LEGO Star Wars Christmas 2010: 8017 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
77For someone who loves Star Wars, this is going to make a great 2010
Christmas gift, whatever his age may be, especially if he is a geek. For
a start, it features a newly improved Darth Vader, and his very own personal ride. This
is the real thing, guys! The sleek TIE Fighter prototype that the Dark
Lord of the
Sith himself piloted, in which he shot down any Rebel craft that dared
to make those
photon torpedo bombing runs at the first Death Star's trench towards
the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
The 8017 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
set was released in December 2008 in the US and UK, to celebrate the
10th Anniversary of LEGO Star Wars. It included a new and improved Darth Vader minifig,
which has a new torso piece with more details.
Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
Also known as the TIE Advanced x1, this sleek looking ship is outfitted with two lever mechanism fired missiles on either side of the cockpit. This being a tweaked and advanced prototype compared to regular TIE Fighters, it is more than a match for the excellent X-wing Fighters.
Unlike a regular TIE Fighter, the TIE Advanced x1 has bent wings, and a longer hull. It is mostly black and dark grey in color, and has red laser cannons mounted on the front. The Dark Vader's TIE Fighter in this set has an amazing likeness to the movie version shown in Episode IV: A New Hope at the battle of Yavin. The wings can bend and straighten. And it features a printed cockpit control panel, and a printed windshield. The missiles in this ship are launched when a lever is pressed to fire them.
The cockpit can be opened to seat Vader, who has to take off his cape before he can sit down comfortably at the controls. There is also a clip to hold Vader's lightsaber underneath the cockpit.
Playability wise, you will need to have an X-wing or other Starfighters to get the best out this set.
LEGO UCS Star Wars: 10175 Vader's TIE Advanced
 | The "full" or bigger version of Vader's TIE Fighter from the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series Amazon Price: $279.95 List Price: $99.99 |
Product Details
Product Features:
-Celebrate 10 years of LEGO Star Wars with this all-new set!
-Lift the nose of the ship to seat Darth Vader at the controls
-Includes the new Darth Vader minifigure
-It measures 6" (15cm) long by 7" (17cm) wide!
-The pack contains 251 pieces
-Features incredible movie-accurate details, lever-fired missiles, and the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader
Product Specs:
Description: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
Lego No: 8017
Theme: LEGO Classic Star Wars
Year: 2008 Dec
Pieces: 251
Ages: 7-12
Minifigs: 1; Darth Vader! Oooh!
Price: US $29.99
Time to Build: ?
LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader
 | Amazon Price: $14.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $23.32 List Price: $29.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.74 |
 | Amazon Price: $11.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $18.99 List Price: $29.98 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $4.50 |
 | Amazon Price: $15.00 |
Minifig
Darth Vader has a new face with a scar on it, and should be very pleased with himself here as LEGO has upgraded his torso to include more buttons and a belt. That and the fact that this set is doing very well at Amazon's Toys Bestsellers list currently (-it's nearly Christmas holidays 2010), may mean that he is going to pay a visit to his designers at LEGO soon and give them a promotion. They have earned it. ;)
LEGO UCS Star Wars: 10175 Vader's TIE Advanced
| The "full" or bigger version of Vader's TIE Fighter from the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series Amazon Price: $279.95 List Price: $99.99 |
Pros And Cons
Pros:
-Swooshable
-Highly resembles the Darth Vader's TIE Fighter in the film, compared to previous efforts
-Looks good on display, probably better as a display unit than play unit
-New and improved Darth Vader wields a new red lightsaber with a silver hilt
-Wings are adjustable, can bend and straighten
-Nicely produced, very accurate scale model replica, and also a 10th anniversary model - means that this will have a high resale value when you decide to part with it years down the line
Cons:
-Vader's helmet is quite loose
-Flimsy wings, and unsturdy built (-which can be improved on by making use of some extra bricks, no problem)
-Lightsaber holder is underneath the ship
-Stickers
Conclusion
This awe-inspiring set features the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, himself.
What more can a geek wish for as a Christmas present? What else can be put on a display shelf as a conversational piece for this kind of price? If you want a bigger set and can afford to pay for it, you can try and get LEGO Star Wars 10175 Darth Vader TIE Advanced, but nothing will beat the price for this set. At US 29.99 retail, LEGO Star Wars 8017 is 3 times cheaper and more affordable versus LEGO Star Wars 10175 which retails at US 99.99.
LEGO Star Wars
 | Amazon Price: $43.98 List Price: $59.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.50 List Price: $12.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $7.97 List Price: $12.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $8.49 List Price: $11.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $16.97 List Price: $19.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $21.98 List Price: $24.99 |
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living2well 10 months ago
I loved watching star wars when it first came out. I even went to watch it with my nephews when they re-released it in the 90's.