Lego Star Wars TIE Fighter review

The iconic TIE Fighter is relatively new for Lego; it launched at the start of 2021 along with its equally well-known nemesis, the X-Wing. This kit number 75300 comes complete with the TIE Fighter model itself, a regular Stormtrooper, a TIE Pilot, and an NI-L8 droid. You’ll pick it up for around $40/£35 and, at that price, it’s superb value for money. While not the most expansive or expensive of kits, we think it’s one of the best Lego Star Wars kits out there right now.

For this Lego TIE Fighter review, we bought the kit from the Lego store online and built it with a five-year-old to help us. Go ahead, make jokes about how we needed the help! In all seriousness, we like to test kits in this way so we can assess how complicated they are for both adults and kids. It took this reviewer and his son about 90 minutes to put together the 432 pieces in the kit, and we made zero mistakes along the way. Here's how we made this "Star Wars" legend, out of Lego.

Lego TIE Fighter review: Build

The kit itself comes in three packages and there are 432 pieces to build, including minifigs. You start with the central bubble of the TIE Fighter and then construct each of the wings before attaching them to the central module. It's a really simple build, and you can see it coming together really quickly which is satisfying.

The cockpit is first, and you layer up around that with the front windscreen that opens up to allow you to put the pilot inside. Our five-year-old had few real problems with this first section, although some of the smaller pieces were trickier to add than the mid-sized parts. In fairness, he did most of the work there because the cockpit is interesting; you add the spring-loaded ‘laser launchers’ at that point too, which is the part kids tend to love.

After this, you build the wings. This bit isn't hugely exciting. While they're good recreations, you're essentially constructing the same hexagonal surface twice. There are no colorful pieces or moving parts, so it’s a very basic build. Our five-year-old got bored there, so I finished the wings pretty quickly while he played with the minifigs and shot the green lasers from the cockpit part.

Finally, you simply snap the wings onto the cockpit, using those hollow pieces and the two-part tubes you find in many kits. Sit your pilot at the controls and you’re done!

Lego TIE Fighter review: Design and look

The finished design is a brilliant recreation of a TIE Fighter, and the scale feels very right when you pop the minifig in there. Unlike the more recent X-Wing, which is perhaps a little small for scale, the TIE looks just right. The color reproduction is good, and while it’s not the most exciting-looking object, it’s authentic.

The finished product is sturdy too, and sits upright happily when you place it on a surface. Firing the lasers is easy enough, and there's little chance of breaking any parts when you handle it, even if you're an excitable child. The same can't be said for some Lego kits, which tend to fall apart if they’re played with, so the TIE scores well here. However, there isn't much to actually do with it: the cockpit opens and it shoots lasers, but that’s all. 

We think it's very well-priced for what you get. You're spending about $40/£35 for a toy that ends up 6.5-inches tall and 6-inches deep, so it’s a reasonable size considering Lego is pretty expensive. While it could be more interesting, we think the value is there, especially if you pick it up as a Lego deal during sales like Black Friday.

The minifigs that come with this model are a little dull, too. Stormtroopers are very common in kits, and while TIE pilots and NI-L8 drones are less so, they aren’t exactly interesting to look at.

Should you buy the Lego TIE Fighter?

If you're more of a fan of the original trilogy, we think this Lego TIE Fighter is a great purchase. It's relatively cheap, a decent size, and a great reproduction. While it’s not the most exciting build, it isn't dull either, and the final model is both sturdy and moderately interactive. It doesn't have all kinds of bells and whistles, but your kids will love the fact it shoots projectiles and that it's easy to change the pilot. 

There are enough pieces to keep you busy for an hour or two, and it's simple enough for kids aged from about five, even if the packaging suggests ages eight upwards. If you're an adult and a collector this won’t challenge you, but it's cheap enough to be an impulse purchase anyway…

What other Lego Star Wars sets can you buy?

The natural companion to this model is the latest X-Wing, which is model number 75301. That's a bigger build at 474 pieces, and you're paying an additional $10 for it at around $50. Based on our experience, it's a more complex build, and the finished model has a few more moving parts. On the downside, it's less sturdy, so kids will struggle to play with it.

If you're looking for a more challenging build, we recommend the Lego Millennium Falcon (model 75257). Yes, it's at least three times the price of the TIE and X-Wing (usually $150), but it's a satisfying build, an excellent model, and it comes with some cool, uncommon minifigs. Additionally, it's something parents and kids will be able to collaborate on. Collectors will love it too, but may want to spend big on the $800 version instead...