Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game 1st Edition TIE Advanced EXPANSION PACK - Command Darth Vader! Strategy Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 14+, 2 Players, 30-45 Minute Playtime, Made by Atomic Mass Games

For anyone who likes board games, miniature games or Sci Fi in general or Star Wars in particular, this is a great, fun, simple game that can be a beer 'n' pretzels affair or deeply tactical if you want it to be. The presentation and build of the models and included card stock pieces is first rate. The packaging protective and re-usable and the delivery I received from Amazon was super speedy. It's Darth's ship. You gotta have Darth Vader in the collection, or it wouldn't be Star Wars. The abilities the pack adds are also great.

You should pick up at least one of every expansion pack to this game. They add new pilot and upgrade cards that are quite useful, in addition to another ship. The model is perhaps the most detailed pre-painted model at this scale I've seen, and certainly the best value-for-money in that regard. This is the TIE Advanced, yes, but you get Darth Vader as a pilot, and he is worth every point. The best performing Imperial lists at the Kessel Run tournament all had Vader, and the winner of the pre-release Slave I at our store had Vader (TIE Advanced) + 5 TIE Fighters. I also suggest you buy TWO of the starter sets, so that you get double dice, spare templates, extra cards, and 6 ships to start out with.

Just like a number of reviewers, I purchased this for display purposes, not the game (though the quality of the products has me considering the game). It has quality details/paint job. Note that, since these are designed for a game, different-model ships are not necessarily in scale from one to the next. For example, if you wanted to re-create Skywalker's trench run from ANH, the TIE Fighters and TIE Advanced are the same scale, but the X-Wing is not (too small). But this isn't a complaint.

I have this craft (only one) for using it in thematic missions and as squad leader or VIP. I love the performance of Vader as Fast Hunter or Support crew giving away one of his actions. I do not think that I will buy more Tie Advanceds any soon, but love havin one of them. Is a neat craft and a very good model. It looks awesome and the overall quality of the materials as usual is exellent. I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars because I personally do not like the second unique pilot included and do not see the advantage of owning more than one.

I absolutely live the X-wing Miniatures Game and it is quickly becoming one of the most popular tabletop games on the market. The Tie Advanced Expansion is underwhelming, usually accused of being over priced in points. With Darth Vader at the helm it can do two actions per turn, with an engine upgrade this becomes a very quick and agile ship but with such a low attack value it must be flown perfectly and it takes a long time to whittle down the opponent's health (this is a big problem in competitive play when matched are under a time limit). The other named pilot lets you choose critical damage card when dealt to the opponent, this can be useful but more often than not doesn't do anything although it might be very good against the new huge ships coming out where critical damage is much more likely. As for the upgrades it does have a few Elite Pilot Talents that are nice but I haven't found myself using them much and both missile card it comes with can be found in other expansions. This ship is in need of much love from Fantasy Flight, they might release another expansion pack that helps fix it but until then I feel it just isn't worth it unless you need Swam Tactics or Squad Leader.

Fantasy Flight Games has really pulled out all the stops for its "Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game," and the "TIE Advanced" is no exception. It's a great looking, pre-painted model that really does justice to the film's iconic fighter. What makes this expansion a must have, of course, is the inclusion of Darth Vader as one of the ship cards. Vader has some cool abilities, and the ship's secondary cards also add to the fun of the game. Seriously, though, if you are a "Star Wars" fan you need this ship, if for nothing else you need to have those epic duels between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker's X-Wing. I recently played a game of several ships that came down to such a duel- Vader and Skywalker were the last two standing. Vader destroyed Luke's X-Wing- it was a dark, dark day for the Rebel Alliance! This expansion allows you to create stories like that, and you will have loads of fun. Really, check out the "TIE Advanced" expansion for your "Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game."

Right now the demand for this figure is incredible (June 7, 2013). People are paying upwards to 40 for this guy right now. Got him for 15. Awesome deal, quality-wise probably the least flimsy of the TIEs released so far. It is decently durable with base 3 Green Dice for defense and 2 shields. The generics start at 21 command points (thats 6 above the TIE fighter) and can be equipped with one missile type secondary weapon. The TIE Advanced is not as maneuverable as either the TIE fighter and TIE Interceptor, but the Pilot Skill and the shields will make up for it. Comes with one unique card: Squad Leader, an action that allows 1 ship with lower Pilot Skill to take a free action immediately in 1-2 Range. Overall, its pretty necessary if you want to be a completionist too.

I am writing a series of reviews of the X-Wing Miniatures expansions. My criteria for reviewing each expansion is how well it can be used in a standard 100-point game, as well as the usefulness of the included upgrade cards. I do not consider the mission (if one is included). My ratings are based on the fighter's usefulness in semi-competitive play. If you just want the model and don't care so much about its usefulness in competition, I will offer a blanket review that all of these miniatures are outstanding for the price. They come pre-painted, and are usually very-well detailed. On to the play review: This is a tough one. The Tie Advanced CAN be extremely useful. I have run four of them in a 100-point squad with awesome results. HOWEVER: the base expansion, on its own, is nigh useless. In order to make these ships and pilots useful, one must have the Imperial Raider Hige Ship expansion. That expansion is supremely expensive if it's only being purchased to make Tie Advanced fighters work. What makes the Raider such a necessary complement to the Tie Advanced? On its own, the Tie Advanced has only two attack dice. More and more, three attack dice is the norm. With new abilities that force re-rolls and other upgrades that are coming out, two attack dice, even in a swarm, is becoming useless. Combined with a just ok maneuver dial, these ships just are not worth inclusion in a competitive squad. The pilots do nothing to compensate for the ship's inherent weakness. Darth Vader gets two actions (basically a free "Push the Limit"). Maarek Stele (the main character from the old Tie Fighter computer game) gets to pick and choose what critical damage he deals, but with only two attack dice, he won't find many opportunities to use this ability. The Advanced can equip missiles, but there are better ways bring missiles onto the board, especially when you consider that the lowest-level (2) pilot still costs 21 points. The Raider completely changes the Advanced. In the Raider expansion, there is another Tie Advanced model, as well as some good pilots and an even better upgrade. The Tie/x1 card allows you to add system upgrades to Tie Advanced ships at a reduced cost. Also included in the Raider, available nowhere else, and used only on Tie Advanced, is the Advanced Targeting Computer. This allows you to add a critical result to any attack roll. Maarek Stele, welcome back. If it has a target lock, the Advanced now effectively rolls with three dice, with one of them being a guaranteed critical hit. With the Raider, the Tie Advanced is a force to be reckoned with, and is frequently seen in competitive and tournament play. What you have to decide is, why do you want the Tie Advanced? If you just want to casually reenact the battle of Yavin, or just want to have the model (Darth Vader!), this is a fine ship. But on its own, it has zero use in serious competition. To make it competitive, you must buy the Raider, or get the necessary upgrade cards second-hand (a practice frowned-upon in official tournaments). If you are willing to make the investment, the Tie Advanced is a devastating addition to a squad. But that is a significant price to pay.