Things have been crazy around the GeekDad Paints! homestead, so after missing last week, I eased myself back into the fray with an easy week. There are some very nerve-wracking, very detailed paints in Imperial Assault. But then there are also those figures that, no matter how complex you try to make them, they’re going to be done in thirty minutes. The Probe Droids are those figures.
First things first, prime them black (I’d already done this step when I primed them with my Stormtroopers).
Second step, grab Gun Metal and squeeze out a few drops. Then get your drybrush, dip it in the paint, and wipe most of it off on a napkin (or whatever you’re using to clean your brushes). Make sure you barely have anything left (don’t worry, there will still be plenty for this step), then drybrush the heck out of the droid.
As you can see, the difference between the primed and drybrushed mini is marked. Do this for the two other droids and go over their lenses with fresh black. Then, since it’s only been 15 minutes and you feel like you’re cheating, grab Turquoise and Pure Red paints, and go over a few of the smaller lenses with the colors – one droid gets red, the other blue to differentiate them a bit on the table. If you’re feeling really fancy, grab the Pure Silver and add some battle damage (though go easy with this step, it’s very easy to overdo), then add teeny-tiny dabs of Pure White to the top of the main lense of the droid.
Finish the mini with spray varnish (I chose Satin), gloss the lenses back up with a bit of ‘Ardcoat, and you’re done! Three Probe Droids, ready to deploy!
It’s a simple paint job and can be finished in a single painting session, but it makes all the difference on the table. I also grabbed a couple of the Combatzone Scenery crates, painted them with Uniform Grey, then did a heavy wash of Nuln Oil, just because it really did feel like cheating, the droids went so fast.
Next week, we tackle the biggest of bads, Darth Vader (and a few more of his cannon fodder)!
Thanks to Army Painter and Combatzone Scenery for supplying me with paints and scenery sets for this project. If you’d like to see the other entries in my Imperial Assault painting series, you can find them here.
