The 6-inch-scaled Star Wars Black Series just keeps on trucking with the new series hitting Amazon. Yoda, Clone Sergeant, and the TIE pilot are the newest additions to the shelf, but we’re here to look specifically at big bad Vader’s wingman, the TIE Fighter Pilot.
We all know the packaging by now, standard fare. But there is just something cool about a figure in all black against the black of the box, with only that blue highlighting to break it up. Almost makes me want to keep the boxes. Almost.
The figure itself is no slouch in the awesome department either. I really feel that Hasbro knocks the troop building figures out of the park. Or should I say Gentle Giant? Either way, all the details are here and beautifully sculpted. So many wrinkles in the jumpsuit, a nice contrast to the smoothness of the boots, gloves, and armor pieces. That same contrast is further brought to the forefront by the use of gloss and matte blacks. Yeah, he’s all black, but it’s nowhere near dull.
Okay, all black is a bit much. He does have some paint apps on his chest piece and wrist control, and he has painted Imperial logos in several places. All of these are clean with no bleed. It helps break up the two blacks a bit further, but make no mistake, it all works — very well. And check out that helmet sculpt. It’s straight out of the movie.
Articulation, again, is what you’ve come to expect with the Star Wars Black Series. If you have any Stormtroopers or Clones or most of the other humanoid characters, then you know what you’re getting here. I had absolutely no problems with stuck joints or gumminess. That makes me happy.
You can check out all the articulation, range of movement, and more in my video review.
The TIE Pilot comes with just one accessory: the standard Imperial blaster. He holds it well, and while it does stick up quite a bit, it fits nicely in the holster.
One thing I gotta point out: the hoses that run from the chest box to the helmet do pop out of the helmet fairly easily. Just pegs that plug in, no glue. I think this was done purposely to avoid damage to the hoses if one were to crank on the head too much. The hoses are pretty flexible, but if glue was used and the head was turned too far, it would have been more of a pain to put them back. Otherwise, as long as you don’t get crazy with the neck they stay in.
Now, I love this figure, I really do. But one thing that may stick in some craws is that he’s short. I didn’t notice it much when I first opened him, but as I stood him next to other figures it became more apparent. I’ve already justified this by convincing myself that pilots are recruited based on smaller stature, needing to spend a lot of time in what is essentially a hamster ball, but some may have a problem with the size.
All in all, I’m glad I picked him up. I’m always down for more trooper-builders and I look forward to picking up a few more when I run across them. This makes my need for an AT-AT Driver kick into high gear, though. Soon, right? Hasbro?
