![tie fighter pilot tie fighter pilot](https://live.staticflickr.com/7465/26869134554_e018b86908_b.jpg)
He has previously been featured on Bantha Skull as the curator of an entire 72-figure wing of TIE Pilots Updated Review (Guest): MaarekStele - 07:05 AMĮditor’s note: Guest reviewer MaarekStele provides his take on this figure. Finally, since this is a specific TIE Fighter Pilot who met his demise during A New Hope, you might want to consider picking up one.Įditor’s Note: This review has been updated with our second look at TVC… It’s nicer looking version of a figure that needs a resculpt. Overall, this is a crisper and better looking TIE Fighter Pilot than the first release, but it’s still based on the sub standard 2008/9 mold. Finally, the figure has Photo Real applied to the human head, but the results are honestly negligible. There is also some silver on the speaker at the bottom of the helmet. The silver in the “frown” of the helmet is also more subdued, and honestly, a little less precise. The imperial symbols on the figure’s shoulders are bigger and more precise. There is also a silver control panel painted on the figure’s left forearm. There are two barely noticeable red dots on the outside gray switches. The paint applications to the chest box are much more precise and include extra paint applications on the switches. The flight suit is blacker on this release instead of the dark gray of the predecessor. Overall, the helmet appears glossier, but the dullness of the original release may just be a product of aging. The callsign is also larger and moved back a little. Instead of a bright silver, it’s more of a gunmetal. This time the central strip on the helmet is more subdued. That specific TIE Fighter Pilot was previously released in the Battle of Endor (1 of 2) multi-pack. Oxixo from A New Hope instead of the generic TIE Fighter Pilot that was first release. Auxiliary speed and maneuver controls were also located in the hand-controlled yoke, but attempting both flight and fire control through the hand-control unit was difficult.So the deco upgrades to this figure go beyond just some new paint applications to the face. The hand-control yoke affected precise maneuvering, targeting, navigation, and fire control. The pilot's feet slipped into control yokes, which pressing or pulling on controlled speed and maneuvering. The pilot was strapped into a simple high-gee shock couch and protected by crash webbing and a repulsorlight anti-gravity field. The TIE Fighter also drew much of its energy from solar radiation absorbed by the Hexagonal array wings. The laser generators were located in the undercarriage of the central pod and fed off the power generators and batteries. The TIE had a pair of forward-mounted, fire-linked laser cannons.
![tie fighter pilot tie fighter pilot](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/DYCT86/a-tie-fighter-pilot-from-star-wars-DYCT86.jpg)
By eliminating all these systems, the TIE saved mass and made room for large generators, engines, and weapons inside the compact hull. TIE Pilots had to wear fully sealed flight suits with self-contained atmosphere converters as they lacked life support systems. The TIE's maneuverability and speed came at a great practical cost to the pilot inside.
![tie fighter pilot tie fighter pilot](http://coolvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Sci-fi-Art-Long-Ouyang-Soldier.jpg)
This saved weight and increased speed and maneuverability, but it made TIEs dependent on a home base, such as a nearby planet or an Imperial Cruiser. TIE Fighters were used for planetary and cruiser defense, as well as in assaults against rebel forces. In battle, an Imperial cruiser could arrive near an enemy ship, and launch all its TIEs before rebels had a chance to respond. One TIE Fighter may have been vulnerable to attack and may have been easily destroyed, but for every TIE that is defeated, thousands more would rise. The TIE Fighter presented a small target from the front and back, and its incredible maneuverability made it difficult to hit in combat. TIE Fighters were short range ships, whose most distinguishing feature was the pair of dominant solar array wings mounted on either side of a small, spherical command pod.