[Original Review by Chris 7/28/2011 2:00 AM]

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[Updated Review by Bret 11/3/2025 7:05AM]

Back in 2011 when Banthaskull (and its proprietors) were young, Chris published this original review.  As you can see, he didn’t have a lot to say about it.  To be fair, this was before we were contractually obligated to write stuff. Back then, this was a wild place, with weird standards.  We had forums!  And our photography backdrops were black and the images had a different aspect ratio than they do today.

Things sure have changed!  I guess it kind of looks like that Y-Wing is flying through space, but it doesn’t work for non-starships, of course.  Mostly, it’s just depressing.

Given the old-timey photography, the lack of a review, and the increased calls for a new Y-Wing as SW50 approaches, it seems like it’s a good time for us to modernize this entry.  Plus, it gives me a chance to see if a Y-Wing update is worth all the fuss, especially since I’m typically loathe to support updates when there’s so much new stuff that I’d rather have.

This sculpt goes back to the Kenner days, which should be an immediate indicator that an update must be considered.  Hasbro pulled the tooling out of the vault and made a few modifications for release during the waning days of the POTF2 line as a Target exclusive.  The changes included removing the electronics and sealing the battery access door.  At the time, this was probably viewed as a step back, as they were still toys.  Many collectors probably felt lights and sounds were kind of neat, even though Kenner’s efforts were mostly squealing or screeching noises.  The biggest change was the inclusion of a non-removable astromech dome, although this could also be considered a downgrade since you lost the ability to put your own astromech in the empty socket.  However, in 2000, there weren’t nearly as many astromech figure options as there were later on.  Off the top of my head, I can only recall the horrifically monstrous missile-firing R5-D4 being the only alternative to R2-D2 at the time, but I could certainly be forgetting something.  And the last change to the sculpt was a 1999 date stamp on the underside.  The paint job was similar in style to the “Gold Squadron” scheme that was used for the Kenner toy, but obviously was a big improvement in weathering and detail.  And finally, a generic Y-Wing pilot figure was included.

In 2004, Hasbro repainted the vehicle, and released it in the OTC line.  Except instead of giving us an OT vehicle, they repainted the previous one in a weird color scheme that was inspired by an EU Action Fleet miniature Y-Wing.  Whatever.  I’ve hated this version since I first acquired it.  It’s almost as dumb as a Pong Krell figure would be.  This one came with an all new color scheme, a new non-removable astromech dome, and another generic Y-Wing pilot figure.

In 2007, Hasbro went back to the well for another repaint.  For the TAC release, they returned to the Gold Squadron color scheme, although it was dirtier and grimier than the 2000 release.  The only change to the sculpt that I can see is that the guns on the nose of the vehicle have been extended.  The draw for this purchase was the inclusion of a named Pilot (Lt. Lepira), and a full astromech figure (R5-F7) to go along with the still permanent dome for the vehicle socket.  For the record, Lepira is seen on screen in the Yavin briefing room, while R5-F7 is apparently a Hasbro invention.  Also, while Lepira was recognized as Gold Four in Legends, he exists in the current canon by name only.

That brings us to 2011.  That year, Hasbro included this Y-Wing in the lineup with TVC packaging.  The most obvious change is that it is sourced to Return of the Jedi, and sports a red, blue, and gunmetal color scheme.  We don’t really get very good looks at the Y-Wings in ROTJ, so I’ll just assume they got some info on this from the LFL archives.  Hasbro made a few notable updates to the sculpt.  The most significant was the removal of the permanent astromech dome, which was replaced with an empty socket that allows you to use whichever figure you want.  This wasn’t revolutionary, as it was this way for the 1983 Kenner release, but it was definitely a welcome change.  Notable is that Hasbro also hid the large screwhead wells near the droid socket that were a bit of an eyesore.  The other big change was a complete redesign of the cockpit.  It even includes an articulated targeting computer.  It is much more realistic than the original, although we never get a really good look on screen to compare. Whether or not it’s accurate to the film prop, it’s definitely an improvement over the original toy.  Meanwhile, they didn’t change the 1999 date stamp for reasons.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment with this vehicle was that neither a pilot nor an astromech were included in the package.  Back then, Hasbro was on an Endor kick, so they gave us a bunch of pilots, Ewoks, and other figures and vehicles sourced to this battle.  Even though we didn’t get a pilot included with this Y-Wing, you could make good use of the Battle Over Endor multipacks, such as THIS one.  For this gallery, I used Lt. Ekelarc Yong (Gray Three) and R5-P9.

All 4 releases of this Y-Wing include a button-activated droppable bomb and a slider that releases and retracts the 3 landing gear.  On my particular TVC sample, the two landing gear on the nacelles are loose, and barely hold up, while the landing gear under the cockpit doesn’t seem to be activated by the switch at all.  I have to do the honors manually.  (Yep, exactly what I was thinking.)

Overall, this vehicle, essentially dating back to 1983, is proportioned and sculpted like it’s a 40 year old toy.  The details are decent, and the few features (opening cockpit, targeting computer, bomb, and landing gear) are all merely okay.  As a “Debut First” member of the collecting community, I’m not exactly losing sleep over this, but I would certainly welcome an update to the Y-Wing.  I’m more interested in a new Y-Wing than I was for a new Vader’s TIE Advanced, even though the history of the two vehicles in the line are eerily similar.  There’s probably a pretty good opportunity for a new Y-Wing for SW50.  But I’d have to say, along with Vader’s TIE and a Y-Wing, one would have to wonder if an X-Wing and TIE Fighter might also be needed.  Among some other potential improvements, both existing vehicles suffer from problems with the action features that have been embedded in their respective wings forever.  But that’s a conversation for another time.

Notable is the fact that all 4 releases so far have been store exclusives (the first was Target, the last three were Toys R Us).  And then there’s the price.  The retail prices for the 4 releases were $20, $30, $30, and $40 respectively.  It’s worth noting that the price doubled from 2000 to 2011, while the vehicle was based on a lightly-tweaked mold from 1983 during that entire run, and the $40 TVC version dropped the pack in figures. 

How much would an all new Y-Wing cost?  Well, if Vader’s TIE Advanced is any indication at $140, it would likely be more than that, probably in the $175-$200 range, especially if it came with a pilot and astromech.  If it happens, I’d prefer it be based on Gold Squadron from Yavin, and it would make sense if it were Gold Leader and included Dutch Vander and R2-BHD.  Vander has been made twice, most recently in the 2013…[gags]...TBS 375 line.  R2-BHD has never been made, but exists as a fake Disney bootleg counterfeit nonsense thing.

Anyway, the TVC Y-Wing is nice, but was already VERY long in the tooth when it was released in 2011.  So while I’m not dying for an update, we all know Hasbro would knock this out of the park, and I’d probably buy more than one.  This one gets a 6/10.