TIE Decimator
Action Fleet custom (1/68)
♦ Completely original design/story
♦ Opening cockpit
♦ Removable engine cover
♦ Detailed engine interior
♦ Poseable TIE Pilot
The Build
This was a fun model I did as a cross-
The color is a mixture of grey and blue, which I sprayed after masking off the solar panels. The rest of the detail was hand painted in various colors. Like most Imperial craft, this one has no weathering. It was designed to look clean like most Imperial vessels.
Backstory
In an effort to create more mission-
The new TIE variant incorporated a better energy conversion system, which meant an increased power gain from each solar cell. In addition, the TIE Decimator added an energy storage matrix granting it the one of the longest flight times of any TIE-
For offense, the TIE Decimator was the first TIE model to utilize military-
The Empire used TIE Decimators as quick strike fighters. Cruisers would deploy two to three fighters on the edge of a system. The pilots would then charge their sensor mask and speed over to the enemy installation. Pilots would then bombard the station’s shields with turbolaser blasts. Once the shields were down, pilots were trained to strike targets in a sequential order with their ion cannons, usually communications towers first, followed by shield generators, and hyperdrive systems if applicable. The pilots would switch back to their turbolasers for quick blasts to capital ship defenses, such as turbolaser batteries, starfighter staging areas, and warhead launchers. The Imperial Navy instructed pilots to ignore starfighter defenses because the onboard jamming system should protect them. Imperial capital ships would then move in to capture the target. The TIE Decimators would remain active to eliminate any escaping crew. Their ion cannons proved very effective against escape pods and small personnel transports.
Most TIE Decimator squadrons were seconded to smaller warships, as the larger star destroyers preferred frontal assaults and had no need for the quick assault tactics of the TIE Decimator. However, several star destroyers in the Outer Rim sectors had a small compliment of TIE Decimators to reduce the frequency of repairs, which could be lengthy for large capital ships.