While you're eagerly awaiting this year's amazing new Star Wars video game release -- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed -- you can literally get your hands on the characters from the new game early thanks to the Star Wars miniatures games from Wizards of the Coast.

Released last fall was The Force Unleashed set of booster packs, consisting of 60 miniatures including 16 characters from the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game.

The miniatures can be used to play skirmish-level or mass-battle combat scenarios in a tabletop game, or to add dimension to a Star Wars roleplaying game. They're dynamically sculpted and pre-painted, so they make great desktop or shelf accessories too, especially the "Huge" miniatures.

Here's a look at those preview characters and their abilities. While the miniatures themselves don't come equipped with action features, each comes with a card describing how to use these abilities in the context of the tabletop game. For more information about the game and other Star Wars miniatures, visit the Wizards of the Coast website here.

Emperor's Shadow Guard: These stealthy characters are unseen by the enemies if they're behind cover.	EVO Trooper: A deceptive form of attack allows him to dish out extra damage.
Felucian Stormtrooper Officer: This skilled trooper gets an extra attack to his turn.	Felucian Warrior on Rancor: A fearsome enemy, the Felucian can regenerate, recovering lost health.
Junk Golem: Kazdan Paratus' bizarre Force-imbued creatures, these massive technobeasts can deliver massive damage with splash attacks of sizable blast radius.	Juno Eclipse: A skilled Imperial pilot, she is also an accurate shot.
Kazdan Paratus: An addled Jedi survivor, Kazdan wields some impressive influence on surrounding droids.	Maris Brood: Shaak Ti's willful apprentice, she gets an extra attack due to her skill with her unique lightsaber weapons.
Master Kota: A grizzled Jedi veteran, his time in the galactic underworld has earned him the loyalty of fringe characters as well.	PROXY: A unique form of hologram droid, this is a rare example of an automaton with a mimetic combat processor that allows him to substitute the attributes of certain nearby characters for his own.
Shaak Ti, Jedi Master: She's a survivor, gifted with stealth and cunning attack capabilities.	Raxus Prime Trooper: Having to scale the tangled junk outcroppings of the detritus-filled planet has given this trooper the ability to climb walls.
Vader's Apprentice, Redeemed: A light side incarnation of the game's central character.	Vader's Apprentice, Unleashed: A dark side incarnation of the game's central character.
Wookiee Hunter AT-ST: Used by the Empire to rustle up Wookiee slaves on Kashyyyk, this huge miniature boasts a net gun attack meant to immobilize the enemy.	Uggernaut: A large Ugnaught assault walker, this thing can unleash a furious assault on enemy units.