Hello,
I do not profess to be an expert on this matter, though I was brought in to help produce some of the EFX TIE fighter.
I believe Solrman has it backward ( no offense) the old 1970s era Kool shade was 23 Louvers per inch, the new stuff which is still manufactured (last time I checked) is only 17 Louvers per inch.
The two types are noticeably different -but mainly when placed along side one another
And I can also say that an Improved version of the Niesen TIE fighter is on its way
I helped in a small way to make the new wings and other parts, but to be sure, the Lion's share of the credit goes to John who mastered the new wings. I think it is fair to say the between Steve and John they know more about TIE fighters that the
ILMer's who originally built them
As for rumors of a Rapid-Prototyped alternative soon to be available : I can confirm that that is true.
I will be posting a thread with more details but in nutshell:
back in 2009 I meticulously recreated a 3D/CAD version of 1970s era Kool -shade form original samples.
I have a version that is "back-filled" and suitable for casting -- we call it:
Virtual Kool shade
I also made a version for EFX that could be CNC-milled for injection molding
Alas, and sadly, it proved too expensive to mill such a large amount of such intricate pattern; so in the end the EFX TIE used "clayed-up" 1970s era Kool Shade.
Over all I think the EFX TIE is excellent--superb craftsmanship too bad they did not have a "cleaner" & crisper" alternative for the Kool shade areas/
the
Virtual Kool Shade already been used a few time on some projects on this forum..but is coming to a Studio Scale TIE fighter near you soon
Here are some crude diagrams detailing the nature of Kools shade and
Virtual Kool Shade or
VKS
The above black and white schmeatic is from the company currently producing
Kool-Shade at 17 Louvers per inch)
This diagram shows a early proposal (circa 2011) -cross section of a TIE wing "sandwich" using
VKS
The final incarnation for the new wings will be on a new thread in the near future