i must say that i bought this set because i wanted the minifig

Yavin 4 isn't the best planet i have seen .The Death Star and the 2013 Courusant looks way better.

The X-wing Pilot was not what i expected.The only cool thing is the helmet with the logo.He has a basic blaster.

The X-wing Starfighter looks cool and has decent details like the red grilles on the wings and the greebling on the back.

Pros

• pretty cool x wing starfighter
  
• yavin 4 is not too bad
  
• good for collecters
  

Cons

• there could have been a better figure
  
• price could have been a little lower since we don't get much
  

If you are a collecter then i guess its worth it,but if you only want to play with it ,then you should just buy something else.The galaxy squad 70700 space swarmer is about the same price and you get 2 minifigs and a ship i suggest you buy that

Set #9677 X-wing Starfighter & Yavin 4: I could write up a much larger review going into a lot of detail here, but this is a planet series set after all and there isn't really too much to talk about honestly. That being said this seems to be the most popular one from Series 2 as it is extremely hard to come by anymore, Bespin and even Endor have clogged shelves for a long time, but not the Yavin 4 set and here's why.

Pros

• The Mini-Model X-Wing is a very impressive representation of the ship, I've gone over this exact same build in the X-wing Polybag set from a few years back and LEGO has done pretty much nothing to the overall design. There is only one different piece being used here for the nosecone and it works. They say don't mess with perfection, and LEGO seems to have understood this.
• X-wing Pilot is a great looking Mini-Figure where the details of the flight suit are concerned, and comes with a blaster. However...

Cons

• Generic Pilot, which means this is great for troop building, not so great for those of us who wanted one of the lesser known characters from the film in Mini-Figure form.
• Yavin 4 isn't that big of a deal for me, I like the planet set pieces. However a lot of people are just tossing them aside in rubbish bins or recycle containers, which is a real shame because the level of detail in these things is pretty good. I'd say this is more of a half-con really, I would bump it up to a pro in my opinion.

Overall this set is a huge seller, it hasn't lingered nearly as badly as Bespin has, perhaps because of its troop buildable nature and the fact that it features one of the best mini-model builds of the X-wing. Seriously this is a highly detailed little model and a great working representation of the X-wing, the change to the nosecone section from the polybag is just a minor improvement, the rest is spot on and in fact you could have this one leading a fleet of polybag X-wings without any problems. I strongly recommend tracking it down if you haven't already picked it up, it makes a great christmas present for the stocking, especially if you remove it from the box because all the parts are inside the planet.

While I would have preferred seeing another Yavin 4 hero in Mini-Figure form I can understand why they gave us a generic one instead, and I dig the detail put into Yavin 4, it looks great. The only reason I list it as a con is because mostly popular opinion for these sets, I don't share this opinion.

In every series, whatever it may be, there is always one that lets the side down a little. Unfortunately for this second series of the Planets sets, the X-wing Starfighter is that let down. While it is not a bad little model, it really does feel as though little thought has gone into the design, not least thanks to its similarity to the polybag set 30051, Mini X-wing, which is a real shame in my opinion. Sadly, neither the planet nor the Minifigure quite make up for this, leaving us with a distinctly underwhelming little set.

Box/Instructions

The box is identical in shape and size to every other container from the Planets series, with a large circle cut out on the front and back to allow the planet itself to be displayed. As I have mentioned before I am often concerned about how the planet might be scratched since it is unprotected, however as of yet I have found no such issue with any of the six sets released at the time of writing. On the front of the box is an image of the X-wing flying through space shooting at some unseen foe and along the top is the standard dark blue border with that awesome shot of Darth Maul and the Lego Star Wars logo. At the bottom of the box is a picture of the planet as it appears in the film and the X-wing pilot Minifigure included in the set.

On the back of the box the actual set is displayed and the other two models in Series 2 are advertised. There is also a small image demonstrating how one can hang up the Yavin 4 model if they wish (which could allow for quite a striking little galaxy of planets display once we get to Series 4 and beyond).

The instructions are folded up inside the box, but outside of the planet capsule so they do not get crushed and have only a slight crease where they have been folded. The artwork shows the X-wing flying just like the front of the box. Overall, other than the glaring design fault of the exposed planet, a very pleasing design indeed.

Parts

The parts too in this set leave a little to be desired, we do get one or two nice or rare pieces, but perhaps not as many as I would have hoped for. Two dark red grilles are included, four flick fire missile shafts, which come in handy for greebling I have found, and a rather nice helmet with blue Rebel Alliance symbols for the rebel pilot which has not appeared since 2007 in set 7666, Hoth Rebel Base. Last of all is the printed black tile which has some information about the model as well as the Lego Star Wars logo, I like these tiles very much and hope they will continue to include them.

Minifigure

The X-wing Pilot Minifigure included in this set is distinctly average, while he is not too bad, there is nothing (other than the helmet) which really makes him stand out in my opinion. The aforementioned helmet features two blue rebel symbols printed on it and shares the same detailed and accurate mould as we have been getting since 1999 in white which is quite attractive. His head piece is printed with the same design as we got on the Zev Senesca Minifigure from sets 8083, Rebel Trooper Battle Pack, 8089, Hoth Wampa Cave, and 7958, the Star Wars advent calendar. It has also appeared on Dutch Vander and Clone Pilot Minifigures recently. The piece is printed with a black chin strap, a serious expression, and a translucent orange visor over his eyes.

His torso design is again the same as Zev Senesca and other Rebel Pilot Minifigures for the last couple of years with an orange jumpsuit, white chest protector, and a control panel in the middle of his chest with some tubes coming out of it. This design is very accurate to the films and that accuracy is continued onto the back of the figure where one finds a continuation of the designs on the front. His arms are orange and his gloved hands are black. The legs are quite plain, with dark bluish grey hips and orange legs to match the arms. He carries a single accessory, a standard short blaster like the one wielded by most Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers, as well as many other characters.

The build

The build is very brief and takes only about ten minutes, there are few interesting techniques, but the way in which the engines are attached to the fuselage and the wings are fixed to the engines is an excellent solution, making use of four aerial pieces. The use of a coupling piece to form the narrowing fuselage asone gets closer to the nosecone is also ingenious, however it is worth noting that exactly the sam techniques were used for the X-wing polybag set I mentioned previously.

The completed model

When it is all completed, this is not a bad looking model at all, but it is always at the back of my mind that the model is almost an exact replica of the older X-wing polyag which does take away from it somewhat in my opinion. If you do not have that set however I am sure it will not be such a problem. The wings can be opened and closed just like on the X-wing in the films and larger scale models, but sadly the wings do not sit flush together at all when they are closed, but I prefer to display it with the S-foils open anyway. There are some nice details on the back and top of the model which achieves the greebling details in a very small scale which is impressive. There is even a single one by one round plate in metallic silver to act as the Astromech Droid behind the pilot!

The Yavin 4 model is really quite poor I am sorry to say. Similar to the Bespin planet, the patter is not printed, but has been created by mixing the different coloured plastics before they solidify in the moulding machine. The appearance is certainly dynamic, but it is totally inaccurate and not at all suited to Yavin 4, which as we can see on the box, looks entirely different to the Lego version. The figure and X-wing sit on a lovely black stand which allows one to display the model very nicely next to the rest of the Planets sets while the planet itself hangs above it using the black hook included and a piece of thread or string which most people would have lying around their house somewhere no doubt.

Summary

This is a set which is really quite disappointing, for such a legendary vehicle, one might expect the designers to take more time over it, but they have simply recycled a previous design which really bugs me. However, this design is not bad and the model is very swooshable which increases the playability. The figure is decent and worth having in my opinion, the only big let down is the planet, which is just lazy and I do not like it at all. I would recommend this set to completists, but other than that, I suggest you save your money or purchase one of the other Planets sets.

Overall - 5/10

I must confess I only bought this for the sake of completion. It's not a bad set at all, but it seemed pretty bland, and I've not been persuaded otherwise since I've bought it!

Alongside Bespin, Yavin IV is another disappointing planet - the giddy heights of Endor are hard to match, but the lovely green of the planet is barely textured at all. Saying that, now I have a few of I'm starting to think they don't have to be all that, they're plenty good enough to have them dotted between my other vehicles enhancing the overall display. (I am looking forward to the 2013 asteroid though, like the Death Star it should be a cracker!)

The X-Wing Pilot is a further let down - you get nothing better than stock parts! It's Zev Senesca's head (also the 2012 Y-Wing pilot?) on the stock pilot body (okay, not so much they can do with that!) with the blue logo patterned helmet (as on Dak Ralter, and the odd bonus figure) and the standard blaster. I suppose the face is fair enough, but it wouldn't have been too much effort for Lego to find a better helmet would it? They've done some real crackers since Luke got his update with the last AT-AT; this feels like a lazy effort compared.

And finally, the X-Wing itself. The parts are nice, the likeness is good, and the detailing is very nice: the astromech represented by the 1x1 round brick, the dark grey binoculars forming the greebling on the back, and the dark red grilles giving the 'printing' on the wings. The only little thought it that the red grilles are only on the top, but they do make the wings quite thick so it's not such a bad thing in any case.

Pros

• Nice parts and construction in the X-Wing
• Yavin IV is a lovely colour, although...

Cons

• The planet, like others, is pretty bland.
• The figure is nothing special when he could have been.

There's nothing huge to moan about with this one, but nothing stands out as great either. The X-Wing looks nice, but it isn't all that different to an old promo set. And the planet and figure aren't appalling, but they could easily have been so much better. They both feel stock, where they could have been excitingly bespoke. But as with all the planet sets, for £9.99 it would have to be a real stinker to not be a nice little buy!

One closing thought about the series though, putting the X-Wing with Yavin IV leaves Dagobah shipless. Perhaps a Y-Wing would have been better to leave Dagobah and an X-Wing, with either Yoda or training/Bespin Luke for a later season. Both those figures are pretty rare in the old trilogy sets too, not appearing at all since the yellow-face Cloud City days. Shame!

This was the fourth planet set I bought and the first from the summer wave of 2012.

The set which is bagged inside the big planet takes 5-10 to build and the when finished shows the x wing, pilot figure on a built stand with plaque.

The X wing itself is a very nicely designed mini X-wing which is very accurate with the wings which can open to display it in flight mode and mini r2 unit.

The pilot mini figure is not a new figure or a terribly exciting one who has appeared in numerous rebel sets which have been released in recent years but does the job as the planet figure. As for the stand, it shows them off very well.

The planet itself which is a large ball constructed of two domes looks a little dull colour wise but is made up for by the various line differences on the planet itself.

While the set overall is made of a recycled figure and a mini x wing which has been made in different scales so many times in recent times is an okay set and for one who has missed out on those earlier incarnations.

I would recommend this set to all hardcore star wars fans and anyone who likes the mini models and who didn't get chance to buy the other mini models.

I would not recommend this set if you have other mini x wing models like the one the came in the 2011 advent calendar or the one that came in the daily mail offer. For £10 the set is a bit pricey too.