[M4-25 - Asymmetrical] - Sienar TIE/sa Bomber

[Max_Lego]

First introduced in the 1980 movie "Episode V: Empire strikes back", the rather bizarre two-pod TIE Bomber was the third TIE spacecraft model in the Original Trilogy. It could be seen flying past a Star Destroyer during the first Imperial March scene. Later in the movie two Bombers are shown bombing the surface of a large asteroid while searching for the Millennium Falcon.

The TIE Bomber also briefly showed up in the 1983 movie "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi", hanging under the hangar ceiling during Darth Vader's arrival on the Death Star.

Overview 

While the Imperial Star Destroyer was designed for massive orbital turbolaser bombardment (not unlike real-life battleships), the TIE Bomber was intended for precise attacks on relatively small and isolated objects on a planet's surface, but it also could attack enemy capital ships with missiles. It appears to have been derived (both in-universe and IRL) from the TIE Boarding Craft, another twin-pod spaceship designed by Sienar. The troop pod was refitted to carry, drop and launch bombs and homing missiles. Since the spacecraft wasn't intended for manoeuvrable dogfights and was already heavy because of the payload, life support and armour plating were added. TIE Bomber pilots still wore spacesuits though, albeit with open helmets not unlike the Rebels (I presume that they could be enclosed fast before the ejection). Apparently, the bent solar panel configuration didn't allow the craft to stand on a flat surface, for it was seen hanging under the hangar's ceiling in ROTJ.

A heavy variant of the Bomber, known as 'Punisher', existed; it had four weapon pods instead of one, larger solar panels and was equipped with shield generators.

Comparing the TIE Bomber with the BTL-A4 'Y-wing'

Comparing the Imperial bomber to the Rebel one is trickier than comparing fighters, since bombers rarely (if ever) interact with each other in combat. The Y-wing's advantages are the presence of shields and rotating turret (I'd also personally add the ability to fly in a planet's atmosphere - something the TIE Bomber, physically speaking, shouldn't be capable of - but the guys at Lucasfilm don't seem to care about such 'insignificant' things), while the TIE Bomber seemingly carries more weapons, has better targeting equipment, and its pilot has got a space suit as opposed to the G-suits worn by Rebels.

But the essential thing that makes a bomber efficient, as proven by WWII, is, of course, fighter escort. No bomber shall effectively accomplish its mission without being protected by fighter escort. Here comes the interesting part: as seen in ESB, the TIE Bombers are escorted by TIE Fighters (albeit the fighters are weirdly flying in front of the bombers) even when they are seemingly threatened by only one Rebel ship (the Falcon), while on the Rebel side... We all know what happened to the Y-wings' trench run in ANH. Sure, the X-wing pilots didn't know about Vader and his wingmen, but they should've at least been precautious...

The build

This Lego TIE Bomber turned out to be sturdier than I expected - at least, more solid than my TIE Interceptor MOC, - and probably could even be played with, albeit very carefully. 

Front view:

Upper view:

Rear view:

The thing that I didn't like in most existing Lego TIE Bomber MOCs was the lack of a working bomb chute, so designing it was my first intention. The finished result is pretty much like a piggy bank: by removing the upper 1x8 tile, you can drop a round 1x1 tile inside the pod, with the 'bomb' dropping exactly from the chute underneath:

Below view:

The cockpit is equipped with a seat and fits a pilot minifigure:

Thanks for watching! I hope you liked my model of the TIE Bomber. And as always, May the Force be with you!

[Artizan]

I see some very unique and great techniques used around, great shaping on the wings. I also noticed that you placed my old Nar Eurbrikka character 

 

[MKJoshA]

Those are some very clean looking wings. And clever addition of a working bomb chute. Great work!

[Max_Lego]

2 hours ago, Artizan said:

see some very unique and great techniques used around, great shaping on the wings.

6 minutes ago, MKJoshA said:

Those are some very clean looking wings. And clever addition of a working bomb chute. Great work!

Thank you very much!

2 hours ago, Artizan said:

I also noticed that you placed my old Nar Eurbrikka character 

Well... To be honest, this is pure coincidence! I based my pilot minifigure off the guy seen in the TIE Bomber cockpit in the "Incredible cross-sections" book, and it still uses a different torso (Rebels TIE pilot torso) and plain legs. Still a fun coincidence though!  Thanks for noticing!

[baublitz]

I did enjoy this and learned a lot about the TIE Bomber and its movie lore. It seems wider than the official sets, assuming yours is done more true to scale? 

[Max_Lego]

4 hours ago, baublitz said:

I did enjoy this and learned a lot about the TIE Bomber and its movie lore. It seems wider than the official sets, assuming yours is done more true to scale? 

Thanks! I hope so, even though I don't really know what scale my TIE Bomber actually is (approximately 1/32). I did use photos of the ILM studio model as a reference 

[Max_Lego]

The story (added to enhance the storytelling aspect of my entry)

The story takes place in an alternative reality, which shares some similarities with the Legends continuity. It's a direct continuation of my Mysteries story.

Since childhood, the Chiss Mitth'raw'nuruodo has been seeking destruction of the dangerous entity known as the Mnggal-Mnggal. For this purpose he pursued a military career within the Chiss Ascendancy, which resulted in him being granted access to the coordinates of the Mnggal-Mnggal's planet of origin - Mugg Fallow. This childhood dream also was one of the very many reasons why the exiled ex-officer decided to join the dreaded Imperial Starfleet.

Unlike many, Emperor Palpatine understood that the main threats to his Empire come not from inside, but rather from the outside - mainly from the Unknown Regions. This is why Thrawn, the Emperor's most valued commander, spent most of his service after being promoted to Grand Admiral there. Palpatine was correct: soon after his death and the destruction of the Death Star the vicious Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium launched a hostility against the Chiss Ascendancy and invaded the Empire's border territories. Upon thwarting the alien invasion, Thrawn decided to seize the opportunity to finally solve the Mnggal-Mnggal problem, which, while unknown to the greater Galaxy, was a serious issue here in the Unknown Regions.

Sienar's TIE Bombers were to play a crucial role in Thrawn's planned assault on Mugg Fallow. The Chiss knew that the infested planet was surrounded by a belt of ghost ships, piloted by Mnggal-Mnggal-controlled zombies, guarding the abomination's major mass on the surface. According to Thrawn's plan, the Bombers, escorted by the brand-new TIE Interceptors, were going to destroy the zombie ships with long-range homing missiles from a safe distance. With all of them annihilated, the Star Destroyers came into play, bombing the entire surface of Mugg Fallow to its very core, till the last bit of Mnggal-Mnggal, hiding deep in the planet's caves, died - what was known amongst the Rebellion as "Base Delta Zero".

Moden Canady, captain of the Peremptory, while supportive of the Grand Admiral's plan, feared that the Starfighter pilots may be unwilling to cooperate, due to the plan also including the merciless destruction of Imperial ships, accidentally infested with the Mnggal-Mnggal. To his relief, the pilot took their new task with enthusiasm, counting on their Academy training and combat skills to avoid infestation. Several encounters with the Mnggal-Mnggal in the recent past also helped the pilots' attitudes. 

Grand Admiral Thrawn decided to meet with the crews before the mission personally.

- According to my calculations, - he told them, - our operation's casualties shall be minimal or even none, if my plan is perfectly executed. Still you must be aware that perfection isn't always achievable in reality. Are you ready to risk your life for the sake of minimizing the Mnggal-Mnggal threat?

- As always, sir! - the pilots replied, - we serve the Empire; we are perfectly willing to die for your cause, Admiral; we will do our best to execute your plan flawlessly!

- Your attitudes are worth of admiration,  comrades, - Thrawn answered, - your heroics won't be in vain, I promise.

...

Note: this side build consists of 42 Lego parts; the LE-series astromech droid is built from 13 pieces; the total piece count is 55+1 (if counting the technician's sop), which doesn't exceed the 100-piece contest limit)

 

 

Edited May 27 by Max_Lego

[MKJoshA]

That's a great little platform!

[Max_Lego]

1 hour ago, MKJoshA said:

That's a great little platform!

Thanks! Its look is directly inspired by the platform from ROTJ