Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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If you're just getting into painting miniatures or haven't tackled historical subjects in the past, the Bolt Action starter box is an excellent place to begin - German and American forces for the late war period, could you get any more iconic?

Check out the German Grenadiers guide mentioned for more tips here: youtu.be/aC6rKeLpmCI

When you're painting an army for the first time, it's worth concentrating on the simple stuff to begin with. Any time you're moving paint around, you're learning, and any opportunity to use a couple of different paint manufacturers will likewise teach you about the different consistencies and coverages across ranges and colours. Everything is experience! Once you've got the basics down and have an army on the table with flat colours and a wash over them, you can choose whether or not to add more detail later, but even a very simple paintjob will vastly improve the look of your games.

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00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Priming Notes
02:06 - Thinning Your Paints
05:57 - Brush Control - Keep the Point!
07:02 - Applying Basecoats
12:35 - Washes & Shading
15:33 - Finishing Touches for 'Army Work'
16:17 - Game-Ready Finish
16:51 - Highlighting Faces
18:32 - Mixing Highlights: Your Secret Weapon
21:56 - The Finished Ranger


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:
patreon.com/sonicsledgehammer
https://bsky.app/profile/sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
instagram.com/sonicsledgehammer
ko-fi.com/sonicsledge
http://exit23.games

PAINTS USED:

PRIMERS: Skeleton Bone (Army Painter Primer)

ARMY PAINTER:
Skeleton Bone (Fanatic)
Agate Skin (Fanatic)
Oak Brown (Fanatic)
Leather Brown (Fanatic)
Dryad Brown (Fanatic)
Camouflage Green (Fanatic)
Strong Skin Shade (Fanatic Wash)
Strong Tone (Fanatic Wash)
Barbarian Flesh (Fanatic)

VALLEJO:
Canvas (Panzer Aces 314)
German Grey
Brown Violet (also called US Olive Drab 887)
Ivory (Game Color)


BASING:
Apply a layer of PVA, then some basing sand. Thin down some Chocolate Brown to paint the sand once dry, then drybrush with Cork Brown, and finally Dark Sand. Use either a couple more dots of PVA and static grass, or basing tufts as I've used here - these are Mountain Tufts from Army Painter.