MPC Darth Vader's TIE kits; old versus new!

Comparing MPC's newest release of their Darth Vader kit to one of the vintage releases! Not too many improvements, and I omitted certain parts (like the wing panels and the upper hull) because there are no differences between old and new releases. This was a pretty good kit to start with, save for the goofy as f*** Darth Vader pilot, but I was able to build a pretty nifty kit back in the day. I am looking forward to building both of these, but I am definitely making a humorous addition to the vintage kit! 😁

1. The main hull (dark grey is the new release, light grey is one of the vintage kits);

The retooled lower hull (left) omits the bottom panel (it is now on a separate tree, and is tooled to be more accurate) and the holes for the "landing gear" and original display stand are now gone.

2. The clear parts (the tree on the left is from the new re-release);

The parts tree on the left is the newly tooled version. The new pieces fit better, and excludes the display stand (the included dome base is better anways) and they include clear parts for the laser cannons!

3. Trees w/cockpit and wing panel parts;

The two pieces in the upper left are slightly retooled to be closer in accuracy to the filming miniature (see comparison pics below the light grey tree pic). Notice that the landing gear parts are still included. Other than those two parts, no noticeable difference in the rest of the tree.

4. Trees with pilot and other parts;

The newer Vader figure and bottom panel parts take the place of the goofy old figure from the original kit (see tree below). The top hatch also has improved fit and detail. The new bottom panel has the hole to accept the rod from the new dome base. There is a part to plug that hole if the modeller chooses another display option. Love the options!

The old figure looks like he's on the can grunting out a growler! 😂

Pretty much the same classic kit, but with much needed improvements! The new pilot, though kind of lame (he has no gloves for his fists! 😕), certainly beats the hell out of the original (seriously, he looks like he's on the can! 😅)! The revised parts for the TIE outside wing panels look better, and I love the improvements made to the lower hull! Definitely worth picking up the new version!

 

~Sean Kneeland, aka Zakuformer