Average Customer Review:
 ( 10 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Lego Launches a New Tie FighterJan 31, 2012
By R. Ferguson
This is Lego's newest version of the Tie Fighter. There have been a dizzying number of Tie sets: there were a few standard Tie Fighters (#7146 and #7263), Darth Vader's variant (#7150 and #8017), Tie Bomber (#4479), Tie Intercepter (#6209), and the hyper-drive equipped Tie Defender (#8087). There have been two Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) Tie Fighters: Vader's (#10175) and an Intercepter (#7181). Set 9492, introduced in January of 2012, is arguably the best of the standard, playable Tie Fighters to date. The UCS sets are in their own league as they place a premium on authenticity over playability, and carry high price tags as well. And there have been mini-scale Tie Fighters as well.
The major change with this version is the construction of the radiators, the large black hexagonal panels on each side of the craft. In addition to the usual plates, Lego has run a band of tile around the edge (a technique more commonly referred to as studs-not-on-top, or SNOT). Along with smaller detailing, the radiators are a much better representation than prior sets, and they are arguably stronger. Another change in the design evolution is the use of a new cockpit window that is more cleanly spherical. Beyond this, the design features are smaller, such as the use of side-facing roof tiles to give the craft sharper edges.
The set comes with a pilot, an imperial officer, Death Star trooper, and R5-J2 droid. The trooper's helmet is new and nicely designed, as is the droid's new conical head. The craft also has two flick-fire missiles situated underneath the cockpit dome.
In terms of playability, this set is not as interesting as Lego's new X-Wing fighter (#9493), but I believe the general thinking is that kids (or their parents) will buy the X-Wing or Millennium Falcon (7965) first, and then buy the Tie Fighter so they can stage a dogfight. In this regard, the new Tie Fighter is a great set and does an admirable job of being the bad guy. Parents, you are forewarned that, depending on the age of your children, you may be conscripted into fixing battle damaged Lego spacecraft; I think this is a fair exchange for a toy that can be built and modified. Until children learn to fix the craft on their own, it can be very frustrating for a parent, even one that loves Lego. Patience Iago, patience. Inner peace, inner peace. Find a happy place. Serenity now.
As I mention in my other Lego reviews, you can go to Youtube and search for lengthy reviews of this set. It helps to see this craft handled.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Piece of artFeb 10, 2012
By Gabriel Hughes
This set is a piece of art. I was stunned that the wing borders fit on so perfectly, and there is a little piece on the front and back corners of the wing to keep the grey border from sliding off. The struts on the side look amazing and are likewise expertly crafted. The cockpit is not perfectly round but the designers did an admirable job with their choice of LEGO bricks.
I may be the minority, but I also love that it comes with flick-fire missiles. They never get old.
The minifigures are great. The TIE fighter pilot has a face under the helmet, but it's kind of pale since it is printed on a black head. Still fun, though. This is also my first Imperial Officer, which is exciting.
The wings connect to the body a lot better than previous iterations. They don't wobble as much when you're swooshing it around your house, and they don't fall off as easily. The wings are made up of lots of plates, so you have to keep an eye out for pieces coming loose during play, but usually it all holds together well.
The TIE fighter is bigger than I thought. It looks slightly out of scale to both the 6206 TIE Interceptor and 8017 Darth Vader's TIE. But the size of the model makes the price a little easier to swallow.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
One of the best 2012 Star Wars LEGO sets.Mar 11, 2012
By Anthony L. Bowers
Several good aspects about this set. Would recommend purchasing it.
- Good price per piece for a SW LEGO set
- One of the best, if not the best, TIE Fighter builds for a regular (not including UCS) LEGO. They have made several over the years.
- The cockpit is nice, and has a unique canopy piece. Nice the way it opens.
- Sturdy construction, so it can be swooshed without falling apart.
- Minifigs included with the set are very nice
- The colors of the LEGOS used for the model are nice looking.
- Looks good on display
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 missing piecesMay 12, 2012
By rish251974
This product had missing pieces. It was quite disappointing for my nephew. It was a birthday gift and he has to wait for the missing parts.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Great looking toy, pretty boring build thoughMar 02, 2012
By B. Wong
"BW"
Being someone who's not in the suggested age range for such a toy, obviously my opinion will be a little different from a kid's. That said, this piece looks great. Absolutely badass and is pretty much a must have. If you can get it for ~$0.10/piece, then go for it. But, the reason why it's not perfect is the build is absolutely boring as heck. As is expected given the complexity of the ship itself, and the fact that it's just mainly two big "wings". It's definitely wise to build both wings at the same time, but on the other hand, that decreases the length of the build time. But given how boring a build it is, it's better to just get it over with and get to the final presentation. Several people have said that it's flimsy, but i've had no problems with mine. The key is with the final "bracket" pieces that you slide on to each individual wing before sliding the wing onto the center cockpit piece. You gotta make sure you press each leg onto the wing solidly and INDIVIDUALLY. Once you do, this thing isn't gonna fall apart. If your 8 yr old kid is trying to accomplish this, then that's probably why it's falling apart so easily. That bracket needs a pretty good amount of force to get the studs into the female receptors.
At the end of the day, way too quick a build, but it looks fantastic. Would love to have a squadron of these, but at the price point, that'd be hard to do.
See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 10 reviews
