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By
Julian H. Betancourt |
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AT-ST DETAILED
PICTURES AND REVIEW
The
reappearance of one of the most desirable vehicles from that
galaxy far away, the infamous "Chicken Walker" took place back
on April of 2002 under the Power Of The Jedi Line. The Vehicle
had been previously released for modern era Star Wars back in
1995, packaged in the red and yellow starburst box, common at
the time and as part of the Power of the Force 2 Line.
Contrary
to the single packed 95 version, the 2002 At -St included a
Speeder Bike and a Paploo the Ewok figure, making the set a
desirable one, not just for those getting it for the first time,
but for all of us in general. Priced at $29.99, one could say it
was fair deal.
As
far as improvements were concerned, the newer version of the AT-
St did not have much to offer ...
IMPERIAL AT-ST VEHICLE The 1995 At-St was created using the exact same mold as its previous version, there were no changes made to its design at all and even inside its command cabin, the same decals as the 1995 version were applied. There was just one minor variation to its color, noticeable around its feet area, presenting a dull shade of green with dirt specs, while the older version has a reddish paint scheme; other than that, there was nothing else updated. 
 If one is to turn the 1995 At-At upside-down, stamped underneath its body there's a 2002 Lucasfilm writing but when carefully looking at the parts numbers and comparing them to its 1995 counterpart, they read the same. FEATURES: A) Twin blaster cannons B) Light blaster cannon rotates 360 degrees. C) Opening hatch to command cabin which holds one figure D) Stomping legs motion by pressing on a button behind its body
One
truly bad aspect concerning this toy deals with the plastic used
for the construction of its legs. The plastic is so soft in
nature that it can hardly support the weight of the vehicle. A
first look can't really show this issue but after having the At-
St displayed for a few months, the "descending" problem starts
to take place. It gets as bad as having to lean the toy against
the wall or an object to stop it from falling down.
SPEEDER BIKE
Perhaps
it was my luck, as I only purchased one of these, but the
speeder bike offered with the set is a lame version of previous
ones.
 The flip-up thrust flaps on mine keep coming off, as they were made out of a very flimsy plastic. They do not remain opened unless you twist them in a certain way by keeping them under the back of the vehicle. The springs that are supposed to hold the bike up with the help of the thrust flaps are weak and fail to keep the speeder up, not even a third of an inch from the ground, the speeder just rest on its front while the legs spread wide open. As I mentioned, this was perhaps my luck but I'm forced to review the toy based on what I've seen, which was truly disappointing.
Another
issue and good cause for "unhappiness" is the fact the bike
lacks the ability to break apart as the previous models did. Why
the vehicle was stripped down of this feature, I don't
understand since it offered more play action to the toy.
FEATURES: A) Flip-up thrust flaps B) Pivoting maneuver controls C) Positionable altitude controls D) Swiveling blaster cannon PAPLOO the EWOK Well, Paploo is just Paploo ... just a cheap rendering of the Ewok, nothing special about it, no extra articulation; very much in the same style as the Ewoks two-pack offered with the POTF2 line, only this one of course, received a different head sculpt and a very shiny coat of paint all over his body which makes him look very unrealistic. 
 An interesting fact when doing a comparison with Paploo and the POTJ Teebo figure, is the absence of peg holes on Teebo a figure meant to be standing while Paploo on the other hand presents two peg holes. Again, one is to wonder why Hasbro gave no peg holes to Teebo and gave them to Paploo, when in fact the latter most likely gets displayed "flying" on his bike. Paploo holds on to the Speeder Bike nice and tight with ease. The figure was designed, as mentioned, to be placed riding the bike or he will have a strange pose if you want to have him standing up, alone. This is due to the way his head was sculpted, tilted back a little as if he was looking in front of him while riding on the Speeder Bike.
FINAL THOUGHT
The set is not a bad buy at all despite all the inconveniences it presents; we've seen worse. It's reasonable price made it affordable and it did offer some extra pack-ins that made it worth is price. But those of us concerned about quality, improvement and sculpt weren't too happy with this one.
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