Elite TIE Interceptor - TAC - Vehicles (Exclusive)

The elite TIE Interceptor starfighter slices through space at blinding speed with its dagger-like wings and ultrasleek design. Under the command of Baron Fel, the pilots of the 181st Imperial Fighter Group fly these fast, deadly fighters on the side of the Empire during the Battle of Endor. The red stripes on a 181st unit's elite TIE Interceptor are badges of honor, indicating that the pilot has destroyed ten or more enemy vessels. Each pilot's uniform also displays the red stripes, crediting him for his victories in battle.

The 30 (77-07) line may be the most prolific, opulent and collector friendly toy line in the history of Hasbro. If you list all of the figures and vehicles (and anything else they released during 2007 and 2008), you will find that it becomes a nearly infinite list of the greatest stuff in Hasbro’s long tenure with the Star Wars brand. With a fantastic basic figure line, a fun supplementary Saga Legends line that was almost as big and more exclusives than collectors knew what to do with, the 30 (77-07) line showed no signs of stopping and there was something to buy at every waking moment it was active. The line was just as proportionately heavy with vehicles too. While Hasbro produced a very healthy mid-size vehicle assortment in the $19.99 range, they also produced plenty of retailer exclusives for some of the larger sized and/or specialty vehicles that just would not fit into that assortment. Never afraid of producing characters and corresponding vehicles from deep in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Hasbro worked up the Elite TIE Interceptor from the Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Squadron comic books much to the satisfaction of those that adored that series.

Although the first modern TIE Interceptor was released in the Power Of The Jedi line, Hasbro decided to tweak things a little bit for the Elite TIE Interceptor. The Elite TIE Interceptor is a kit-bashed vehicle that utilizes the wings from 2001's POTJ TIE Interceptor and the cockpit from the 2007 TAC TIE Fighter (with the smaller wings). Obviously, it has been repainted in the color flashes of the 181st Squadron just like they appeared in the Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Squadron story. We’re not quite sure why they decided to use the parts they did, other than that they wanted to utilize the updated parts as much as possible for this release too. The Elite TIE Interceptor has a very light blue/light gray base color, but is loaded with accents, and we’re not just talking about the bright bold stripes running along the wings. If you looks carefully, you’ll be thoroughly impressed with the paint job of the Elite TIE Interceptor. On top of the base color you will see a nice dirty wash. But on top of that you will notice dirt spatter on it. Then of course this is all accented with the red detailing as well. What’s more, every X-wing and Y-wing that this Elite TIE Interceptor has taken out in battle is added to the cockpit like notches on a hunter’s knife sheath. The details are gorgeous (as well as melancholy for the Rebel Alliance).

Also included is a very unique pack-in figure. The the 181st Squadron TIE Pilot is a repaint of 2004's Star Wars "Saga" TIE Fighter Pilot (Battle Of Yavin) ('04 #14) figure. It has a dramatically different paint job than the standard figure. He is wearing cream colored chest armor and has a red blood stripe running down the sides on his arms and legs. Sadly, the sculpt hasn’t aged that well and it is a very limited figure as far as its articulation is concerned. The 181st Squadron TIE Pilot also comes with a blaster rifle. It’s an obligatory but not necessary inclusion here. The good news is that the pack-in figure can fit into the cockpit of the Elite TIE Interceptor perfectly well. Released as a Toys R Us exclusive, the Elite TIE interceptor shares the same features as its ancestors. By pressing the buttons on the sides of the cockpit you can launch the wings in a simulated battle-damaged motion. And the revised cockpit’s hatch opens to reveal a slightly new seating area. Although this retailed for significantly more than the vehicles in the mid-size vehicle assortment, we feel that Hasbro could have nixed the pack-in figure and sold this for $19.99 instead. But that’s just our opinion. Besides, they set a precedent with this vehicle in the POTJ line, so it looks like this will have a long history as an exclusive. It’s still a nice piece regardless.