Micro Collection X-Wing and TIE Fighter

The two classic Star Wars ships... X-Wing and TIE Fighter. They've appeared in several iterations in the Kenner line - 3 3/4" scale (in two variations each), diecast, and now, Micro Collection! 

Looks great doesn't it? The great thing about the Micro Collection ships is that they seem less... compromised, and more accurate, than the full-size 3 3/4" scale versions.

I think this is due to practical reasons... the larger scale ships have to be a bit undersized when compared to the figures, just for cost. A larger ship requires more material, a bigger box, and a larger footprint on store shelves. All of those things cost money.

But the smaller scale ships require less of all those things, so there's a bit more flexibility to reflect screen accuracy.

Unfortunately the "action feature" of this ship does require a compromise - that large handle sticking out of the ship's behind.

"Lock S-Foils in attack position!"

And here's that pilot outside his cockpit.

Manipulating that handle at the back releases the elastic cord and activates battle damage. And speaking of battle damage... the ship of course includes battle damage stickers with clear backing. They look good.

Instruction sheet.

Here's the copyright information. Made in Macau, interesting eh?

Now the nemesis of the X-Wing - the TIE Fighter. Another really well-done toy, so accurate to the screen version. Battle damage stickers here too. You often find these ships missing the wing stickers as the glue loosens after 40 years... fortunately this example required little work. I was able to make good photocopies of the detached stickers and stick them back on with white glue.

The battle-damage lever is much better integrated here than it is on the X-Wing. It's the button on the back of the cockpit pod. 

Hatch opens at the top, just like on the 3 3/4" version.

Copyright info on the inside of the hatch.

TIE pilot is a bit harder to find. My ship didn't come with one when I bought it years ago so I had to find a loose one, which can be tough. This one came in a lot with a bunch of other Micro Collection figures. I've seen sellers ask up to $45 for a TIE pilot but I got this one for less than that, and it came with a dozen other random figures to boot.

Pressing the button simulates the battle damage.

Instruction sheet is great to have!

Nice detail on the cockpit right?

Here's the two pilots. They look really good.

Not super-visible in the pic but trust me, the figure bases have copyright info, as well as a unique code that identifies the figure and what set it came with. There's a handy list of the figures and their codes on the Star Wars Collectors Archive, here.

Till next time!