makoy

Indeed, it is a great balance between minifigs and overall design/build. I have at least one of every astromech that came out, and by that I mean don't have every variant of R2-D2 at the moment. The thing is, once I post that collection in few months it will be outdated soon. All the best on your savings plan for BB-8 set!

Thanks. Btw, you still have a lot of time. :)

Do you build armies now? I thought you're not the army-building type? We probably left our dark ages about the same time -- and this guy has all the good sets that I don't have. There's always going to be a bit of nostalgia factor in those golden age.

Thanks buddy. That arrangement is actually more time consuming than the review... not sure if I will always do that. I told you once you're in Star Wars, there is no way out! I'm just waiting for someone to tell me I did something wrong for that one...because I knew there was something wrong with those but I could not figure out what is it exactly, until I taken and posted all the pictures. I don't have a prize for you though, but thanks!

Thanks. Glad you like the pictures and layout. Go and brick at least one.

Thank you. I wasn't planning to make that pun intended. Thank you too and welcome.

I know right. He did mention new piece... I also don't know why we're talking about balloons. LOL.

Sometimes I do feel that TLG's strategy is becoming more Google-like: scatter the seeds around, see which one sprouts and then nurture those that mature and grow healthily. I guess it's good if it works for their bottom-line but there are times I doubt the management knows where the CMF line is heading due to the fast pace the market demands/preference is changing. After all, TLG is in the retail market and majority of their planning is based on market response and current taste. So, licensed CMFs is likely going to stay whether we like it or not... However, when time comes that market and sales DATA dictates there is very low reward for TLG to produce licensed CMFs, then that's likely the tipping point when the marketing group will hit the break and scatter more seeds to grow.

Friends? Those are very round, right? I immediately thought about an inverted Angry Birds balloon (where the elongated bottom part is on top) because it can resemble a beehive with the right colour and printing.

Thanks! Now I don't have to imagine they are squares... So could it be conical or new mould? it's interesting if they do make a new mould for the beehive. You're right that it's the traditional one. Then there you go, @Borex -- you've got a beehive!

Thanks! I personally didn't run out and buy this set immediately even though it is very high in my priority list. I waited for the R2-D2 polybag (#30611) promotion to get a better deal. Certainly would pay for the retail price if there was no other way. When making MOCs/diorama, I do take scale in consideration that's why I really appreciate that this Y-Wing came out.

Great job on adding story. I feel that your review is a standout and fits history/medievals set lovers. You know your reviews on LOTR/Hobbit make me regretful for missing them out entirely. Looking forward to more of your reviews!

Thank you! Just look at the other comments -- the next one below yours perfectly sums up my thoughts about this set. :) Thank you. I also not excited about Y-Wings. This one excited me after finishing the build. With stickers, until this day I am not convinced they have a place for my bricks so I have never applied any stickers without forcing myself on several occasions. RE: "must buy" -- great that we're both at the same page. Cheers!

I never thought I will be able to post here this soon. My first title ever is Golden Reviewer -- I think due to my recent achievement of getting Gold Badge and being a new teacher in Reviewers Academy. It's funny that I mistakenly read my title as a Golden Retriever that first time I noticed it... and while I certainly like pets (both dogs and cats) that will be weird as a title.

We can just ask @Sir von Lego if we are getting the beehive or the hiveboxes in the beeyard to get rid of ambiguity. :)

I can't talk my way around this so here I am, ready to deliver my 9th RA review for the gold badge, set # 75172: Y-Wing Starfighter. Overview Name: 75172: Y-Wing Starfighter Theme: Star Wars / Rogue One Year: 2017 (1H) Pieces: 691 Minifigures: 4 (+1 astromech droid) Price: USD 59.99 / GBP 64.99 / EUR 69.99/ SGD 139.99 / MYR 349.90 Resources: Brickset and Bricklink Introduction With all the flying alphabets in Star Wars, Y-Wing is the last one that registered in my head in the original trilogy. As a young kid, I was only interested in X-Wing. I could hardly remember A-Wing while Y-Wing was totally absent in my memory until I re-watched the original trilogy again after it was released on DVD. Fast forward in 2017, it is very hard to imagine Star Wars without these bombers. The Star Wars Databank describes Y-Wing as a workhorse starfighter. Y-wings are often overshadowed by X-wing and A-wing, which is aligned with my personal experience. They are most commonly used for bombing runs and occasional dogfights. Several sources cited the length of Y-Wing to be 23.4 m in length because around 2015 Star Wars databank changed the height/length of the vehicles to retrofit canon information. For the purpose of this review, a lot of the references are based on Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide by DK. Let's move onto the actual unboxing already as I will deal more about the scale later on. The front panel of the box highlights the main function of the Y-Wing Star Fighter, which is the mechanism for dropping the make-believe ion bombs. There are also 4 minifigures included in the set and an astromech droid. This is very generous for the size of this set considering that it only retails for USD 59.99. The back panel of the box shows the Y-Wing pilot loading the spare ion bombs. It also shows how the bomb-dropping feature works and makes sure you know that the turrets can turn 360 degrees. Meanwhile, a delusional Stormtrooper thinks he can win against the Rebels single-handedly. The side panel shows off the minifigure line up again. It's funny how they use Moroff as the key minifigure for scale even though he is only a fringe character in Rogue One. Blink and you might have missed this hairy furball. In my Resistance X-Wing review, I noticed that the seal of the box started to loosen up but I did not put this remark because I thought it was such a trivial thing. However, as I check the box of set 75172, I notice the same issue. I live in a tropical country and humidity could be the culprit. Let me know if you experience the same issue with the recent boxed sets using tape seals. Build There isn't much to talk about the box so let's move along, move along. Unboxing content Inside the box, there are 5 numbered bags, 1 sticker sheet and an instruction manual. Like all of my review, I will not put on stickers on this set but I will inform which part looks odd without the stickers. Sticker sheet I will take a moment to acknowledge where the stickers are used and what they are supposed to be. The 4 large grey stickers (label 1) are meant to be applied on the white half-cylinder pieces. These are meant to be the pair of turbo modified R200 ion jet engines. The yellow and black diagonal stripes (label 2) are for the loading crane arms. The console looking sticker (label 3) is applied on a slope inside the Y-Wing cockpit to serve as the pilot display monitor. Finally, the aurabesh on the yellow sticker (label 4) literally means "danger" in English and is applied at the back end of the crane module holding the spare ion bombs. Instruction Manual The instruction manual is smaller than the Resistance X-Wing instruction booklet but the quality is much better. The perfect binding (adhesive binding) used is uniformly applied at the edge so there are no pages that are difficult to flip open. The picture above shows a preview on how each numbered bags contribute to the build. Bag #1 Contents Bag #1 contains all parts for the small crane as well as the 2 minifigures namely Moroff and Admiral Raddus. For adult fans, the combination of Moroff and Admiral Raddus appears to be very odd because there was no scene in Rogue One depicting that these 2 characters crossed path at all. Moroff is not even part of the Rebel Alliance (after all the retakes and reshoot ordered by Disney, I speculate that it is possible that Moroff could have joined the Rebel Alliance but it was left on the cutting room floor). We know from several interviews and conferences that Star Wars team gives a degree of creative freedom to LEGO designers which minifigures to include so I won't make a big deal about this. Enough about the minifigures for now as I will discuss the minifigures in detail later. Filler or not, the small crane gives younger builders an auxiliary build to accommodate extra ammunition for the Y-Wing Starfighter. I think that the crane looks okay without the black and yellow stripe stickers but it looks a lot better with the stickers applied. Bag #2 Contents We only start building the core of Y-Wing in bag #2. Bag #2 also contains 2 more minifigures including R3-S1 and a generic Y-Wing pilot. What I like from the beginning of the build is the inclusion of Reddish Brown Antenna 1 x 4 - Flat Top that represents coolant pipes. It also gives you the impression that these Y-Wings are old and rusty refurbished starfighters. Bag #3 Contents Bag #3 forms the "head" of Y-Wing (cockpit area). What's notable in this build so far is how the designers used hinges to pull off the angles and gentle curves of Y-Wing. To keep the hinges firmly positioned, the designers used white skeleton arms. This part was used predominantly with Ninjago Skullkins minifigures but it found its way to Star Wars. I thought it was very creative and clever. Previously, the older Y-Wings like set #9495 and #7658 just used slopes and wedges to achieve the shape. They were curvier and less accurate compared to the actual model. Even the UCS Y-Wing (set #10134) do not use the advanced technique like this so if you are looking for the most accurate shape of the Y-Wing, look no further. Bag #4 Contents The 4th bag essentially adds the canopy and cryogenic power cells protruding from the central power generator. These power generators connect with the ion engines using technic pins. It is very notable that the designers put a lot of greebling for this Y-Wing set. There are so many details here that blow my mind. For instance, there are additional exposed coolant pipes represented by the reddish brown 3L bars attached on top. The designer even included the baffled hyperdrive tachyonic exhaust port on top using LBG 11mm diameter wheel. I was also not expecting the use of DBG battle droid torso to add more texture and detail to the coolant pump area. They could have left that corner with only cheese slopes but the designer went one step further to add that detail. Also, if I am not mistaken, the upside down 1x1 round plate is supposed to represent the deflector shield generator. I compared these details to the old DK cutaway illustrations that I have. Bag #5 Contents Finally, bag #5 completes the build with all the parts necessary for the 2 nacelles housing the ion engines with support pylons and disk vectrals. Depending on your patience you'll either love or hate attaching ice skates to 1x1 horizontal clips. I don't have big hands but I struggled to attach these parts together. I spent more effort than I normally should because there are times these 2 parts just won't fit nicely. Imagine if you have big fat fingers and you're attaching these 2 parts 8 times! May the force be with you. In the end, the outcome looks great. You are rewarded with a very detailed ion engine exhaust nozzles. Completed Y-Wing Starfighter Take note that due to my stubbornness to NOT apply stickers, you are looking at the exposed white cylinders that are supposed to be the grey ion engines. They would look nice with stickers applied but it should have been better if the half cylinders just came in LBG colour. I had encountered a similar issue the First Order Transporter and I don't know why the designers do not consider the design implication when you do not apply the stickers. Remember that at the beginning of this review I mentioned about the loosened box seals -- this further lower my confidence to apply any stickers to any parts. Front view The use of sand blue and yellow coloured parts adds accent to what could have been a very boring white and grey colour palette. Of course, the yellow colour is more important but the use of sand blue is a welcomed addition. Fun fact: the yellow colour of Y-Wing actually signifies the Gold Squadron colour assignment. So the next time you hear Gold squadron, they refer to the Y-Wings units with yellow stripes mainly used for bombing runs. Back view Looking at the brighter side, in addition to the very detailed exhaust nozzles, the building technique used for the disk vectrals is quite interesting because even though the main concept is still the same on how to attach the technic axle and pin connectors, it is different from older Y-Wing sets. At system scale, previous Y-Wing sets did not even try to get this detail right. It is refreshing to see how the designer used the combination of LBG 4x4 round plates with 2x2 hole and 1x1 modified bricks with studs on 4 sides to achieve 180 degrees SNOT technique. Although the disk vectrals used more parts than it used to, I like the outcome much better because at this scale the disk vectrals actually have holes. The picture above also shows fully deployed rear landing gears. You can also see the gearwheel at the back of the hyperdrive which allows you to turn the mechanism to drop the ion bombs. Side view The side view reveals the spring-loaded missiles underneath. I am not a fan of those so I am glad they are very well hidden. Top view Viewing from the top, you can see the space in the middle to accommodate the astromech droid which was empty when I took the picture. The picture above also proves that the Y-Wing Starfighter support pylons are strong enough to carry the weight of the entire starfighter as I took this photo of Y-Wing standing on its disk ventrals. I do not advise anyone to swoosh the Y-Wing very rough or bump the sides really hard but from my experience, the nacelles can take some beatings. They do not feel flimsy even though only 4 technic axles hold them from each side. You can securely swoosh the Y-Wing by holding it in the middle of the "Y" (right where the hyperdrive is). Do not swoosh it by the ion engines because the 2 technic pins connecting the ion engines by the power cell areas will not be able to firmly hold the weight of the entire starfighter. Bombs away! Here is a closer look at the gap in the middle that accommodates the ion missiles. The R3 unit is also shown snug fit at the centre of Y-Wing. Looking at the bottom, you can see where the ion missiles will drop when you turn the gearwheel. You can also see from this view how the rear landing gear folds sideways. Here's the view of the front landing gear folded upwards. it also shows the spring loaded missiles positioned at the bottom. It is very easy to remove if you don't like them. Now, let's talk about scale. Just like what I have done with my review of the Resistance X-Wing, I checked the scale of this model based on the latest canon information from Star Wars. Mommy Y-Wing with baby Y-Wing According to the Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide and Star Wars databank, the official length of BTL-A4 is 16.24 meters. The official LEGO 75172 Y-Wing Starfighter length is 41 cm. Compared to the in-universe length of 16.24 meters, the ratio is 1:39.6 (we can just round this number up to 1:40 ratio). Using the old width information of Y-Wing , which I assume is still correct at 8 meters, the LEGO Y-Wing length at 20 cm works out to have a ratio of 1:40, too. Now, I know there are several ways to interpret "minifigure scale" so, let's do this exercise again. If we consider that a minifigure is a 5-feet human, then the model scale must be 1:38. In that case, the length of BTL-A4 should be 42.7 cm. If we consider that a minifigure is a 6-feet human, then the model scale must be 1:44. In that case, the length of BTL-A4 should be 36.9 cm only If we consider that 3 studs = 1 meter then the model scale must be 1:42 and the length of BTL-A4 should be 38.7cm only. From the information provided above, we can conclude that unlike the Resistance X-Wing, Y-Wing is very close to the 3 system scales used above. So to all those people who nag that 75172 Y-Wing Starfighter is too small, you're barking at the wrong tree because the Resistance X-Wing is actually bigger than it should be. From all these information we can derive that for X-Wing to be on the same scale as Y-Wing, the Y-Wing should be 30.1% longer than X-Wing. So if we follow the scale of the Resistance X-Wing then the LEGO scaled model of BTL-A4 should be 48.15 cm in length. If we follow the scale of Y-Wing (which is closer to minifigure scale), then the LEGO scaled model of T70 should be shrunk down to 31.51 cm only. If you look at the Y-Wing and Resistance X-Wing side by side you know that something is slightly off. Parts I'm not going to dwell so much on interesting parts because I can summarise this section using 2 words: sand blue. The sand blue coloured parts included in this set appeared in this colour for the first time, except the brick 1x1. These parts are: Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger On Top Round 4 x 4 with Hole Plate 2 x 4 with 3 Holes Apart from that, the printed canopy in this set is also interesting because it's uniquely printed just for this new Y-Wing set. Minifigures The minifigure selection in this set is quite generous as I have already mentioned earlier. Pictures found in Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide suggests that Admiral Raddus had been in the Great Temple of Massassi (Base One) in Yavin 4 where the unnamed Y-Wing pilot and R3-S1 astromech droid were both stationed. As for Moroff who is a Gigoran mercenary, we don't know if he survived the destruction of Jedha or if he had joined the Rebel Alliance before joining Gerrera's fleet. After all, Moroff is a mercenary. Perhaps I am over-analysing this but that is how I see the relationship of these hodgepodge characters. The set designers probably included a Stormtrooper so that there is one bad guy mixed in. I rather have all good guys in the minifigures line up though. As an astromech droid collector, I like the transparent dome of R3-S1. She is my favourite in the set. R3-S1 (referred to as Threece) is not assigned to a specific starfighter but instead does general tech maintenance of the entire Yavin base. The Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide also mentioned that this astromech has feminine programming so this astromech is indeed "she". Admiral Raddus is the first grey-skinned LEGO Mon Calamari minifigure. As all previous Mon Calamaris are "brown mottle" in colour, like Admiral Ackbar, it's exciting to finally get a Mon Calamari from the polar region. Front view with accessories All these minifigures have excellent torso and legs printing. Back view with accessories Here's the back view of the minifigures with accessories. Front view without accessories/head gears Moroff's torso is printed even if the front torso is entirely covered by a dual-moulded headpiece. Back view without accessories/head gears We can see below that Moroff's back is also printed even though it is intended to be covered by the brick-built backpack. The Y-Wing pilot has the generic happy/scared pilot face, and the Stormtrooper has the angry clone face again. A parade of astromech droids with transparent domes You would think that the astromech droids are just simple re-colour but if you look closely they actually have different print details for both body and top dome. From left to right: R3 Imperial Astromech droid, R3-M3, R3-S1, R3-A2 and R3-M2. 75172 Y-Wing Pilot vs. microfighter Y-Wing Pilot Since I also compared the microfighter for scale purposes, I also compared the microfighter Y-Wing pilot with the 75172 Y-Wing pilot below. The torso and legs assembly for both minifigures are exactly the same. The only difference between the two minifigures is the helmet. The helmet used in 75172 Y-Wing pilot is for Wona Goban (gold nine) while the helmet used in microfighter Y-Wing pilot is for Barion Raner (blue four). Both of these pilots are unnamed but DK's Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide shows the distinctive helmet design of these pilots. Unfortunately, both the minifigure pilots are wrong because blue four has dark skin while gold nine is a woman pilot. The Y-Wing pilot also appears in the U-Wing set but both are not cheap sets so the only way to get gold nine helmet cheaply is through Bricklink. Throw this fool in the trash compactor! Conclusion This LEGO set is the 8th incarnation of Y-Wing. I am happy to say that this set is a not a lazy rehash of any previously released Y-Wing. Arguably, it is the most accurate system-scale Y-Wing released to-date. The printed canopy is also more accurate and the play features are very enjoyable. It is very swooshable and rivals the latest X-Wing on almost every account. The details are not just random greeblings; the designer effectively captured even the small details such as the coolant pipes, coolant pump, hyperdrive tachyon exhaust, deflector shield generator, twin ion cannons, and vectral rings that are actually hollow and open. Few gripes I have with this set is that instead of getting LBG half cylinders for the ion engines, they came in white colour so if you do not apply the stickers the ion engines looks too plain and too clean. Fortunately, those parts are easy to swap out with the light bluish grey ones. I also don't like the idea I have to apply those stickers to get the ion engine details. The inclusion of Stormtrooper is not necessary. Maybe Mon Mothma or some other politician could make this set much better. Also, there is an argument that we don't need the small crane build but with its decent price, I think it does not matter much. Who should buy this set then? Those who missed out previous Y-Wings sets, this is definitely a must-have set. Those who have older Y-Wing models, it is still a great set to get because it is more accurate. Besides, it's good to have several Y-Wings to make your own Gold Squadron. Cheers! Review summary Playability: 9/10 - It rivals X-Wing on play features and swoosh factor. The small crane build is a great addition for play feature and not just there to inflate the price Design / Building Experience: 9/10 - I enjoyed the clever techniques used and well-thought greeblings that captured smaller details. Minifigures: 9/10 - R3-S1 is a great addition to astromech collection while Admiral Raddus is a war hero you should not skip. Price / Value for money: 9/10 - This set is cheaper than the Resistance X-Wing but it offers the same play value and has more minifigures. Overall: 9/10 - The design is not a rehash, has very enjoyable build, more accurate, offers good value for money and contains great selection of minifigures. A must buy specially for new collectors. Thanks for reading. As always, wubba lubba dub dub.

See the exact posts you need to read here: Forums -> Themes -> LEGO Town -> 2018 City Sets - Rumours and Discussion They are not really detailed description per se.... but I think the last few discussions are around one gangster disguised like a tree comment from the words of SvL found at the 2nd link.

@Itaria No Shintaku are you following this thread? Look! :)

Beeyard .... Not beehive. It's very easy to mess up the message here as we pass along the information but SvL didn't mention beehive. a beeyard, I suppose, should look something like this:

Sure buddy. No offense taken here. I totally agree they are trying out new stuff that may not please people like me who see Cole as the one of the most important ninja not only because he wears black. To me, he's the link between the past and the future line of Ninja. Sounds cheesy LOL.... but I look forward to future designs that TLG will come up for him.

As a normal member who follows all his posts to observe, I can tell you that he's always been threading a dangerous path. I don't know how many warnings he received for getting off topic from the beginning. I think he really gave a bit of a challenge to a lot of patient moderators, too. It could be just generation gap really because majority of his posts belong to Twitter's 140 character limit which many people see as spammy or just downright 'immature'. I know he's always been in the crosshair of some moderators because it's really down to his tendencies to push boundaries. I know I gave him a few unsolicited advise to stay out of the spotlight but lo and behold, he forgot to remember the top reason on how to get banned in Eurobricks... But you know the saying, ignorance of the law is not an excuse -- and it applies to EB rules and regulations too. It is sad indeed and quite unfortunate.

Honestly what kind of diversity you expect to get on the finals?

Is the bear similar to the polar bear mould or is it new? Is it the same mould with new colour or print? Very glad that we are returning to 4 minifigs starter pack. Thanks a lot for the info!

Someone will need more time and patience doing this, not that I am impatient, but I would rather use a different torso entirely.... because there is another problem with the movie version of Cole --- his chest is exposed! Btw, it is indeed good to see the normal TV-canon face on the ninjas. Thanks @Jurik

Well with this argument, then Superman should be sleeveless. Even from the Ninjago CMF line, there isn't a desirable ninja-army building minifig. The closest one is Lloyd but it's really a missed opportunity to make a generic ninja foot soldiers out of Cole in normal black suit.