Y-wing Bomber - TCW [R] - Vehicles

Armed with cannons, long-range missiles, torpedoes and bombs, the Y-wing Bomber is one of the Republic's primary combat vessels. Clone Troopers and Jedi both pilot this vessel on assault and reconnaissance missions. A gunner sitting in the bubble-domed turret can blast attacking ships approaching from behind, while the pilot can fire forward-mounted cannons and torpedoes at enemy vessels up ahead. Y-wing Bombers see action fromt he first days of the Clone Wars and help destroy the deadly new Separatist vessel Malevolence.

Alas, we get an opportunity to add a prequel-esque Y-wing into our collections. The Y-wing has been a mainstay in the Star Wars saga every since the beginning. First appearing in the film that started it all (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope for those of you who may not be sure), it made repeat appearances in The Star Wars Holiday Special, the original Clone Wars series (print) and of course in the final episode of the Star Wars films, Episode VI. Commonly found in the various sources with some sort of yellow coloring (somewhere on the vehicle), it did go through quite a metamorphosis with its size and shape. We can partially attribute and even thank The Clone Wars television series for providing the platform to see this earlier version of the vehicle make its way into the toy line. Hasbro states time and again for some many vehicle that unless it comes to The Clone Wars in a big way, we likely won’t see it come to fruition in the toy line without some sort of media support. While fans were thrilled to see the new vehicle get released, they were equally disappointed when they found out what the MRSP would be at retail. Popping our balloon of excitement almost immediately, the Y-wing Bomber is a vehicle that many collectors have passed on initially simply due to its cost but are likely waiting to grab it when it goes on clearance. In all fairness to Hasbro, the vehicle is very large. Chunkier than an ARC-170 fighter and about three times bigger than any starfighter-sized vehicle, the Y-wing Bomber does offer a lot of plastic and girth for its price point. Even so, we believe that this vehicle would have been best served at a $49.99 MSRP to ensure maximum purchase by kids and collectors.

Still, there have been many additions of this vehicle into homes of quite a few Star Wars fans nonetheless. Once you have the vehicle in front of you, you begin to appreciate just how well it was manufactured. The vehicle comes to you in three pieces. It can be assembled almost instantly and the pieces lock together quite well (and very easily). After you assemble the pieces into one vehicle, you realize just how massive it is. Of course it doesn’t compare to the Millennium Falcon or the Clone Turbo Tank, it is still one magnificent vehicle and we are very happy with the purchase of it in our collections. Loaded with features and accessories, the Y-wing Bomber is one of the cooler vehicles in The Clone Wars line to date. This may not be saying a lot, because we don’t get many of these “in-between sized” vehicles. So far there are only two and we won’t even begin to air our grievances on the repainted ARC-170 Fighter. Don’t get us started. The Y-wing Bomber comes complete with firing missile launchers, six proton torpedoes, two bombs, manual folding landing gear, an articulated cockpit canopy, opening turret station and a droid socket that opens to house any random astromech droid. There are lots of compartments and places to put action figures so the play value is all there. Hasbro really did a great job with this vehicle. Collectors will want to know that the Y-wing Bomber can house both figures from The Clone Wars line as well as realistic styled figures. Hasbro has always stuck to the protocol that vehicle would not interpret an animated look, so the good news is that this is a realistic style Y-wing Bomber. Killing two birds with one stone, Hasbro will be able to capture collectors of both types.

The vehicle is over 2.5’ long. This is a big toy folks. It is solid and heavy and we are impressed with how the final product came out. While is quite a solid toy, it lacks a bit with the paint job. Yes, there are some cool insignias throughout the vehicle as well as a nice decal sheet, but overall, the vehicle is a little bit too bland. Perhaps since the vehicle is a fast, sleek and slender battle machine, it can escape the casualties of war. We don’t know, but we can say that overall it is a fantastic vehicle. The Y-wing has a very rich history in Star Wars lore. We researched Wookieepedia and discovered a few important points in the Y-wing’s place in Star Wars history. The Y-wing was initially designed for the Galactic Republic for specific use in the Clone Wars. The Y-wing was best suited for heavy assault missions mostly because it had stronger shields and heavier artillery than the commonly used X-wing starfighters. Even the later model B-wing fighter did not have the same agility and speed of the Y-wing. It held its firm place in history as a vehicle that would remain with the Rebel Alliance for years to come. And if the toy is any indication, it too should be around for years to come. Although the toy doesn’t come outfitted with any electronics, we don’t think it needs any. The designers at Hasbro concentrated instead on beautiful and accurate tooling, cool areas that open up, awesome cockpits and a real functioning droid socket that holds one complete astromech droid. The Y-wing vehicle passes on so many levels that we really can’t find fault with it. That being said, if Hasbro can find ways to cut costs next time for this vehicle assortment, we think it will be a wise decision to ensure healthy sales to avoid the discontinuation of the large-sized vehicle line. We will just have to wait and see what Hasbro does to ensure this for the future.