Imperial V-wing Starfighter - TCW [R] - Vehicles (Exclusive)

After the fall of the Galactic Republic, V-wing starfighters are redecorated to be come some of the first Imperial vehicles of the new Galactic Empire. The V-wing has the speed, blasters and maneuverability to make it a formidable weapon in the capable hands of Imperial pilots.

Hasbro introduced us to a brilliantly designed vehicle in the mid size assortment in 2007 during the 30 (77-07) line. The V-wing Starfighter was an awesome, albeit obscure, vehicle choice and the design and scale were relatively impressive. It’s been repainted a couple of times since and Hasbro brought it forth once again as a Toys R Us exclusive for The Clone Wars [Red] line. A relative misnomer, this vehicle is based on images of a differently colored once as seen in the comics. Only a couple of years have passed since its original release, but the vehicle maintains its awesomeness because it as designed perfectly from the start. Now released with the newly titled name, the Imperial V-wing Starfighter, its part of the second phase of The Clone Wars line and we're loving the new color scheme. it may lack in some (insignificnat) areas, but we have to admit that the black and off-white combination of colors makes this version of the vehicle really stand out. Earlier versions have had much better paint jobs (including excellent battle-damage detail) so we do admit that the lack of this detailing is a setback. Still, all of the functionality has returned and it works just as well as it did during its debut. We are even treated to the same color astromech droid in the droid socket.

It may confound you to ask yourself why you should go with the general release vehicle instead. Well, maybe you should. This is an even more obscure version of the vehicle. If you're a fan of movie only "things" then this one may not be for you. The Imperial V-wing Starfighter has a roomy opening cockpit and has the ability to fit almost every clone trooper action figure (we could find at least). This is a triumph because there is truly nothing more frustrating than a vehicle that is unable to host its pilot. In a very rare decision to overlook this, we actually prefer the action feature on the wings because their functionality is believable. It works well here and it’s actually necessary for the ship to appear in true landing mode. When the wings are locked in this landing mode, there are “feet” attached at the bottom which serve as a support to keep the ship upright in this position. (Think of how a bat’s feet are attached to its wings. It’s the same exact principle here.) And of course a third leg pulls out from the front for complete balancing support. Other features include adjustable ailerons (which are actually more of a nuisance than anything else) and adjustable stabilizers. The vehicle also fires projectiles from four cannons and this is a great feature for the kids. They also stow well on the vehicle and look like a natural extention of the craft.

This flavor of Imperial V-wing Starfighter can be found throughout the Star Wars: Dark Times: The Path To Nowhere comics. Besides this source, it really hasn't made any other appearance (that we could locate). Making an original appearance in Episode III, Hasbro has found a cool new Expanded Universe flavored way to make this mold a worthwhile release again. But just like clones, there are battalion specific vehicles too. At the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, it looks like there are gray/black V-wing starfighters flying around, but they don’t contain any white color on their hulls at all. Wouldn’t it make the most sense that this would be the most likely place where this vehicle would be found, especially since Hasbro is calling this one an Imperial V-wing Starfighter (which are the precursors to the Imperial TIE fighters)? But they've made a significant appearance in the Dark Times comic series. LEGO has also released this flavor in their line. But no matter where this Imperial V-wing Starfighter came from you should at the very least know that it is a cool design and have a great color scheme. It’s definitely too clean, but that has been the trend with Hasbro over the last few years. You should definitely see if this vehicle is worthy of a spot in your collection.