B-Wing Starfighter
The B-Wing Starfighter has finally made it's appearance in FFG's great Star Wars: X Wing game. The B-Wing is the last of the cannon original trilogy ships to make it into the game after the A-Wing, X-Wing and Y-Wing.
In Universe the B-Wing is an Assault Starfighter. Originally meant to replace the aging Y-Wing. The B-Wing was big and complex and there were never enough to fully replace the Y-Wing.
As a result, in game, the B-Wing is similar in many ways to the Y-Wing yet Different enough to add something unique to Rebel List building.
The B-Wing has many unique features, it's asymmetrical design and rotating cockpit make it visually distinctive. Unlike other Rebel Fighters it is also covered in guns. lots of guns.
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| B Wing filming model |
Behind the Scenes
The B Wing was designed for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and appears in several scenes. Originally the B-Wing was to play a greater roll in the final assault of the 2nd Death Star but issues with filming the slender fighter against a blue screen limited it's use.
As a result it has less screen time than other other three Rebel fighters but still managed to become a fan favorite.
The Model
I am happy with the B Wing model except for a few key features that really diminish the presentation. the model itself can only be mounted vertically on the stand. A look that kills the dynamic asymmetrical design. the cockpit doesn't rotate which is a disappointment as well. On the plus side I plan to address both these issues with some simple modifications and I will have a separate post that deals with changes made.
The basic paint scheme is good but my examples have extremely heavy black washes. I will probably touch up the models to reduce the weathering somewhat.
Overall good but not FFG's best effort.
Ship and Game Stats
Attack: 3
Defense: 1
Hull: 3
Shields: 5
Target Lock, Focus and Barrel Roll(sweet!)
slots for 2 torpedoes, a gun upgrade and a System upgrade.
The B-Wing is most easily compared to the Rebel Y-Wing. Both have 8 Hull/Shields and 1 Defense, beyond that the two ships vary considerably. The B-Wing has no option for a Turret but does have a Weapon upgrade slot to add forward firing Auto Blasters or Ion Cannons. The System upgrade slot also opens up some interesting options.
My main issue with the Stats is that pesky defense of 1. I would expect the B-Wing to be more, or at least equally, maneuverable then a Light Freighter (HWK_290) or the much larger SLAVE 1. I suspect it's due to the narrow range of values FFG has locked the game into. (Agility 3 is the highest) and perhaps a balance issue. B-Wings might be too expensive if they had Agility 2.
A great compromise is the addition of the Barrel Roll. this is a great design choice that gives the B-Wing some surprising maneuverability and represents that aforementioned rotating cockpit.
The Pilots
(Something to point out, the artwork on all these cards is exceptional and NONE of them depict the B-Wing in a vertical position!)
Blue Squadron Pilot : Pilot Skill 2 : Cost 22
our bare bones, cheapest B-Wing.
Dagger Squadron Pilot: Pilot Skill 4 : Cost 24
Nothing special, slightly better pilot skill.
Ibtisam: Pilot Skill 6: Cost 28
When Attacking or Defending, if you have at least 1 Stress token you may reroll 1 of your dice.
I nice skill, getting stressed in a B-Wing is pretty easy and re-rolls are always a good thing.
Ten Numb: Pilot Skill 8 : Cost 31
When Attacking, 1 of your {Critical Hit}results cannot be cancelled by defense dice
This is a great skill but pricey at 31 points. Take any other upgrades and you are in YT-1300 territory. TIE Fighters and especially TIE Interceptors
Equipment and Upgrades
Autoblaster : Cost 5
a New card for wave 3, this weapons upgrade is pretty cool but at 5 point pricey.
Ion Cannon : Cost 3
Fixd Forward Ion cannon already seen on the Slave 1. If you want to run an Ion Cannon heavy list I would recommend Y-Wings. Not sure this will see much use on the B.
Advanced Proton Torpedoes : Cost 6
Very expensive at 6 points but if you are focused this card is deadly. I think these would need to be in a list that was geared towards producing and sharing focus/ and or Target Locks to make the best of it.
Proton Torpedoes : Cost 4
Your garden variety Proton Torpedo we are all familiar with. Nothing new here.
Fire-Control System : Cost 2
The only System card to ship with the B-Wing. for two points its a great way to maintain those target locks. More useful against larger ships and a steal at 2 points
Conclusions
Personally the B-Wing has been the one fighter I've been looking forward to the most after the release of the initial game. Overall FFG delivers pretty much what you would expect. A quality pre-painted model that captures the look of the B-Wing perfectly. There are a few minor annoyances that, for me, detract from the model. The boring vertical pose and no ability to rotate the cockpit or ship is a disappointment. The weathering is also a tad bit heavy handed.
Those, however, are minor issues that are either easily fixable or easy to ignore. Overall the B-Wing is a great addition to the X Wing range and I'm looking forward to getting them out on the table.
4 Proton Torpedoes out of 5
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