LEGO Star Wars 75300: Imperial TIE Fighter Review

If you’re a fan of Star Wars and LEGO, chances are you already have an Imperial TIE Fighter or two. If not, or if you want to add yet another one to your collection, however, here you go. LEGO Star Wars 75300 Imperial TIE Fighter is another recreation of the iconic starfighter, and one that’s also quite friendly on the bank balance.

What’s in the box?

In the box you get three bags, numbered 1 to 3, and a build manual. Yes, that means there are no stickers. All of the decorative pieces in LEGO Star Wars 75300 Imperial TIE Fighter are printed, which is brilliant.

The set contains three minifigures.

The build

Building the Imperial TIE Fighter is a three-step process. With bag 1, you’ll first build the cockpit of the starfighter, along with the first of three minifigs – a standard TIE Fighter pilot. Building the cockpit is a simple process, but it’s fairly enjoyable. Once you’re done, you’re left with a central structure that’s solid despite having two accessible hatches in which you can place the TIE pilot.

Moving onto bag 2, you’ll build yet another minifig; this time an intriguing NI-L8 Protocol Droid. Afterwards, you’ll build the first of two wings. If you’ve ever built a TIE Fighter before you know what to expect – you basically build a giant plate before adorning it with struts. The end result is surprisingly solid, though building the exact same thing when moving onto bag 3 isn’t the most exciting thing in the world.

Along with building the second wing with bag 3, you also build the final minifig; a standard Stormtrooper with blaster. With the wings built, it’s time to attach them to the cockpit, and the TIE Fighter is finished.

Overall, it’s an impressive looking model for the price.

Play or display?

Chances are, you’ll be happy with LEGO Star Wars 75300: Imperial TIE Fighter whether you want to play with it or display it. It’s a little bit smaller than some previous versions, but still big enough to feature some impressive detailing. And its smaller size perhaps gives it more “swooshability” for younger hands. It features two spring-loaded shooters for play, too, and is overall pretty sturdy.

Value for money?

The LEGO Star Wars 75300: Imperial TIE Fighter is hugely impressive at its price point. Despite costing £30 less than the previous LEGO Star Wars 75211 Imperial Tie Fighter, it has less than 100 fewer pieces, though admittedly its minifigure line-up isn’t as enticing.

So, if you’ve been after a LEGO Imperial TIE Fighter, jump on this as soon as you can. For those who already have a previous version, however, there’s isn’t much reason to pick this one up – unless you’re really keen to grab the NI-L8 Protocol Droid. In any case, at just £34.99 it really does represent brilliant value for money.