!
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Zandri Dust (Citadel Spray Primer)
CITADEL:
Waaagh Flesh (Base)
Sons of Horus Green (Layer)
Rakarth Flesh (Base)
Daemonette Hide (Base)
Steel Legion Drab (Base)
XV-88 (Base)
Mournfang Brown (Base)
Zandri Dust (Base)
Averland Sunset (Base)
Corax White (Base)
Mechanicus Standard Grey (Base)
Mephiston Red (Base)
Leadbelcher (Base)
Morghast Bone (Base)
Khorne Red (Base)
Nurgling Green (Layer)
Tyrant Skull (Dry)
VALLEJO:
German Grey
Black
Umber Wash (Game Color)
Steel (Metallic Air Color)")
![Painting for Trench Crusade - New Antioch Lieutenant [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tjEYy7oWriM/mqdefault.jpg "Painting for Trench Crusade - New Antioch Lieutenant [How I Paint Things]
Whether its the forces of New Antioch standing toe to toe with the ravening hordes of Hell itself, or maybe youre just looking for a few alternatives to painting your Warhammer 40,000 Krieg army, theres a tip or two in here which you might find helpful.
This one does run a little long as I run through the Why of things a bit more specifically, particularly when it comes to thinning out washes and glazes, but the end result is something Id be proud to have on the table at the head of a stalwart band of heroes!
The official Trench Crusade website, with free rules and lore primers: https://www.trenchcrusade.com/
The Turnip28 muck and mud basing method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7zH1_KwLwE&t=1175s Hopefully queued up to the right moment!
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - Priming Notes
01:46 - Mixing a Pre-Wash
04:21 - Basecoats
10:54 - Shading Time!
13:00 - Highlights
19:07 - Mixing Ochre Wash
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Ben, Robison, David Kinney, Fred, and Matt Dischner - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://bsky.app/profile/sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/sonicsledge
http://exit23.games
PAINTS USED:
PRIMERS: Ash Grey (Army Painter Primer)
ARMY PAINTER:
Banshee Brown (Fanatic)
Warpaints Stabilizer
Topaz Skin (Fanatic)
Paratrooper Tan (Fanatic)
Heavy Metal (Fanatic)
Ironclad Grey (Fanatic)
Wyvern Fury (Fanatic)
Aegis Blue (Fanatic)
Warped Yellow (Fanatic)
Matt White (Fanatic)
True Copper (Fanatic)
Greedy Gold (Fanatic)
Midnight Olive (Fanatic)
Leather Brown (Fanatic)
Ivory (Fanatic)
Jasper Skin (Fanatic)
Leopard Stone Skin (Fanatic)
Blood Chalice (Fanatic)
Dryad Brown (Fanatic)
True Brass (Fanatic)
Sunburst Ochre (Fanatic)
VALLEJO:
English Uniform
Khaki
THE BASE:
Start with a thin layer of Stirland Mud. Add tufts, then more Stirland Mud, working it into the tufts so they look clogged and grimy. Lightly overbrush a grimy, yellowish brown - Ive used Vallejo Flat Earth, then drybrush with something like Yellow Tan - and once dry, dab gloss varnish puddles on the base around the bottom of the tuft clods. Paint the base rim in a dark brown and done!")
![Order of the Sacred Rose - Tweaking Old Schemes [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u2X1oLqeqVo/mqdefault.jpg "Order of the Sacred Rose - Tweaking Old Schemes [How I Paint Things]
Sometimes youre just not in the mood to paint. It happens to all of us at some point or other, Im pretty sure! So I find the easiest way to ease back into the process is with something familiar, and to just enjoy the process or take the opportunity to tweak a couple of things along the way.
The Order of the Sacred Rose have a reputation for being difficult to paint due to their white armour - well, now youve seen two different methods on the channel which should get your Sororitas on the table as quickly as possible without sacrificing too much in terms of looks!
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Assembly Notes & Priming
03:32 - Contrast Basecoats
11:59 - Shading - Making Marine Juice
13:56 - Highlights & Finishing Touches
15:09 - The Finished Palatine
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Jimmy, Rod, Phil, Robison, Woodcock, David Kinney, and Matt Dischner - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://twitter.com/sonicsledge
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/docwholigan
http://exit23.games
THE BASE: Vallejo Brown Earth texture paste, drybrushed with Tyrant Skull. Add tufts to taste, paint the base rim XV-88. Done!
PAINTS USED:
PRIMER:
Matt Black, Matt White (Army Painter)
CITADEL:
Guilliman Flesh (Contrast)
Blood Angels Red (Contrast)
Gore-Grunta Fur (Contrast)
Flesh Tearers Red (Contrast)
Retributor Armour (Base)
Black Templar (Contrast)
Black Legion (Contrast)
Aethermatic Blue (Contrast)
Marine Juice - Dark Tone, Reikland Fleshshade, Lahmian Medium
ARMY PAINTER:
Murder Scene (Speedpaint)
Bony Matter (Speedpaint)
Broadsword Silver (Speedpaint)
Hoplite Gold (Speedpaint)
Plate Mail Metal (Fanatic)
Matt White (Fanatic)
VALLEJO:
VARNISHES:
Varnish+ (Instar)")
![US Infantry using The Army Painters WWII American Paint Set [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uEVsDFZtUAc/mqdefault.jpg "US Infantry using The Army Painters WWII American Paint Set [How I Paint Things]
A question Ive seen repeated across Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and other social media is some variation on, How do I actually use these historical paint sets? While the WWII American paint set does technically contain the fewest colours unique to the historical range, the box as-is does have all youll need to paint up your GIs ready for the tabletop... and to take the finished results a little further, too.
In the paint list, colours which appear both in the Historical Paint Set and the main Fanatic line will have their name as they appear in the paint set first, then the corresponding name in the Fanatic range to make it easier to determine whether or not you might already have them.
Find the complete range along with single bottles available from The Army Painter: https://thearmypainter.com/en-de/pages/historical
Check out the entire Warlord Games range at their website here: https://r.warlordgames.com/aff/?SONICSLEDGEHAMMER Purchases made through this affiliate link net me a small commission at no cost to you!
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Priming Notes
02:08 - Basecoats
14:19 - Applying Washes
17:16 - Highlights
21:20 - Applying Transfers
24:54 - The Finished Miniature
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Rod, Phil, Ben, Robison, David Kinney, Fred, Fool in a Hat, Chris, and Timothy Ferguson - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://bsky.app/profile/sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/sonicsledge
http://exit23.games
Backdrop by Jon Hodgson Backdrops - https://handiwork.games/product-category/everything/backdrop-books #jhbackdrops everywhere a hashtag works for more!
PAINTS USED
PRIMER: Matt Black, Oak Brown (Army Painter Spray)
ARMY PAINTER:
Rifle Brown (Historical)
Rosy Skin (Historical)
Matt White (Historical)
Boot Brown (Historical)
Leather Brown (Historical/Fanatic)
Dark Olive (Historical)
Medium Drab (Historical)
Canvas (Historical)
Life Vest Yellow/Daemonic Yellow (Historical/Fanatic)
Paratrooper Tan (Historical/Fanatic)
Matt Black (Historical/Fanatic)
Steel/Gun Metal (Historical/Fanatic)
Brown Tone/Strong Tone (Historical/Fanatic)
Warm Skin Tone (Historical)
VARNISH:
Army Painter Matt Varnish Spray
THE BASE: Apply a layer of PVA glue and dip the base into some sand or similar basing material. Let it dry thoroughly, then paint on watered-down Boot Brown, and after thats likewise dry, drybrush in Paratrooper Tan, then lightly with Canvas. Apply tufts to taste.")
![Grimdark Empire - Painting Victoria Miniatures Victorian Guard [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uvmCNlUoorU/mqdefault.jpg "Grimdark Empire - Painting Victoria Miniatures Victorian Guard [How I Paint Things]
You know how you can say a word often enough it just doesnt mean anything any more? Victoria. Victoria! Its gone, its just strange noises now - but thats only trouble with Victoria Miniatures Victorian Guard, theyre otherwise cracking miniatures. I suppose calling them Praetorian Guard or similar might have been flying a little too close to the sun, though!
The entire physical range - and plenty of STLs - are available direct from: https://victoriaminiatures.com/ with the STLs arriving for general release soon at https://www.myminifactory.com/users/VictoriaMiniatures
00:00 - Intro
01:01 - Assembly & Priming Notes
02:29 - Basecoats
08:51 - Shading, and a Physics Lession!
11:48 - Highlights & Finishing Touches
14:57 - Basing
16:05 - The Finished Miniature
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Rod, Phil, Ben, Robison, David Kinney, Fred, Fool in a Hat, Chris, and Timothy Ferguson - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://bsky.app/profile/sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/sonicsledge
http://exit23.games
Backdrop by Jon Hodgson Backdrops - https://handiwork.games/product-category/everything/backdrop-books #jhbackdrops everywhere a hashtag works for more!
PAINTS USED
PRIMER: Matt Black, Brainmatter Beige (Army Painter)
ARMY PAINTER:
Brainmatter Beige (Fanatic)
Moonstone Skin (Fanatic)
Absolution Green (Speedpaint)
Tyrian Navy (Speedpaint)
Poppy Red (Speedpaint)
Gun Metal (Fanatic)
Leather Brown (Fanatic)
True Copper (Fanatic)
Matt Black (Fanatic)
Dark Tone (Wash)
Strong Skin Shade (Wash)
Speedpaint Medium
Barbarian Flesh (Fanatic)
Legendary Red (Fanatic)
Paratrooper Tan (Fanatic)
Plate Mail Metal (Fanatic)
Greedy Gold (Fanatic)
True Brass (Fanatic)
VARNISH:
Matt Varnish Spray (Army Painter)")
![Review & Paint: Warlord Games New WWII Soviet Infantry [How I Paint Things]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v5VloutZ98Y/mqdefault.jpg "Review & Paint: Warlord Games New WWII Soviet Infantry [How I Paint Things]
If youre planning on a Soviet army for Bolt Action, Chain of Command, or anything similar, youre probably planning on infantry. A _lot_ of infantry. Painting these guys to a reasonably nice standard to have an army you can be proud to put on the table doesnt need to be onerous!
Personally, while this method works perfectly well, Im still planning on painting my own Soviets in the slightly brighter uniform seen in this Motostrelki video: https://youtu.be/bN2v1rfirLs
If youre looking for answers on the Why? and Which Colour? when it comes to one-coat paints for Soviet uniforms, heres the earlier video thatll give you all you need: https://youtu.be/4HPhthNTcBA
Check out the entire Warlord Games range at their website here: https://r.warlordgames.com/aff/?SONICSLEDGEHAMMER Purchases made through this affiliate link net me a small commission at no cost to you!
00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Quick Kit Review
05:32 - Painting One-Coat Man
10:25 - Mr Acrylics - Painting the Regular Figure
19:06 - The Finishing Touches
20:23 - The Finished Soviets
Thanks to Producer Patrons Alan, Kyrie, Andrew, Rod, Phil, Ben, Robison, David Kinney, Fred, Fool in a Hat, and Chris - 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:
https://www.patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://bsky.app/profile/sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer/
https://ko-fi.com/sonicsledge
http://exit23.games
*PAINTS USED - SPEEDPAINT GUY:*
PRIMERS: Brainmatter Beige (Army Painter Spray)
VALLEJO:
Dwarf Skin (Xpress)
Battledress Brown (Xpress)
Khaki Drill (Xpress)
Mahogany (Xpress)
Wasteland Brown (Xpress)
CITADEL:
Black Legion (Contrast)
ARMY PAINTER:
Pure Red (Fanatic) - Used off-screen to dot in the Soviet star on pilotka cap
*PAINTS USED - ACRYLICS GUY:*
PRIMER: Skeleton Bone (Army Painter Spray)
THE ARMY PAINTER
Mid Battle Dress (Fanatic - Historical)
Moonstone Skin (Fanatic)
Oak Brown (Fanatic)
Dusty Skull (Fanatic)
Leather Brown (Fanatic)
Light Battle Dress (Fanatic - Historical)
Strap Grey (Fanatic - Historical)
Ruddy Terra (Fanatic - John Blanche)
Strong Tone (Wash)
Soft Tone (Wash)
Speedpaint Medium
Barbarian Flesh (Fanatic)
VARNISH:
Colour Forge Matt Varnish Spray
THE BASE: Layer of PVA followed by sand, painted first with thinned down Tree Ancient, then heavily drybrushed with Paratrooper Tan with a little touch of Urban Buff on the larger clumps of texture. A light sprinkling of PVA and some static grass, then Mountain Tufts from Army Painter to vary the height.")
