So, I've gotten two core sets, and seen some other players', and I've yet to see a TIE Fighter without horribly bent solar panels from the cockpit down. And several of my X-Wings look like the lasers were zeroed in by a cross-eyed Gammorean (who wasn't named Piggy). Did my area just get a bad shipment, or did everybody's come that way? (Don't have models with me at the moment to show pictures, but I can add them in later tonight if this isn't a universal problem).

Edit: Example photo from where one of our players is repainting. Note the outward bend to the solar panels.

Similar but not too bad on the first core set I opened. I did straighten out one of the X-wings but you have to be careful. It could snap off in a heartbeat.

I don't have my copy yet so I can't say whether this would work...but has anyone tried the usual board game figure "dip it in hot water, reshape, then dip in cold water" method to fix their fighters?

I don't have my copy yet so I can't say whether this would work...but has anyone tried the usual board game figure "dip it in hot water, reshape, then dip in cold water" method to fix their fighters?

Thats my plan, i'm trying it tomorrow morning. I'll report on success or epic failure

Though mine are really quite good, only some very minor issues.

I have the same issue with my X-Wings and TIEs. I was going to try to bend them by hand but....

I don't have my copy yet so I can't say whether this would work...but has anyone tried the usual board game figure "dip it in hot water, reshape, then dip in cold water" method to fix their fighters?

How hot of water? Like faucet hot? Coffee hot? Boiling hot?

I have the same issue with my X-Wings and TIEs. I was going to try to bend them by hand but....

I don't have my copy yet so I can't say whether this would work...but has anyone tried the usual board game figure "dip it in hot water, reshape, then dip in cold water" method to fix their fighters?

How hot of water? Like faucet hot? Coffee hot? Boiling hot?

Not boiling. You don't want it noodle-limp, because that can do more harm than good.

I'd say faucet hot, but I've also seen some faucets in my day that don't seem to get past "warm".

There's a trick for making homemade yogurt, where you stop heating it once it gets to the point that you can't keep a finger in it for longer than 30 seconds without pain. I'd say that's probably a good indicator for this task, too. Hotter than you'd want for a comfortable bath, but not the absolute maximum hotness capacity of water.

You don't want the water boiling, but you do want it very hot. You dip it into the water for a few seconds(use metal tongs!), just long enough for the plastic to get pliable. Then gently reshape the piece(it will 'want' to return to its molded shape) and dunk it in cold water to set it. This is a tried and true method for dealing with warped plastic miniatures from board games.

As I said before, not having my core set yet, I can't say for sure whether this will be an effective method with the fighter ships.

Thank you all for the solutions and remedies offered.

It's definitely something to watch out for.

My concern is for the Wave 1 Starfighter Expansion Packs.

Will they similarly suffer from imperfections of this sort?

...didn't X-Wing players have this issue with the TIE Defender at some point?

I was really disapointed in the same thing on my TIE Fighters. It is almost all of them. For a normal game piece they would be fine, but this is a minis game it was really disapointing.

I had a single x-wing blaster canon off kilter and that was all I saw. Must be partly isolated.

You don't want the water boiling, but you do want it very hot.

Sounds like coffee pot hot. Thanks.

It has to be the way the ties are in the mold. In all honesty I didn't find it a concern.

My concern is for the Wave 1 Starfighter Expansion Packs.

Will they similarly suffer from imperfections of this sort?

I think I'm stating the obvious, but I bet a lot will depend on the shape of the ship.

Eg. The solid, wedge-shaped A-Wings will probably come real clean, whereas I'm expecting a lot of B-Wings to look like pinwheels.

My TIE's are curved like that as well. Its hard to notice on the tabletop though.

I had a single x-wing blaster canon off kilter and that was all I saw. Must be partly isolated.

I have to retract this. I did in fact have all of my Ties with bent wings. Played the entire first game with them with another buddy of mine who like me would have noticed this kind of thing, he would have noticed it first more than likely, and he put them together too. So I don't know how we missed it. But a quick trip to the variable seas of a distant world (aka bowl of just about to boil water, then a bowl of faucet cold, ironically the same bowl left out from repairing a General Weiss for Imp Assault last week.) brought them into full working order, ready to serve as target practice for my X-wing squadrons after the re-zeroing of not one but two of their guns.

Use a hair dryer to heat it up a bit. Same thing I did for IA AT-ST and General Weiss models. Then run under cool water to set it.