jfbat Posted February 14, 2015 200€ for 2 wings and a blocky ball. Ouch. My exact same thought upon first seeing this set. Yes it's big and yes on second thought I like how they did this as a model, but € 200, wow. And then I realised: this is a SW UCS set. But still... So, late that afternoon at TLG HQ... "we've got to make a clip for the TIE UCS. It's € 200 so it should at least be about 3 minutes" "Err, okay... hmm, right. Well we could talk about the hatch and the stand and the wings and... 3 minutes you said? Well, the info plate then, ah well, we'll do it on the fly." "By the way, the stickers just arrived so I'll stick 'm on quikly". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snefroe Posted February 14, 2015 hmmmm... i agree with many of you: it just doesn't do it for me... i wanna love this... but... it's just not the best design for a Tie fighter. The shape of the cockpit, the large wings... hmmmm... I'm gonna skip this one... a shame really, this could have been waaaaaaaay better... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legolandia Posted February 14, 2015 I think Lego released this at the wrong time. Such a pity In terms of continuity this set makes sense because it compliments the UCS X-wing. However the price is all wrong. I can see this is going to be one of the heavily discounted sets (like B-wing was). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLegGodt Posted February 14, 2015 It would be strange not to have a UCS Tie though, it's the most common ship in the OT. It's the price that's frustrating. I fully agree. This and the x-wing. They may not be the coolest LEGO models, but they cannot be abscent in any serious UCS collection. The Tie for sure is no sexy model and I am sure it can be done better but since most people think 200 is already too much to pay for this model imagine the reponses if they had done double-sided wings but charged 300 euros. It's easy when you're a MOCcer, must be hard when you are a commerical company that has to make tough design choices to cater to the widest audience possible... In terms of continuity this set makes sense because it compliments the UCS X-wing. However the price is all wrong. I can see this is going to be one of the heavily discounted sets (like B-wing was). I hope so. I skipped the b-wing but I gotta have a Tie. At 150 I would buy it in a shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kristof Posted February 14, 2015 So, late that afternoon at TLG HQ... "we've got to make a clip for the TIE UCS. It's € 200 so it should at least be about 3 minutes" "Err, okay... hmm, right. Well we could talk about the hatch and the stand and the wings and... 3 minutes you said? Well, the info plate then, ah well, we'll do it on the fly." "By the way, the stickers just arrived so I'll stick 'm on quikly". This made me laugh for like 3 minutes :D :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darth Malgus Posted February 14, 2015 I don't mind it, there are areas where it could be improved, no doubt, but its not terrible either. Also it's a new design, not a reboot of anything else which is pleasing in itself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ReplicaOfLife Posted February 14, 2015 My exact same thought upon first seeing this set. Yes it's big and yes on second thought I like how they did this as a model, but € 200, wow. And then I realised: this is a SW UCS set. But still... So, late that afternoon at TLG HQ... "we've got to make a clip for the TIE UCS. It's € 200 so it should at least be about 3 minutes" "Err, okay... hmm, right. Well we could talk about the hatch and the stand and the wings and... 3 minutes you said? Well, the info plate then, ah well, we'll do it on the fly." "By the way, the stickers just arrived so I'll stick 'm on quikly". The long shot focused on the hideously wonky sticker made me laugh out loud. Usually, if a set at this price has stickers, the fact gets more or less ignored in designer videos (at least that's my impression based on pure memory), in this one they make a point out of it and then basically give you the perfect 'one big reason why stickers suck' shot to top it off. I don't get it, how yould they not notice this ad just quickly replace the püart, or focus on on eof the other stickers...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badbob001 Posted February 14, 2015 Is it me or was that design video rather dull? The presenters didn't seem that enthused, but I suppose that is mainly because they didn't have much to talk about since the model has very few features. I don't remember another design video being presented by two people. I didn't think the print and sticker designs warranted the art designer to be there. Was this model built by a committee? Why not include the lawyer who helped sign the agreements with Lucasfilm. :) And the crooked sticker at 0:42 was the death knell for me. The long shot focused on the hideously wonky sticker made me laugh out loud. Usually, if a set at this price has stickers, the fact gets more or less ignored in designer videos (at least that's my impression based on pure memory), in this one they make a point out of it and then basically give you the perfect 'one big reason why stickers suck' shot to top it off. I don't get it, how yould they not notice this ad just quickly replace the püart, or focus on on eof the other stickers...? I think they are rather proud of the stickers. Why else would they include the art designer there in the video. I'm sure the crooked sticker is crooked on purpose. You know, artistic expression. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brickmamba Posted February 14, 2015 Could of at least made the pilot 'chrome' version Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Wellington Posted February 14, 2015 Could of at least made the pilot 'chrome' version Agreed. That'd be cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aeroeza Posted February 15, 2015 Accurate to the film prop (including the entrance hatch on top), proportions spot on, cleverly designed and impressive in size. An excellent representation of a Tie Fighter. Play features are irrelevant. This is old school UCS (despite the inclusion of a minifig) and well worth including in any UCS collection... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjh Posted February 15, 2015 The crooked sticker under the cockpit was insulting. How did this video get by quality control? Easy pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faefrost Posted February 15, 2015 It's a nice looking Tie... But yeah not really wow'ing me. I actually think I like the 9492 better. I mean it's a huge model, but that's pretty much it. Amped up size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Risgrynsgrot Posted February 15, 2015 This might just be the worst UCS ever. It's got nothing going for it except size. Frankly, you can't do much about it, it's not an interesting ship to start with. I don't know why they built the cockpit like that though, it's way too blocky and really ugly. Will probably go on sale just like the B-Wing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darth Malgus Posted February 15, 2015 I don't mind it, but it does have the feel of being ticked off the list... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cavegod Posted February 15, 2015 Accurate to the film prop (including the entrance hatch on top), proportions spot on, cleverly designed and impressive in size. An excellent representation of a Tie Fighter. Play features are irrelevant. This is old school UCS (despite the inclusion of a minifig) and well worth including in any UCS collection... If uou read the blueprints book you will see the hatch is actually at the rear not the top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aeroeza Posted February 15, 2015 If uou read the blueprints book you will see the hatch is actually at the rear not the top. No joy CG :) If you study the 1976 scratch built model and ignore any Kenner toy 'inventions'which the blueprint book adopted you may again appreciate the effort TLG went to here. The ingress hatch is on top. This is a model made for model makers. No compromises here. It may not impress others given that it is the 'billionth' iteration of a Lego Tie Fighter but it is the first UCS one and a good one at that. It looks like a duck and quacks like a duck. It's a duck folks! Don't ask it to be a Penguin. Some may not like the sloped bricks used in the construction of the 'ball' but such expressions regarding asthetics are very idiosyncratic. My 'liking' it is no different. As for whether it sells badly or not, well such speculation is irrelevent. This model is built for collectors who like models and like Lego. The dimensions are pretty bang on. It's big. It's beautiful. It's about time. 15 years has been a long wait and 1700 pieces give it the detail and build complecity necessary for it to sit impressively beside the last UCS X Wing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOneVeyronian Posted February 15, 2015 I'm with a lot of people here, I just don't think it's very good for a UCS model, and definitely not good when you say the minifigure is the highlight of the set! Yes, granted it has an impressive size and it does look very much like a (albeit slightly blocky) TIE Fighter, but still. A model like that really should have been priced closer to £130 rather than the £170 that seems to be the price set for almost all UCS scale ships nowadays. Very easy pass for me, I think I'll be picking up the Wookiee Gunship for May 4th rather than this. That or I think the Slave I and the Tumbler really set the bar of quality really high, and the TIE just can't hold a candle to them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erik Leppen Posted February 15, 2015 To be honest I think this particular ship just doesn't make a very interesting LEGO build at any scale. I presume the UCS is mainly built to cater to people who like the ship, rather than those looking for interesting LEGO constructions. I don't think the model could have been done much better really. But you just don't have many design options with a ship like this. It is a ball and two panels, no matter how you turn or twist it. So the problem didn't arise when designing the LEGO model, the problem (for AFOLs) already arose when choosing the subject matter. 'Cause yeah, it underwhelms me too. I'm not a Star Wars fan by any stretch of the word, but I agree that for the price you can get much more interesting works of LEGO art. The Slave is a good example. That said, I like how they built the "ribs" of the panels using the minifig droid arm to connect the inner and outer sides. Also it simply doesn't look like this is 1600 parts. It more looks like about 1000. And indeed, they could have made a sleeker display stand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cavegod Posted February 15, 2015 The blueprint book shows ILM's blueprints, it has nothing to do with kenner/hasbro Image from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4DgsI0_00Q/UmLYLmND7CI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/unkY07OYqFI/s1600/star-wars-the-blueprints-5.jpg. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBrickHitHouse Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) The blueprint book shows ILM's blueprints, it has nothing to do with kenner/hasbro Image from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4DgsI0_00Q/UmLYLmND7CI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/unkY07OYqFI/s1600/star-wars-the-blueprints-5.jpg. The 'top hatch' is now a widely recognised as a feature, however that came to be, it's not a lego 'mistake' (even if it may contradict a source). I think the release date is odd - set has been over shadowed by Toy Fair. A release later (or earlier) would have been a better idea. Edited February 15, 2015 by TheBrickHitHouse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artizan Posted February 15, 2015 I did a quick collage of all released TIE UCS models: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert_88 Posted February 15, 2015 200 € for two wings and a ball? Yes, because a Tie Fighter is nothing more than two wings and a ball! What else did you expect? And 200 € is a normal price (unfortunately) for 1685 pieces. The 10240 X-Wing has the same price and 1559 pieces. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aeroeza Posted February 15, 2015 The blueprint book shows ILM's blueprints, it has nothing to do with kenner/hasbro Image from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4DgsI0_00Q/UmLYLmND7CI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/unkY07OYqFI/s1600/star-wars-the-blueprints-5.jpg. Damn! I'm out of practice!! :D Fair cop there CG. I was confusing myself with how Vader's Tie covers up the rear hatch and then... drank too much whiskey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacob Nion Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) But Lego is meant to be blocky! That's part of the charm! Though I also sometimes like blockier builds, this is an UCS set. It should mesmerize collectors with innovative techniques and stunning accuracy. The TIE fighter has a simple but awesome design that everybody loves. I'm sure if this model was more sleek and elegant with a smart built round cockpit instead of this blocky thing people would be more positive. Also building an UCS should be fun and challenging. I can't imagine that it's fun to build two identical wings and this standard brickbuilt cockpit. Edited February 15, 2015 by Jacob Nion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
