Brick by Brick, Breaking Down Expensive LEGO sets: 10134 UCS Y-Wing Attack Starfighter

It looks like it's been about 6 months since I did the last one of these. I know I intended to do more, but time got away from me. It's time to get right back in and take a swing at yet another pricey LEGO set and what makes it tick, or brick.

I never really thought much about the Y-Wing. It was never really one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles. It looked ungainly and not as sleek as the X-Wing. It is however a classic, used in the original series, reimagined for the Clone Wars and given life again in both Rebels and Rogue One. Recently I saw people talking about this particular set though and it was enough to make me curious about what makes this set difficult to piece together. I was surprised about the sheer volume of parts that are rare or unique. Some of these parts are fairly expensive.

In 2004, a brand new Y-WIng Attack Starfighter would have cost $119.99 US. Compared to the prices of other modern UCS sets, that's a real bargain. If you could stumble across one at original retail, you'd be doing quite well. A sealed Y-WIng will run you about $1200-$1300 while a used copy sells for about $600-$800. When I plug the parts into Brickstock, an average used price for parts, is about $830. This is not including box or instructions. I am sure there are plenty of parts that are easy to find, but that's not where the bulk of your money will be spent.

I can only imagine how the cost of this set would change if it had been made a year earlier when LEGO was still releasing everything in the old grays. It might have suffered the same identity crisis of the UCS Imperial Star Destroyer (10030), which can be found in both old and new gray.

I'm going to be showcasing the parts that are of most interest in this set. I will first discuss the parts that appear in this set more than 20 times. Afterwards, I will be talking about the parts that appear in less than 8 sets and/or will run (on average) more than $1. There will be some overlap between these lists, so I will only list out any overlapping parts once, to avoid confusion. This set is composed of 1487 pieces (counting the single minifigure as a single part.) Those 1487 parts are distributed among 247 different unique elements. In this usage, an element is a unique combination of part and color. For example, there are 4 different colors of 2x6 bricks consisting of a total of 6 different parts, this counts as 4 unique elements.

MOST OCCURING:

As I said before, I will first be talking about the parts that occur in this set more than 20 times. There are 11 different elements that meet this criteria. These 11 elements account for 441 parts. That's almost 1/3 of the set. That means that the other 236 elements account for the other 2/3 of the set. That's what makes these parts so interesting. Even if you have some of these in your inventory, do you think you have anywhere near as many as you need to build this set? Let's take a look at them now. (All values quoted below are based upon Bricklink sold used parts, as of June 2017).

The first piece that we are going to look at is the most commonly occurring piece in the set at 112. This piece is actually not common as it only appears in this set.The White Hose, Ribbed 7 mm D 2L actually qualifies for both lists. Being both rare and coming in at an average of just under $1 each, you're going to wind up spending over $100 on hoses to make the clean, white ailerons that give this ship the distinctive Y shape. If you're trying to build this set on a budget, might I suggest swapping the color for Flat Silver Element 78c02 which comes in at a modest $.04 making it about $4.50 to complete the look.

Coming in at less than half the quantity of the previous piece we have the much more common element 4265c. The light bluish grey technic bush 1/2 smooth appears in 515 sets and has an average price of $.02 each.

The third item on my list is Element 2555. This set requires 46 Light Bluish Gray Tile, Modified 1 x 1 with Clip. It's fairly common, occurring in 210 sets. It averages about $.05 each

This set contains 40 Light Bluish Gray Slope, Inverted 45 2 x 2. Element 3660 averages $.04 and occurs in 233 sets.

You've probably got enough element 2780 laying around from some of the 1863 sets that it appears in. This set needs 38 black Technic, Pin with Friction Ridges Lengthwise WITH Center Slots and they're only about $.01 each if you need to replace any.

If you're a stickler, make sure that every one of the next element is 3794 not 3794b or 15573. The price difference between the pieces is about $.03 with this version being the most expensive at $.08. You need 34 Light Bluish Gray Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with 1 Stud (Jumper) which occurs in 240 sets.

This set also requires 26 Blue Technic, Pin 1/2. Element 4274 appears in 611 sets and average $.02 each.

24 White Technic, Axle Connector 2L (Ridged with x Hole x Orientation) appear in this set. Element 6538b appears in 15 sets and averages $.48 each. If I were looking to save a few dollars, I'd swap it for light bluish gray which averages $.06. That would save about $9-$10.

The white Technic, Axle 12 appears in 10 sets. You need 24 at $.36 each. I'm not sure how it would impact the overall aesthetic, but the black version  of Element 3708 runs about half the cost and is considerably easier to find.

The white Element 32039 Technic, Axle Connector with Axle Hole appears in 7 sets. It has an average cost of $3.47 each  making the final cost more than $83 to replace all of them if you needed to. Again, if I were wanting to build this set out on my budget, I'd swap these for light bluish gray for $.04 each.

The last item in my list of most common pieces is Element 2412b. This set requires 23 Light Bluish Gray Tile, Modified 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove / Lip which average about $.03 each.

That takes care of the most commonly occurring pieces in this set. As you can see, not all of them are in and of themselves common. I have been asked in the past about which substitutions one could make to build a set on a budget. My analysis is purely based upon the cost and not on the aesthetic. I'm afraid without firsthand knowledge of the build, I can't know which suggestions alter the look significantly enough to disturb you. I am also making these suggestions as something to keep an eye out for when paying top dollar for a used set. If these swaps have been made, you're not getting an original set and shouldn't pay the going rate.

RARE AND EXPENSIVE:

When looking at a UCS set, sometimes the most expensive part is the sticker sheet. Sticker sheets are pricey and may be subject to counterfeiting. I'd look for some resources on what to look for in regards to "custom" sticker sheets. The individual stickered parts of this set seem exceptionally rare. The sheet itself 10134stk01 has sold for $75 on Bricklink.

The assembled plaque has sold several times for about $46 while the other stickered pieces haven't been available on Bricklink recently so I cannot give you any information about their prices.

The Instructions, if you need them to consider your set complete, sell for about $75 for a new set. Although as of this writing, the cheapest instructions available on Bricklink is $122.

A box seems to run about $88. I would offer good luck to anyone who is looking for a box that is cheap enough to bother paying for shipping.

FRONT

BACK

Not terribly expensive, this set comes with R5-D4 minifigure SW029 which appears in 7 sets. It's cost is about $4 for a used one. This is the only minifigure in the set.

Now, let's take a look at the expensive, rare, and/or unique parts. In a lot of cases all three qualities overlap. Sometimes they do not. (I have found rare parts in a set that are not terribly expensive.) We'll take a look at all of the parts that cost more than $1 each and/or appear in 8 or less sets. Where I can find one, I might suggest less expensive parts so that someone could approximate this set for their own collection for a reasonable amount. It will also serve as something to look out for if you want an original set. I have already touched on a few of these pieces above and will not repeat them here. I have 27 parts which match this criteria.

So, when we look at the expensive parts of this set, we have one show stopper. Unique to this set are 2 White Wheel 70 x 28 mm Futuristic which average about $94 each in used condition. Element 32077 also comes in Metallic Silver in 7 sets and would match the earlier hoses if you color swapped them for silver. (In silver they average about $2.50)

Light Bluish Gray Slope, Inverted 45 6 x 4 Double with Recessed Center appears in this set 2 times. Element 30183 only appears in this set in this color. It appears to average about $15 although right now Bricklink shows the lowest at $22. You need 2. (I don't know what it would do to the look if you swapped in the $.10 white or Dark Bluish Gray.)

I'm a huge fan of long descriptive names for parts in sort of an ironic way. My preference is for brevity, but that makes me think names like this are funny. Dark Bluish Gray Slope 45 2 x 2 with Black and Yellow Danger Stripes Pattern appears 2 times in this set. Element 3039px16 is only a part of this set in this color. (It was also available in old Dark Gray like the image below.)  It's a piece that runs about $11.50. If it were for my personal build,I'd be tempted to go for either the $.11 old Gray version or just put in a plain DBG slope and save myself more than $20.

I've got to say, you don't see a lot of Dark Orange parts in stuff. This one seems like a weird one. 18 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Handle will run about $4.50 each (about $80 total). Dark Orange element 30236 appears in this set alone. However there are a lot of color options for this part that are significantly cheaper. (White or light bluish gray are about $.03 while Dark Red is about $.07. I might even suggest tan as the parts next to these are tan.)

Copper is another color that you never see. In fact,it makes Dark Orange appear downright common. Element 75c08 in any color is not common. In Copper, the Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 8L / 6.4cm appears only in this set. This set requires 8 of them and at more than $4 each, you're looking to spend about $35. Other color choices that may work include red, orange, yellow, black or light bluish gray. They range from $.88-$.10 each. Again, I don't know what it does to the final look, but saving up to $34 on this build appeals to me.

We are also looking at 4 of the much longer Dark Bluish Gray Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 14L / 11.2cm at about $4.25 each. Element 75c14 appears in DBG only in this set. If you are trying for an all original set, make sure someone hasn't swapped in the more common old Dark Gray or light bluish gray or black. (Reddish Brown is the cheapest version of this part at about $.30 while LBG is about $2.50 and the others are about $1.)

I talked about this next part in the UCS Death Star II set breakdown. Light Bluish Gray Lever Small Base with Light Bluish Gray Lever sounds redundant but refers to the 2 parts that make up element 4592c05. It appears in 7 sets including the UCS Millennium Falcon. You need 8 of them and they are about $4 each. (Thanks Falcon) The black base with LBG lever is a bit cheaper at $2.50, but you could make it pennies if you swap for a black lever in either LBG or black base. Be very careful if you are looking for all original that someone has not subbed in the old light gray pieces.

Next, you need 7 Copper Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 6L / 4.8cm which is unique to this set. Element 75c06  averages just over $2. Black will knock down the price per part to about $.13 each.

Element 30083 also averages about $2 each. The White Windscreen 6 x 6 x 3 Canopy Half Sphere with Hinge was also available in 7418 Scorpion Palace. The other color options honestly do not appeal to me as a substitution. You have either Tran black or 2 shades of tran blue. You may have to bite the bullet on white.

Next we have element 41770 Tan Wedge, Plate 4 x 2 Left. This set only requires 1. It is available in 7 sets (Actually 6 since one of those is a reissue of the Dagobah set in a different box. It averages just north of $1.25. It honestly doesn't look like it matters a lot what color this piece is, if you feel like subbing in white for it you'd be spending a whole nickel at worst.

You need 18 of element 2412b in dark orange, which is unique to this set. In this color the Tile, Modified 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove / Lip costs about $1.25 each making your total for a full set about $22. It's used as color accents on the ship. I'd be tempted to sub in red, reddish brown, or dark red and save more than $20.

The next element 41855 is the only part in this set to have an officially recognized substitution. The 2 Light Bluish Gray Brick, Modified 2 x 2 x 2/3 Two Studs, Lip End may be substituted for 47457 without going against what people may have found in the original box. 41855 is available in 6 sets and will cost about $1.10 each. the substitution is closer to $.03.

Light Bluish Gray Slope 33 3 x 3 Double Convex appears in 6 sets and averages about $.89. That's not too bad for the 2 element 3675 that you need. (It is at this point in the list that I will stop offering suggestions for replacement because we are unlikely to see $1 again. We are now in the realm of the rare but inexpensive parts.)

The Dark Bluish Gray Minifig, Head (Plain) - Blocked Open Stud appears once in this set. Element 3626b is shown to be in 3 sets, although I would only consider one of those an actual set as the other was not a mass release set. It is found in Harry and the Marauder's Map. Which is a fairly inexpensive set. This part by itself is about $.68.

Strangely, the Tan Wedge, Plate 4 x 2 Right is about half the cost of its twin from above. It averages $.67 for element 41769. This is because it appears in 8 sets instead of the 7 from the other piece. You only need one of these, but if you substituted the other one, I recommend making this one match.

The Light Bluish Gray Tile, Round 2 x 2 with SW Radial Machinery Pattern is a part of 2 releases of the Millennium Falcon 4504 which just change box color. It is also a part of  8038 Battle of Endor.  Be sure that you don't wind up with the old light gray 4150px19 from the Imperial AT-ST. You only need 1 and it's less than $.65.

You also need 4 Dark Bluish Gray Slope 45 2 x 8 which will cost $.64 each. Element 4445 appears in 8 sets.

The White Slope 33 3 x 3 Double Convex appears in 4 sets. For the 2 element 3675 that you need, you're going to average $.64 each.

You also need 1 Light Bluish Gray Wheel Spoked 2 x 2 with Pin Hole.  Element 30155 also appears in 7622 Race for the Stolen Treasure. It averages about $.40

After that, we have element 4161 which appears 2 times. The Yellow Slope 33 3 x 3 is a part of 6 sets and is less than $.25.

The Y-Wing has 8 Tan Hinge Brick 2 x 2 Top Plate Thin It's about $.18 each and element 6134 is a part of 6 sets.

Element 30359b appears in one other set. It averages $.15 each and you need 16 White Bar 1 x 8 with Brick 1 x 2 Curved Top End (Axle Holder Inside Small End)

The Dark Bluish Gray Minifig, Weapon Lance shows up in this set 4 times. It averages $.12. Element 3849 appears in 7 sets.

Next, we have element 989 which averages $.09. White Hinge Brick 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger Top appears in one other set. You need 2.

Element 44126 appears once in this set. Yellow Slope, Curved 6 x 2 averages $.08 and appears in 8 sets (including 2 other versions of the Y-Wing.)

The Tan Slope, Curved 6 x 1 Inverted is a part of 4 sets. For the 2 that you need for this set expect to pay about $.07 for element 42023.

The last part that makes the cut is element 30647. The White Vehicle, Fairing 1 x 4 Side Flaring Intake with Two Pins appears in 6 sets and averages about $.07 each. You need 4.

FINAL ANALYSIS

When I make all of my substitutions and remove the stickers and Minifigure, I come up with a total average value of $152. Sure, it wouldn't be original, but it would be good enough for me. I can understand wanting to have a wholly original set, especially one as pricey as this one, but for those, like me, on a budget, I think it would really bring a lot of joy to build one, even if some of the colors were wrong.

The above lists in no way represent the full inventory for this set. Bricklink and Rebrickable both have an interactive inventory that would allow you to determine which parts fully make up your set.

All images are the property of Rebrickable.com, Bricklink.com, Disney, Lucasfilm Ltd. and The LEGO Group.

If you liked this article, please check out the others in the series:

10123 Cloud City

7181 UCS TIE Interceptor

10212 UCS Imperial Shuttle

10182 Cafe Corner

10019 UCS Rebel Blockade Runner

10185 Green Grocer

10190 Market Street

10175 UCS Vader's TIE Advanced

10143 UCS Death Star II