Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter - POTF2 [R/G] - Vehicles

MODEL: Custom Built "Bent Wing" Space Superiority Starfighter
AFFILIATION: Galactic Empire
CREW: 1 Pilot
LENGTH: 9.2 Meters
WEAPONS: 2 Laser Cannons

Close but no cigar? A revolutionary release? A complete abomination? Clearly, collectors’ thoughts on modern Kenner’s Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter are all over the map. Correcting the many things wrong with the vintage Kenner era release, modern Kenner, a division of Hasbro, completely revisits Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter to be more screen accurate. But did they accomplish what they set out to do? Well, obviously the feelings are mixed. For us, The Power Of The Force “2” modern vehicle is a tremendous update to the classic Kenner release. Instead of just using a standard TIE Fighter cockpit, Kenner now tooled a completely new body which not only includes an updated cockpit, but the platform that surrounds it and attaches to the wings as well. There are some scale issues. Compared to the standard TIE Fighter, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter seems too big. Despite what seems like one problem after another however, we have to admit that the vehicle still has some charm. Based on the vehicle we all saw during the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter is a vehicle that should make modern Star Wars collectors relatively happy.

Darth Vader's TIE Fighter isn’t loaded with play features, but the ones it does have may not be the greatest. In an odd move, Kenner expended quite a bit of time and energy to develop a slide out cannon feature. They’ve actually tooled a large lever on the underside of the ship that you push out to extend the cannons. It’s obtrusive and borderline obnoxious. Did it really need this feature anyhow to compromise the aesthetics of the ship? Would the shape of the vehicle be thinner had they abandoned this play feature and ultimately make the vehicle more screen accurate. We’re inclined to think this would be true. Also, when compared to stills in the film, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter looks too blue in color than the gray it actually is. There have been long running color issues with Hasbro’s vehicles even in the vintage Kenner era, but in the modern line Kenner has been a little more careful with how they color their vehicles. We still don’t think they mastered Darth Vader's TIE Fighter’s color however. By our assessment this far you must think this vehicle is a mess. It really isn’t. It’s just that after waiting so long for a modern update we wish that Kenner would have paid closer attention to the finer details.

So, despite scale, color and play feature issues, are there any redeeming qualities to Darth Vader's TIE Fighter? There are. When displayed in a collection, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter looks rather nice. The cockpit accommodates the Darth Vader figures released thus far. In fact, the cockpit is almost too big when the figure is inside of it. When this vehicle was first released, the projectiles were completely gray. But soon after they were updated and the tips of them were painted bright green. This works and yet doesn’t work. Green is definitely the laser blast color of the Galactic Empire, but colored projectiles just look silly to collectors. Obviously this running change was done for a reason, so it looks like we’re going to be stuck with it going forward. Called the custom built "Bent Wing" Space Superiority Starfighter as well as the TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter, there is no doubt that Custom Built "Bent Wing" Space Superiority Starfighter is a special and unique vehicle for him. Kenner tried to replicate this into the vehicle. In some ways it works and in others it doesn’t. Either way, this vehicle will introduce a new modern generation of Star Wars fans to Star Wars and the Battle of Yavin. For those reasons this vehicle could be a success.