This is a very interesting release.  When I first heard about it, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t the TIE Brute that was revealed in Solo.  I wasn’t really interested in yet another OT-styled TIE, with another gray paint variation, and differently sized wings.  I’ve got more TIE’s than I know what to do with, and I’ve never bought more than one of any particular release.  (Maybe one time, but how am I supposed to remember things?).  And don’t forget the other variations, like if the cockpit hatch is hinged at the back or the side, or if the hatch has windows, or if there is an ejector seat, or a detailed cockpit, or how the back of the cockpit is molded, or the color of the missiles, or if the wings are sturdy or floppy, or if the panels pop off unexpectedly due to the sensitivity of the spring action….sigh.  Just make one good TIE and stick with it, please.

Lo and behold, this version is nothing as I would have expected.  Even though Solo takes place 10 years BBY, the design of the TIE fighter seems to be the same as in the OT, or at least close enough to my old eyes.  The gray is a little different than most other releases.  The cockpit interior has no ejector seat, and is sculpted rather simply overall, but does contain some nice paneling details.  The missiles are bright green, but the exposed front nubs are painted red, surrounded by the same gray as the rest of the craft, so they don’t stand out looking like a silly toy.  So far, so good.

The TIE Pilot is a great looking figure, although it is minimally articulation with 5POA.  It comes with an imperial blaster rifle that is gripped tightly in the right hand, but has no holster.  The pilot fits snugly in the cockpit space, even though there is no actual seat.  Also, since the hatch has no window slats, light doesn’t filter in through the top, so it’s kind of hard to see the pilot when looking through the front window.  No biggie, but I like to see the pilots in the cockpits whenever possible for display. 

The panels are sized exactly the same as recent releases of First Order TIE’s.  You can see in the comparison shot in the gallery that it is sized between that of the original small panel and the later big wing version.  So this goes along with the new releases, but will be different from every single other OT TIE in your collection.  Here’s the big twist.  Instead of the panels popping off at the push of buttons on either side of the cockpit, there is one button that actually mimics the craft splitting apart.  The cockpit actually breaks open, leaving two broken pieces behind.  This is a feature I never really thought of before, and at first, figured it wouldn’t work and would ruin the aesthetic of the complete ship.  However, it really does work nicely, both as an action feature, and as a way to provide some new display options.  My first thought was Finn’s crashed FO TIE on Jakku, but it’s a better look than that. 

The panels seem to be made from a fairly sturdy plastic.  Time will tell if they can maintain their shape, but out of the package they are far superior to the rubbery FO TIE panels.  They seem a bit more flexible than earlier releases of big and small sized panels, but not much so.  Apparently in a compromise for child safety, Hasbro molded the perimeter of the wings in a soft rubber plastic, so if you smash them into your face, they’ll just bump off rather than lacerating your forehead.  I did not submit my own face to do any practical testing, so my statement is just conjecture.

Oh, and I was actually excited to don the Force Link 2.0 gauntlet and hear the continuous sounds of the screaming twin ion engines, as I gleefully flew the ship around my house.  Alas, I was sorely disappointed to hear the same sounds as I heard from my wampa toy. That is to say, I heard the dreaded “FIRMWARE UPDATED REQUIRED!”  It’s like Hasbro’s equivalent of the old blue screen of death.  Seriously, I was disappointed.  That was one of the things I was looking forward to.  The pilot had phrases, but nothing from the ship itself.  Bummer.

Overall, this is a surprisingly good offering.  I’m not thrilled with the new coloring, nor the inclusion of the 5POA pilot, nor the lack of Force Link sounds from the ship.  But the sturdiness of the wings, the excellent sculpt, the clean cockpit, and the pretty awesome and unexpected break apart feature instead of the old pop off wings are some really strong pluses.  If you don’t mind the wing size, or actually if you prefer this size over the others, than you should seriously consider making this your “go to” OT TIE fighter.  Not sure how easy these will be to come by, nor if the price will go down any time soon, but don’t sleep on this vehicle.  It’s solid.