The LEGO Group, founded by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, has been a phenomenon since its advent in 1932. The group introduced third-party intellectual property partnerships (licensed themes) in 1999, which expanded its audience and customer base alike. These intellectual properties encompass television shows, films and brands, generally. Examples include Star Wars and Harry Potter, The LEGO Group’s most prevalent licensed themes with regard to size and public reception.
In this article we will be looking at every Twin Ion Engine (TIE) fighter set ever released, in chronological order. The sets released are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provide customers with fantastic playability and functionality. For context, TIE fighters were established in the original Star Wars trilogy as single-pilot Imperial fleet vehicles, designed for fast-paced dogfighting, akin to World War II aerial combat exchanges.
LEGO TIE Fighter & Y-Wing 7150
RRP: $50
Year Released: 1999
Pieces: 409
Minifigures: 3
The first TIE fighter set ever released is shared with the Y-Wing and consists of 409 pieces and 3 minifigures. These include Darth Vader, Astromech Droid R5-D4 and Rebel Pilot Y-Wing. The part list is relatively basic and the build oversimplified, however, this is to be expected in light of the release date and unfamiliarity of the licensed sets.
Released on 22nd February 1999 and retiring on 31st December 2000, this monumental set has a shelf life of 1 year 10 months.
It is worth noting that I have intentionally omitted sets 7152 (released in 2002) and 7262 (released in 2004) from this list, as they are merely rereleases of this set (TIE Fighter & Y-Wing 7150). The contents in each rerelease remained the same, however, set 7262 enjoyed new box art and being labelled as an Original Trilogy Edition.
LEGO TIE Fighter 7146
RRP: $20.00 | £17.99
Year Released: 2001
Pieces: 171
Minifigures: 2
This set features 171 pieces and 2 minifigures, Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot and Imperial Stormtrooper. The colour scheme is not entirely accurate to the film (Star Wars Episode IV), but has been designed to a playable and adequate standard.
This TIE Fighter was released on 1st January 2001 and retired on 31st December 2002, giving it a shelf life of almost 2 years.
LEGO TIE Fighter Collection 10131
RRP: $70.00 | £64.99
Year Released: 2004
Pieces: 682
Minifigures: 4
This is the only TIE fighter collection released by The Lego Group, possessing 682 pieces and 4 minifigures, including Darth Vader, Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot and Droid Brain (exclusive). It has a reasonably low price per piece value of 10.3c and impressively only includes printed pieces.
Released on 1st August 2004 and retiring on 31st July 2006, this set had a shelf life of approximately 2 years.
LEGO TIE Fighter 7263
RRP: $20.00 | £14.99
Year Released: 2005
Pieces: 159
Minifigures: 2
This set consists of 159 pieces and 2 minifigures, including Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot and Darth Vader, neither of which are exclusive to this set. The price is extremely reasonable for this well depicted set, however, it lacks solidity which consequently makes it susceptible to falling apart.
This TIE Fighter was released on 1st February 2005 and retired on 31st December 2005, giving it an incredibly short shelf life of 11 months.
LEGO Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter 8017
RRP: $29.99 | £34.99
Year Released: 2009
Pieces: 251
Minifigures: 1
Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter comprises a respectable 251 pieces and 1 minifigure – Darth Vader. Whilst the set has been commended for its innovative design, robustness and playability, there are several complaints. These include Darth Vader not fitting into the cockpit appropriately due to his cape, and also the lack of minifigures. These are relatively trivial in the circumstances.
This set was released on 1st January 2012 and retired on 17th February 2014, providing for a shelf life of approximately 2 years 1 month.
LEGO TIE Fighter 9492
RRP: $54.99 | £49.99
Year Released: 2012
Pieces: 413
Minifigures: 4
This set consists of 413 pieces and 4 minifigures, including Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot, Death Star Trooper (exclusive), Astromech Droid R5-J2 (exclusive) and Imperial Officer (exclusive). This set was well received by customers, although comments have been made concerning the price of this set. With a price per piece of 13.3c, it is, by no means, the most affordable.
This TIE Fighter was released on 1st January 2012 and retired on 17th February 2014, which gives a shelf life of approximately 2 years 1 month.
LEGO TIE Fighter 75095
RRP: $199.99 | £179.99
Year Released: 2015
Pieces: 1685
Minifigures: 1
This TIE Fighter is part of the Ultimate Collector Series (UCS), boasting 1,685 pieces – the largest in the collection. The UCS subtheme was introduced in 2000, shortly after The LEGO Group commenced the third-party intellectual property partnerships. These sets are commonly larger and more expensive than their regular counterparts, and are geared towards older builders. This set also includes 1 minifigure – Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot – which is exclusive to this set.
Released on 1st May 2015 and retiring on 12th January 2018, this set had a shelf life of 2 years 8 months, which is among the longest in the collection. This is unsurprising though, due to the UCS status, collectability and cost consideration.
LEGO First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter 75101
RRP: $69.99 | £64.99
Year Released: 2015
Pieces: 517
Minifigures: 4
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter comprises 517 pieces and 4 minifigures, including First Order Officer (exclusive), two First Order TIE Fighter Pilots (exclusive) and First Order Crew Member. The First Order TIE Fighter Pilot is well designed with a remarkable helmet moulding and a physical hose piece which connects from the right nozzle to the breathing apparatus. This is a commendable upgrade from the previous models which had the connector simply printed onto the minifigure’s torso.
This set was released on 5th September 2015 and retired on 11th December 2017, which gave it a long shelf life of 2 years 3 months.
LEGO Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter 75179
RRP: $79.99 | £74.99
Year Released: 2017
Pieces: 630
Minifigures: 4
This set consists of 630 pieces and four minifigures, to include First Order Stormtrooper, BB-9E, Kylo Ren (exclusive) and First Order TIE Pilot (exclusive). For the price of this set, more exclusivity with regard to minifigures would have been welcomed. The First Order TIE Pilot had a minor revision from the 2015 model, with the introduction of two red stripes printed on the helmet. Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter incorporated a number of interesting parts into the build, including connector pegs, technic t-beams and even a printed cockpit hatch, designed specifically for this set.
Released on 1st September 2017 and retiring on 31st December 2018, this set had a moderately short shelf life of 1 year 4 months.
LEGO First Order TIE Fighter Microfighter 75194
RRP: $9.99 | £8.99
Year Released: 2018
Pieces: 91
Minifigures: 1
First Order TIE Fighter Microfighter contains 91 pieces and 1 minifigure – First Order TIE Pilot – which regrettably is not exclusive. This model is part of the Microfighter subtheme which was introduced in 2014. Due to the miniscule depiction, this TIE Fighter comes equipped with two flick-fire missiles in lieu of the typical stud shooters.
This set was released on 1st January 2018 and retired on 31st July 2019, equating to a shelf life of 1 year 7 months which is commensurate with the average.
LEGO Imperial TIE Fighter 75211
RRP: $69.99 | £64.99
Year Released: 2018
Pieces: 519
Minifigures: 4
Imperial TIE Fighter, based on the Solo: A Star Wars Story film released in 2018, consists of 519 pieces and 4 minifigures, including Tobias Beckett (exclusive), Han Solo – Imperial (exclusive), Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot (exclusive) and Mimban Stormtrooper (exclusive). The Mimban Stormtrooper is notable due to its exceptional design by virtue of the camouflage printed torso and legs. This particular rendition of the TIE Fighter provided some alterations, including the shape of the cockpit following the introduction of a revised canopy piece.
Released on 20th April 2018 and retiring on 31st July 2019, this set had a shelf life of 1 year 3 months which is considered short relative to other TIE Fighters.
LEGO TIE Fighter Attack 75237
RRP: $19.99 | £17.99
Year Released: 2019
Pieces: 77
Minifigures: 2
This set is one of the smallest released, comprising just 77 pieces and 2 minifigures, including Imperial TIE Fighter and Rebel Fleet Trooper, neither of which are exclusive. This is one of the most affordable TIE fighters The LEGO Group has released, at only $20.00. It is important to peruse the price per piece figure, however, as this is markedly high at 26.0c.
TIE Fighter Attack was released on 1st January 2019 and retired on 31st July 2020, giving it a shelf life of 1 year 7 months, the average amongst TIE fighters.
LEGO Major Vonreg’s TIE Fighter 75240
RRP: $69.99 | £64.99
Year Released: 2019
Pieces: 496
Minifigures: 4
This set consists of 496 pieces and 4 minifigures, to include Major Vonreg (exclusive), General Leia (exclusive), Kaz Xiono (exclusive) and Astromech Droid R1-J5 (exclusive). Notwithstanding the four exclusive minifigures, this set is one of only two sets released for the Star Wars Resistance animated series. It accurately represents the design from the aforesaid television series with its striking red and black colour scheme.
Released on 1st April 2019 and retiring on 31st December 2020, Major Vonreg’s TIE Fighter had a shelf life of 1 year 9 months.
LEGO Sith TIE Fighter 75272
RRP: $79.99 | £64.99
Year Released: 2020
Pieces: 470
Minifigures: 3
The Sith TIE Fighter comprises 470 pieces and 3 minifigures, including First Order TIE Pilot, Finn and Knight of Ren (Trudgen) (exclusive). The set was regrettably criticized for its poor value for money, having a considerably high price per piece count of 17.0c. With regard to functionality, this particular TIE fighter incorporates a spring-loaded shooter with ammunition, which adds a further element of playability and enjoyment to end users.
This set was released on 1st January 2020 and retired on 31st July 2021, with a shelf life of 1 year 7 months.
LEGO Imperial TIE Fighter 75300
RRP: $44.99 | £39.99
Year Released: 2021
Pieces: 432
Minifigures: 3
This set contains 432 pieces and 3 minifigures, including NI-L8 Protocol Droid (exclusive), Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot (exclusive) and Imperial Stormtrooper. The NI-L8 Protocol Droid is of particular interest, exhibiting a distinctive torso. The set has been commended for its playability and value for money. With a price per piece count of 10.4c, this set is the second cheapest TIE fighter in the price per piece category.
Imperial TIE Fighter was released on 1st January 2021, and is yet to be retired at the time of this writing. Based on the average shelf life of the previous TIE fighter sets, it is likely that this set will retire by December 2022 or early 2023, although this is to be confirmed.
Final Thoughts
As evidenced, The LEGO Group have been generous in furnishing a diverse range of TIE fighters over the preceding 23 years, however, there is only one set available at retail as of writing this article (Imperial TIE Fighter 75300).
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