Everyone loves a Wookiee, right? Famously, the ending of Return of the Jedi was supposed to feature Wookiees instead of Ewoks, but Lucas felt that Wookiees were far too advanced for the planned ending. In the prequels, we saw some of the Wookiees’ wood-like tech, and in Star Wars Rebels we got to see their Anti-Slaver Gunships.

Yes that’s right, Wookiees have gunships. And being Wookiees, the whole thing (apparently) has a wooden plush interior. The Auzituck Gunship is an expansion for the X-Wing miniatures game; it’s a little spaceship with loads of cards to back up your X-Wings and other Rebel ships in play.It’s a small-base model, which means it’s on the same footing (and rules) as TIE fighters and X-Wing. The model itself is a bizarre mix of 1920’s rocket-ship, attack helicopter and very fat eagle. It’s distinctive and unique, and thus looks rather eye-catching on the board. The cream and goldish-brown design suit the organic look of the model, even though it does make the whole thing look like a Wookie Camper Van of Doom.

Rules-wise, it has 3 attack, 1 agility, 6 hull and 3 shields. Which means it can take a lot of damage but it’s not going to dodge a lot of attacks. Its dial in unlikely to stress out the crew (Wookiees are chill like that) but it is going to lumber gracelessly around the board unless you know what you’re doing. It’s also the only small ship in the game to have the reinforce. This action lets it take less damage in a certain area.

One of the ship’s potential upgrades is selflessness, which is a bodyguard style action. The result is that we a rather ungainly bodyguard of a ship, tough enough to get in the way of big enemy craft and protect lighter, more vulnerable craft from damage. Such as a bomber. You can also fill it full of Wookiee Commandos, which make it easier to avoid some damage or a breach specialist who makes critical hits less painful.

On the table, this works perfectly as designed. It’s a tough little ship with a solid design behind it, and it’s very well balanced. It’s also one of those ships that slot into the game and begs you to work out a way to make work better in the game. Expect to see a tournament-winning combo with this ship on the gaming table sometime soon.

STAR WARS: X-WING - AUZITUCK GUNSHIP / DESIGNER: JASON LITTLE / PUBLISHER: FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW