Blocks looks back through the years at LEGO Star Wars TIE Fighter Pilot minifigures, which have seen both sweeping changes and little tweaks over the course of their two decades in the brick.
One of Star Wars’ main attractions are all the spaceships — some of science fiction’s most iconic starship designs come straight out of the galaxy far, far away. The Imperial fleet has plenty of famous craft to call its own, from the standard TIE Fighter to the might of a Super Star Destroyer. And to keep its navy operating, the Empire relies on thousands of highly skilled pilots who were distinctive black outfits.
LEGO Star Wars first tackled the shadowy pilots in 2001 and has since released over a dozen subtly different variants. All follow the same template for representing the TIE FIghter Pilot in minifigure form, doing their best to capture the dark aura of the character in the style of their respective era of LEGO Star Wars. Join Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, in the hanger to inspect the ranks of LEGO Stormtrooper Pilot minifigures.
2001 — The first TIE Fighter Pilot
The LEGO Group got its money’s worth with the Stormtrooper helmet mould it introduced in 2001, using it not just for the Stormtrooper in 7146 TIE Fighter, but for the Imperial Pilot figure as well. The use of this helmet isn’t exactly accurate, as the pilots have their own unique helmet in the movies, but for 2001, it’s a respectable attempt. The helmet is moulded in black, with the only printing being two Imperial emblems on the forehead — making for accurate detailing on an inaccurate mould. The torso printing is about all you can ask of a minifigure from 2001, featuring the breathing pack on the chest and just a little bit of printing for a utility belt.
2010 — The new LEGO TIE Fighter Pilot helmet
Much like the standard Stormtrooper minifigure, the Imperial Pilot didn’t modernise overnight. Though in contrast to the Stormtrooper, the first change made wasn’t a shift in printing style, but rather the introduction of a much more accurate helmet piece, first seen in 2010’s 8087 TIE Defender. The new helmet mould is an incredible improvement when compared to the previous version, accurately capturing the shaping of an Imperial Pilot’s helmet. There’s even some silvery printing for the mouthpiece, adding some detail alongside the Imperial emblems. The only downside of the new piece is that the lower part of the head is exposed, though that wasn’t an issue for this first version, as it used a plain black head underneath.
2013 — Major printing upgrade for the TIE Pilot minifigure
Every LEGO Star Wars minifigure saw major changes to printing styles around 2013 — after a little over a decade of gradual progress, minifigures across the board saw sweeping changes to their designs, and the Imperial Pilot is no exception. The 2013 version, from 75008 TIE Bomber & Asteroid Field, kept the new helmet mould introduced in 2013 and not much else. The helmet is fully printed for the first time, giving the pilot proper eyes, ventilation and extra detailing. The torso is clearly trying to represent the same thing as the previous design but does so with much sleeker detailing that’s right at home alongside other Stormtrooper minifigures from this time.
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2015 — Major TIE Fighter Pilot upgrades
The evolution of the Imperial Pilot minifigure after 2013 becomes a bit difficult to track, with changes becoming miniscule, even when compared to the tiny changes made to LEGO Snowtrooper minifigures. 2014 brought the addition of leg printing, along with slight changes to the helmet detailing. Then in 2015, that design was further altered in LEGO Star Wars 75095 TIE Fighter. Being in an Ultimate Collector Series set, the 2015 version adds as much detail as possible — arm printing being the most notable. The helmet printing is also different, with the silver colour becoming shinier and two printed highlights running from the eyes to the base.
2024 — The latest and greatest LEGO TIE Fighter Pilot
Five additional pilot minifigures released between 2015 and 2024, each slightly different than the other, whether it be from a small change in printing to simply using a different head piece. All these variants have so far culminated in 2024’s version, from 75382 TIE Interceptor, another Ultimate Collector Series set. This minifigure sees the return of arm printing, something that is unfortunately still not commonplace on LEGO Star Wars minifigures. The printing on the helmet is more muted than the 2015 pilot, choosing to highlight just the emblems and mouthpiece with shinier printing. The torso and leg printing are similar to the 2015 version and are shared by some of the other recent TIE Pilot minifigures. With such small changes being made for this exclusive minifigure, it seems as if it is to be the standard of TIE Pilots for years to come.
Images courtesy of Brickset.com