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Sienar Fleet Systems
TIE/LN
Starfighter



Twin Ion Engine Short Range Fighter
Imperial Navy
Galactic Civil War
A Long Time Ago



Bandai

This model added to kgwings.com on November, 2019

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away... the TIE Fighter was one of the most manoeuvrable starfighters ever to serve in the Imperial Navy. It was a very effective fighter especially when deployed in large numbers.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

The TIE was designed by Sienar Fleet Systems to fit the minimalist philosophy of the Empire that a starfighter had to be very cheap to produce, very fast and agile with lethal firepower, and it did not require shields or secondary weapons, it did not need a hyperdrive or onboard life support system.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

The TIE relied on it's speed and manuverability to evade threats and it relied on sheer numbers to overwhelm an enemy. The TIE was almost always deployed in large numbers, each Star Destroyer carried a wing of 72 TIE craft.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

The TIE had two large solar panels that provided power to it's Twin Ion Engine (TIE) system which directs ionized gasses at almost any direction making the fighter extremely fast and superbly maneuverable.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai
The chin mounted L-s1 Laser Cannons consumed much less space than traditional starfighter weapons while still maintaining full destructive capability.
Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

Bandai did a fantastic job with this kit. There is no flash anywhere, parts fit together well enought that glue isn't really required (although I glued mine). There are several options to choose from and a nice Death Star base that can be linked with other bases in the Star Wars line of kits.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

Transparent green laser blast parts are included for a very convincing "firing" effect. The top parts on base arm can be adjusted to pose the ship in many different angles, also parts are included to plug the openings in the ship and in the base if you don't wish to display this way.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

I had trouble deciding the correct color to paint my TIE. My research indicated that A New Hope TIE fighters appear to be lighter than those in Return of the Jedi. A few articles suggested that the TIE was supposed to be blue but had to be changed to light grey because of the limitations of 1970's blue-screen technology, then the color was changed slightly in later movies as technology got better. Regardless I'm pretty happy with how mine turned out.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai

This kit was such a breeze to assemble, it's one of the fastest builds I've done in years, and I'm a very slow builder.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai
Here's my Bandai TIE Fighter challenge - see if you can build this kit without "flying" it around your workbench making the TIE screaming sound... I couldn't do it, (I didn't even try).
Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai
Bandai provides two options for the canopy parts, traditional transparent parts and also "cinematic style" no-glass parts like the models used in the filming of the original movies. I chose the no-glass parts for the same reason the special effects teams did, it eliminates lighting glare when photographing or filming.

Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai
The cockpit is well detailed considering how little of it can be seen after assembly. Decals are provided for the controls on the rear bulkhead and for the pilot's helmet. A seated pilot and a standing pilot are provided.
Twin Ion Engine TIE Fighter Bandai
To get an idea of how well this kit in engineered, I snapped the inner hull into the outer hull for a quick test fit and then had to struggle to pull it back apart because the parts fit so perfectly tight. Bandai has managed to create a very impressive kit, easy to build and very nicely detailed. I look forward to building more of their Star Wars line of kits.



Bandai #0194870 Sienar Fleet Systems TIE - In Space Superiority Fighter
Bandai
Kit: Bandai #0194870
1/72 scale


Scale: 1/72
Value:

I was able to purchase this kit for about $23.00(US) which was an excellent value! Anything under $30 would not be bad for a kit of this quality.
Decals:

A waterslide decal sheet is provided as well as a peel-and-stick decal sheet for beginner modelers. Both sheets are printed in perfect register with crisp detail.

Assembly:

This kit is comprised of approximately 50 parts molded in medium gray, black, clear and transparent green. One waterslide decal sheet is included as well as a peel-and-stick decal sheet (pressure sensitive adhesive decals). The instuctions are printed in color with fairly easy-to-interpret illustrations, this is a good thing because nearly all of the text is in Japanese only.

There was no flash on any part of my kit. Panel lines are recessed and very fine, all details are very well done. Parts fit together so well that the entire kit could be assembled as a snap-fit although I used glue on mine. I used no filler and only a minimal amount of sanding was done.

Optional parts are provided to assemble with transparent cockpit glass or with no-glass framing like the original movie props were filmed.

One standing pilot figure is included as well as a sitting pilot. The sitting pilot has simplified molding on the arms and legs with good detail otherwise, fortunately it looks pretty good once the kit is assembled.

A base stand is stand is included (representing a section of the Death Star) which can be connected other other Bandai Star Wars kit bases, and it can be adjusted to angle the kit in various positions.

A fast modeler can probably finish this kit in one day, I build as slow as a glacier so I finished mine in a few weeks.

Aftermarket Parts:

None
Scratch Additions:

None.

Recommendation:

This is a really well-done kit. A beginner will enjoy how easily it assembles and an expert will be impressed with the high level of detail and extremely well molded parts. I recommend for all modelers interested in Star Wars or Sci-Fi.


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