Sculpt--5/5
That's right! I'm giving this figure a perfect score in the sculpt department! I guess you could say that I'm pretty impressed with the job Hasbro has done on the sculpting of this figure. All aspects of the figure have been improved upon, with realistic folds, texture, posture and proportions. There's so much detail in this figure, and it's all so realistically done that at times it looks like a real person in a TIE Fighter pilot costume--just shrunken down and on my desk.

There's so many details that I like about this figure that it's hard to find a place to start! So let's just go top to bottom. The helmet is much more realistic, with the correct size and shape. The hoses that connect the helmet to the control box are sculpted separately from the helmet and "plug" into the helmet. They prohibit neck motion, but some motion is still possible. The control box on the TIE Fighter pilot's chest is now sculpted in sharp detail, with clearly defined buttons, switches and lines. The jumpsuit has a nice subtle texture to it, and I love all the folds and wrinkles which are done just right, replicating the look of fabric hanging off a human body. The gloves are done excellently, with a nice flare at the opening and clean, defined fingers and seam lines.

So is there anything not to like about this figure? If there is one nit I can pick, I guess it would have to be the neck area. I feel like there's a little too much of a gap there, and I think the helmet should rest a little closer to the body. Other than that minor detail, I cannot find fault with this sculpt; I honestly think it's one of the best sculpts Hasbro has done.

Articulation--5/5
The TIE Fighter Pilot has ten points of articulation: neck, shoulders, right bicep cut above the elbow, wrists, hips, and bend-and-swivel knees. That's simply awesome articulation for a TIE Fighter pilot. Let's face it, these guys aren't meant to be on the front line of battle--they're mostly going to be sitting in a cockpit or chilling in a TIE Fighter hangar bay. For those situations, this articulation is perfect. The bending knees are perfect for the TIE Bomber cockpit which actually has a chair, and the arms are great for grasping flight controls.

Particularly nice is how well-hidden all of this articulation is. The knee joints are the most obvious, but even then it isn't to a point where it's distracting. The fact that this figure is all black helps hide the articulation better, but the sculptors and engineers should also be commended for creating hip joints that are practically gapless and thus, almost invisible. As mentioned before, the neck joint is hampered by the somewhat stiff hoses that connect the helmet to the control box, but if you really want to turn the pilot's head, you can always disconnect the box from the chest or the hoses from the helmet. The straight, left arm could have used a bicep-cut or a ball-joint, but it's not totally necessary.

One last thing to mention is that there is kind of an eleventh joint at the waist...or actually below the waist. A little below the belt, there is a practically invisible cut which could be twisted for some quasi-waist articulation. I'm positive that it wasn't meant to be a waist joint, as the cut is not straight and twisting it is not easy and could potentially damage the figure.

Accessories--5/5
You get the standard Imperial blaster rifle and a display base. You've seen the display base before, but thankfully it seems Hasbro has fixed the problem of them not laying flat when connected to other similar bases. I'd say that from the Yavin wave on, this problem has been fixed. The blaster rifle is the one we've been getting, but that is only a good thing as this sculpt is near perfect. Sharp detailing, and good scale...the only thing missing is a trigger and trigger guard, but they are most likely absent so figures that don't have a trigger finger can hold them. So why a five out of five for this category? I simply don't feel we need anything else with this figure short of a TIE Fighter cockpit (which ain't gonna happen!).

Paint--3.5/5
Paint is always an iffy category when it comes to Star Wars figures. I have two TIE Fighter Pilots, and one has a perfect paint job while the other has a terrible one. On the perfect one, the paint job is phenomenal, with clearly defined edges on the lines and buttons on the control box. The other figure has splotchy application and a red paint splatter on the helmet lens!

Packaging--4/5
The packaging is the same as it has been. I still dig the card back--simple and clean. The front is getting a bit old, but it's still a welcome sight over the old Saga packaging which still warms the pegs at most of the shops around here. This figure is also showing up in the Original Trilogy Collection, so if yo prefer that packaging, then wait a bit and you should be able to find it.

Overall--5/5
Yeah, I'm going ahead and giving this figure the rare perfect score. Why? This is simply an awesome rendition of a TIE Fighter Pilot and we won't need a new version of it anytime soon. The sculpting is spot-on and the articulation is excellent. The fact that a good paint job can be found is reason enough for me to warrant the score, despite that category not being perfect. Bottom line: this is a realistic-looking figure with great articulation and playability--and that's pretty rare in my book.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com