How to Paint WWII British | Warpaints Historical

Finally Army Painter gets correct British Army colours

Took them long enough, for a range called ARMY PAINTED that did not have actual army colours.

Unfortunately its not a Speedpaint!

First Speedpaint layer on 40 Australian early 1941 infantry

I have 40 Australian Infantry from Slave 2 Gaming's Bardia set. Metal miniatures with rifles, bayonets and platoon support weapons. I have also have 3 Warlords Games British Officers to do. The last 10 are all in shirts and shorts so will be done later (or are objective carts).

I started with an undercoat of Vallejo English Uniform spray can and then I'm trying for the first time a Zenithal highlight with Vallejo Bonewhite spray can. I want them to be lighter when I look at them, and as that will be their backs to me on the battlefield as they advance out of the darkness of the dawn with the sun at their backs (if advancing west to east, which they did NOT do at Bardia, but did do after Tobruk), I did it from a 45 degree angle behind them, rather than on the traditional 90 angle from the top, because none of my paint jobs are good enough up close. Best I can do is looking at them from 6 feet away on a tabletop.

After spray painting the 50 infantry from all angles, the Vallejo English Uniform spray can is almost empty. 

I used an Army Painter Regiment brush. I'm not good at this and I'm splitting it already :(. I DO very much like the fact it's a triangle so you can put it down without rolling away like Citadel brushes do! I won't be buying the Citadel ones and unless I have no choice. Flat based ones are so much better to use. 

I did use a Citadel Wash cup which has got some ribbing on it and slots to try and sharpen the brush and a Citadel Figure holder to actually hold the figure in place. Trying to do it with just my hand was a lot harder. These are indispensable. Also used is a Citadel paper palette as I have read that Speedpaints and a wet palette do not work well, the Speedpaint is wet enough as is.

I choose to the battledress uniform and great coat in Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Warrior skin....but looking at there results maybe should have chosen Ruddy Fur. I didn't do the ruddy fur as it's listed as being a bit red more than brown. The paint went on VERY smoothly. I never want to go back to normal acrylic paints again. Citadel Layer paints take FOREVER compared to these speedy paints that go on once and you're done. Also, I don't need to thin my paints or use a wet palette! A huge time saver!

From the back/top it's very light brown, but from the front where the highlight didn't go, it's a lot more dark. I think it will look better once I put a dark wash over the backlight areas. I shall have to try a mid-brown wash and then a strong wash to see the impact.

50 infantry base and Zenithal highlight

First figures

Front and Back in Warrior Skin.

Finished painting 2 Matilda II's - my first Bolt Action minatures

It's taken several days but I've finished my first Bolt Action units - two Matilda II tanks. Painted as late 1941/42 desert. Technically they should be in Caunter Camouflage but that's way too hard for me.

Every paint and shade below the line for my future reference. I used the Vallejo undercoat spray can because no one seems to sell the Army Painter undercoat, and this was a better colour I think. I used mostly Army Painter Speedpaintd 2.0 for the base layer and Citadel dry's for drybrushing (because I have had them for years before, and no one else seems to sell dry paints). Finished in the Vallejo Matt Varnish.

Undercoat and base coat of Matilida II's in the desert

I got all but one Army Painter SpeedPaint 2.0 from https://khaki-green.com.au/ so I can start painting! Yay! One bottle was not in stock but it's being sent the same day everything else arrived. I'll need to use the 10% discount it came with next time to get some more colours to replace the old warpaints and speredpaint 1.0 I have.

 Undercoat (called Primer these days for some reason):

Undercoated Vallejo Bonewhite Spray Can

I started with an undercoat of Vallejo Bonewhite. I found it very easy to spray and put on, though it was a bit windy. It looked a bit thick when drying initially but came out fine.

Base coat:

I spent some time looking at Google Earth to see the colour of the sane around Bardia. Turns out it's either red or yellow depending on when the photo was taken.

Left tank is the wing-man tank, right tank the command tank, currently not painted beyond undercoat

The left one is painted in one coat of Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 Pallid Bone. I found the paint very thin, practically a wash, but that worked out fine for what I was using it for.  It might not work for me when doing the infantry. Technically the tank's supposed to be painted in Caunter Scheme but that's WAY too advance for me, and by the time the tanks were in action with dust and sand it was covered up anyway and barley visible. By the middle of '41 they gave up trying to paint the dazzle camouflage and just went all sand anyway.

Turret painted on the right, unpainted on the left

I broke off one of the headlights from the command tank, and getting back on was very very hard. I dropped it once, and found one of the missing headlights for the other tank! So at least that has one headlight, even if's unpainted lead I tried to cover with the Pallid Bone.

The one on the left looks a bit darker, I did that one first and I'm not sure why. Maybe I needed to mix the bottle again more before doing the second one.

Next up: Paint details like the shovel, blankets, grenade launchers , lights front and back, exhaust and treads.

My painting guide for Australian 6th Infantry Divison, early 1941

Google is fucking useless these days so I have not found anyone who used Speedpaints 2.0 for what I want them for. 

What I worked out from watching the Youtube video's below this one.

Paints are Army Painter Speedpaints 2.0/1.0 unless noted:

Undercoat:  Vallejo English Uniform primer

Zenithal Highlight: Vallejo Bone White primer

Battledress: Warrior skin

Great Coat: Satchel Brown

Leather Jerkin: Hardened leather

Skin: Tanned Skin

Slouch Hat: Camo Cloak

Blanket: Camo Cloak

Water bottle: Camo Cloak

Helmet: Pallid bone

Shirt/Shorts: Pallid bone

Ammo pouches and webbing: Pallid bone

Backpack: Pallid Bone

Puttees: Ruddy Fur

Gas mask bag: Howling Sand

Socks: Algae Green

Boots: Fire Drake

Rifle: Dark Wood 

Grenade/2" Mortar: Gunner Camo

Bayonet Handle and scabbard: Grim Black

Rifle/Bren/AT Rifle metal:  Grim Black

Bayonet: Broadsword Silver 

Gun Sling:  Pallid Bone 

Gun butt: Citadel Balthshar Gold (I don't have any brass)

Pants/Shirt Wash: Mid-Brown Quickshade

Great Coat Wash: Strong Quickshade

Skin Wash: Flesh Wash Quickshade

Blanket Wash: Military Shader Quickshade

Slouch Hat shade:  Military Shader Quickshade 

Base: Sand PVA glued and painted in Pallid Bone, with a Wash of 50% Light tone and 50% Quickshade Wash Mixing Medium, Dry Brush with Citadel Hexos Palesun

I got my Army Painter Speedpaints 2.0. Or at least, SOME of them

After much forethought and planning I decided I wanted to replace all my (so far unused!) Army Painter Speedpaints for Army Painter Speedpaints 2.0, which don't have the re-activation issues of the mark I's.

I spent a lot of time trying to find somewhere in Melbourne who sells them, without too much luck :(. Army Painter themselves does NOT list anyone in Melbourne who has them. This is fucking useless - I WANT TO GIVE THEM MONEY

I had searched the internet for sometime to try and find the colours other people use for 1941 Australians and came up with nothing because Google is fucking useless now.

But I found 2 Youtube videos - one of English uniforms 1937 pattern that I read the 6th Division was wearing, and another one of a Tobruk reinactor . 

I knew The House of War has them, so instead of waiting 2-3 WEEKS for delivery (that was the estimated time span!) I headed off in the rain to get some.

And found they only had HALF of the Speedpaint 2.0, and none of the mediam I would need if I want to use the Speedpaint Mk I's :( :( :(

I got what I could, but they didn't have the Army Painter spray cans.

I asked why and was told a strange story. Apparently, they blow up.

What I said? Blow up!? How?!?!

Apparently multiple customers were just standing there and suddenly the can would open and paint would explode everywhere. So they don't carry Army Painter spray cans anymore.

I carefully avoided the Citadel ones and looked at the Vallejo. And wouldn't you know it, they have English Uniform in a spray can! Exactly what I needed! This way I can spray paint the figures and just block in the rest and do Zenhital shading from above with a sand colour to do the helmet at the same time!

So that worked out for me.

I also got some beach sand as I'll need some kind of sand for the bases. They didn't have a darker sand but I can wash this afterwards to make it more orange red. I was disappointment they didn't have Sand from North Africa,, they seemed to have it for a dozen other planets. I actually have ACTUAL SAND from both Utah AND Omaha beaches! And I got some objective sized oil drums and THE BRIEFCASE I need to paint as red and blue. We must protect the briefcase of intelligence from the enemy spy you see.

I needed some glue too. I asked the person behind the counter which of the DOZEN Superglue's I need for metal, I think they picked one randomly. 

I asked when they might get more Speedpaints:

I can't tell you.

You can tell me, I'm a customer.

No I mean I don't know.

You don't know if you're getting more Speedpaints?

No I mean I don't know when they might arrive.

How can you not know, didn't you order more?

Yes but it's up to the distributor when we get might them.

I would like to give these people money but they make it very hard to do so. I took the wrong day to  not try drinking.  Looks like I need to order online anyway. :(

I need to write down what I got and I want I still need.

And after all that, I got home and it's raining too much to do undercoating anyway.

All my usable paints in one place

After much digging I'm put all my (non-citadel base/layer) paints into my newly built Warlord Games Large Paint Rack. They just fit.

I have not sorted the colours yet, but I have done them by type.

Top level: Uncommon Citadel drybrushing, Army Painter mediums and varnish, spare Army Painter  wash, citadel gold base and texture.

2nd level: Commn Citadel drybrushing

3rd level: Army Painter paints black, dark and brown, Army Painter Metallics

4th level: Army Painter paints other colours

5th level: Army Paint Speedpaints V1, spare Citadel Nuln Oil

6th level: Army Painter washes

Bottom level: Citadel washes, Paint Brush cleaner

Left side: Army Painter brushes at the front, old worn brushes behind, tweezers

Right side: Large brushes, modeling tools

I do want to swap the Army Painter paints and Speedpaints V1 with all Army Painter Speedpaints V2 - I am not a good or patient painter and I just want to my troops on the ground as soon as I can. I got the Army Painter Speedpaints V1 but never got around to using them before the V2 came out which apparently do not have the problems the V1 do. 

Most of the Army Painter paints came in the starter pack, the Warlord games paint set for Black Powder Civil War, and Warlord games fast deployment set. 

I put away my old Citadel Base and Layer paints. I always hated and was not good at using layers, and using a wash (and dry-brushing important figures) is more than enough for me, so I kept the dry brushing ones. I suspect they have all dried out though. Also I don't have gold metallic base in Army Painter so kept those ones too. The Citadel pots are very messy to use and dry out way too easily compared to the drop bottles too.

I liked using the Games Workshop ink washes, but they are probably too thin compared to the Army Painter washes. They are more colorful though, so kept them in the rack.

What sucks: I seem to have thrown out all my spray paint undercoats, so can't paint anything!  :(