Four ways the LEGO Christmas TIE Fighter could use its hefty piece count
The piece count for the rumoured LEGO Star Wars 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter sounds suspiciously high, so here are four ways it could put it to good use.
40806 Christmas TIE Fighter is rumoured to consist of 697 pieces total, which is far and away the most ever devoted to a single TIE Fighter at minifigure scale – up to and including every original trilogy and sequel trilogy variant of the ship to date. The only TIE or TIE-adjacent sets to beat that part count are the two Ultimate Collector Series versions, 75382 TIE Interceptor and 75095 TIE Fighter.
It’s higher than even 2018’s 75211 TIE Fighter, previously the biggest and most detailed version of this ship to date, and 75154 TIE Striker, one of the chunkiest TIE variants we’ve seen in LEGO so far. Check out the table below for a quick glance at the piece counts of every minifigure-scale LEGO TIE Fighter released since 2001.
| TIE Fighter | Piece count |
|---|---|
| 75211 Imperial TIE Fighter | 519 |
| 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter | 517 |
| 75393 TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-up | 490 (TIE Fighter only) |
| 75300 Imperial TIE Fighter | 432 |
| 9492 TIE Fighter | 413 |
| 7146 TIE Fighter | 171 |
| 7263 TIE Fighter | 159 |
All this is to say that 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter’s piece count seems almost weirdly high at 697 elements. There are a few possible explanations, though, so let’s dive into each one and see how feasible it really is.
The TIE Fighter will be accompanied by a bunch of side builds
The two most recent LEGO TIE Fighters have downsized dramatically from the 2018 version, with the latest standalone build coming in at just 432 pieces. If 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter aims for the same scale, it’s going to have somewhere in the region of 265 additional pieces to play with (assuming the festivities extend mostly to a simple recolour).
Those could potentially go towards a handful of Xmas-themed side builds, from an Imperial cart to a Death Star-flavoured Christmas tree. It wouldn’t be entirely out of the ordinary, but the kicker here is that 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter apparently includes just one minifigure – and if there’s anything to do in this set other than pilot the ship, you’d think there would be more minifigures to interact with those builds.
Likelihood: 5/10
It’s not a standard TIE Fighter
While the rumoured set name is indeed ‘Christmas TIE Fighter’, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a standard TIE/LN Starfighter. That could well be a placeholder title, or something similar, for a set inspired by one of the vast number of TIE variants in Star Wars canon. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced, for example, so a seasonal version – perhaps with the return of Santa Vader from the 2014 advent calendar – could be fun.
That particular ship could possibly stretch to 697 pieces (2023’s 75347 TIE Bomber, with a similar wing design, includes 625 pieces), while a TIE Interceptor would likely also require more pieces than a standard TIE Fighter. Rumours should never be taken as gospel anyway, so this possibility doesn’t feel completely out of reach.
Likelihood: 7/10
The Christmas décor is going to completely transform it
If this is a straightforward TIE Fighter, there’s no guarantee that the Xmas theming will be relegated to a simple recolour in (for example) red and green. The LEGO Star Wars team could completely transform the TIE Fighter template for the holiday season, maybe incorporating a Christmas tree cannon, a bunch of Tauntauns to pull it along like Santa’s sleigh, or even just adding a pair of solar panels to a gingerbread house.
This would be the most creative approach, so we’d like to imagine it’s the one the LEGO Group will take. We’ve already seen some high-concept reworkings of iconic Star Wars ships through Rebuild the Galaxy, so we know it’s not off the table altogether – and where better to flex your creative juices (within a theme otherwise restricted by its source material) than with a Christmas-themed set?
Likelihood: 8/10
We’re getting a REALLY big TIE Fighter
Here’s the least likely option in our books: a massive TIE Fighter that strives for even greater size and detail than 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story tie-in set. In the current era of downsized LEGO Star Wars ships, and given the fact this is supposed to be a seasonal LEGO Store exclusive – so won’t necessarily have the same wide audience as a regular LEGO Star Wars TIE Fighter – it’s hard to see this one happening. But you never know…
Likelihood: 2/10
Check out the complete list of LEGO Star Wars 2025 sets (or as much as we know about them so far) in the table below. 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter doesn’t have a rumoured release date yet, but an October drop seems likely if it’s following in the footsteps of last year’s 40755 Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder – and if it really is a festive build.
LEGO Star Wars sets confirmed and rumoured for 2025
| LEGO set | Price | Pieces | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30708 Millennium Falcon | €3.99 | 74 | March 1, 2025 |
| 40765 [May the 4th promo] | TBC | 190 | May 1, 2025 |
| 40796 [BrickHeadz] | TBC | 656 | May 1, 2025 |
| 40806 Christmas TIE Fighter | TBC | 697 | TBC 2025 |
| 75399 U-wing Fighter | $69.99 | TBC | May 1, 2025 |
| 75400 Plo Koon Microfighter | TBC | TBC | June 1, 2025 |
| 75401 Ahsoka’s Jedi Interceptor | £39.99 / $44.99 / €44.99 | 290 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75402 ARC-170 Starfighter | £59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99 | 497 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75403 Grogu with Hover Pram | £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 1,048 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75404 Acclamator-class Assault Ship | £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 | 450 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75405 Home One Starcruiser | £69.99 / $69.99 / €69.99 | 559 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75406 Kylo Ren’s Shuttle | $69.99 | TBC | May 1, 2025 |
| 75407 Star Wars Logo | $59.99 | 700 | May 1, 2025 |
| 75408 Jango Fett Helmet | $69.99 | TBC | May 1, 2025 |
| 75409 Jango Fett’s Starship | $299.99 | 2,970 | May 1, 2025 |
| 75410 Mando and Grogu’s N-1 Starfighter | £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 | 92 | January 1, 2025 |
| 75411 Darth Maul Mech | TBC | TBC | June 2025 |
| 75412 Death Trooper & Night Trooper Battle Pack | $19.99 | 119 | June 2025 |
| 75413 UT-AT | $149.99 | 813 | August 2025 |
| 75414 [Rebuild the Galaxy] | $49.99 | 349 | August 2025 |
| 75415 Kylo Ren Helmet | TBC | TBC | May 1, 2025 |
| 75416 Chopper | $99.99 | TBC | May 1, 2025 |
| 75417 AT-ST Walker | $199.99 | 1,513 | August 2025 |
| 75418 Star Wars Advent Calendar | $44.99 | TBC | September 2025 |
| 75419 UCS Death Star | $999.99 | 9,021 | October 1, 2025 |
| 75428 B1 Battle Droid | $99.99 | TBC | August 2025 |
| 75429 AT-AT Driver Helmet | £69.99 / $69.99 / €79.99 | 730 | March 1, 2025 |
| 75430 Ewok | $89.99 | TBC | August 2025 |
| 75431 327th Star Corps Battle Pack | $39.99 | 258 | August 2025 |
| 75432 V-19 Torrent | $59.99 | TBC | August 2025 |
| 75433 Jango Fett’s Starship | $69.99 | 707 | August 2025 |
| 75434 K-2SO | $89.99 | 850 | August 2025 |
| 75435 Clone Wars MTT | $149.99 | 980 | August 2025 |
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Maybe it is an Employee Exclusive Gift like the X-Wing