Today we’re going to take a break from the reveal drama, and do a throwback review on this lovely Friday.  This will have a little extra punch to it, though.  It’s kind of a two-fer.  You’re looking at the “Blue” Saga TIE Fighter from 2003, and it was the second such vehicle in the modern line.  I happen to have just discovered it in my garage in it’s original box, so I figured it would be a good time to add it to the galleries, especially since we’ve been told our site is trash because we don’t have everything since 1995 in our catalogue.  Challenge accepted!  After this TIE Fighter, we’ll only have 1471 items left to do. 

So why is it a two-fer?  Because I went back and also added the POTF2 TIE fighter, so that this release has some comparative context.  I’m not actually publishing that “review” to the front page, it just kind of exists now due to some very complex tech sorcery behind the scenes.  Sadly, we don’t have packaged shots of the POTF2 TIE, but maybe we’ll get to that someday.

I’ve been working on a project to enter my entire collection into an extensive spreadsheet, and it took me a significant amount of time to document all the unique TIE’s that have been released.  I was taken aback at how many there have been since 1995.  The list below includes unique releases, which would include retools and repaints, even if the changes are minor:

OT:
TIE Fighters:  8 (4 small wing/4 big wing)
Vader’s X1: 4
Interceptors:  3
Bombers: 4

EU:
TIE Fighters:  2 (big wing)
Interceptor: 1

Solo:
TIE Fighter (Break Apart):  1

Rebels:
Grand Inquisitor TIE: 1

Rogue One:
TIE Striker: 1

ST:
TIE Fighters: 2
Kylo Ren’s TIE: 1

That’s a total of 28 distinct TIE variations offered by Hasbro.

Here’s a quick look at this SAGA version. As mentioned, it was the second TIE Fighter release in the line, but believe it or not, there was an 8 year gap since the POTF2 days.  As mentioned above, you can view the simple image gallery (sans packaging) by clicking HERE.  This one was a KBToys exclusive, and retailed for a whopping $29.99, which was mind-bending 50% more than the 1995 release.  But aside from the typical markups that came with a store exclusive item, the cockpit was significantly revamped.  Gone was the old relic of a battery case which awkwardly protruded from the rear of the cockpit dating back to the 1970’s.  That was a huge leap forward for screen accuracy.  Another change was the coloring.  I’m certainly no expert on this subject matter, so I’ll just say the vehicles were some differing version of blue, gray or blue-gray.  Also helping justify the price hike, this time a TIE pilot was included.  It wasn’t a great figure even back then, and was a straight repack of the figure that was released during POTJ.  But it had hinged knees, which wasn’t all that common at the time.  Interestingly, the pilot’s seat, which was unchanged, didn’t require the pilot to have articulated knees, so it was kind of a superfluous upgrade.

So this second ever TIE Fighter is a significant improvement over the first.  Other TIE’s will eventually be added to our galleries, but until then, here’s a breakdown of the differences in the TIE Fighters in order of their releases, which I hope is a useful reference for some:

1.  POTF2:  Small Wing.  No Pilot. 3 “bumps” for front lasers, 2 on outside are painted yellow.  Uses Kenner mold, minus the electronic wiring.  Overall color is light/medium blue/gray, light gray window frame

2.  SAGA:  Small Wing.  POTJ-era Pilot.  Retooled Cockpit, more screen accurate without the old rear battery box.  3 “bumps” for front lasers, 2 on outside are painted red surrounded by silver. Overall color is darker blue/gray than #1, darker gray window frame than #1.

2A.  OTC:  Repack of #2

3.  ROTS:  Big Wing.  Same coloring and cockpit sculpting as #2, but includes the larger scaled wings.  Pilot included, this time going back to POTF2 sculpt for some reason.

4.  TSC:  Big Wing.  Repaint of #3, this time a light gray, with significant weathering/wash to give it depth.  Pilot included was originally the POTF2 version, but later corrected to the newer SAGA version, which had ball jointed knees and a right swivel elbow.  It was also the first TIE Pilot pack-in figure to include a blaster.

5.  TAC:  Small Wing.  New cockpit with single cover that hinges on the left (instead of double door cover that opens from the center).  Also, the central “bump” is removed between the front laser canons.  Color is white overall, and a few of the plates and greeblies on the cockpit are painted various colors for the first time.

6.  TAC:  Big Wing.  Kitbashed:  Uses cockpit/Wings from #3 (has the middle bump between the laser canons), but also uses the new one-piece/side opening hatch from #5.  Coloring is very similar to #5, being white with painted panels and greeblies on the cockpit.  Figure is Saga pilot with blaster.

5A.  TLC [Blue]:  Repack of #5.

7.  TLC [Blue]:  “Ecliptic Evader” (EU).  Big Wing.  Same Kitbash as #6.  Repainted in a light gray with “smoky” gray weathering/wash.  Window frame is black, as in cockpit interior.  Each wing panel has a large Rebel Alliance Starbird painted on.  TIE Pilot body has Hobbie Klivian head with “open mask” removable helmet.

8.  TLC [RED]:  (Shadows of the Empire).  Big Wing.  All new sculpt cockpit with single, rear-hinged cover, extending laser canons, ejector seat, and red window.  Overall color is very light gray with darker gray panels/greeblies.  Figure is repaint from TLC evolutions, with removable helmet and clone face.

9.  TVC:  Small Wing. Kitbash - Body from #8, wings last used for #5/5A.  Overall color is a pale blue with gray panels/greeblies.  No pilot is included. 

10.  TVC:  Big Wing.  Repaint of #8.  Overall color medium gray with darker gray panels/greeblies.  Pilot is a retool, this time with a non-removable helmet (the clone head is simply painted black inside the helmet).

So there you have it.  A new double gallery of the POTF2 (linked) and Saga TIE Fighters, complete with a nauseatingly detailed breakdown of all 10 unique OT/EU TIE Fighter releases.  Enjoy your weekend!