9495 Gold Leader's Y-wing Starfighter

[Brickweiser]

EDIT: Ugly ...

[banthafodder]

That does look like a big disappointment. They certainly have regressed with this model. Looks like an intermediate incarnation of the first two y-wing releases.

[Flynn]

Okay, seriously, LEGO, stop putting pointless minifigures into your sets to beef up the price point. It's annoying and doesn't make the sets any more enticing.

[cas]

And it's going to be way more and unjustifiably expensive than the last version. The least they could have done was bulked up the nacelles, which was what I was hoping.

[Brickweiser]

The head isn't inaccurate. The Y-wing is funky-shaped to begin with. But it almost looks stubby, you know? The head is grossly out of proportion to the body and nacelles.

[fallenangel327]

Okay, seriously, LEGO, stop putting pointless minifigures into your sets to beef up the price point. It's annoying and doesn't make the sets any more enticing.

Sadly, it does...

The head isn't inaccurate.

Needs more taper.

[Staff]

The 2012 pictures just won't stop. Today we're treated to 9495 Gold Leader's Y-wing Starfighter via this Brickshelf account. Some clean hi-res photos are available in the FBTB flickr stream. What do you think? An improvement over 7658? A step back? No doubt the new R5 is spiffy and long overdue, but I can't help but feel like the shape of the cockpit is all wrong. Got your own opinions? Sound off in our forum thread.

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Permalink: http://www.fbtb.net/2011/10/16/9495-gold-leaders-y-wing-starfighter-revealed/

[MrCRskater]

I agree there are some inaccuracies, but there are some aspects of that new Y-wing that are improved over 7568 (which was a great model, btw). Some things are not as nice, but it's different enough to be enticing, especially with the new figs. Medal Ceremony Leia will be a great addition for those of us with medallion'd Luke and Han.

[Blacknight]

If they had to do yet another y-wing they should have done a different coloured one (or even a different gold squadron one). With the UCS, this is now four models of Gold Leader's y-wing that have been made, not counting the mini version.

[fallenangel327]

If they had to do yet another y-wing they should have done a different coloured one (or even a different gold squadron one). With the UCS, this is now four models of Gold Leader's y-wing that have been made, not counting the mini version.

Both 10134 and this new one sport copper piping, which Gold Leader's Y-wing didn't have (but which Gold Five's did).

And of course the cockpit canopy is wrong - there simply isn't any curvature. The old windscreen piece makes the set look too blocky.

[Bricks McBlock]

I think it looks great, the new head looks closer to the actual ship in the movies than the last set. And some sweet new figures, awesome. The only thing I don't like is the brown doesn't look right with the rest of the colours. But I'll definately be getting this as its the only ship I'm missing in my rebel fleet collection.

[fallenangel327]

I think it looks great, the new head looks closer to the actual ship in the movies than the last set.

The studio model has a tapered head. 7658 was able to retain more of that taper than this new one, which barely even tries.

Then again, the head on this new one is also wider, which was an issue with the last one, and features a more fleshed-out cockpit canopy. But all the straight lines really take away the look of the Y-wing.

[Bellicose]

I think this version seems to split the lines of accuracy between the studio models and 7658 - that one wasn't even close WRT the shape of the head. This also looks closer to the build/design of the nose section of the 8037 'Anakin's Y-Wing Bomber'. There's some definite differences but the overall build looks similar to me.

Yes, some more taper for the nose would be great, but the feature sticking out most to me are the studs on the top, everywhere. I think it'd look a lot better under some smooth tiled plates, if that's possible.

[Robzula]

I don't care if the nose is closer to what it should look like, it's still not quite there and ends up looking ugly (although the ion cannon mounting looks much better). It's almost as if this hit the uncanny valley, except in spaceship form. Give me pretty inaccuracies any day. The body isn't different enough from the last version to make an "upgrade" worthwhile. The only reason to get this (unless you don't have a Y-Wing already) is for the new R5, although I'm guessing those are going to be featured in a ton of sets from now on, and the Ceremony Leia. I'm really pissed that this is probably going to be the only way to get her, instead of in a ~$15 dollar book that I'd much rather have and is a much easier price to swallow.

[Brainslugged]

Looks like a HUGE step back to me. Much less greebling, and the cockpit looks terrible. I thought the last one would be hard to top. Guess I was right. Shame the mini figs are so gorram tempting - especially with ceremony Han and Luke in the bag.

[Walter Boy]

It'd be pretty sad if this set was 50 dollars or higher, but somehow I can see it being that.

[Draykov]

I agree there are some inaccuracies, but there are some aspects of that new Y-wing that are improved over 7568 (which was a great model, btw). Some things are not as nice, but it's different enough to be enticing, especially with the new figs. Medal Ceremony Leia will be a great addition for those of us with medallion'd Luke and Han.

I pretty much echo all o' that. I do think the cockpit/forward fuselage area needs some work though. 7658 wasn't perfect, but I don't think I can call this an improvement.

Given that we've gone from 0 to 3 appropriately shaped R5 units in a single year, an oversight long in need of correction, I'm hesitant to complain...and I'll take Leia, but still no love for Tiree? Five Y-Wing releases (if you count 7150/7152/7262 as separate) in system scale and (as Blacknight pointed out) it's still like Gold Leader was the only Y-Wing pilot at Yavin.

Looks like a HUGE step back to me. Much less greebling, and the cockpit looks terrible.

I don't know...I think the level of greebling is about the same...in fact, this new one lifts some of the techniques directly from 7658. I definitely prefer the top part of the aft fuselage in the older set though.

[Brainslugged]

I don't know...I think the level of greebling is about the same

Hmm... possibly, but look at all the different colors and textures on the older nacelles. Now we get... a sticker. Also, too many naked studs on the body, although it does look a bit better to me today than yesterday.

As an aside, is it just me that feels the R5 units need an extra plate between their head and their body? Aren't they meant to be taller than R2, not shorter?

[Bellicose]

I don't like the gap at the forward end of each engine nacelle. Glad to have regular smooth nacelle caps instead of the golf-ball-textured ones.

Guess I might kitbash between the two to see what I can come up with. New mod project...whee!

[Joedward]

I like it. I think I'll buy it when it comes out, if it's a decent price of course.