When I was a kid I had a lot of toys, but one toy I never had was a TIE Fighter. It was a little awkward having an X-Wing, Millennium Falcon, and a Y-Wing all gunning down nothing (or a G.I. Joe or Captain Power ship), so when Kenner began re-releasing Star Wars figures I was happier than a pig in slop when I got my hands on the TIE. Of course, being older I didn’t really appreciate the tiny arse wings that it came with, so I had to wait several more years before they made large wings. I missed out on the debut of the improved wings in the form of a Toys R Us exclusive (too expensive), so when the Target version came out with an improved cockpit I knew I had to have it. At about 45 bucks it was out of my range, so thank the Maker for clearance.

I didn’t think that the TIE would look as good as it does. This thing looks like a scale model now and I realize now how big of a gap I had in my Imperial hanger. In case you’re wondering, the wings still pop off with a touch of the button on each side to simulate “exploding” action. It’s a nice touch for kids and nostalgia junkies, but it loses points for me because the wings never seem to fit exactly right, due to the fact the is a lot of play when you pick it up. I suppose I won’t be swooshing the TIE around the apartment a whole lot though, so I guess that I’m just being nitpicky.

Speaking of swooshing, a design change from the original that I really dig is the removal of the “handle” on the back. Sure it makes it harder to fly around, but it helps make it look a lot more screen accurate.

The cockpit looks great, which you probably can’t tell from my horrible pictures. The seat it is removable, which is a decent feature, though it’s mostly there so you can fit the pilot in there without a lot of struggling.

The included TIE pilot is a nice bonus and he’s from the newer sculpt that is leagues better than the one released in the 1990s. He’s got a removable helmet and a pistol that fits in his holster. As nice as he is, Star Wars figures have never seemed to get that super articulation thing as spot on as G.I. Joe. I don’t like the fact that his hip joints only go up and down. Why can’t Star Wars figures have a better range of movement like their Joe counterparts?

Overall, this is a great Star Wars vehicle. At over forty dollars it probably wouldn’t have been as great of a purchase. At around twenty six, it’s fantastic.