Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot - TBS [TESB40] - Six Inch Figures

Ugh. Hasbro screwed up the name of another classic Kenner action figure. It’s Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot, not Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot. “TIE” is an acronym for “Twin Ion Engine.” It’s not called “Tie Fighter” because it looks like a bowtie. Sigh. Regardless, we weren’t too sure when we’d see the re-release of 2014’s TBS [P2] TIE Pilot (#05) again, but here it is to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Part of the second wave of action figures that make up the second wave of The Black Series [The Empire Strikes Back 40] line, the Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot enters the line a little more refined,. But ultimately it's not all that different from its original release. The Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot figure is an army builder loaded with articulation and stunning yet simple paint operations. It is well-articulated too, and a perfect addition to celebrate four decades of Episode V. The Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot attains a wide array of dynamic poses thanks to the ball-jointed “rocker” ankles. The tooling is beginning to feel a little tired. This release doesn’t have the fluid movement of past releases. Even so, no matter how you decide to pose the legs, arms, or the waist, the ankles are critical to attaining more action-oriented poses. Ultimately, this figure which gives it its incredible balance.

The TIE Pilot has some interesting features. For example, you cannot articulate the chest box. You cannot remove it from the figure (like you can on the 3.75” scaled versions). Interestingly, the tubing us removable from the helmet. Original Trilogy purists are glad that this figure doesn’t come with a removable helmet. Hasbro treats the 6” line well, something that they didn’t do too well in the 3.75” scaled line. Every figure in that range that was a Galactic Empire trooper came with a removable helmet. Some may argue that the helmet is too small, but we think the figure looks pretty good. The belt is a separately sculpted “accessory,” but it cannot be removed from the figure without breakage, at least from what we can tell. What’s interesting with the belt is that it can be rotated easily 360 degrees around the figure’s waist. It seems like Hasbro should have securely affixed it to the figure’s torso. We also have noticed that the holster hangs on the left side of the 6” figure, while the holster hangs on the right side of the 3.75” versions, another reason we need a completely new re-sculpt in 3.75” scale. The included E-11 blaster fits perfectly into the holster, and we love the way it hangs. This release supposedly represents the Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot from The Empire Strikes Back, but we didn’t see these characters in that film, only their vehicles.

As we’ve previously mentioned, the way this figure is named is bothersome. It doesn’t hamper the quality of the figure, but it destroys the aesthetics of the packaging. Released multiple times already, with different paint jobs to be different characters, Hasbro is getting good use out of this tooling. Now we’re wondering if Hasbro will be tempted to design an Original Trilogy Imperial TIE Fighter to go along with this figure. The Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot is a release where some may accuse Hasbro of throwing in the towel for The Black Series [The Empire Strikes Back 40] line. The only reason Hasbro chose this character for the lineup was that the tooling previously existed. There is no other reason to release it. Hasbro probably should have thought a little more outside of the box and give us a unique Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot instead of a generic one. There are many pilots with varying helmets, and it would have been fantastic to receive a new pilot we don’t have in the 6” line yet. But no, Hasbro phoned it in and made their lives as simple as possible by making this release a straight repack. We do like the concept of anything vintage Kenner marketed in the current modern Hasbro Star Wars lines, but there’s a way to do it well. Hasbro is only partially there so far.