The Clone Wars Y-wing gets some representation in the smaller Class I size, but generally doesn't suffer for it too much in vehicle mode. There is one fairly minor proportional oddity, depending upon how you want to categorize it; either the side engines are a bit too long or the cockpit is a bit too small proportionally. Still, this isn't immediately apparent unless you're intimately familiar with the Y-wing proportions, and it doesn't look downright unsightly otherwise; only from comparing this toy with the Class II version did I see the differences. As far as mech mode extras, there's also some, but again, they're VERY minor-- the very edges of the upper legs can be seen at an angle to the side thrusters just behind the main body of the Y-wing, and there's an undercarriage flap of plastic underneath the middle of the main body. Again, neither of these are downright unsightly, though. The front landing gear of the Y-wing can be retracted, but the side ones can't, so you might as well leave the front one deployed anyways. The mold detailing has all the necessary little lines 'n such you'd expect to find on a Y-wing, and the color scheme is pretty by-the-books; almost entirely white with some mustard yellow detailing in stripes along the top and along the sides of of the side thrusters. Not bad, but certainly there could've been a more eye-catching color picked for the paint apps. (There are a few minor black and silver apps-- mostly on the cockpit and mech head-- but not enough to really contribute to the overall scheme much.) The Clone Pilot also comes with a rifle for his mech mode, but unfortunately it can't be stored in this mode-- the biggest downside here, in my opinion.
    The Clone Pilot's mech mode is quite inventive, particularly so for a Star Wars Transformer. As opposed to simply unfolding robot parts out from the bottom of the vehicle mode like most SWTFs, the mech mode takes considerable advantage of the vehicle parts, with the side thrusters splitting and folding out in a rather ingenious manner into both the arms AND legs, while the main body of the Y-wing also serves as the main body of the mech. There's vehicle kibble here, but VERY little of it-- just the edges of the nosecone hanging off the sides of the waist and a bit of the center of the vehicle mode on the back. This bit on the back doesn't plug in anywhere, but it does stay out of the way both in terms of articulation and in view from many angles. The one proportional oddity I have to add here is that the upper legs and knees are a bit too skinny. The sculpting stays good in this mode, with the Clone Pilot's head being a near-direct replica of how he would look in the Clone Wars show-- which is okay by me, since the clone helmets are meant to have a slightly inhuman, robotic feel to them anyways. Due to the transformation, he's also a fair bit taller than the other Class I molds, which is okay by me. As far as articulation, the Clone Pilot here can move at the neck, shoulders, elbows (at two points), wrists, hips, knees (at two points), and ankles. This is pretty extraordinary for a toy of this size, with the only remotely restricted area being his elbows, which can't move outwards and have slightly restricted movement back-and-forth due to the landing gear pieces on his upper arms. Given all his articulation, large feet, and lack of back-heaviness, you can get him into a ton of awesome poses with his gun.
    The Class I Y-wing Clone Pilot isn't just one of the best Star Wars Transformers molds of the size class, but one of the best ones period. It makes use of many of the vehicle parts in mech mode that few SWTF do, has an intuitive transformation despite being small, has great articulation, and looks pretty good in both modes with only a few minor proportional abnormalities. A highly recommended purchase, even for people who feel lukewarm at best about this line.

Review by Beastbot

Back to Star Wars Transformers Index