I gotta say upfront, I’m not really that enamored with this release.  While it’s not actually the first TIE fighter in The Vintage Collection (that honor goes to the Target exclusive from 2011), it is the first “Big Wing” TIE fighter in the line.  While it is among the most classic of vehicles and a logical addition to the line, it may not be enough to get very many long time collectors excited enough to purchase.  There’s really next to nothing here that you haven’t seen before (unless you are a relative newcomer).  Well, there is one new thing:  the price.

Your first challenge will be finding one.  So far, reports are spotty about availability at the usually terrible Walmart.  I’d be a happy collector if I didn’t have to hear the words “Walmart” Exclusive ever again.  I used Brick Seek to help find a nearby store with inventory.  I found one about a week ago, and encountered the second challenge:  accepting the $79 price point. 

Before I continue with that thought, I have to give a little background.  I started out as a collector in 1999, and worked hard back then to catch up on the 4 years of product that I had missed out on, almost solely through eBay, and then with a huge assist from the Great Toys R Us Warehouse Blowout of 2000.  For years, my definition of “completist” was to acquire all intentionally uniquely manufactured, unpackaged, Hasbro 3.75” Star Wars action figures and toys.  But then came 2008, and the introduction of a concurrent line of figures with animated styling.  After buying the first few waves, I stopped and decided these had no place in my realistically styled collection.  Then in 2012, the 3.75” began its fall to the Dark Side.  Perhaps the previous line look should have been called “Foreshadows of the Dark Side.”  The introduction of under-articulated and poorly sculpted figures forced me into the definition of completism that I live by to this day, “all intentionally uniquely manufactured, unpackaged, realistically-styled, super-articulated Hasbro 3.75” Star Wars action figures and toys.”  Now, I’m fine with under-articulated figures that were made prior to TVC because that’s what the technology allowed.  But 5-9POA figures offered instead of, or concurrently with, super-articulated figures doesn’t require me to purchase them.  As for vehicles, however, I’ve pretty much collected them all, no matter how ridiculous the variation.  That would include every iteration of TIE fighter.

That brings me back to the price point.  When I walked into that Walmart a week ago, I had that TIE in my hands, but I had a problem with the price.  Paying $79 for a vehicle that offered almost nothing new was a real struggle.  I paced back and forth for a bit, and did something I NEVER do. I put it down and walked out of the store.  This was the first time in my collecting life that I balked at the price of a toy.  Not that I haven’t struggled with paying high prices for certain toys, but in the end, it was always something that was new enough to make me willing to pay full price.  But I decided to wait for a sale.  I wasn’t interested enough in another TIE fighter.

5 days later, Chris whined to me about how he couldn’t photograph it himself because his backdrop was too small to cover it.  So I found another store with inventory and bought it, because Chris is a slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler.  And here we are.

Okay, so the vintage box is pretty cool.  I like the packaging a lot.  The colors are striking, and while it’s not necessarily as Kenner-ish as the aforementioned Target release, I enjoy the color palette and the more elaborate diorama setting.  My complaint would be that it really isn’t as clear as it could be that there is a figure included.  Sure, there are a bunch of words in multiple languages splashed in a big red circle on the front panel, but who actually reads anything these days?  The two stormtroopers in the image are much more prominent then the TIE Pilot that his doing his rendition of the Whack-a-Mole…mole.  A window showing the figure would probably be a more effective form of communicating this important point.  A bunch of old school fans would probably complain about that.  So how about a compromise?  Maybe just an image of the pilot, surrounded by the silver race track, on the bottom right, similar in concept to a vintage card back:

The TIE is excellent, a rehash of the most recently offered Big Wing TIE, but in a slightly different color scheme.  Yes, that’s right, it’s a different gray!  By my count, we now have TIE Fighters from Hasbro in 49 shades of gray.  One more color variant, and we have a real problem on our hands.  The ship itself has all the same features you’ve seen a million times before:  pop off wings, extendable cannons, windowed top hatch, and a removable ejector seat covered in soft Corinthian leather.  Personally, I’m okay if Hasbro ditches the pop off wings going forward.  I just feel there’s too much risk to the spring going bad, and the wings either pop off at the slightest provocation, or they don’t stay connected.  My sample is fine so far in that regard, but I think a more firm locking fit and elimination of the ejector buttons would make this a sturdier vehicle.  The panels are nice and solid.  Gone is the rubber plastic we’ve seen recently with FO TIE releases.  No warping here (yet) which is surprising given the fairly flimsy interior packaging.  I guess they did just enough to keep the panels from bounding around, and there are no wires or twist ties that force the panels to bend unnecessarily.

The pilot, like the vehicle, is a rehash of the same mold we’ve seen forever.  The only meaningful difference is that the all black head is glued to the inside of the helmet, so it becomes one ball-jointed piece.  I’m fine with that.  The legs are too narrow, squeezed together awkwardly, and lack important ankle joints.  I’m not fine with that.

Overall, it’s a terrific vehicle with a pilot, even if both have only minor differences to their ancestors.  The real issue is the price tag.  For half the price, I’d say go for it.  But this cost the same as THIS all new and unbelievable detailed beauty, and that makes just about as much sense as if Betty White was in PETA.  I want to thank that Jerk Chris for making me buy this at full price.  I can only comfort myself in knowing that I’ve done more than my share here to support The Vintage Collection.

I would give the vehicle a 9.  I would give the box a 9.  I would give the figure a 6.  I would give the price a 0.  That averages out to a 6.