Saturday, December 28, 2013

Perfect TIE Fighter Pilot, The New Legacy Collection Black Squadron TIE Pilot Figure!


The Good: Amazing poseability, Exceptional detailing, Awesome balance, Decent accessories!
The Bad: None!
The Basics: The Star Wars Legacy Collection Black Squadron TIE Pilot is well worth picking up, despite the prevalence of TIE Fighter Pilot figures on the market.


In recent years, I have been disappointed by the Star Wars action figure line. Most of the figures have been simply recasts of previously-released action figures and overwhelmingly overproduced figures. The Star Wars action figures have largely been done and now they most seem to be refining the previously-released figures. Apparently Amazon.com snuck out its own figure set from Hasbro, resurrecting the Legacy Collection Build-A-Droid concept and most of the figures in the set are familiar and overdone figures. The first one I’m tackling for reviews is the Black Squadron TIE Pilot action figure.

For those unfamiliar with the Black Squadron TIE Pilot, they are the Imperial Stormtroopers seen throughout the Star Wars Saga (reviewed here!) who wore black and piloted the Imperial TIE Fighters.

The 4" Black Squadron TIE Pilot figure is another generic shock troop which may be stocked up on and because this is such a good figure, it is worth doing so. In fact, this might be a perfect rendition of the TIE Fighter Pilot figure.

Basics

The Black Squadron TIE Pilot figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his helmet. He wears the black outfit and black armor of the Imperial TIE Pilot. This toy is a great sculpt, even when it has the helmet off. With its helmet off, the Black Squadron TIE Pilot is revealed to have a scowling face that might look almost nothing like Temuera Morrison, who one assumes is supposed to be the subject given the figure's complexion and curly black hair (and the insinuation that all of the troopers in the Empire are now clones). The lips are colored a bright pink, but the figure otherwise looks flawlessly realistic.

That said, the Black Squadron TIE Pilot is an amazing sculpt. The figure's jumpsuit includes such realistic details as molded pockets and the arm badges. The armor on the Black Squadron TIE Pilot's outfit looks strong and clean, which makes sense given that the Black Squadron TIE Pilot works in the relatively clean environment of the cockpit of the TIE Fighter. The coloring details on the Black Squadron TIE Pilot's armor are also pretty wonderful and this looks exactly like the Black Squadron TIE Pilot's in the pictures (and in the movie).

Accessories

Black Squadron TIE Pilot is an Imperial stormtrooper and comes only with two accessories: an Imperial blaster pistol and a specialized blaster! The blaster pistol that the Black Squadron TIE Pilot comes with is an Imperial blaster remolded for the Legacy Collection figures that is in the figure’s holster. The 11/16" long gun fits in either of Black Squadron TIE Pilot's hands and looks entirely proportionate. The monotonal black weapon is generic, but looks good in or out of the holster on the figure’s belt.

The other gun appears to be unique to the Black Squadron TIE Pilot. The 1” long black firearm has a top/side scope and a virtually nonexistent barrel. The handle has a decent textured grip and fits into either of the figure’s hands.

Like the rest of Amazon’s 2013 Legacy Collection figures, the Black Squadron TIE Pilot features a droid part. The Black Squadron TIE Pilot features the right leg of TC-70. The copper and silver leg looks very much like a protocol droid’s leg. The leg is articulated with a hinge joint at the knee and a hinged ball and socket joint at the ankle. The foot has the appropriate hole for putting the droid into a vehicle or playset.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and the Black Squadron TIE Pilot is exceptional in that regard. The Black Squadron TIE Pilot has great balance and even better poseability, illustrating the latest in molding technology. The Black Squadron TIE Pilot is articulated at twelve points, few of which are simple swivel joints. The Black Squadron TIE Pilot is articulated at the knees, groin socket, waist, shoulders, elbows, wrists and head. The head is on a ball-and-socket joint, inhibited only by the helmet's air tubes which connect to the chestpiece control panel. The knees, shoulders and elbows are all hinge joints on the ball-and-socket, giving them exceptional poseability and playability. The wrists and waist have simple swivel joints which do all they truly need to do.

Collectibility

The Black Squadron TIE Pilot is part of the Legacy Collection with the build-a-droid figure that was released in 2013 entirely through Amazon.com. The Black Squadron TIE Pilot was released with equal frequency as the rest of the line. Given how this is more poseable than the prior TIE Pilots, it makes for a great supplemental figure for any TIE Fighter vehicle toy.

Overview

The Black Squadron TIE Pilot is quite possibly the best TIE Fighter pilot figure made by Hasbro so far and makes investing in the Amazon.com Legacy Collection set instantly worthwhile.

For other TIE Fighter pilot figures and TIE fighter collectibles, please check out my reviews of:
Vintage Collection VC65 TIE Fighter Pilot
Power Of The Force TIE Fighter Pilot
2012 TIE Interceptor Ornament

10/10

For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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