Review: 9495 Gold Leader's Y-Wing Starfighter

Set ID: 9495 Gold Leader's Y-Wing Starfighter

Number of Pieces: 458

Year of Release: 2012

Minifigs: 3

Purchased Price: About SGD80

Have been traveling a bit lately (2 months to be exact) and is already itching to pen my next review. During this period, I added only a few new Star Wars sets to my collection, with the UCS B-wing (10227) being my biggest catch, and must admit that this summer has been a disappointing one for me as a collector. Staring at me now is also the Palpatine's Arrest (9526) which I bought on impulse, only to realise that it belongs more to the "cartoon" series which I am not interested in collecting. Then comes the "old republic" range that was launched. No interest at all. On the bright side, my summer budget was very much intact as a result. (Latest: Just saw the winter range on the web. Will be going after 2-3 more sets)

As one of the more iconic Star Wars vehicle, Y-wings (forget about the "Gold Leader" label for now) appeared in the collection a number of times before but seldom seen by itself. It was tied (pun intended) to the TIE Fighter in three earlier sets and was only individually launched as the UCS set in 2004 and set 7658 in 2007. This brick count is close to that of the latter and you can hardly tell the difference between the two versions, in term of details and design. Unless you have a special liking for the Y-Wing or being a compulsive collector like yours sincerely, you can indeed give this set a miss.

"Y" is it like that?

Comparing to its predecessor (7658), there were a few subtle changes which takes a pair of learned eyes to pick up. But the most prominent difference is the shape of the cockpit, with the 2007 set being more sleek and tapered as compared to this version. Predecessor 1. New 0.

Nicely designed but lacks degree of freedom

The pair of laser cannon situated behind the cockpit is well designed and detailed. The best part is that it does not swing wildly when you engage in some awkward and sharp turning maneuvre with this Y-Wing. BUT ... this new cannon can only rotate in one plane and is not able to angle upwards toward high flying enemy starships. Predecessor 2. New 0.

Weapons are a must for a Starfighter and this is no exception. Other than the cannon mentioned before, this Y-Wing is also armed with a pair of front facing cannons and flick missiles on each of its wing. For bombing missions, it carries two red missile-like bombs in its fuselage and they can be deployed by opening a secret door on its undercarriage, that is when you manage to locate it. The predecessor deploys its bomb (more bomb-like spherical bricks) by pulling a shaft in its rear. Definitely easier to deploy. Predecessor 3. New 0.

Bomb entry point

Bomb exit point

Both versions have similar wing designs. The more obvious difference lie in the semi-spherical engine cover located at the front of each wing. The older version has a dimpled design while this Y-wing has a smooth glossy finish. I like the latter better though. Predecessor 3. New 1.

The Y-Wing is commonly presented in three colours - Yellow, white and grey. This new version has managed to break that monotony with the introduction of brown stick bricks on the fuselage. They blended well with the grey bricks and (from a distant) look like pipes running along the exterior of the fuselage. Predecessor 3. New 2.

Predecessor wins.

Where the stickers are 

I have made no secret of my hatred for stickers in LEGO sets. If cost is a no-issue, printed bricks will always be my first choice. Two other things will exacerbate my hatred further - (1) application of one sticker over multiple bricks and (2) application on curved surface. For the latter, it always has the tendency to curl up after some time in the open and so I will advise against applying the sticks on this set if you can stand the sight of a "naked" wing engine.

Building Experience 

Three packets of bricks made up this set. First for the fuselage, second for the cockpit and third for the wings. I absolutely play NO part in the construction of this set as I left it to my two capable kids (10 and 9) to do so. My son, being the elder and more seasoned LEGO builder, took little more than an hour to complete the construction, with a little assistance from the sister who was helping with finding the appropriate bricks. 

The thing is, LEGO building instructions are never meant to be used by two person simultaneously. While my daughter was eager to flip the page so that she knew what bricks to look for, my son still required the current page to build his part. In the end, we decided that we shall split the three pack of bricks amongst both of them, with my son having the slight edge in packet count. To pacify her, I promised to let her build the LEGO Superman set she found on my shelf, unopened. Luckily, their dad has many more sets to keep them happy!

Minifigs

The pilot for this set is known as "Gold Leader" and its accompanying droid is R5-F7, which has a more cylindrical head as compared to the spherical head of R5-D4 in the predecessor. Love the details in the helmet and torso design of the pilot. The orange helmet visor and chin strap are printed on the head and yes, there is design printed on the back of the torso piece too! Keep working on the details, LEGO! Well done!

Princess Leia (with white cape) makes an entry in this set. There is no space in the Y-Wing for her so her inclusion is purely for price inflation (my humble opinion). She comes with a two-sided head piece, showing an intense facial expression on one and a happier look on the other. Being a man, I can hardly tell the difference between the two ...

Review: 9499 Gungan Sub

Set ID: 9499 Gungan Sub

Number of Pieces: 465

Year of Release: 2012

Minifigs: 4

Purchased Price: About SGD112

The predecessor of this set was released in 1999. Yes, that was the year when the first sets of LEGO Star Wars were launched. Other than the submarine itself, the older set came with a one-piece stingray and an underwater cove, even complete with seashells! The latest set is much simpler - no frills, no extras. Just the submarine. Somehow, even when I pay more for less, I am a happier collector. For now I do not have to worry about losing the extra pieces (such as the seashell) or mixing them up with other adjacent sets on display. 

13 years separate the two versions of the Gungan Sub and I was surprised there were hardly any obvious changes to the design or colours. Honestly I don't even remember how the sub looks like in Episode I, as most of the time the camera angle was taken from within the sub, closing up on the terrified look of its occupants while being chased by underwater monsters of odd shape and sizes. One thing I am sure, it looks like a stingray from the outside, with a trailing tail-like rotating motor at its rear. And the latest version succeeded in replicating the shape and improved on the slickness of the design. At least many of the odd angles in the older version are now absent in this flatter new one.

With so much danger lurking in the water, this sub needs to be equipped with an escape pod. Unfortunately, while the Gungan sub is designed to carry three passengers, the escape pod is only designed to take one during the time of an emergency. Well, the other two passengers will be better off dead, given that the escape pod (carrying the lucky escapee) will be detached from the main sub and propelled by the rotating rear engine. That will practically leaves the sub without any propulsion and possibly ending up in the stomach of a hungry sea monster.

Larger front cockpit to accommodate more minifigs

The sub comes with three independent cockpits, not unlike the 1999 version. Key difference is with the main cockpit at the front, large enough to accommodate three minifigs. Although a little tight for space, at least the three passengers can sit together and brave the adventure as a team. That leaves me with a question - so what's the other two cockpits for? According to the box art, one can be used to store the capes of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi (otherwise they cannot fit into the main cockpit together) and the other is for a (my best guess) underwater mine. My preference will be to keep Jar Jar Binks in one of the rear cockpit alone as I do not want to deprive the Jedi masters of their signature capes.

Besides the underwater mine that is stored in the cockpit, this Gungan sub is also equipped with a couple of flick missiles, located on the bottom of the sub. A couple of well concealed containers at both wings carry a single blue transparent brick each. From the look of its colour and its resemblance to those ammunition used by the Gungan patrol, I can only assume that those are part of the Gungan Sub's armoury. How this weapon can be deployed is a mystery to me though.

Building Experience

This set was a 1.5 hour effort for me. Without any distraction, it is not a difficult set to build. Five packets of bricks and two building manuals can be found inside the unique square box. It seems that LEGO is starting to explore beyond the conventional rectangular boxes in recent years, testing water with such design. While I am not resistant to it, the shape does pose a challenge when I have to store them with the other sets. At least for now, this Gungan sub will have the recently-released TIE Fighter (9492) for company. Expect more of such boxes in the future.

One of the reasons why this new Gungan sub can look "flatter" and sleeker than the earlier version is  the extensive use of curved bricks for its peripheral design. Years back, most of the sets were usually built by the "bottom up" approach, i.e. build the base first and upwards from there. However, such an approach usually pose a constraint for those vehicles that are more curvy in design (think Sith Infiltrator) and the end product will look a huge departure from its original.  To overcome this, many recent sets have adopted another approach - by building the peripheral walls as a flexible part and assemble that to the main body, creating a much more aesthetic representation of the vehicle. This Gungan sub is yet another example of such design.

The completed sub does look smaller than what I expected, defying the rule that the bigger the better. I did wonder where did those 465 bricks went to, and the answers lie within the sub. There were many small bricks (and single studded ones) used in this set, found mostly on the inside of the vehicle. Built with care and precision, this vehicle is one sturdy product, allowing you to play with it (you just need to imagine the chasing monsters) and perform a few barrel rolls without the fear of falling parts. Having said that, the bomb containers on the wings are not THAT secured so they do come off if you invert the sub. Remember to remove them during "rough play".

Minifigs

The two Jedi masters and Jar Jar Binks minifigs offer little surprises, except that Qui-Gon Jin and Obi Wan do comes with 2-faced heads. One side showing the normal, calm expressions and the other with a breathing apparatus, for the Jedi masters to survive in the water when they abandon ship. 

For collectors, the Queen Amidala minifig is almost the sole reason why this set should be bought. Being unique to this set aside, the details that go into the design of the head piece and gown was breathtaking. I will even go as much to say that there is a certain look in the minifig which resemble Natalie Portman. Perhaps it is the face paint. Perhaps its the elaborate head gear. Or perhaps I am thinking too much. The long gown of the Queen offers an opportunity to design the minifig with a large base, allowing it to be more stable than a conventional minifig. I just hope this minifig will not be over produced and start appearing in many other future sets. Over exposure = lower collector value. I am sure LEGO will agree with me on that.