[REVIEW] 75274 - TIE Fighter Pilot Helmet

[Clone OPatra]

When it was revealed that the third of the three new Star Wars helmets would be the TIE Fighter Pilot, I was puzzled. Against Boba Fett and the Stormtrooper, a TIE Fighter Pilot is hardly that iconic. Pictures looked pretty good, though, so I was left curious about this one.

75274 TIE Fighter Pilot Helmet | 2020 | 724 Pieces

USD $60 | GBP 55 | EUR 60 (variable) | CAD 80 | AUS$ 90

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This is one of four review topics for the Helmets Collection: an individual detailed build and review for Boba Fett, Stormtrooper, and TIE Fighter Pilot, and an overview review looking at the whole line including the packaging, all three together, value and the concept in general.

These sets were kindly provided by LEGO but all opinions are my own.

Now, let's dive into the TIE Fighter Pilot!

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Bag 1

Bag 1 has quite a colourful assortment for an all-black helmet, some of the biggest individual pieces to be found in the set, and plenty of foundations for SNOT. The only semi-rare part is the blue 1 by 1 and 2/3 brick with two studs on the side in blue, and you get 14 in this set.

The core of the helmet, like the Stormtrooper, is comprised of two semi-hollow levels. That keeps the beginning build moving quickly, and doesn't feel like it's cutting any corners since there's really no need for a fully solid interior.

At the end of bag 1 we're left with lots and lots of studs ready for SNOTing, and a teensy bit of the top of the helmet. With Captain Rex for size comparison, you can see the model isn't going to be very big. Rex will continue with us for reference throughout as it takes shape.

Bag 2

Somehow I missed taking a picture of the contents of bag 2, but it would've been a bunch of black. The build starts with the stand, which is slightly different from the Boba and Stormie stands because it has attachment points for the gas transfer tubes. It's reinforced through the centre with technic beams.

The rest of bag 2 has you attach the core to the base and build the back of the helmet, which is mainly just a lot of plate stacking and not particularly interesting. The height of the model has now nearly doubled.

Bag 3

Here we've got a lot of black and a few bright flashes. Some newish parts like triangular tiles, but nothing rare.

The eye portion has clever direction changes using the new-ish bracket with four anti-studs on the side, and clips for angling. It turns out well.

By the end of bag 3, those eyes are attached as are the tops of each side.

Bag 4

Here we've got - surprise! - a lot more black, for the mouth-piece and one side. The mouth includes two of the four prints in the set: two 2x2 tiles with black lines. Almost all the different sorts of small wedge plates also make an appearance.

The mouth build uses more interesting colours for no particular reason, and is attached using a dark red riot shield, which has turned into quite a versatile piece - I wonder if the part designer could've anticipated that when it was first created.

The side of the helmet entails a lot more stacking with just a few direction changes.

Bag 5

Bag 5 simply builds the mirrored other side of the helmet. Here's where it ends up:

Bag 6

Bag 6 contains the parts to finish off the tubes, the top of the head, the plaque, and the insignia.

The chin section is a fiddly little build with a bunch of small slopes and SNOT, but it comes together nicely.

But there's nothing as tedious as threading 18 little train wheels onto a flex tube - twice!

And with the Imperial emblems attached and a bit on top, we're done! Here are the leftovers, not much to speak of:

Completed Model - Without Stickers

This set only includes two stickers, to extend either side of the mouth. I wondered what it might look like without those stickers, since they're quite small and not necessarily easy to apply in an ideal position. Given that the model is so black, to me it looks completely fine without those stickers applied. It doesn't look like something is obviously missing.

Completed Model - As Intended

Now here it is "all stickered up". The helmet looks quite menacing, like it should, and since it's all black any blockiness or awkward stepping of the parts kind of blends together in your mind when you look at it.

Here's the back, in case you're interested. While it's complete from all angles, there's nothing to see back here.

The side profile is quite good, though, and shows the interesting interplay between studded and smooth surfaces. In my mind the contrast between the textures makes the studded areas read as fabric, which of course they aren't meant to be, but overall the balance is fine and doesn't look messy, which perhaps is a risk. The stepped bows leading to the tubes are a bit abrupt, and don't look great close up, but from a distance they look ok.

Final Thoughts and Rating

I opened by saying that on face value, a TIE Fighter Pilot helmet seems like an odd choice for an inaugural line of three Star Wars helmets. As far as subject matter goes, it feels like something that would turn up in a second or third lineup, not the first one.

However, having now built it and looked at it for a while on my table from a distance, like one would with these display pieces, I have to say it's a really good choice for the medium and well done. The TIE helmet in universe has a great deal of different angles, all very smooth and rounded, which is obviously going to be hard to pull off in blocky, angular LEGO with lots of little pieces working together. But like I said, since it's all black and there's nowhere for light to go, all of those little bits meld together and look pretty seamless.

The proportions aren't perfect, of course, but unless you hold up a picture of a movie still or real-life prop next to it, it looks right.

And, above all, it looks cool.

Parts: This rating is too subjective to give. If you like slopes, black, and/or SNOT parts, there's plenty here for you, but otherwise it doesn't feel like what I'd call a "good parts pack".

Build: 8.5/10 - The majority of it is stacking stuff, and there are (necessarily) tedious sections. Also, while all new pieces each step are outlined in yellow, I found it somewhat hard to keep track of what was being added at times (though I do have a hard-wired tendency to ignore the piece callouts, but I'm not holding that against the set).

Design: 9/10 - Besides the areas with the bows leading to the tubes, for which there must be a somewhat more elegant solution even at this scale, the overall design looks great.

Overall: 8.75/10 - This model is good. The build isn't the most fun or instructive, but it does the job, and the completed model looks excellent. Plus, it has the most parts of the three, so value-wise it's up there.

In my review of the complete series, I'll talk more about value, as well as if I think people want a TIE Fighter Pilot helmet model anyway. Looking at it on its own, I would certainly recommend it for anybody who likes the source material, or wants a cool and mean-looking all-black thing to display.

Up next: the Stormtrooper helmet.

 

[m4st3rt3ch]

Good review! Train wheels on flex tubes? Didn't know that until now, since i didn't read other reviews. Nice idea, really looks like a single tube.

[ClassicLook]

What is the size of the completed model (how much space does it require)?

[Cylo]

Nice review! Pretty cool looking but not a big fan of the price here in Australia

[Mandalorianknight]

Good review! You have illuminated the main issue with these helmets between this review and the one of the stormtrooper. The stormtrooper is iconic but has major design flaws, and the TIE pilot helmet looks better but is much less recognizable.

[Clone OPatra]

On 5/4/2020 at 1:13 AM, m4st3rt3ch said:

Good review! Train wheels on flex tubes? Didn't know that until now, since i didn't read other reviews. Nice idea, really looks like a single tube.

Thanks! Yeah, it's a clever solution for the tubes and looks good!

On 5/4/2020 at 4:51 AM, ClassicLook said:

What is the size of the completed model (how much space does it require)?

We'll the official dimensions are 7in / 19cm tall and 6in / 15cm wide, but if that doesn't mean much then it stands on a 10x10 base but overhangs by a few studs on all sides especially the front, and is about five minifigs tall.

On 5/4/2020 at 8:41 AM, Reaper said:

Nice review! Pretty cool looking but not a big fan of the price here in Australia

The price doesn't feel very good here as far as LEGO pricing goes, though a lot of Aussie prices don't, but as a collectible replica thing it's kind of in line with other non-LEGO items of that ilk. That doesn't make it good though.

On 5/5/2020 at 12:51 PM, Mandalorianknight said:

Good review! You have illuminated the main issue with these helmets between this review and the one of the stormtrooper. The stormtrooper is iconic but has major design flaws, and the TIE pilot helmet looks better but is much less recognizable.

Thanks! That sums it up nicely.

[Seasider]

@Clone OPatra - you didn’t show any pictures of the boxes in your reviews. May I ask how the boxes opened? The reason I ask is in Jangbricks YouTube videos he has tape on the top of the boxes to cut, but my 3 helmet boxes have the semicircle push tabs in the cardboard on the bottom of the back of the box.

[Acid-Vertigo]

Hi There! I have this pilot helmet too as I am some kind of "tie-addicted"...

On ReBrickable I found the megafigure by Albo-Lego, which gave my helmet a proper body.

Here it is...

 

[Hold0511]

That's so cool - my little lad would love it - so many black pieces though to buy....on the maybe list.  

[Acid-Vertigo]

Well indeed. But you can use lots of color pieces for the inside. Nevertheless many many pieces. But all worth it. A perfect company to all my Tie Fighters…