At the end of bag 1 we're left with lots and lots of studs ready for SNOTing, and a teensy bit of the top of the helmet. With Captain Rex for size comparison, you can see the model isn't going to be very big. Rex will continue with us for reference throughout as it takes shape. Lemme describe an Imp pilot for ya, Artoo—lotsa guts wrapped up in a little skill with no brain." ― Cade Skywalker, to R2-D2 [src] Dark Troopers are perhaps the most fearsome-looking of all Imperial battle droids - and it's safe to say that Lego has perfectly captured that ferocity in its design of the Lego Star Wars Dark Trooper helmet. It's a little smaller than most other helmets, thanks to the shape of the Dark Trooper's armor. Although the standard TIE pilot uniform is not actually required for piloting the TIE/sa bomber due to it being equipped with life-support systems, the pilots nonetheless wear the standard flight suits in case of an emergency. The uniforms for TIE bomber pilots was slightly different compared to the standard flight suits, namely possessing a clear viewport for the eyes in their helmets. [20] The chin section is a fiddly little build with a bunch of small slopes and SNOT, but it comes together nicely.

I attended the Academy, and I have nothing negative to say about the Imperial training program, but nothing can prepare you for true space combat. You need to know your life is on the line, that your next move could destroy your enemy or put you directly in his firing vector." ―Flight Leader Trel Skutu. [8] Buying this cool building toy for a big Star Wars™ fan who is a LEGO® beginner? Don’t worry. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions so they can open the box and take on this complex build with confidence. The final phase of testing often occurred onboard a larger battleship, such as a Star Destroyer. This was to expose cadets to realistic and relevant surroundings. During the Galactic Civil War, TIE cadets often underwent literal trials by fire, plunged into combat situations where to excel was to survive. [20] Of all the cadets who underwent the Imperial pilot training program, ninety percent never graduated. [16] [1] As a consequence, those who did tended to be both proud and arrogant. [20]TIE pilots could be equipped with an E-11 medium blaster rifle [19] or a blaster pistol. [27] Behind the scenes [ ]

I opened by saying that on face value, a TIE Fighter Pilot helmet seems like an odd choice for an inaugural line of three Star Wars helmets. As far as subject matter goes, it feels like something that would turn up in a second or third lineup, not the first one. The side profile is quite good, though, and shows the interesting interplay between studded and smooth surfaces. In my mind the contrast between the textures makes the studded areas read as fabric, which of course they aren't meant to be, but overall the balance is fine and doesn't look messy, which perhaps is a risk. The stepped bows leading to the tubes are a bit abrupt, and don't look great close up, but from a distance they look ok. The proportions aren't perfect, of course, but unless you hold up a picture of a movie still or real-life prop next to it, it looks right. Regardless of where your allegiance lies, whether it be with the Imperial Empire or the Rebel Alliance, there's a Lego Star Wars helmet for everyone. There's now a huge range of models available and they're usually aimed at adult or older builders and typically come in at a lower price point, which makes them ideal for display.

Details

Potential non-clone pilots were required to undergo a rigorous screening and selection process for flight training, with those who passed proceeding to spend a year in one of the Empire's flight schools. The flight schools' locations varied between asteroid bases, planets, and capital ships. Once they arrived at the flight school, the pilot would be assigned to a partner and learn to operate as a team in combat, necessitating hundreds of hours of flight drills. However, the flight schools were not safe, as attrition was high especially to trainee pilots assigned to actual combat missions. Those who survived and passed came closer to getting a recommendation into the Starfighter Corps. [5] Several of the flight challenges they had to endure were both strategic and high-speed related, and were described as filtering out the weak. [3]

Overall: 8.75/10 - This model is good. The build isn't the most fun or instructive, but it does the job, and the completed model looks excellent. Plus, it has the most parts of the three, so value-wise it's up there.TIE pilots were stationed among either the Imperial Navy or the Imperial Army, with their duties varying depending on the branch. The latter reported to an Army garrison commander, although they were primarily stationed aboard a naval vessel. This also led to an intense rivalry between the two factions of TIE pilots. [5] Uniform and equipment [ ] There is a rich variety of LEGO® Star Wars™ sets to delight fans of all ages, whether they want to role-play scenes from the movies, dream up their own epic stories or just build and display the awesome models. At the height of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Navy had countless Academy graduates and clones at its disposal. During the time of the Imperial Remnant and the reign of a reborn Emperor Palpatine, the Empire was forced to be conservative with the lives of the TIE pilots due to their decreasing numbers, and unmanned TIE/D automated starfighters were used as support craft for living pilots. Eventually, Imperial commanders like Grand Admiral Thrawn were forced to recognize that their pilots and starfighters could no longer be treated as expendable assets, and began fitting TIE/IN interceptors with deflector shields. [7] Training [ ] and the highlighted paintwork is a graphite colour in appearance rather than "silver/grey" which we previously thought - all hand painted

The LEGO Group has been recreating iconic starships, vehicles, locations and characters from the Star Wars universe since 1999. LEGO Star Wars is its most successful theme, with a huge array of sets for play and display to delight fans of all ages. Due to their discipline, TIE pilots when undergoing missions often fly in formations of up to five TIE fighters. However, if the unit leader ended up shot down first, the remaining TIE pilots tended to scatter. [14] [15] [16] [17] Barge drivers. What kind of plastiheads is the Empire recruiting for pilots these days?" ―Han Solo [src] Some TIE pilots who proved exceptionally skilled were promoted to cruisemissile troopers, which piloted the cruisemissile assault crafts that acted as spearheads for Imperial Navy operations against Rebel outposts. Unlike the TIE pilots and their relatively autonomous role with their fighters, however, cruisemissile troopers were directly affixed from the waist down to their craft. [18] Duties [ ]When not on duty, their dress uniforms were the same as various Imperial Navy officers, although in some cases, such as Captain Yorr and Captain Juno Eclipse, they wore uniforms that were more similar to the dress uniforms for Stormtrooper Corps officers. Don't let the fleet commanders fool you: battles are fought — and won — among starfighters, not capital ships. Flying a fighter requires a sharp eye, firm knowledge of spatial mechanics, and a keen tactical sense." ―Flight Leader Trel Skutu. [8] The mouth build uses more interesting colours for no particular reason, and is attached using a dark red riot shield, which has turned into quite a versatile piece - I wonder if the part designer could've anticipated that when it was first created. That's fighter pilots for you. Twice the mouth because half the brain." ―Two Imperials, regarding TIE pilots [13]