Probe Droids

RIEEKAN

We've picked up something outside the base in zone twelve, moving east.

SENIOR CONTROLLER

It's metal.

 The Empire Strikes Back had me transfixed from its opening scene, as the adventures from a galaxy far, far away unfolded for a second instalment. Perhaps it was the fact that I was a little older or that the three year wait had whetted my appetite, but whatever the reason, ‘Empire’ has long been my favourite film of the Star Wars franchise.

So as my entry for the Reconnaissance Bonus Round in this year's 'Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge', I presented three Imperial Probe Droids as seen in that opening sequence. Dispatched by the dark lord, Darth Vader to the far reaches of space, the probe droids were an efficient way to track down the remnants of the Rebel Alliance without committing troops on the ground, their findings beamed back in code to the Imperial Star Fleet.

My Imperial Droids are from the core set of Imperial Assault by Fantasy Flight Games and are 28mm scaled plastic models.  More recently Star Wars: Legion, again by Fantasy Flight Games, has demanded much of my time, but I have been revisiting my Imperial Assault models and looking at which ones could possibly be incorporated into a ‘Legion’ game. Much has been made of the scale discrepancies between the two systems and yes these are a tad small for 'Legion', but I am more forgiving than most and felt that these might be used, in some small way, as scenic elements.

Painting wise they were a relatively simple win, guided as I was by another of the excellent Sorastro YouTube tutorial. I have based two for the ice planet Hoth and one as for a more arid climate, in the vain hope that I might get round to devising my Jawa Scavenger game – don’t hold your breath! Thanks to Barks for the tip regarding LensFX used in the first photograph.