Star Wars A-Wing POTF

Presenting a Rebel Alliance A-Wing Starfighter from the Star Wars Power of the Force (POTF) 1997 toyline.

There is actually a bit of confusion with regard to what exactly is an A-Wing Starfighter as Kuat's Eta-5 Interceptors (Descendants of the ETA-2 Interceptors used by the Republic Jedi - which surprisingly we've never shot) used both by the New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet is also referred to as an A-Wing. Further a plethora of book and game developers portrayed something that looked like an A-Wing before it's first and actual deployment during the Battle of Endor (Although the A-Wing was used by the Rebels in small raids prior to that).

The previous sightings of "A-Wings" prior to the Battle of Yavin were retconned as being R-22 Spearheads developed by Tammuz-an space navy. The R-22's carried less firepower, were not as fast nor as maneuverable and could carry two pilots.


The 1997 incarnation of the POTF A-Wing from Kenner comes with everything you see here, an A-Wing and an unnamed Rebel pilot dressed in green - which is a nod to Green Squadron, a squadron of A-Wing fighters who participated in the Battle of Endor.

An A-Wing comes armed with:

• An Incom GBk-785 Hyperdrive
• Sirpex Z-9 Deflector shielding
• Fabritech ANs-7e sensor unit with a PA-94 long range phased tachyon detection array and PG-7u short range primary threat analysis grid.
• Miradyne 4x Phantom short-range sensor jammer
• A pair of Borstell RG-9 Laser Cannons 
• A pair of HM-6 Concussion Missile Launchers with a payload of 6 missiles. 

The primary role of the Star Wars Rebel Alliance A-Wing was a fast raider. It would jump into enemy territory, blind the enemy with its jammer, scan for targets, gather intelligence and jump out or use it's blinding speed to blast its way out.

As an interceptor, using its jammers, it would be a ghost: Hard to spot, quick, and deadly. With only 66 concussion missiles though, we're pretty sure that the pilots would find themselves lacking the firepower for a sustained fight.

For most of the review to follow you will see that we've occasionally replaced the A-Wing pilot with Rougue Squadron's Captain Tycho Celchu who we featured in 2011 when we featured the final batch of our Star Wars Collectible Coins.  Tycho is one of the few pilots who survived the attack against the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Recruited into Rogue Squadron by Luke Skywalker, his X-Wing was too damaged to participate in the Battle of Endor, so he ended up piloting an A-Wing in Red Squadron.

When the Death Star's shields went down Tycho's A-Wing can be seen chasing after Wedge Antilles' X-Wing followed by the Millennium Falcon as they dive into the Death Star's guts (Hard to believe a Y-Wing actually tried it). When Lando orders the fighters to split up to increase their odds of getting through to the core, Tycho is seen breaking away from the group.



WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE STAR WARS POTF A-WING?

FIRST: This guy.

The A-Wing pilot only has five points of articulation and very little in terms of detailing.

We suppose we are judging to harshly a figure that was made in 1997 and we shouldn't compare it to figures born ten years later when the technology was much-much better, but he does have another problem:

When you put the A-Wing pilot into his A-Wing, the A-wing has no means of restraining the pilot in place - nor can he lift his arms laterally to wedge him into place.

As a result, he rattles whenever you throw your A-Wing into aerial maneuvers i.e. play with it. Which is quite irritating.

SECOND:  There is a quite evident battery casing on the bottom of the A-Wing. That and the use of clear plastic in the engine portion of the A-Wing suggests that Kenner's original POTF A-Wing design called for electronic lights. Kenner probably scrapped this but left the indicators there. Happily Hobbyists can work their way around it.

WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE STAR WARS POTF A-WING?

FIRST: Damn that's a kick-ass looking starfigher with a helluva origin story behind it. They're fast, nimble and destructive. Perfect for the Rebel Alliance.

True they're a bit boring what with not having and S-Foils to deploy - yet fighting in an army filled with flying tanks like X-Wings and the very kooky looking B-Wing.

The A-Wing seeks to beat the enemy starfighter core at its own game - speed. So a certain level of speed is definitely required. We remember flying one in Star Wars:X-Wing and it was not easy. We had to bring the speed waaay down from maximum to survive. Which is probably why Han Solo is quoted as having said  "Any pilot who volunteers to fly an A-wing better be brave or crazy. Probably helps to be a little of both."

SECOND: The mechanics. They are simple, bur really cool. Pull back on that cylindrical blister at the back of the ship and you open the POTF A-Wing's cock-pit:

Pull the A-Wing's twin Borstell RG-9 Laser Cannons and you can elevate them or turn them around to deter pursuit:

Lastly. a small switch pulls up or deploys the POTF A-Wing's landing gear.

For more information on the Star Wars Rebel Alliance A-Wing Interceptor, do visit the A-Wing's wiki page. 

A brand new Star Wars Power of the Force A-Wing Interceptor will set you back US$ 39.44 on Amazon (Roughly PhP 1,774.80 plus shipping). A brand new Star Wars Legacy Collection Green Leader A-Wing Interceptor from 2008 will set you back on Amazon US$ 69.99 (Roughly PhP 3, 150 plus shipping).

We'd still rather fly an X-Wing.