Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 at 10:59pm by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
Flying right alongside iconic ships like the X-Wing and Millennium Falcon, a much beloved ship from the Star Wars universe is the Y-Wing, known for its yellow paint job and exposed nacelles. Flying out of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and onto your building table is the latest iteration of this starfighter. Today, ChocolateFrogs reviews this set in all its greeble glory. Is it worth picking up, or should it turn back and join the rebellion? Read, and watch, on!
A very special thank you to LEGO for sending BZPower this set to review. Their generosity allows me to share my opinions about this iconic Star Wars ship to everyone. The set has 691 pieces and retails for $60 USD.
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
We have the usual Star Wars box art, including a character in the upper right corner. This round it is a Death Trooper from the Rogue One movie, a fact reinforced by the Rogue One characters that appear in the lower corner. The Y-Wing itself looks flashy as it flies through space, avoiding explosions (or maybe causing some). This European box does not list the part count. The back of the box shows all the other benefits on the set, including play features like the loading crane and various missiles.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
After building the utility vehicles to help with extra ammo, the frame uses some Techinc bricks to make it stable and to have a number of areas ready for SNOT (Studs Not On Top) building. This allows for various building mechanics, from attaching the engines to adding details on the side. Furthermore, later on we see lots of little pieces added for extra detail, from minifig ice skates on the nacelles to lots of greebles on the body. These are the kinds of things builders live for!
I especially loved the angle on the front nose with the cockpit. The parts chosen already have a curve to them, but the set one-ups that by attaching some parts to give it a more angular look. And while past sets have had large curved sloped parts on the top, this time we have thin, angled plates to give the desired blend of white and yellow.
The build of the nacelles are especially impressive. Some long Technic rods run through the other parts so everything stays in place. Then more Techinc rods are aligned at the end so nothing breaks off. Lots of fantastic dependence on the good power of clutch we expect in the sets.
Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.
As expected, there are quite a few parts in the Y-Wing that are relatively new or just good to see used. We have tan 1x1 bricks with studs on two adjacent sides, light grey tiles from the gold bars mold, some transparent bits, a printed windscreen, and some other interesting parts that are welcome in my collection.
Once built, it immediately looks like the Y-Wing we have come to know and love from the movies and past Star Wars sets. Yup, that's a Y-Wing. But compared to the past set of the same size, there is certainly more detail here. And compared to the high-detail UCS set, this is a great design for its size. And compared to the micro-fighter (watch the video), this has everything you could want in a Y-Wing.
Img 21-22
The minifgs we get are a mix of recognizable and “who is that?”. The Y-Wing pilot and Stormtrooper are not anyone special, and the droid has the same weight. But the furry white guy is named Moroff (who comes with a detailed backpack), and the Mon Calamari is named Admiral Raddus. While welcome in the set, they aren't main characters and mostly forgettable. But I have no reason to turn down cool new aliens, starfighter minifigs, or spare Stormtrooper parts. And the droid's clear dome is pretty cool.
Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with.
The ship features some spring-loaded missiles, but even more impressive is the bomber capability in the rear. A compartment holds several missiles, and a gear turn will rotate them out the bottom! I found this pretty ingenious. (The service vehicles seen with the set are also a playful addition.)
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
Great details.
Cool new minifigs.
Satisfying build.
Affordable, iconic ship.
Cons
What's not to like?
Characters are of no consequence.
Lots of grey, as expected.
That wraps up the review, though the video will show off a few other things, like how sturdy it is. At the very least, it's swooshable! On top of the impressive build and fun minifigs to add to your collection, the play features are enjoyable. This set has some nice parts, but if you keep it together it will also look great on display. It was a set I was eying, but had not committed to obtaining, but now, having it in hand, it is very impressive and holds its own against other Star Wars ships.