Just as the Galactic Empire used great fleets of starships to expand Imperial control across the galaxy, the subsequent authoritarian government, the First Order, used even more technologically advanced ships to unify planetary systems and crush all opposition. With both regimes, the most abundant and ubiquitous ships in the their respective fleets were the notoriously lethal TIE fighters....

The TIE Fighter Owners' Workshop Manual presents a thorough history of Sienar Fleet Systems' twin ion engine space superiority fighter, from early concepts and prototypes to the mass-produced starfighters that fought countless battles against insurgent groups. The history of TIE fighters - including bombers, boarding craft, and shuttles - is fully illustrated with numerous photographs, schematics, exploded diagrams, and computer-generated artwork by Star Wars vehicle experts Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas. Text is by Ryder Windham, author and co-author of more than 70 Star Wars books.

In the '80s, as a kid, I collected the Star Wars action figure and vehicles. The Empire always had the coolest machines and I was always fascinated by the TIE fighters, I even had Darth Vader's TIE Fighter (TIE Advance X1- I've now learned). In the '90s I was fascinated by the various character helmets you could buy and bought several, including a TIE Fighter Pilot's helmet. And very recently I managed to pick up a TIE Fighter drone (because they'd been reduced from £200 to £30). Oddly enough, I never realised that TIE was an acronym for twin ion engine until I reviewed this book. I never really thought about it, and had always assumed it was because they looked like bow ties. Now I feel foolish.

I've reviewed quite a few of these Haynes manuals over the years, and I have to say that this is probably the most in depth and interesting to date. It was informative to learn about the various models used throughout the movie franchise (even if I'm not really a huge fan of the films after the original '70s/'80s trilogy).

This book pretty much covers everything you'll ever need to know, plus plenty of information you didn't know you needed to know, including the origins of the spaceships; the numerous variants; weapons and defensive systems; pilots, training and gear; and a handy size comparison chart.

The layout and design is wonderful eye candy and the text is incredibly detailed. This is the perfect addition to any Star Wars fans' library.

10

Darren Rea