It’s been 20 years since the second of the Star Wars prequel films hit cinemas. Although these early Star Wars stories have been criticized since their release, fans have come to appreciate them. This has been helped by the stories introduced in Attack of the Clones being fleshed out in the animated Clone Wars series. The Prequels also introduced a number of iconic characters and vehicles. One such vehicle is the AT-TE Walker. This ground assault vehicle was used by the Republic Army to take on the Separatist’s Droid Army. A new LEGO® version of the AT-TE Walker was released earlier this month and has been so popular, that it sold out and saw it’s North American release delayed. So here’s the last of the LEGO Star Wars Summer set reviews and a look at the AT-TE Walker.
Product Details
Recreate the Battle of Utapau with this fantastic LEGO® Star Wars™ AT-TE Walker (75337). A great gift idea for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith fans aged 9 and over, this building toy features posable legs, a 360-degree-rotating elevating heavy blaster cannon with 2 stud shooters, a detachable minifigure cockpit and 2 detailed cabins with space for up to 7 LEGO minifigures in total. Each of the cabins opens for easy play and an extendable handle makes it simple to lift and move the AT-TE.
Battle action
The set includes 5 LEGO minifigures – Commander Cody, a 212th Clone Gunner and 3 212th Clone Troopers – to pit against 3 Battle Droid LEGO figures and a buildable Dwarf Spider Droid, plus assorted cool weapons. Find building instructions in the box and on the LEGO Building Instructions app, which has interactive viewing tools to enhance the creative experience.
- Set Name: AT-TE Walker
- Set Number: 75337
- Pieces: 1082
- RRP: £119.99/$139.99/139.99€
- Number of Bags: Bags x 10 (6 steps)
- Stickers: Sheet x 1
- Minifigures: Commander Cody, 212th Clone Gunner & 3 212th Clone Troopers + 3 Battle Droids
- Instructions: Booklet x 1 + LEGO Building Instructions App + Instructions Plus
- Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO Retailers
The All Terrain Tactical Enforcer or AT-TE Walker was first introduced in Attack of the Clones, where it was used by the Galactic Republic as an armoured ground assault tank. With the Republic forces becoming the foundations of the Imperial Empire, the AT-TE continues the trait of creature-like vehicles. The 6-legged vehicle is almost bug-like in appearance. Although the AT-TE Walker faded from the Star Wars canon, a repurposed one featured in Star Wars animated show, Rebels, where it was used by Captain Rex and other ex-Clone Troopers. In LEGO form there’s been a surprising amount of sets released inspired by the walker. The first couple arrived in the early 2000s and the most recent was released back in 2013, with the Rebels version following in 2016.
As with many Star Wars sets with previous versions, they have many similarities. But this latest version of the AT-TE is the most detailed yet, with the highest piece count and line-up of minifigures. The set is one of the larger of the newly released Star Wars sets and it also seems to be one of the most popular releases from the theme this year. Not only is the set selling out each time any new stock is added to LEGO.com, but its North America release has even been delayed. The build is split across 10 bags and divided into 6 build steps. There’s a single sheet of stickers, which add a little extra detail to the exterior armour of the set.
The focus of the set is the AT-TE but before you build that, there’s a Dwarf Spider Droid to build. This is quite a simple design, with a ball and cup element acting as the body for the Spider Droid. There’s a clever use of parts to add the required detail to the Droid, including dark grey Battle Droid bodies on the legs, a telephone receiver for the eyes and a sword for the antennae.
The core of the AT-TE is best described as an upside-down T, which is created from a mix of Technic beams and elements along with a few plates. There is a focus on the central section of the vehicle as this is used for two things. Firstly, it’s where a rather useful handle is mounted. This runs completely through the middle section of the AT-TE and sits loose so it can sink into the set when not in use. Although the overall body of the vehicle is surprisingly sturdy, the handle is a neat and useful addition, plus it’s not distracting to the overall appearance of the set.
Much of the rest of the AT-TE detail is largely crafted from separate sections which are then connected to the central chassis. But before you get to those, you build the squared cockpit section. This section can be pulled out from the body of the AT-TE, allowing you to place a minifigure in the seat. Then it simple slots back into place. There’s also enough room within the vehicle to seat more minifigures.
As mentioned, the uniquely angled armoured shell of the AT-TE is crafted from separate plates, there are four fitted to each corner via a Technic pin. Normally these sorts of connections result in a less than sturdy finish. But the plates sit nicely in a 2×2 corner brick. I gave the set a proper good shake while holding it via the handle and they remained firmly in place. Further plates are used to create the canopy of the AT-TE, these can both be lifted to access the interior, with those side panels also being able to be pulled out slightly for better access.
The AT-TE is finished with various additional pieces including four smaller legs on both the front and back as well as slighter larger ones connected to the central section. These have enough give to enable the AT-TE to stand on a flat or textured surface. These are little dish elements connected to each leg via a small beam strip, which sits within a Technic peg. Although the connection isn’t as good a clutch power, these also remained in place after a good shake. Finally, one of the key features of the AT-TE is the long gunner cannon mounted to the top of the AT-TE. This is connected via a turntable plate, giving it the satisfying ability to be rotated in a full 360° circle.
There is a certain group of LEGO Star Wars ‘fans’ who are a little more vocal than most. When they are demanding new Battle Packs or picking apart every UCS set, they have often been ‘requesting’ the return of Commander Cody in minifigure form. Thankfully, the much-loved clone is included in this set. Phase II Cody is made of completely unique pieces, with the torso and legs designs only found on this minifigure, along with a unique face print and helmet, which come with an orange visor element. He’s joined by another unique clone in the form of a 212th Clone Gunner. This doesn’t feature the same orange trim as the other troopers. There are also three other 212th Clone Troopers, these are all identical with the same torso, legs, helmets and heads. Their only differences are their weapons.
Along with the Clone Troopers, the set also includes three Battle Droids. These remained largely unchanged since they were first introduced in 1999. The five elements used to create the Battle Droid have done and continue to do an excellent job of recreating the characters.
Review Round-up
The AT-TE is a unique-looking vehicle from the Star Wars universe. It’s also one which has been portrayed in LEGO form many times. This is probably the best version so far, it looks great and is a decent build, but it does feel like it should have maybe been a little bigger. That being said, even at this scale, it looks as you’d expect an AT-TE to look. The handle is a great addition and very useful. The line-up of minifigures is also perfectly suited both for play and the quell the ” fan concerns”.
For
+ Finally a new Commander Cody minifigure
+ Surprisingly stable build
+ The handle is very useful
Against
– Some gaps between panels
– Yet more Droids
– Quite expensive
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This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
