[Original Review by Chris 11/21/2010 7:55 PM]

[Updated Review by Bret 11/05/2025 7:05AM]

Since we’ve got an OT vehicle thing going on, I figure it might be a good time to update this entry.  Like the recently updated review for the TVC Y-Wing Fighter, we did have this entry live.  However, the photography was woefully out of date, and there was no review. 

Shadows of the Dark Side was a name for the line (I believe coined by Dan Curto) that ran concurrently with TVC from 2010-2012.  It was split into two parallel sub-lines; one for The Clone Wars (animated styling) and one for Saga Legends (realistic styling).  So along with TVC, we had 3 things going on at once.  And of course in 2012 there was the TPM3D line as well.  Adding to confusion, some items were available simultaneously in different packaging.  It was quite a a mess, and was all part of the vast conspiracy, pushed by the Big Toys-Industrial complex, to ruin 3.75 and shove 6” down our collective throats.  While I curse Hasbro every day for introducing the scourge of 6” to our hobby, I do simultaneously thank Hasbro every day that we finally have a single unified 3.75” line under the TVC banner ever since 2019.

The first TIE Bomber was released in 2002 at the tail end of the POTJ line, and was $30 at Walmart.  I remember being super excited about this debut OT vehicle which was one of my favorite designs.  A TIE Fighter with two pods was like the most awesomest thing ever, and it was one of those things I had wished was available in the Kenner line when I was a kid.  The POTJ version was a blue-ish gray color, and lacked any kind of weathering.  It came with a (crappy) TIE Pilot, although he had hinged knees to help him sit, even though the cockpit seat was more of the old Kenner style where the figure would “sit” with its legs straight out like a schmuck.  The action feature was that you would load the bombs through a circular hole in the top, and a button would jettison them out a chute at the bottom.  It came with 3 red bombs.  Notably, this vehicle had wings that were not spring loaded, and were very sturdy.

The second release was a year later, also from Walmart for about $30.  It was essentially the same vehicle, with some battle damage.  Airbrushed carbon scoring can be found on the pods, and some rudimentary blast marks adorned the wings.  It came with the same (crappy) pilot, and 3 red bombs.

The third release was in 2007 in the TAC line, and this time was a Target exclusive for the same $30.  It was cast in a very light gray color, with dark gray details.  It had the airbrushed carbon scoring, but no blast marks on the wings.  The TAC version came with the same (crappy) pilot, and 3 blue bombs.

The last release (to date) was this one, from SOTDS in 2010.  It was back to Walmart, and was $40.  It was cast in a darker gray, and again had the airbrushed carbon scoring.  Some changes were made to the sculpt.  First, the cockpit was redone, with much better detailing.  It featured the ubiquitous “ejector” seat, which is dumb as an action feature, but served the purpose of making it easier to position the pilot. 

Another change was the bomb loader.  Instead of a circular hole, this version has a rectangular slot with a sliding door.  The bombs are loaded into the slot, but the dropping mechanism was changed. Instead of the big square button on top of the bomb pod, you would rotate the rear “cap” of the bomber pod.  Interestingly, all 3 previous TIE Bombers had both rear caps configured to rotate, but they didn’t actually do anything, it was just assembled in such a way that you could turn them if you wanted to.  For this update, only the bomb pod allows the rear cap to turn, while the cap on the cockpit pod is glued in place.  The exit slot for the bombs is slightly smaller than before, as well.  Hasbro gave us double the payload this time, including 6 blue bombs for the first time.

The big eyesore button isn’t gone, though.  Instead of dropping bombs, it is the trigger for a newly installed spring-loaded missile launcher at the front of the bomb pod.  The missile is an all new feature.  Not sure anyone was asking for it at the time, but here we are.  And finally, Hasbro unfortunately (?) ditched the (crappy) pilot altogether, so we got nothing.

So it doesn’t go back to the Kenner days like the Y-Wing sculpt, but the TIE Bomber sculpt is still well over 20 years old.  Comparing it to the new TIE Advanced makes it look like the toy that it is.  And while I would always prefer a debut item, the TIE bomber now needs an update as you can see in the comparison shot with the TIE Advanced.  Not only is it almost laughably small, but the coloring is off.  As I stated in the Advanced review, LFL and Hasbro need to pick a color for the TIE’s and just go all in on that one color consistently.  I certainly hope that color is the same that was used for the TIE Advance. 

I really do like this vehicle.  I would be perfectly content to have it exist as is in my collection, but I do see that the TIE Advanced highlights its deficiencies.  I would give the SOTDS version (which is the best of the lot) a solid 8/10.  I could do without the firing missile, but the new bomb mechanism, the updated cockpit, and the coloring all work together nicely.