I was kind of excited when I got this at a fairly reduced price at the local Toys 'r Us the other day. Not having an Y-wing before, that is what you expect, right? The box was suitable for the ammount of pieces you get but perhaps a tad too big for the 458 pieces. What I did notice about it was you only got 3 minifigures... compared to the 2006 X-wing (which had less pieces) with 6 (!) minifigures or even this year's other starfighters, it feels a bit cheap. Why not throw in a mechanic or just something more...? Perhaps do something like with the 7180-1, to include some control center.

I agree with other reviewers out there, that the Y-wing lacks the icon status of the X-wing. On the bright side, the Y-wing carries bombs and gets some innovative flick fire missiles.

Minifigures.

Gold Leader: I am a little disappointed with this one. However, there are only so much you can do to make the pilots unique, so I'll let it pass. His helmet is probably the new deal here. The face looks like other recent rebel pilots with the printed visor and the pilot jump-suit is the regular orange.

Princess Leia: She is a nice addition to your collection and comes with spacy-silver markings on her torso, to make it a bit more of a celebration after the destruction of the Death Star. Hair-piece might be similar to Padmé's from the Sith Infiltrator from last year. I think she is quite cool actually.

R5-F7: This is probably my favorite of the 3, just because the mold of the head for this droid is new and the colour differs from most previous droids. I hope we get a trend of these kinds of metallic dudes coming out with different colours in future sets.

Ship.

With the ship all built and put out on display in my home, I have become fond of it. Not only from memories from the past, watching the movies, but also I really fancy its design as a building toy/collectable. This looks very movie accurate, the details on this ship are surprising - especially on the top of the ship. There are some room for added MOC's if you would like to place some CPU panel for R5 for instance.

The build was rather fun and followed the numbered bags instructions. So it's an easy build without becoming too boring. I found it fascinating to see the Y-wing assemble part by part until I had the complete model in front of me. Surprisingly, there are only 2 stickers for the entire ship although they are BIG. With some sleight of hand you would be able to get them where you need them to be.

I experienced the cockpit to be roomy and there were studs for the legs so Gold Leader wouldn't rattle around in there. The new, sort of push-fire missiles could be good for playability, as well as the bomb-drop function. There are 2 bombs in the set but I believe there is room for a couple of extras, in case you have the material for it. It is sturdy the way it's designed and we all like that!

So everything is just peachy with Gold Squadron's starfighter? Well, I am bias - being a Trilogy fan, but only to an extent. I would wish there were landing gears on this one. It sort of looks like the undercarriage broke down and that the ship might be the soon victim of prowling Jawas! Another thing LEGO should do is, especially for younger S.W. LEGO fans, come up with a way to store the pilot's blaster during flight, apart from just throwing it inside the cockpit.

So I got this for a reduced price. Even if I'm a fan I think I would have hesitated when reasoning with myself through pure logic. The "normal" price is namely a bit steep. Especially considering what you get for your money. Only 3 minifigures along with this icon of a ship? When you put logic aside and only think with the force-sensitive part of the brain, it's hard to resist this ship. Get it while you can, the LEGO waves are not in stores for as long as you think. One day they are replaced with the next wave of the year. I just had to get it, perhaps you have such thoughts too...?

Conclusion.

I like this ship and what it represents to many Trilogy fans. The ship is accurate to the movies and is just a nice display piece. The figures are great but it feels like there's one more missing. If you find this at a slightly reduced price you should take that chance. You will enjoy the build and like the finished model. There are a couple of play features for younger fans but not a whole lot. If you are a fan, you won't listen to such trifle and buy it anyway!

Pros:

• Great model! The ship is sturdy, highly displayable and makes a nice addition to your Rebel armada.
• New astromech and Princess Leia in her ceremonial outfit.
• It was a fun and not too time-demanding build.
• Only 2 stickers!

Cons:

• I would have wanted a 4th figure for that price.
• No landing gear! Can't fly on fumes forever... where and HOW to land?

I just got this set yesterday, along with the new redone Droid Escape, and I am extremely impressed by this set overall, from its very nice build (until the end) and the extreme accuracy; it just works.

Pros

• -Play features are maximized here: semi-auto flick-fire missiles, proton torpedo release, movable turret cannon, etc.
  
• -The minifigures used here are excellent examples of what can be done by Lego; you just can't go wrong with "Gold Leader" Dutch Vander, his droid sidekick R5-F7, Leia in ceremonial outfit (though why she's in this set I will never know).
• -The build was fun, but there is a lot of boredom (better known as repetition) in the wings. The finished product, however, looks amazing compared to the lifeless model from almost five years ago.
  

Cons

• -Stickers: though there are only two of them here, they're still a pain to get on to the ship.
  
• -The cockpit is the only design flaw, really: it's the wrong shape here compared to a model on Wookieepedia, but it looks fine, so this is a minor perfection flaw.
  
• -I sort of wish that there was a little closing door thing on the torpedo area so that they never fall out, thus adding to the swooshability factor.
  

There are amazing pros and cons to this set, and only one of them seems to get the reward of Major "Minor". The design is near spot-on, the playability is excellent, and minifigures are superb. I have nothing better to say to you than: GET THIS SET NOW if you don't already have a Y-Wing or the fake Anakin's Y-Wing, and deeply consider it if you have any other Y-Wing, because it's that good.

This was one of my first 2012 Star Wars sets, It contains 458 pieces and took me around 45 minutes to build and contruct. The build itself is quite long and is a very interesting and exciting build with the different parts build at the time.

The main figures included in the set include dutch vander who is a rebel pilot and is quite a common figure in the series but is still a good edition to this model. The other figures are princess leia in the ceremony gear who I believe is new and has a reversable head with a happy and serious face. The other figure is a R5 F7 droid who features an awesome new mech droid head who is another interesting new mech droid variation in the star wars world.

The main set itself at first glance looks very similar to the 2007 version model [which I don't own], but there are quite a few changes. The cockpit has a wider and more complex lower level with the sides also constructed by new parts, smaller and better designed gun turrets, better detail at the back of the engines new studs and the dome pieces now being nice and plain without the speckally texture.

The inside cockpit also includes a target screen as well as plenty of room for vander to enter. The overall model is very sturdy and nothing falls off when the set is played rough or the ship is even flown upside down. The playability of this set is quite good as the ship features a range of play features. The main ones are the push fire missiles at the side, the rotating gun turret and the bombs under the ship which can be released through a handle underneath. The ship alone to play with is quite durable however with the addition of the tie fighter and/or X wing, play duration can be sufficiently increased.

For £49.99 rrp, the set's size and content is quite good and certainly better value than this years battle pack and £20-£40 sets. However the last version to come out was £10 and was pretty much the same size and although inflation has probably hit, goingup 25% in five years is quite drastic. However, the value of the set is still quite good and this is definately the best Y wing made yet.

I would recommend this set to anyone who loves star wars, for the sole purpose of the awesome new y wing ship design, hard core star wars fans, for the new figures and any one who has an interest in collection star wars mech droids.

This model is awesome, I strongly recommend buying it while you still can.

The Y-wing has been attempted five times in its Original Trilogy form and each time there has always been a way to improve the design. Unfortunately this set could also be improved, but as it is I think it is the best Y-wing they have created yet in Minifigure scale. It comes with three figures, and they are not a fantastic bunch, but all of them are exclusive so that is something. The main draw to this set for me is the ship itself! It perfectly captures the unique shape and includes a lot of engine detail which is key to a good Y-wing design. The big cylindrical engines are much more suitably attached to the main fuselage now too which means that they don't wobble around at all unlike on previous models of this ship.

Box/Instructions

The box has the same design to all of the other new 2012 sets with the dark blue border and the picture of Darth Maul at the top. On the right hand side of the box (as you face it) there is an area to show off the Minifigures which is nice and clearly shows which of them are new, in this case, all of them! The back of the box shows the main features of the set and a picture of the ship from various angles, now a common sight on the new boxes, and I like it.

The instructions were great with no mistakes and no missing pieces for me!

Parts

There are a few nice parts in this set, the white domes at the end of the engines and the white half cylinder pieces which also form part of the engines. There are four of the very useful octagonal pipe pieces too which are used for attaching the struts which run the length of the thrusters. The white cape worn by the Ceremonial Leia featured in this set is a great (and somewhat rare) accessory which is often needed for making you own Minifigures extra accurate. We also get one of the new flat cone pieces which forms the new head for R5 Astromech droids which is a great part and I am looking forward to it being released with no printing on as I can see many possible applications for it.

Minifigures

There are three Minifigures in this set, they are good, but not exactly show stopping like many other recent figures. The pilot for the Y-wing is leader of Gold Squadron at the Battle of Yavin, Dutch Vander. He is basically just the same as any other rebel pilot, but with a new helmet print. It is very similar to that of the pilot from set 7658, Y-wing Fighter, but with a bit more detail on this occasion. His droid is called R5-F7 and is white with yellow highlights. He looks great! The new head is perfect and extremely accurate to his very brief appearance in the movie.

The best figure however is Ceremonial Leia. She has white legs, a new printed torso which actually has back printing, despite the fact that it is obscured by the white cape which she wears. Her face is the same as in the Millennium Falcon set and is a decent representation of her appearance in the film. Her hair is the same as the newest Episode One Padmé and is very similar to her hairstyle when she presents Luke and Han with their medals if you look carefully. Speaking of which, this figure goes very well with the two celebration figures of Luke and Han with their medals Both Dutch and Leia come with guns.

The build

The build is fantastic, it makes use of many very clever building techniques, including a lot of SNOT! I especially like how the support struts are fitted to the engines which is brilliant. The use of rods and poles to add engine details is very nice and actually helps to keep the ship sturdy as well as looking fabulous. It took me about an hour and was not too difficult, so I think a reasonably young child could build it without too much help from parents.

The completed model

The ship is a bit shorter and stubbier than the last one, but I think this only increases the accuracy of the model. There are quite a few features including an opening cockpit, a swivelling turret behind the cockpit, dropping bombs and two flick fire missiles. The bombs can be dropped by opening the bomb bay door beneath the main fuselage area which is much better than the old way of releasing them which caused constant annoyance as when you flew the ship upwards, the bombs fell out! There is a small hole in the top of the vehicle for loading the two bombs in a similar place to the last model. The flick fire missiles fire from between the main body of the ship and the engines at the sides.

The inside of the cockpit comfortably fits Dutch Vander and has a control console with the targeting computer image printed on it, around the cockpit the yellow highlights are done very well using wedge pieces. Some people have been complaining about the width of the new cockpit but it is actually accurate to the film and looks fine once you have it in your hand. My only gripe with the ship itself is the landing gear. We have reverted to the old horrors of using just inverted wedge pieces to raise the ship off the ground and it looks horrendous when you fly it around. They could have included some sort of folding mechanism I think but they can easily be removed if you don't like them.

Summary

Put simply, the design has been improved on most fronts but is still not perfect. The details are brilliant and there are plenty of features to amuse younger buyers so this is an excellent set, but it does need a bit of work. The figures leave a bit to be desired but I am very satisfied with the Ceremonial Leia in particular. For sticker haters, there are two large stickers to place on the engines to show exposed wiring but they are very easy to apply so it should not pose any real problem. The lack of any amazing figures and the terrible landing gear damage this set a bit, so I cannot give it full marks. Nevertheless it is an excellent set and I award it with...

Overall - 9/10

The Y-Wing was one of the first Star Wars vehicles developed, with early concept art predating even the X-Wing! It is arguably my favorite Star Wars space-fighter, and this was the first Lego Y-Wing set I was able to get. Now more than more five years since its release (with a new Rogue One themed Y-Wing on shelves); how does this set stack up?

Figures

The set comes with three figures. The first one, Jon Vander (Gold Leader) is a pretty standard rebel pilot design from the era. His only exclusive print is his helmet, which matches his on screen appearance in A New Hope (and his appearances in Rebels and Rogue One that were released after this set was retired). Leia is a unique version, matching her appearance at the end ceremony in A New Hope. My copy of the set has a misprint on Leia, were the stern side of her double-sided head is missing its eyebrows! Some might raise concern that a ceremonial Leia doesn't match up with Jon Vander (who died in the finale of ANH before the ceremony); but maybe we can imagine this as a version of the story where the Y-Wing's succeed on their first run in the trench with Jon Vander destroying the Death Star before Luke Skywalker had a chance to make his shot? ;)

Probably the most desirable figure of the batch though, was R5-F7. The "R5" dome piece was a brand new piece introduced to the Lego part's catalog in 2012, and R5 droids appeared in all three of that year's A New Hope star fighter sets (the X-Wing, Tie Fighter and this Y-Wing). R5-F7's head print in my copy is slightly off center, a problem that continues to plague Lego's astromech prints to the current day. With that said, R5 remains a highly interesting and valuable figure and was especially enjoyable on its release as an accurate Lego representation of a familiar Star Wars droid class.

The Finished Model

The finished set is a roughly close to minifigure scale replica of the source material. The front cockpit section used some SNOT techniques to create a more screen accurate shape than the prior Original Trilogy style Y-Wing had, also allowing for a proper balance of the white and yellow colors. The only flaw in this front area is on the bottom, were a simple inverted slope is used on the base instead of proper landing gear or detailing to represent the torpedo launcher cowling on the film model. The roof mounted turret, rotates freely, causing it to flop around rather annoyingly while handling the model.

The body uses basic greebling to give the Y-Wing its weathered and war beaten shape. The nacelles use several long white beams to support the exhaust ring at the end. Sadly the ring of the engines is not open and looks a little weird as a solid brick (the 2017 set would correct this flaw).

One of the play features is a small bombing chute. It is gravity feed, and the "bombs" aren't securely held in place by any mechanism. As such, the Lego pieces representing the bombs rattle about while swooshing the ship, and any advanced aeronautical movement (aka, holding the thing upside down) will cause the bombs to fall out the loading hatch on the top! Despite these minor quibbles, there is still something fun about being able to open the hatch and watch the bombs drop!

The weakest play feature are the two flick fire missiles embedded in the pylons supporting the engine nacelles. There is a beam piece which allows them to be "flicked" but I never seem to hit it hard enough to get them to fly (more like fall) from the Y-Wing. With that said, with the part's available at the time, it was a rather valiant effort from Lego to include the craft's bombing features in the toy.

Closing

After five years since its release, Gold Leader's Y-Wing has stood the test of time rather well. Its minor flaws have been corrected by its 2017 successor; but the 2012 model is well detailed and solidly built; meaning it can stand on a shelf next to its 2017 iteration without looking out of place. If an "army builder" or Star Wars collector is considering picking up this model from the second hand market, I'd consider it worth it.