Back in January, LucasFilm introduced fans to Chopper, the grumpy, lazy, yet ultimately heroic astromech droid of the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated series. Lucasfilm has literally brought the cranky little robot to life, as shown in a new featurette, which takes fans behind the scenes to see how this fully functioning Chopper was designed, built, and finally, introduced to his creators and to the world.

Chopper was constructed in 87 days by Michael McMaster of the R2D2 Builder's Club at LucasFilm. While most of that team is currently working on R2D2 in Star Wars: Episode VII, Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni wanted a full-scale model of Chopper built for reference on the animated show. Take a look at the video, which shows Chopper going on his own publicity tour and even racing with R2D2.

Star Wars Rebels continues the epic tradition of the legendary Star Wars saga with all-new exciting, action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. The clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost is amongst a select few who are brave enough to stand against the Empire. Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, encounter colorful adversaries, embark on thrilling adventures and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion.

Star Wars Rebels debuts with an hour-long TV movie on The Disney Channel, before transitioning to its regular network home on Disney XD this fall.