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 ...