Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic) - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Vehicles

MODEL: Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport Walker
AFFILIATION: Galactic Empire
CREW: 3
HEIGHT: 15.5 Meters
LENGTH: 20.6 Meters
WEAPONS: 2 Heavy Laser Cannons, 2 Fire-linked Medium Blasters

One of the most-requested vehicles collectors begged Kenner/Hasbro to get out in The Power Of The Force “2” line was the Imperial AT-AT Walker. A classic and iconic Star Wars vehicle, the Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic) has forever changed the Star Wars toy line as breaking all barriers to what can be produced in the toy line when it comes to size, as well as giving Star Wars fans everywhere a piece of film history in toy form. From the relaunch of the Star Wars toy line in 1995, Hasbro made us wait over two years for it. But there was a good reason for the delay. Like all modern Star Wars vehicles, Kenner/Hasbro hoped to bring newness and exclusivity to each newly released or re-released vehicle by updating them for the modern era of collecting and this sets them apart from what they did during the vintage Kenner era. While all vehicles received new sculpting (based on the original vintage Kenner molds of course), Kenner/Hasbro tried to implement new and exciting features and details into them to show the progress technology made on the toy industry in a decade (more or less). They were just as eager to produce them for the line as collectors were to purchase them for their collections. And it was toward the latter half of 1997 where whispers began getting heard that Kenner/Hasbro was finally updating the Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic) for release in The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] line. With new tooling, new deco, and a new play features added into the preexisting design, collectors received a tremendous upgrade to the original 1981 vehicle. Add to that two all-new figures exclusively created to drive it (the pack-in AT-AT Driver and AT-AT Commander figures), and it’s a total win for all collectors. Imperial AT-AT Walker did well at retail. For $79.99, in our opinion, collectors got a lot of plastic for the money.

Included with the Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic) you get the two aforementioned pack-in figures, an opening cockpit which fits both pack-in figures, light-up laser cannons (the same feature on the vintage Kenner model), articulated legs that make a high-pitched clicking noise when positioned, a harpoon gun and cable, and a bomb. But our favorite new feature is the light-up control panel/console that has been newly tooled and added to the interior of the body. The screen features the generators seen on Echo Base during the Battle of Hoth, and then real movie sound effects and lights work together to recreate a believable battle right inside of the Imperial AT-AT Walker. You get to experience the action first-hand. The deco of the Imperial AT-AT Walker is done very tastefully. Aside from detailed weathering, Kenner/Hasbro faithfully paid homage to the way the original vintage Kenner vehicle was approached. Gray plastic was used to cast this behemoth, and then the addition of grays and blacks accent the wear and tear these vehicles encounter battling against the Rebel Alliance. Kenner Hasbro added seven different movie sounds and dialogue. For sound effects, the Imperial AT-AT Walker comes with “walking” sound effects, “firing laser cannons” sound effects and then “snowspeeder crushing” sound effects. Kenner/Hasbro covered all of the important bases here. You also get four lines from The Empire Strikes Back including “Yes Lord Vader, I reached the main power generators. The shield will be down in moments. You may start your landing” (by General Veers), “Distance to power generators? 1-7 decimal 2-8,” (by an AT-AT Driver), and “Target maximum firepower!” (with explosion sound effects) (also by General Veers). The sound effects add tremendous play value to this already amazing vehicle.

So, let’s talk about those pack-in figures a bit more. Collectors were desperate to see the AT-AT Commander released in the basic figure line. That didn’t happen, but they made the AT-AT Commander exclusive to the Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic). The figure is intended to represent General Maximillian Veers, but the likeness is sketchy at best. However, the figure does have a faithful costume to the onscreen character. The AT-AT Commander is a bit tall and chunky, but it’s not terrible, and the silhouette of the figure looks alright. The paint job is above average and copies the coloring of the onscreen character well too. With a simple six points of articulation, the AT-AT Commander doesn’t break any new ground as any other Star Wars action figure as far as we’re concerned. The pack-in AT-AT Driver is about above average as well. A single-carded version is part of the “Freeze Frame” assortment of basic figures and will come with a different sculpt and deco, but they won’t look that different from each other when all is said and done. Together, the AT-AT Driver and AT-AT Commander work beautifully in the cockpit of the Imperial AT-AT Walker. It’s nice to see these figures together with this large vehicle and helps us to remember why the Kenner/Hasbro Star Wars line is the greatest collection of toys produced. With the Rebel Snowspeeder (Electronic) vehicle already released, it will be simple to recreate the greatest moments during the Battle of Hoth. We feel the only thing missing from the toy line are more background characters to help the main characters interact with the vehicles and playsets Kenner/Hasbro are producing for us. Still, no matter the beauty of the Imperial AT-AT Walker (Electronic), there is no way to get around the fact that it’s notably too small for this scale of toys. Many collectors would love to see Hasbro revisit this vehicle from the ground up, and we know that’s inevitable.