Thursday, January 19, 2012

Damn The Space Considerations! The Saga Collection AT-AT Imperial Walker Is Perfect!


The Good: Great detailing, Fun, Collectible value, Amazing playability options!
The Bad: None that I could find!
The Basics: With so much to do and an amazingly in-scale toy, the Saga Collection AT-AT Imperial Walker is a must-have for Star Wars toy enthusiasts!


Quite some time ago, as it now turns out, I wrote a review of a toy that I thought was very cool. That toy was the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection AT-AP Walker (reviewed here!). In that review, I admitted that I was treating the review as something of a dry run of my review of the AT-AT Imperial Walker my wife presented me with as a gift for our second anniversary (hard not to like geek love, right?!). Well, that review is finally here and the gist of it is, that the AT-AT Imperial Walker from Hasbro is a perfect playset toy well worth the money it will take to track down. Some may accuse me of bias given how much I love AT-ATs in general, as evidenced by my reviews of the Titanium Die-Cast AT-AT toy (here) and my frequent mentions of my love of AT-ATs in other reviews. I reject that accusation simply because I actually tend to be super-critical of AT-AT toys and Star Wars playsets. I, for example, am not wowed by the handle on this AT-AT Imperial Walker toy. But, it adds to the playability and when it is folded down into the toy, it is not at all a detraction.

The AT-AT Imperial Walkers are seen briefly in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). The Imperial forces use the four-legged All Terrain-Armored Transport to blow out the shield protecting the Rebel base and lay waste to the Rebel headquarters on Hoth. Sure, some Snowspeeders take some of the AT-ATs out, but the AT-ATs destroy much more than they are destroyed!

While the AT-AT Imperial Walkers may have only been seen briefly in The Empire Strikes Back, but they are part of an iconic sequence in cinema history and have been great for merchandising. The 2010 Hasbro AT-AT Imperial Walker toy represents the zenith in Star Wars 3.75” scale representations of the amazing, powerful vehicle!

Basics

The All Terrain-Armored Transport - AT-AT Imperial Walker - is a fairly mobile assault vehicle that is given a completely new sculpt and makeover by Hasbro. Built with a priority on fidelity to scale and the original models, the Saga Legends AT-AT is a massive playset and vehicle toy that enhances anyone’s toy Empire! In addition to being appropriately colored and detailed, the AT-AT Imperial Walker is authentic in its scale and it rocks in the playability department. The AT-AT Imperial Walker fits perfectly with other Star Wars toys, from any of the toy lines both in sculpting and coloring.

Hasbro's Saga Legends AT-AT Imperial Walker is a massive destructive vehicle that stands on four legs, has a main trunk and a cockpit “head” that fits a sizable command crew. The large vehicle stands 24 1/2" tall by 13" wide by 29” long! This is a tremendous piece that is in scale with the regular 3 3/4” Star Wars toy line and offers exceptional options as both a vehicle toy and as a playset.

The AT-AT Imperial Walker is cast entirely in gray plastic and it is a very clean vehicle. There are no battle lines, exhaust stains or even extensive markings indicating battalions or other allegiances. There are, however, several stickers that need to be applied inside the cockpit, main hull and rear of the AT-AT. The AT-AT Imperial Walker comes with instructions that make it clear enough where to apply the stickers.

The AT-AT Imperial Walker is a solid device and it is a main hull which attaches to the four legs, looking like a small, armored dog. The AT-AT Imperial Walker comes disassembled, with the head and four legs needing to be attached. They snap on easily and the pictures on the box make it pretty much idiotproof for putting them on correctly.

The AT-AT Imperial Walker is essentially a war machine. The head houses both the cannons and the pilots. The head features two swiveling turrets and two sliding, light-up chin cannons. The side guns are missile launchers and feature missiles that are simply pressed in and a discreet button is pressed, launching the missile approximately four feet! The chin cannons slide back and forth, just like the ones in the film did. That allows them to light up and activate a sound function of the AT-AT firing its deadly laser weapons!

Inside the cockpit, Hasbro created their most detailed rendition of an AT-AT yet! The AT-AT Imperial Walker toy features two control seats where the AT-AT pilots may sit. Behind them, there are foot pegs for three figures and between the pegs there is a transparent screen. This transparent screen features an image of the Rebel shield generator and represents the AT-AT’s primary target from the film. Behind the screen, one of the figures may stand. This is where General Veers stood in The Empire Strikes Back and directed the assault on the Rebel base. Ironically, the Vintage Collection AT-AT Commander (reviewed here!) that was released around the same time as the AT-AT Imperial Walker does not fit into this cabin with his helmet on! The cockpit is spacious enough to fit five figures comfortably, with three of them standing up! There is a button on the front console that activates additional dialogue from the movie.

One of the very cool changes Habro worked into the new AT-AT Imperial Walker toy was a neck that is more flexible. Inside the neck are solid controls that connect to a handle on the top of the main hull. However, surrounding the neck controls that keep the head attached, there is a rubbery ring that is flexible and provides a realistic appearance for the neck. This increases the range of motion for the head and is a great selling point for the AT-AT as far as realism goes!

The main hull of the AT-AT Imperial Walker is appropriately blockish. It is a two-story section designed to house the troops the Empire would use for an invasion. Access to the main hull is gained by doors on either side of the AT-AT toy or by a secret hatch underneath. The secret hatch is a swiveling trapdoor that embodies the hole Luke Skywalker cut in The Empire Strikes Back to throw an explosive up into one of the AT-ATs. The more traditional points of entry for the toy are the two doors on either side of the AT-AT Imperial Walker. On each side, there are doors that swivel up, as if to form a protective canopy, and down, as if to create a platform from which Imperial troops may shoot down upon the rabble.

Opening the doors provides access to the most spacious AT-AT toy yet! The interior is split into two levels. The lower level provides access to the door and includes – on each side – a repelling stand that allows one to raise or lower two figures at a time on a string and folding-out foot lift. This is a neat playable function and these zip lines provide a neat way to get figures into the AT-AT. You may protect your troops as they are raised or lowered into the AT-AT Imperial Walker by having additional troops on the lower level with their guns out.

The upper level inside the main hull is a troop area that includes a railing and stations that allow troops to look out with viewers. This is a neat little area that helps the AT-AT Imperial Walker boast the ability to house forty figures. This main area can reasonably fit at least twenty! On the upper level, there is also a station that looks out into the back portion of the AT-AT where the speeder bike may be launched from. Pressing a button on the console in the back upper portion turns on a red light, and includes additional dialogue for Imperial soldiers!

The aft section folds down to present a launch platform for the speeder bike that ejects out of the AT-AT Imperial Walker toy. Pressing a button extends the platform out and allows one to launch the speeder bike that is housed there. The speeder bike launch bay in the aft section is a concept portion of the AT-AT Imperial Walker toy and Hasbro makes it work! This back section can hold several troops, both with the speeder bike present and after it is launched.


Accessories

The AT-AT Imperial Walker comes with one action figure, the AT-AT Driver. The figure is detailed up to standards with the current Vintage Collection toy line and look great next to the AT-AT. Even more importantly, he actually has the articulation needed to allow him to fit into the cockpit, making him invaluable to your Empire! The AT-AT Imperial Walker also comes with a white Speeder Bike that has the same level of coloring detail and two missiles for the side cannons on the head.

Playability

The AT-AT Imperial Walker is absolutely incredible and has arguably the best playability of any Star Wars playset. First, it has a great sense of balance. With the four legs that are hinged at the knees, this toy is fun to play with and it stays balanced remarkably well.

The AT-AT Imperial Walker's legs have three joints best analogized as the groin socket, knee, and ankle. The casting of the Hasbro AT-AT Imperial Walker captures that perfectly and the feet are in such scale that they may appropriately stomp on any standard 3 3/4” figure in the line!

The other big point of articulation is the head. To enhance the playability, there is a handle that folds out of the top of the AT-AT Imperial Walker, which allows one to manipulate the head without actually moving the head itself. This “joystick” function is pretty neat and well worth trying out.

The rest of the playability comes from the fact that this AT-AT Imperial Walker opens up at so many points and has so much to do when you do open it up. The toy can house forty figures, which is pretty impressive. The power button is hidden on the underside, so it is absolutely unobtrusive. When it is turned on, there are light and sound functions for the chin guns, cockpit, speeder bike launch area and speeder bike launch command area. And for those who do not want to open up the toy to get some cool sounds, there are three very well-concealed buttons on the top of the AT-AT Imperial Walker toy that, when pressed, play sound effects from the Battle Of Hoth. There are over thirty different sound clips played by this toy! All of the sound effects come from a speaker placed conveniently within the underside fuel barrel. This is a great place for it and it does not affect how cool the toy looks.

Collectibility

The AT-AT Imperial Walker was first introduced as part of the original Kenner Star Wars toy line in the 1980s. The same sculpt was used for the Power Of The Force AT-AT in the late 1990s. Regardless, the 2010 resculpt is now hands-down the preferred version of the AT-AT, making it a must buy. While it was released at what was arguably the peak of the U.S. recession, many were bought up by fans. Some stores, like Wal-Mart clearance these ridiculously early, allowing some fans and investors to buy at ridiculously low prices. While some primary market stores still have the AT-AT Imperial Walker available, they continue to sell out and are already inflating in price on the secondary market. If you can find them discounted on clearance anywhere, this is a tremendously good investment!


Overview

The AT-AT Imperial Walker is an exceptional toy. There is so much to do with it that it will keep children busy for days. And for adult fans, there is both the nostalgia factor and the awesome display (and play) options that make this a dynamic piece worthy of picking up while they are available!

For other Star Wars playset and vehicle reviews, please check out my takes on:
2010 Saga Collection Bespin Cloud Car
Attack Of The Clones Geonosian Starfighter
Shadows Of The Empire Dash Rendar's Outrider

10/10

For other Star Wars toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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