[P17 - Zhar - FZ] FAA - TIE Ranger

With only 60,000 units produced, the TIE/rn Ranger starfighter remained a rare sight within the Imperial arsenal. Unlike the omnipresent TIE/ln, the Ranger was engineered for long‑range autonomy. Its mission profile—extended scouting and patrols across the remote expanses of the Outer Rim—required systems that allowed a pilot to operate far from any carrier or garrison [...]

For long, I was reluctant to build a TIE fighter, first and foremost because there have been already so many different takes on this iconic starship - both the standard ones and custom versions. For an upcoming comic I needed a TIE and didn't want to use the series model by Lego (I would maybe use as some background space battle filler), since it will be featured more prominently. 

What should I say - it was a lot of fun to dive into the visual identity and design of TIE fighters. Funny enough, I started with the name. I wanted to build a TIE Ranger - a long range patrol star fighterthat could operate far away from its home fleet. The TIEs are usually heavily standardized so TIE pilots can fly any craft at anytime. This one was projected to be a rare model line that was abandoned, but now reactivated by the Imperial Remnant during the Gyndine Crisis.

With the name, I found a wonderful custom fighter render on Reddit by user Healthy-Ad-973 and started to shape my Ranger accordingly. I hope you like the lore I build around.

Finally, to enter it as an FZ ship, I made a more colorful version, better fitting to the visual identity of the Flame. Nvertheless I think the grey and black of the original imperial design suits it the most. What do you think?

<< My Previous Entry - LINK

>> My Next Entry - LINK

If you want to learn more about the Flame of Zhar's lore, characters and their story, look through my other posts, listed here chronologically.