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TIE Interceptor

Toys R Us is the latest winner in the Hasbro Star Wars Exclusive lottery.  They're latest item is the TIE Interceptor, with pilot.  Yes, it's another reissue of an original vehicle, but it's one of the nicer reissues.  And at $29.99, not too badly priced for a TRU Exclusive.

Packaging - **1/2
I like the looks of this box on the shelf - it's much more tight and compact than other recent exclusive vehicles.  But my dear lord...I think they may have caused a twisty tie shortage!  There's enough holding this vehicle in to strap down a large sized dog.

Articulation - ***
The pilot has the standard Star Wars articulation PLUS jointed knees.  We have to give Hasbro some credit here - this way they can say this TIE Pilot is unique.

He has neck, shoulders, waist, hips and knees.  But do the knees really help?  No, not in this case.  While I'm all for extra articulation, unfortunately the seat in the cockpit is the same as the original...it's just a straight seat.  He doesn't need jointed knees to sit there.

Oh well, I don't suppose you should stare at the molars of a gift horse for too long.

Sculpting - ***
The TIE Interceptor is a cool vehicle, and even as a reissue this one looks pretty damn good.

The big change here from the original is the wings - they are textured this time, and that really adds pizzazz to the ship.

The sculpting on the pilot is fairly decent as well, although it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Paint - ***
The paint ops on the vehicle and pilot are both good, but the sticker on the interior is pretty cheesy.  It's not that using a sticker was bad, it's just that this one didn't quite fit as well as some of the other ships and is likely to get damaged.

Accessories - **1/2
Actually, I'm counting the pilot here as the accessory.  He's it, and he doesn't have any accessories of his own.  How hard would it have been to throw in a blaster?  Like I said, the pilot himself isn't bad, but he's nothing to get weepy eyed about.

Value - ***
Considering the price of other exclusive vehicles, and considering just how cool the design of the TIE Interceptor is, $30 is actually a decent price.  I wouldn't pay big bucks on the secondary market for this, but start hitting those local Toys R Us stores and you should be able to find one.

Overall - ***
The biggest advantage of this exclusive over the previous vehicles from Target is obviously the price.  Ten bucks cheaper means quite a bit, and although the vehicle might not be quite as cool as the B-wing, it's still one of the best vehicles in the Star Wars universe.


Figure from the collection of Larry Jones

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