[BL] 10134 UCS Y-wing

[jemakrol]

Hi,

Some years ago I made some general requests about the possibilities to collect pieces to make a discontinued Lego set. Dunno if it was here or elsewhere, but I was fairly unaware of Bricklink and similar sites back then. The answers I got was that it was most likely no good idea to collect pieces, better to get the set complete. Somewhat discouraged by this I dropped the idea.

20160907_212210 by Jens, on Flickr

Fast forward to this spring, when I rediscovered my interest for Lego and made a big leap into the world of AFOLs. I don't remember what started it, but the idea of getting the dream set was once again back. I got the first two UCS sets back in 2000 (X-wing and TIE interceptor) and ever since I laid my eyes on the Y-wing I wanted it. Considered it too expensive for me back then, I never bought it, something I regretted much.

20160619_185246 by Jens, on Flickr

Now. To cut a long story short. I did it. I decided to get myself a 10134 UCS Y-wing. But not by paying a ridiculously amount of money for a complete set. Well, ridiculously amount for me anyway. I started off by digging into my childhood lego boxes, well aware of that it would give me worn pieces in wrong/old colors. I managed to get a fair amount of the pieces just by digging, about 33%. The rest of the pieces took about three months to get, mainly using bricklink.

20160905_175109 by Jens, on Flickr

It's "easy" to get the dream set of yours. It's only a matter of money. The real challenge is to get it for a reasonable price. I quickly replaced too expensive parts with cheaper alternatives. It's a trade-off, I know, but ok for me. I tried to be as truthful to the original as possible. It required some minor "redesign" in order to get the price on a fair level.

20160906_164539 by Jens, on Flickr

So. Here I am. I'm still waiting for some parts, and I will use the possibility to print stickers myself (I have a friend that can do this for me). I managed to get my dream set, or at least something very close to it, for a bit under ~150 Eur. And boy, is this set awesome! This is my fourth UCS (others being X-wing (first one), TIE interceptor and Slave-I).

20160906_195126 by Jens, on Flickr

More pics can be found on my flickr, below. The moral of the story? Well, you CAN get that set you've always longed for, and for a reasonable price (per piece). It's a matter of patience, creativity and well, money. :) Next project will be... the holy grail of Star Wars Lego. Nuff said :D

My flickr for Lego: Jens at Flickr

[Azrielsc]

Sometimes the adventure lies in the journey, Jemakrol!

Great that you managed to build your dream set. :)

Happy bricking.

[jemakrol]

True words, Azrielsc! This is a perfect example of this, to me. :)

[mortesv]

Great story and a beautiful set - congratulations! :)

[Hold0511]

Thanks for sharing Jemakrol, I love Y-Wings and did a similar thing to yourself previously (http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=114682&hl=y-wing&st=25), and likewise did some swap-outs and minor changes. Its a good set for BL'ing as the ship suits different colours and pieces.

[jemakrol]

Thanks mortesv!

Cool to read about your journey to a 10134, Hold0511! Seems you got a little closer than the original than me, but for a some bucks more. And yeah, it's a good set for BL'ing, true. It's my first BL-project, I wanted the set and I wanted to get into how BL work. Now I know why it's called "crack link" ;) :)

[Hold0511]

Thats so true - I ended up going into the UCS Snowspeeder straight afterwards as the bug had bitten me. I learn't a lot on the BL front on the Y-Wing though, helped me on the next builds - the CW UCS Y-Wing I did was a lot cheaper as I avoided a lot of the newbie mistakes.

[Azrielsc]

When I was building my 10134, I did not want to paste the sticker on the cockpit and left it as it was.

Then, one day, as I was dusting my other SW Lego sets, I noticed that the the 75049 Snowspeeder has the same sized cockpit as the 10134 and it was printed as well.

Needless to say, I removed the 75049's cockpit and fitted it onto my 10134 instead! :)

[Hold0511]

Good shout - I used the same cockpit but from the 9495 Gold Leader Y-Wing set and replaced it via BL - they are cheap even new and look good on the UCS set.

[TheLegoDr]

I agree with the first comment. It's the journey that makes it worthwhile. Sure, you can buy a complete set AND if you get it for a reasonable price, I highly recommend. But if you are seeking out the pieces, then it can be fun to take on the challenge. I've sort of done this with a few sets before, but by the time I decide I want a certain set, I have already modified it in my head and go a different route. I look into complaints or accuracy of sets and see if I can improve on it while I am building it. If I bought it straight from the box, I might not be as motivated to modify it, but since I have to collect a lot of the pieces anyway, it can be quite fun to modify it AND collect the pieces and in the end, have something that you "designed."

Either way, congrats on finally having your set. I am guessing bricklink/people's opinions/prices/etc., may have changed since your first encounter with asking that question.

[karmajay]

Wow definitely have to try this one day.

[joeyl19]

Awesome story! Really happy that you managed to finally get your dream set. Congratulations!

[jemakrol]

Well, that's some good thinking about the cockpit. In fact, that is exactly the kind of problem solving that makes it more fun to bricklink rather than buy the set directly. Or as I did, tried to figure out how to replace the 112 hose, ribbed 7mm 2L white that for sure looks cool, but push the price up to ridiculous levels. I was long looking for longer hoses, 7L or perhaps 11L but it was very hard to come by in just a few lots, making it impossible to get affordable due to postage and handling. In the end, when realizing white was going to be too expensive for me, I sat down and tried a number of different techniques to get a good looking, affordable match to the original one. I ended up using 224 LBG Techic bushes, that are very cheap and have small slots that would let the white axles add some white-ish color to the result. I think it worked pretty well, giving a "hose, ribbed"-like look. And it was very affordable.

On a side note, I do have the Gold Leader set too and did consider replacing the cockpits. However, I have a good friend that can make quality stickers, so I am in the making of a sticker sheet that would replace the original one. That way, I get the plate sticker too. As my set could be considered to be a morph between a MOC and an official set, I would gladly make a plate sticker that looks like the original one but has unique characteristics showing that this is a custom build. I just need to brush off my Photoshop/Illustrator skills. :)

Thanks for the warming words. Yes. I really recommend trying this, if there's a set you long for but think is too expensive to buy since it is out of production. I have ideas for MOCs too, but I want to get better at BL'ing first. And make no mistake, building an UCS set out of production is not nescessarly cheap. It might be cheaper than buying the complete set but not without sacrifice and/or hard work. For me, that's part of the challenge and fun. If you're after pure official sets, you might want to consider waiting for a good deal on Ebay or similar, or cough up the money required. But it IS possible to get something very close to your dream set, with some digging, researching and collecting.

My next set? Why settle for less?! Of course the 10179 UCS Millenium Falcon. :) And if I can, the Imperial Shuttle and then the Snowspeeder. But first things first. Falcon will require lots of time and no matter how I do it, quite a lot of money. I mean, it's a HUGE set! Still, I will work hard to push the price tag down but still keep the original look as far as I can. It'll be fun! :)

I just wish I lived in the States sometimes. Seems many BL stores are there, with good prices and good collection of pieces. But shipping and customs makes it more or less unrealistic to buy from the States. Europe will have to do! :D

Edited September 13, 2016 by jemakrol

[Sion]

This is definitely my favourite UCS set and one I've wanted BL for a little while now. Anyway good job on the set. :)

[Midlife-crisis]

As an alternative you could use technic pin connectors in white.

regards mc

[jemakrol]

As an alternative you could use technic pin connectors in white.

regards mc

Ahh, yes! That definitely gives the right whitish look. Good thinking!

However, a quick look at BL gives me that it is hard to find used ones in batches bigger than 1-5 pieces, and it would require 112 of them. And that goes for both with and without slots. New ones however, is different. Without slots they're expensive, but with them you can find large® batches for reasonable prices.

Interesting to see another custom solution! And your Y-wing looks awesome! Cool wall mounted display!

Edited September 14, 2016 by jemakrol

[Hold0511]

I went for the slotted pins and also swapped out the 2x 32007 wheels at the back of the two engines for the lighter 2903 wheels - this helps the engine struts sagging over time and still looks good.

[jemakrol]

Ahhh. The motorcycle wheels?! I mean these: http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2903&name=Wheel%2061.6mm%20D.%20x%2013.6mm%20Motorcycle&category=%5BWheel%5D#T=P

?

Did you settle for one on each engine, or did you use more than one (I can see that one could do that - to make the ends look a little more robust). Those wheels come in cheap white. Nice idea!

Myself, I think of perhaps a moc-ish solution instead of wheels. I think it would be awesome with a more accurate look for the nozzles, with + shaped fins in the middle of the round nozzle, rather than wheel spokes. Haven't reall thought about how yet though.

I just love to hear about how you guys did with your particular 10134 set. Keep'em comin' :D

[Hold0511]

I used one of each, I tried two but it kinda looked less right - one keeps the look balanced and reduces the weight a little on the pylons. Some of the smaller scale Y-Wing MOC's have some nice approaches to making a brick version of the end nozzle, perhaps have a look at those and scale it up?

I avoided the need on my MOC Clone Wars Y-Wing as the pylons are fully enclosed...

[Grizzlygreeno]

I have to admit, I am also in the process of working on a 10134 self build from scratch, I have obtained I would say 95% of the pieces, the main part I am struggling with is the 115 white tubes for the engine. I can't bring myself to part with almost £120 for them, it's silly. 

However your MOC has sparked some ideas so thank you! I definitely like the idea of the grey clips to merge with the bike wheels as I have also gone down that route. I was thinking of just spraying them white, but after seeing yours, if I go down a similar route, I won't bother, I think it looks awesome, great job!

 

[jemakrol]

Grizzlygreeno: that is awesome! I think 10134 is one of the most brilliant UCS made, and it's definitely worth persuing!

I have now, with a help from a friend, applied stickers as well. Custom made but they work for me.

[richiejwalker]

On 27/10/2016 at 8:26 AM, Grizzlygreeno said:

I have to admit, I am also in the process of working on a 10134 self build from scratch, I have obtained I would say 95% of the pieces, the main part I am struggling with is the 115 white tubes for the engine. I can't bring myself to part with almost £120 for them, it's silly. 

However your MOC has sparked some ideas so thank you! I definitely like the idea of the grey clips to merge with the bike wheels as I have also gone down that route. I was thinking of just spraying them white, but after seeing yours, if I go down a similar route, I won't bother, I think it looks awesome, great job!

 

Just go with flat silver, they look fine.

http://s1240.photobucket.com/user/rjwalker1972/library/lego 10134

[Grizzlygreeno]

My 10134 is almost done! Just waiting for a delivery of more flat silver tubing and the left engine strut will be complete, very happy with the end product, I have put in a full description and pictures here - 

 

[jemakrol]

I'm so happy and thrilled to see yet another 10134 coming together. It looks fab @Grizzlygreeno!

To find custom solutions to bring down the price tag to more reasonable levels is a great deal of fun to me! Making the rear end of the fighter gray/silver-ish was not only a way to lower the price tag - to me it was a challenge too, and challenge accepted. I think the overall look is almost better than the original since the Y-wing IS a sluggish, worn and rough looking fighter. It goes well with the look and feel they have in the movies TBH. I smiled quite a lot when the new #75172 was revealed. Look at it. It has a gray-looking rear end of engines. We're just ahead of things :D

Just wanted to update a little. Since I completed my 10134 I did some minor adjustments. First of all, it felt a tad lonely so I made sure it had company:

Neat huh? Which is your fav, part from the big one? Then I also realized something. The domes in front of the engines are left unattended. I think the designer missed an opportunity here. So I dug into my Lego boxes and made some things up as a went. No connection the the actual movie props just me having fun. When looking at the completely assembled set no one will ever know but when opening up....

Watcha think?

Oh. BTW. Just started my next project. I'll give ya a hint:

Spoiler

 

 

[Ellisss_2]

1 hour ago, jemakrol said:

I'm so happy and thrilled to see yet another 10134 coming together. It looks fab @Grizzlygreeno!

To find custom solutions to bring down the price tag to more reasonable levels is a great deal of fun to me! Making the rear end of the fighter gray/silver-ish was not only a way to lower the price tag - to me it was a challenge too, and challenge accepted. I think the overall look is almost better than the original since the Y-wing IS a sluggish, worn and rough looking fighter. It goes well with the look and feel they have in the movies TBH. I smiled quite a lot when the new #75172 was revealed. Look at it. It has a gray-looking rear end of engines. We're just ahead of things :D

Just wanted to update a little. Since I completed my 10134 I did some minor adjustments. First of all, it felt a tad lonely so I made sure it had company:

Neat huh? Which is your fav, part from the big one? Then I also realized something. The domes in front of the engines are left unattended. I think the designer missed an opportunity here. So I dug into my Lego boxes and made some things up as a went. No connection the the actual movie props just me having fun. When looking at the completely assembled set no one will ever know but when opening up....

Watcha think?

Oh. BTW. Just started my next project. I'll give ya a hint:

  Hide contents

 

 

 

3

Great job with the greebling below the engine covers at the front; it looks fantastic!

I'm going to guess that your next project is the UCS MF?