New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ TIE Fighter Unveiled At Comic-Con
Star Wars fans are getting an early look at one of the new TIE Fighters designed for The Force Awakens as Comic-Con unfolds in San Diego, in the form of a massive toy unveiled by Hasbro.
The TIE Fighter toy is considered the highlight of Hasbro’s line at the convention, and it will be produced in scale with the company’s six-inch-tall action figures, according to io9. This makes the new TIE Fighter toy a staggering 26-inches-tall, delighting fans who will be able to purchase it for roughly $170 when it retails later this year.
The first Force Awakens toy vehicle is a gloriously huge TIE fighter: http://t.co/uXnG39wJJx pic.twitter.com/DVYBjEvqFr
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) July 10, 2015
The design of the ship is familiar to any Star Wars fan, though there are some subtle differences to indicate that this TIE Fighter comes from a different era. The ship features a new black-and-red color scheme, as well as some structural differences in the form of an antenna array and robust wing struts. The new design for the TIE Fighter was also shown off in a behind-the-scenes reel of footage that featured at the Star Wars panel, according to the Verge.
Hasbro’s @StarWars: THE FORCE AWAKENS #TIEFighter Revealed http://t.co/0LpQEAhIs8 — #GTSDCC15 pic.twitter.com/O5v5BzGANu — GeekTyrant (@GeekTyrant) July 10, 2015
Fans have previously been able to glimpse the First Order TIE Fighter in the earliest previews for The Force Awakens. Several quick shots of at least one battle inside a hanger bay were shown in the film’s trailer, a scene that was recreated in diorama form at Hasbro’s Comic-Con exhibit. In addition to the new TIE Fighter, the display also featured a number of First Order stormtroopers, the design of which had previously been revealed.
Crashed TIE Fighter Seen Among New ‘Star Wars Footage Debuted at #SDCC http://t.co/Ou0sM6W42k pic.twitter.com/LIOCsZyNcA
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 11, 2015
Earlier this year, images of another newly designed TIE Fighter, purportedly from The Force Awakens, leaked online. As the Inquisitr previously reported, that ship appeared to be a hybrid design, created from both the classic TIE Fighter and the Imperial shuttle which featured prominently in Return of the Jedi. The concept art also depicted a series of red-clad Imperial guards standing at the base of the TIE shuttle’s gangplank, much as they did when escorting the emperor in the original Star Wars trilogy.
The new TIE fighter featured heavily in the behind-the-scenes reel, where images of one of the ships crashed amid the sands of Jakku were revealed. In concept art, a model, and then actual footage, viewers were able to get a glimpse of the new TIE fighter months before Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters.
[Image: Hasbro via io9]
