TIE Fighter - TAC - Vehicles

The TIE fighter is the standard vessel of the Imperial fleet and is equipped with twin ion engines, microparticle accelerators, and hexagonal solar panels that provide impressive speed and maneuverability. However, they have no shielding or secondary systems to accommodate the large power generators, leaving their pilots with little in the way of auxiliary support during combat. TIE Fighters are organized into wings and sent out in large swarms to overwhelm with numbers as well as firepower provided by two forward-mounted laser cannons.

It was the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, but it took Hasbro until the second wave of the midsize vehicle assortment to release a vehicle based on Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. And even then, it’s seems more like a tribute to the Kenner toy than the actual anniversary of the Star Wars intellectual property. But every year Hasbro should provide the Star Wars collecting community with the basic vehicles from Episode IV. They’re just staples that should be ever present on store shelves. In all honesty, Hasbro has been pretty great about keeping them in the line year after year. We saw these vehicles get released in The Power Of The Force “2” line, but then they retooled the cockpit of the vehicle for the 2003 Star Wars “Saga” Imperial Dogfight TIE Fighter KB Toys exclusive vehicle. This quickly became the base sculpt for which all other TIE fighter products have been produced until now (and subsequent releases have all sustain updates or changes from insignificant to very significant). The TIE Fighter is a retool and extreme repaint of that 2003 SW [S - P2] Imperial Dogfight TIE Fighter KB Toys exclusive vehicle. And this release continues the evolution with a few new things as well.

This time the cockpit hatch has been completely retooled. Instead of two opening halves, it’s a single piece now with a locking side. It allows for a more streamlined look for the vehicle and the update is greatly appreciated. The hatch is not as functional as the double door style, but it works and looks great on the newly revised TIE Fighter. What may be most impressive about the 2007 TAC TIE Fighter is the vehicle’s paint job. Hasbro created a color scheme that mimics the vintage Kenner toy from nearly thirty years ago… like perfectly. When you look at the 2007 TAC TIE Fighter vehicle you’re going to take a lightspeed trip to your childhood and relive what we cherished and relished so strongly back then. Yes, perhaps it’s a little too cliché and almost a novelty, but it’s appreciated and we’re happy to see this vehicle updated in this manner. It’s evident that Hasbro is proud with how it turned out too. They even call out the vehicle’s vintage-styled decoration as one of its features! How cool is that? From top to bottom the TIE Fighter has an off-white base color. But Hasbro added a lot of “wear and tear” deco to make the vehicle like it has been used very often. It looks gorgeous.

They also accented the vehicle with red and yellow details for a little more texture and variety. These extra paint operations do wonders for the vehicle. It almost has never looked better (aside from reverting back to the small wings). The age-old play feature, the exploding wings, is present once again. When you press the button at the base of the wings they’ll fly off to recreate the Rebels blowing them out of outer space. Yes, the TIE Fighter is indeed a simple vehicle. It doesn’t have a ton of things to offer, but it’s a classic and necessary vehicle and it fits in nicely with the rest of the vehicles in the midsize assortment. And at least Hasbro is making each release different from the next. We’re getting a nice diverse fleet of TIE Fighters in our collections now. As we’ve alluded to earlier, it is interesting to see Hasbro return to the smaller wings especially after great releases like 2005’s ROTS TIE Fighter (Standard Starfighter Of The Imperial Forces), a TARGET exclusive, that really made the smaller winged TIE Fighter releases before it obsolete. But we believe that Hasbro is trying to pluck the heartstrings of our vintage obsession here. And for us it’s working very, very well. We truly recommend this novelty release!