Star Wars: The Black Series 6" First Order TIE Elite Pilot

         The First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter comes with a pilot figure, basically a red striped version of the TIE Pilot from Episode VII, a 6” of which there will be later on this year. The First Order Pilot is a much different figure from the Original Trilogy TIE Pilot, which is something of a surprise to me. I’d basically expected the new pilot to be the old pilot body with the new helmet, and probably some new chest equipment; I’d never thought that a pilot, the most overlooked of the Imperial figures, to be so different from the old design, at least toy wise.
 
         If you took the 3.75" pilot, blew him up to 6" and gave him some good articulation and detail, you'd have this guy. 

      The new pilot has the new helmet, connected to the chest apparatus by a single hose now, and a visor-like piece on the crown of the helmet. This part does not move, but it looks like it may be intended to flip down over the eyes, the same way that the gold screen of an astronaut helmet does. The helmet is smaller than the Original Trilogy pilot helmet, and that is an improvement to the figure. Again, I really like how accurate looking The Black Series figures are, and in the Original Trilogy films, the TIE pilots have noticeably larger helmets than the standard Stormtrooper does. This smaller and sleeker helmet for the First Order pilots resembles a motorcycle helmet, or even an actual fighter pilot helmet, and I think I like it more than the ol' "how do we make the pilots look different? Let's just paint the helmet black!" helmets of the OT. 

       

The helmet is the biggest change, all the rest being noticeable yet relatively minor. But man, the helmet change was a real good decision. Also, the TIE pilot is the shortest of the Imperial troops in my Black Series lineup, but the First Order pilot seems to be the same height as all the rest. For whatever that matters.

      

        Even the vest and legs on the First Order Pilot are new, and the big gloves are replaced by sleeker, tighter bracers. The OT pilot comes with the OT Stormtrooper blaster; the First Order pilot comes with an all-new blaster pistol with some neat silver painted details, but there's no place on the figure to store it. The OT pilot has a very large holster, the same one the standard Stormtrooper has.

                Overall the First Order Elite pilot is another good entry in the 6” Imperial ranks, and there's a standard one coming out in a few months. The enormous TIE Fighter seats two....