Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter - TAC - Vehicles

Developed specifically to Darth Vader's specifications, this highly advanced starfighter features a reinforced spaceframe designed to stand up under the most strenuous battle conditions, as well a hyperdrive and deflector shields. Lord Vader pilots this deadly ship in the Battle of Yavin, destroying several enemy fighters and nearly bringing down the Millennium Falcon.

Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter vehicle is a staple for Hasbro. It's getting difficult keeping straight how many have been released to date. But it appears that The Saga Collection release and the 30 (77-07) release may be the new starting points for keeping track. It was the 2006 and 2007 flavors since its modern release in 1997 that Hasbro gave the vehicle an all-new paint job (which looks fantastic by the way). This time smothered in dirt and grime and beautiful decorate in a palette of new colors, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter vehicle is just in time to celebrate 30 years of Star Wars. This vehicle's sculpt has overstayed its welcome in the line by now, but at least Hasbro is making it fresh again. Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter has quite a complex history. It made its debut in 1997’s The Power Of The Force "2" [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] lineup and back then it was a revered vehicle. We were all just happy to have it. But the sculpt hasn’t aged gracefully. So at best this is a bittersweet release. It's nice to see it revitalized somewhat, but the tooling is still tired.

In 2004, for The Original Trilogy Collection, Hasbro tweaked the sculpt and updated the date stamp to 2003. It was then released in 2004, but collectors weren’t too impressed. This same 2003 iteration was further updated and given an all-new paint job and was released as part of the Mid-Size Vehicle assortment for The Saga Collection. It is pretty much this same (almost identical version) that has been carried forward into the 30 (77-07) lineup. As you can see, we’re all getting inundated with the Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter. What makes this more painful is that there are still scale issues with this vehicle. Compared to the standard TIE Fighter, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter is too big. It would be better if Hasbro went back to the drawing board and tooled an all-new vehicle for us at this point. Still, the vehicle isn't without merit. Based on the vehicle we all saw during the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter is a vehicle that should be a staple in the toy line.

Darth Vader's TIE Fighter isn’t loaded with play features, but the ones it does have may be enough to appeal to kids. After all, in 1997 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. Of course it’s an obtrusive feature that is borderline obnoxious. But it’s not something Hasbro is going to retool and remove because the point of this vehicle’s constant re-releasing is just to get the ship out there again. When displayed in a collection, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter looks rather nice, especially of you choose to keep it in the beautiful 30 (77-07) packaging. The cockpit accommodates the many Darth Vader figures, especially those released in the Saga Legends assortments. As far as accessories, Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter vehicle comes with two projectiles. When this vehicle was first released, the projectiles were completely gray. Now the full projectile has been cast in full bright green plastic.