by Kenneth Milano

Every wonder what happened to all the ETA-2 Interceptors after the Empire began development of the TIE fighter? Clone pilots knew the dangers of flying ETAs - only a Jedi Knight could possible handle an Eta-2 in combat. The very advanced, high-performance craft devotes most of its system resources to pure speed and power. The ship lacks heavy flight instruments, sensors, or shields. A Jedi Knight's attunement to the Force more than compensates for these compromises. However, any non-Jedi (or non-Sith) would be at a severe disadvantage in combat.

Emperor Palatine had an ingenious plan for the Starfighters – a Government Auction! This plan would earn extra income for the construction of the new “Peace-Keeping Space Station” and flush out any Jedi Knights in hiding. A tracking device was hidden in each ETA-2 and anyone bidding on the ships was immediately investigated. The hope was to reveal any Jedi Knights or sympathizers secretly stockpiling weapons to combat the Empire. The Emperor would then send Lord Vader out to “investigate”.

The Imperial Auctions were held at various planets in the Outer Rim, since the Core Worlds were not interested in any items used by the traitorous Jedi. Unfortunately for the Empire, no ships sold were ever traced back to Jedi Knights. A lot of the ships were sold to pirates and gangsters, making for excellent combat practice for Imperial TIE fighter pilots.

The idea for the model came from watching commercials auctioning off repossessed houses. I figured there must be additional ETA-2 Interceptors, even versions of Anakin Skywalker’s ship, in the Jedi Temple after the destruction of the Jedi Order. Why throw away assets when they can be sold for profit?

The model is an AMT/ERTL Jedi Starfighter, made to represent Anakin Skywalker’s yellow starfighter. A scratchbuilt targeting computer uses a picture of the device shrunk down and glued to the plastic. The landing gear was a mix of gear from a SW snowspeeder (front legs) and a ST Romulan Scorpion model (back leg). The Twi’lek “Vanna White” is a modified swimsuit figure from a 1/24 scale car accessory kit. She sports an outfit made from aluminum foil. The Imperial Auction sign was constructed from the exhaust nozzle of a 1/32 scale F-16 and a STAP laser barrel. The auction advertisement (which came out rather poorly in the photos) was made from pictures found on the Internet. The bombs were extra ammunition generously provided from the same 1/32 scale F-16 model.

Image: Larger view of the top image

Image: Fighter's cockpit

Image: From the right

Image: Targeting computer

Image: Looking down