Star Wars TIE Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual

While the Galactic Empire and its successor, the First Order, projected power with massive Star Destroyers, the workhorse starfighter was the Sienar Fleet Systems twin ion engine or TIE fighter. While the original ship with its characteristic hexagonal solar arrays is instantly recognizable to Star Wars fans, the basic pattern was constantly updated and updated for different missions and roles.

Those different versions are the focus of Haynes Star Wars TIE Fighter Owners’ Workshop Manual by Ryder Windham, Chris Reiff, and Chris Trevas. This book is a boon for Star Wars modelers. Over the hardcover’s 144 pages, the authors trace the development of the spaceships from the prototype and the original space superiority version seen in the original trilogy with details of the various systems and weapons. After that, each version gets a couple of pages with a description and photos of the filming miniatures and screen shots as well as scale drawings with specifications and callouts. Among the variants seen in films are the TIE Bomber, TIE Advanced, TIE Interceptor, TIE Striker, First Order Special Forces TIE, and Kylo Ren’s TIE Silencer. It also includes versions from the animated series Star War Rebels, including the TIE Defender and Mining Guild TIE. There are also sections about TIE weapons and pilot uniforms and equipment.

This is a terrific resource if you plan on building or converting any of the TIE fighter kits available. It’s like having the might of the Imperial Fleet backing you up at the workbench!