The Tie That Binds

 

It was my first Star Wars vehicle. The 1978 (or 77 or 79) Tie Fighter. To this day, I still have one part of that ship remaining... the pilot's seat. Ned pushes me around in it periodically and makes blaster sounds from an X-wing fighter as I 'dodge' the laser blasts.

It's funny! I hadn't thought of that vehicle in a long time. Then, a few days ago, my buddy Todd from work reminded me of Brand Names... you know - the catalog store. Every year households would receive a copy of that catalog, and we all would dream of the toys we could get (but never afford). Ah... the memories!

Welp, that Christmas (I think 78), I asked Santa for a Tie fighter (my brother asked for an X-wing). We got them. How did I get one? Well, that's a story in itself. Turns out, Mom's friend's son worked at Brand Names and put one aside for us. I can't imagine what my parents went through to get those ships for us. First, my parents loved their kids absolutely, and they were always there. They worked hard to put a roof over our heads, food on the table, and a chance to attend a good public school. This treat of Star Wars vehicles was a huge treat.

My memory of the Tie fighter 'ties' into the movie so much. Seriously, the sounds from the theatre experience were elevated beyond belief by the sound of the Tie fighters and X-wing in combat. The sound was so captivating (ironic, sounds of battle in Space). Memories aside, I purchased two vintage Tie fighters in later years, the first one of which has semi-functioning electronics. Cool, huh?!

The Tie fighter itself is white plastic, which makes it easily stand out from all other Tie fighters ever made. For those lucky individuals like me who got to play the video game 'TIE FIGHTER' (like me), you know the ship in highly maneuverable, though it lacks any real shielding. In the films, that classic screaming the ship makes as it whirls through space is blood-curdling and exciting at the same time. Oh, and the explosions?! When Ties meet their demise, it's awesome! Think of the scenes with the Millennium Falcon dodging Tie fighters in ESP... through the asteroid field. EPIC!!!

[How do Tie fighter pilots see anything through these windows?]

As for me, I'm a bit rough on ships, but I've maintained my two complete Tie fighters well... with the help of Ned. Of, for those of you with Tie fighter boxes and no actual Tie fighter, never fear! That box is worth quite a bit on Ebay as many Tie fighter owners are looking for boxes from the original Trilogy era. For anyone who's curious... there are a number of Tie fighters for sale on Ebay all the time! Cheers!

P.S. Tie fighters don't do well on the Kessel... or so I'm told.