Normally, when a new LEGO® Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set is announced, a bigger deal is made about it. But when the AT-ST Walker was revealed, it was merely included with the other recently revealed sets. Despite its underwhelming reveal, a new UCS set should still offer some level of excitement. Especially for a Star Wars vehicle which has only ever been the subject of one previous UCS set. The last time the Imperial AT-ST Walker received the UCS treatment was in 2005. The updated version shares similar traits with its earlier counterpart but adds a minifigure and effectively utilises newer elements. Here’s a closer look at the AT-ST Walker and the last of the Summer Star Wars set reviews (finally).
Product Details
Set Name: AT-ST Walker | Set Number: 75417 | Pieces: 1513 | Theme: Star Wars
Number of Bags: Bags x 14 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: sheet x 1 | Minifigures: AT-ST Pilot
RRP: £179.99/199.99€/$199.99/299.99AUD/259.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
The All Terrain Scout Transport has been portrayed in LEGO form several times, but as mentioned, it’s only been captured in the greater detail attained by the UCS range once. So it’s high time one of the Star Wars universe’s most iconic Imperial vehicles gets the UCS treatment again. The smaller, manned Imperial scout walkers first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, where they joined the AT-ATs in their assault on Hoth’s Rebel base. But it would be Return of the Jedi where the AT-STs were showcased. Despite their bipedal design and ability to nimbly scurry across terrain, they were no match for a tribe of Ewoks.
Construction of the Scout Walker begins with its legs. These are nicely detailed for what is essentially a pair of thin grey struts. They are fixed and offer zero movement, which is necessary to provide stability for the set to be able to stand and support its own weight. Another effort to help the set stay in place is several rubber plugs slotted into holes in the base of the feet. That’s not to say the AT-ST suffers from any stability issues. The legs are connected to a central platform and are offset at a slight angle. This may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a great improvement over the previous UCS AT-ST.
The connection between the legs and the head is quite unusual. It offers the ability for the head section to be rotated but pairs a turnable plate with a tyre. This offers the perfect buffer between the two sections of the AT-ST without having to use a mass of elements and increasing the weight of the head. Even though it’s a tyre, it’s partly hidden beneath the head and doesn’t look out of place.
The head itself is quite similar to other versions of the AT-ST, including the smaller versions. Due to the angular nature of the head section, its built plate sections. These are then connected to a central section, which features the walker’s control panel and seats. The side panels are mounted to the base of the head section with long axle rods, but are then connected to the upper part with rubber connectors. This gives the head its sloped shape. They also feature some of the AT-ST’s weapons. These are mounted on a turntable plate, allowing them to be fully rotated. But the main blaster cannon is found in the central sections of the head’s ‘jaw’ area. This has limited movement but can be moved and angled at different points.
The roof section is mounted on a floating joint, allowing you to gain access to the interior. It can be a little fiddly to lift this section, as there isn’t much to grab hold of to lift it. There’s also another area of the head which is poorly implemented, so much so that I assumed I had made a mistake when building it. The area around the ‘eyes’ features a 1×4 plate that sits next to a larger angled plate. But there is nothing to connect them apart from the surrounding elements above and below. They don’t sit flush due to the placement of the two sections, which is necessary for the shape of the head, but it just feels as if it’s unfinished.
As with all of the UCS sets, the AT-ST is complemented by a display plaque and minifigure. The plaque is a large printed tile, which is far better than trying to apply a large sticker. It also has a spot to display the set’s minifigure. This unique version of the AT-ST Driver features printed detail on the arms and the helmet. Making it the most detailed version of the character. It’s a bonus to the rest of the set. As the wording on the set’s description states, this is a unique version of the character, and by no means is it exclusive. Of course, no one in their right mind would purchase the set solely for the minifigure.
It still feels odd that the set was revealed with no fanfare. Despite the lack of excitement, it’s a decent addition to the UCS line-up. It may not have the scale that some of the other Ultimate Collector Series builds offer, but that’s part of its appeal. It’s still not a cheap set, but not as expensive as some of the others. It’s a great representation of the AT-ST, partly thanks to all the little details it features. Sure, it’s another largely grey Star Wars set, but all the greebling helps break that up somewhat. Whilst it may not be a huge set, it’s still a striking LEGO Star Wars display piece. The LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series AT-ST Walker is available now.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Disney. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
