After reviewing the 75155 Rebel Uwing Fighter, I thought it only fair to also review LEGO 75154 TIE Striker, the iconic Imperial ship. This set captures the look of the ship in Rogue One. Like the U-wing, the TIE striker takes inspiration from vehicles from the Original Trilogy and reinvents them in new ways. This unique combination of shapes makes it a favorite ship in the TIE family. It is tied with the TIE Defender. The TIE Bomber’s cockpit is similar and the TIE Interceptors wings are identical. However, the TIE Interceptors wings are larger than the TIE Bomber’s and have only one-half of their wings. But the pointed shape is definitely reminiscent.
TIE Striker is an improved version of the TIE line starfighters that the Empire uses. They are most prominently seen during the Battle of Scarif, Rogue One. However, they have played brief roles in other media like games and books. The Tie Strikers can be used for in-atmosphere combat, while its regular counterpart is designed for space combat. The TIE Striker’s pair of horizontal wings and large central pod are the most striking features. These wings can move and can be set to either flight mode or attack mode. The ships VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing), capabilities were also improved by the large wings.
Let me start by giving some background information and then I’ll begin my review.
- Name: Striker
- Set Number 75154
- Year: 2016,
- RRP: PS64.99
- Pieces: 543
- Star Wars Theme: Star Wars
- Minifigures: 4
LEGO 75154 Minifigures
Let me share my thoughts about the minifigures, then let you know how the build turns out.
The TIE Fighter pilot is our first. This figure is a unique addition to the TIE pilot design. The body and legs are made from the TIE pilot’s jumpsuit with the printed tubes attached. Between this section and the belt, you can see the undersuit with reflective silver details. The undersuit continues to the legs, with seam lines and pockets in a lighter gray colour. These designs are very standard for TIE Pilot figures, and they vary minimally between versions. Although the face beneath is the famous ‘angry Clone head’, it’s not important as the pilot should always wear the helmet.
This figure has a helmet print as its main feature. The helmet mould was used with the AT-AT pilot in 2009 and has been reused for TIE pilots due to its similar design. It looks fantastic and the insignias for the imperial cog on the top are printed in the same reflective-silver as the belt. The raised fin section has small symbols in silver. Below the nose section are two lines. This adds character to the pilot. The 2 tube connectors that connect to his chest’s life-support pack are located just below the chin. He’s part of 2 sets, so he’s not the only one. 9/10
The Imperial Ground Crew is the next figure. This design was first seen in Rogue One. It guides cargo shuttles to the landing pad using light batons. The costume of the character, while not being particularly interesting, is quite the opposite. The chest design is very similar to that of the TIE pilot. It has the belt detailing, but the upper torso sports some light armour and a few lights. The space between the light batons and the back is good, even though they don’t fit. They have a jumpsuit-like look to them with knee pads farther down. These costumes are fairly accurate and detailed to the one in the film.
The head has a commlink headset, which is appropriate since he would need to communicate with Air Traffic Control when guiding the ships on Scarif. This character’s helmet mold is what makes it so special. The Death Star Gunner helmet design is clearly influenced by the prominent mouth guard and narrow visor. The minifigure’s ears are protected by ear protector type headset pieces. There are also holes in the forehead area of the top. This figure is well-done and a great addition to the set. 9/10
The Shoretrooper Capt. is the next figure in my Imperial collection. The helmet worn by this trooper is the same as those worn by the other Shoretroopers from the Rogue One sets. The mould captures the look of the helmet as it appears onscreen. It is amazing to see the level of detail LEGO was able to add to the helmet print, especially the mouth area. Although the head looks the same as the previous ‘angry Clone, it can be overlooked due to the leg and torso prints. These prints are very detailed and add an interesting variation to regular Stormtroopers. The contrast between the sand-blue highlights and the light tan armor and reddish brown suit is striking. The arm with the asymmetrical sand-blue outlines is a nice touch. It represents the various colours of his armour.
Rogue One also introduced the Shoretrooper design. While some may consider it unnecessary, it is a great design and the LEGO version is amazing. He is a standout among regular Stormtroopers, and looks great with the Shoretrooper Squad leader. This is the only set that this variant is available. This figure is desirable due to its exclusivity and overall design. 9/10
The Rebel trooper is the final figure. This minifigure, despite not being identified on the box is based upon Arro Basteren who was a Rebel Marine and part of an unannounced strike team that infiltrated Scarif in order to recover the Death Star plans. His dark tan and gunmetal gray commando helmet was first used to make the Endor minifigures. The helmet has the same yellow insignia as Eskro Casrich’s 75155 U-wing, and he also has the same legs. He has dark tan leather legs with reddish brown details at the top and pockets near his wa
The torso print looks similar to the one in the 75164 Rebel Trooper Battlepack. However, he has dark gray arms instead of the tan arms found in the Battlepack. The head was reused from the 2016 Marvel set, where it was used to unmasked Captain America. The head can be seen in two expressions, happy and angry. These are the same expressions as the character as he appears in the film. This figure is very similar to the character and is a welcome addition for my Rogue One collection. 8/10
These are the figures, now let’s get to the build.
LEGO 75154
It is fun to build and it is interesting to use LEGO Technic to create the wings that move like the ship in the movie. This ship is very similar to the one in Rogue One. It’s also quite large compared with a minifigure. You begin by building the main cockpit hull. Next, you will build a Technic midsection to attach the wings. Once the cockpit is completed to 3/4, the wings can be built. These are fantastic. The grey plates are placed between the black plates in order to create the grey trim around solar panel wings. The wings are made in the same manner, but the angles are reversed. These stickers are added to the grey angled pieces, which adds some detail and make them look good.
You can move the wings up or down by using some levers located at the back. The main hull and wings have sand-blue highlights. These are an homage to the original trilogy’s sand-blue TIE models. Although the tops of wings are fairly smooth, there are still a few studs.
You can place a pilot into the cockpit seat by opening up the cockpit hatch and windows. A dark grey droid body is used to make the steering yoke. An ingot piece made in light bluish gray was a smart idea. It creates a small gap that allows you to easily open hatches.
This in-universe ship can transport items and has a larger cockpit that the TIE Fighters. Technic takes up most of this area, but there’s a section at its back that can be opened and contains some accessories.
You can store a blaster, walkie talkie and some binoculars in the ample space. A sticker is applied to a 1×2 tile in sand blue to create a unique design for the walkie-talkie. The rear cockpit hatch looks similar to the window canopy, but the front hatch uses a sticker for the details. To get the best detail, 4 stickers are placed in the middle of the area. Stickers are fine as this level of detail is impossible to match with bricks. A couple of light blueish-grey binoculars are used to add some greeble detail at the hatch. There are two telephone pieces located near the back of the wings. One on each side of hull adds pipe detailing.
Only the spring-loaded guns and the poseable wings are play features. This makes the set more of a display piece than a play set. However, the spring-loaded shots can hinder this. They look like an afterthought and are not as integrated as the U-wing’s spring-loaded shooters. If you don’t pick up the set correctly, the red bolts could be accidentally shot out. However, you can remove them and make the set look better.
Last Thoughts
This set is great for your first TIE Striker attempt. It is impressive and fun to build. The minifigure selection is excellent, but it would have been nice to see a Death trooper or plain Shoretrooper. It’s definitely worth the money. However, it would have been nice to get another trooper. Overall, I like this set and am glad that I finally bought it. 9/10
