Review of 9495 Y-Wing

Toys'R'Us has this set on sale this week so I picked one up.  I have been excited about this set from the first pictures that were released. 

To start with, here is a comparison of this one versus the one released in 2007.  There are several things I like about this one better.  To start with, the front of the engines don't have those golf ball looking caps.  The blasters have more detail rather than just being rods.  I also think the shape of the head is more traditional Y-wing than the previous model.

I think this one is an improvement in just about every way.

The box contains three numbered bags, a set of two decals and, unless you're incredibly lucky, a folded over instruction book.

The build is straight forward and takes probably about an hour (although I wasn't really keeping track of the time).

The minifigures that come with the set are OK.  I suppose having Gold Leader is cool although he's no Jek Porkins.  And we have yet another astromech.  And Princess Leia...just because they could.

Leia does come with a cape although I had not yet put it on in this photo.

Like the TIE Fighter I reviewed, I opened all the bags and then discovered that the build does proceed in numbered stages.  So once again you can open bag #1 first, build it, then move on to bag #2.  Helpful if you want to do less searching.

 Once assembled I think it looks fantastic.  But apart from the aesthetics, it's a lot the same as the last one.
One of the minor differences that may matter to some is the blasters above the cockpit.  In the previous version they could pivot up and down as well as rotate.  In this version they can only rotate.

There is still a place for your droid to sit although he is not held down by anything.  Should your Y-wing fly upside down in a gravitational field, he will fall out.

Like the last one, this Y-wing has a bottom hatch which releases what I'm guessing are supposed to be proton torpedoes.  If that's what they are supposed to be I have two words for the designer: translucent blue.  Haven't you seen Star Wars?
They are still better than the green alien space capsules the last one came with.

The console in the cockpit is one of the best parts.  It is already setup for your attack run.

The blasters on the front look quite a bit better than the previous version.  They are, however, incredibly difficult to get in.  I was able to get them started with my hands but then I had to take the entire head piece and push down against the table to get the blasters to go all the way in.  Very secure but it's going to be difficult for younger builders.

Still going for the flick-fire approach on this one and still warning people not shoot someone in the eye (as if they could).
The protrusion you see from the back of the wing is not the projectile itself.  It is actually a plunger that  forces the projectile out of the front with fairly mundane results.  Just give it up already.




I feel like this set is just a tad pricey at the $49.99 MSRP, especially given that the last one was $39.99.  But keep your eyes open or go to Toys'R'US this week and if you can pick it up for less than $45, I'd say it's completely worth it.  If you never bought the previous version of the Y-Wing, don't be disappointed because you're getting the best option.  If you did buy a previous version, time to trade up.