I am putting together a list as follows:

Kath + Engine Up+ Expert Handling+Merc copilot+ Seismic charge = 48

2x Academy ties = 24

This leaves me with 28 points to spare. I have narrowed it down to a 2 options and am having difficulty deciding what is better.

Omicron Group Pilot + Adv Sensor + Engine Upgrade

or

2 more Ties of various sort, probably 1 academy tie + Dark Curse

In my head, I feel like the shuttle can bring more to the table than those 2 ties just with more firepower and HP. Also, adv sensors and engine upgrade mean I do not fear the shuttle's immobility.

So the question is, do you think a mobile shuttle would be worth replacing 2 ties with?

Think of it in terms outside this list and as part if the list. Im just curious if the mobile shuttle holds any merit from personal experiences, mostly. Oh and, no I don't plan on changing my Kath loadout, besides maybe putting on Proton Bomb and having just 2x academy tie. Though, Rebel Captive always excites me.

I would take the Ties and with the extra 4 points I would drop the Merc Co-pilot and get either a Recon Specialist or Rebel Captive and upgrade the Seismic to a Proton Bomb.

Kath and 4 Ties is a great build and a Proton Bomb is money even if you only hit 1 ship :-)

I love the shuttle, so I'm biased. I've gotten quite a few kills with them. Shuttle plus engine upgrade is a great combo. However, because of the shuttle's move dial, there's no real benefit to advanced sensors for use with engine upgrade with the sole exception of making 135* turns. That isn't worth the three points. There are a lot of better uses, such as Ion Cannon (which is hilarious to use against rebels)

I don't really like Merc Co-pilot. Rebel Captive wouldn't be bad. The problem I see with Recon Specialist is that since it's an Action, it competes with Expert Handling. Granted, more choices are more better, but I'd go for something that you can use in conjunction with EH, like a Gunner. Plus you have the potential to hand out 2 stress per turn with her built-in.

So, if you were to replace Merc Co-pilot with Gunner, you've got 25 points left over. I'd just throw in two more Academy Pilots. That puts you at 99 points. And frankly, with the Engine Upgrade an Expert Handling making Kath incredibly mobile, you might consider spending that last point and bumping her up to Fett for super mobility.

Strong argument there Tawnos. I like where you are going with it.

I definitely agree with Rebel Captive, I've just been having fun with Merc Copilot solely for the fun it ensues. So I have a couple of opinions now, and based on what I like so far ,id go with this:

Kath + Rebel Captive + EH + EuP + Proton Bomb

Academy tie x 2

Leaving me with 25 points for either 2x Tie + upgrade to Fett, or Omicron+boost.

I am still not sure which to go with, since both have their merits. 2 mobile ships that can dish out more dice, but can pop like balloons, or a shuttle that can dish out fair amounts of damage, but takes somw commitment to kill.

Also, I just remembered why id run AdvSensors on Shuttle + EuP, so I can perform that 135 degree turn with the Boost + red 2turn. This helps negate that lack of kturn.

Though now Gunner makes more sense with using actions for mobility instead of damage buffing/negation.

I do so love Recon Specialist though, and there are some interesting builds floating around out there based around it.

Kath + Deadeye + Recon Specialist + Slave 1 + Concussion Missile + APT (52)

4x Academy Pilot (48)

100 points

It's amusing on paper. I have yet to try it. The biggest issue I see with it is that there's a huge bullseye painted on Kath right off the bat, and she's looking to get in Range 1 for the APT.

Anyways, back to the OP. If you're dead set on using a shuttle, I've had quite a bit of success with OGP + Vader. 24 points for some delicious crits. And given how cheap it is, it's not hard to generate a point advantage even when sacrificing the shuttle.

If you want the most annoying shuttle ever, it's a bit pricey.

Captain Kagi + Sensor Jammer + Flight Instructor + Rebel Captive (38)

I've annoyed the crap out of some Rebel squads with this one. Not so useful against TIE Swarm, though.

I love the shuttle, so I'm biased. I've gotten quite a few kills with them. Shuttle plus engine upgrade is a great combo. However, because of the shuttle's move dial, there's no real benefit to advanced sensors for use with engine upgrade with the sole exception of making 135* turns. That isn't worth the three points. There are a lot of better uses, such as Ion Cannon (which is hilarious to use against rebels)

I disagree about the Ion cannon. You are looking at spending points (3 is kinda a lot here) to turn your 3-4 dice attacker into a 1 damage at best hitter. Yep, shuttleis the cheapest imperial for that job but why would you pay more points to do less damage? Especially in a build already lacking bodies and damage. Sure, might get an extra round of shooting with the shuttle when you ionize something in front of you but you also have likely given up a potential 7-8 hits for 2 damage and disruption IF everything goes according to plans. I don't think it's a wise investment. If it was a turrent, sure but no ion cannon for me.

I think advanced sensors is a must on a shuttle. Use your own ships to block it and then advanced sensor action before colliding with your own ships. Just so important. Engine upgrade depends on how vital the shuttle is to your build success.

That Kagi build is just plain nasty :-)

Sounds like a combination of my recent 2 lists: Vader shuttle (battle reports page) and the Developing list: thread. I like the shuttle after you learn to maneuver it- I like the shuttle scuttle method: academy pilot turn 1 in front of it and barrel roll left/right to adjust distance, advanced sensors, collide with academy.