AT-ST Driver - POTF2 [R/G] - Basic

HEIGHT: 1.8 Meters (Average)
STATUS: Imperial Ground-Assault Pilot
CLASSIFICATION: Human
AFFILIATION: Galactic Empire
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Imperial Issued Blaster

In the early months of 1997, Hasbro began pumping out characters from The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, two of Star Wars collectors favorite films for action figures. The second and third Original Trilogy films are rich with incredible character selection and unique aliens and other scum and villainy. But there are also incredible army-building characters too. Take, for instance, the AT-ST Driver. One of Kenner/Hasbro’s priorities, the AT-ST Driver made an appearance in Episode VI. However, we saw their vehicles during the Battle of Hoth in Episode V. Part of the original vintage Kenner 1984 Return Of The Jedi lineup, the first AT-ST Driver figure was one of our favorite action figure as kids. As collectors, we’re eager about owning a modern interpretation of the classic action figure. Sadly, the AT-ST Driver didn’t turn out as collectors had hoped. Hasbro was all over the place with the proportions they were giving their action figures. Some characters looked more streamlined, but others, like the AT-ST Driver, still couldn’t shake that muscular silhouette. Still, its muscularity is significantly streamlined and not as noticeable as their earliest figures. It will nice to get an update to this figure to correct the issues with it.

AT-ST Driver comes with six points of articulation. This articulation system includes a swivel head, two swivel shoulders, a swivel waist, and two swivel hips. This is standard for every POTF2 action figure, so there should be no surprises here at all. Included with the AT-ST Driver are two weapons: a blaster pistol and blaster rifle. Because we didn’t see these characters wielding weapons in the film, it’s impossible to know for sure whether these are screen-accurate or not, but it’s likely at least one is a Hasbro convention. Both weapons fit nicely in the hands of the figure and outfit the action figure nicely. Weapons are standard for Imperial action figures, so it’s a good thing that this action figure has been paired with them. The figure has a rather static pose, so it’s effortless to set it on a shelf or seat in a cockpit. The figure sits well inside of the 1996 POTF2 [R/G] Imperial AT-ST (Scout Walker) vehicle. Likewise, the figure looks incredible piloting it. We would have loved to see a removable pair of goggles and helmet here, but this figure has no removable parts as far as the costume is concerned. Perhaps even a few extra places of articulation would have been a huge enhancement here. But the figure ranks as a decent update to the Star Wars line for us. We still wonder though how many collectors will be wishing for more.

AT-ST Driver has a nice paint job, although the paint scheme is rather simple and lightly colored. The deco is clean without any signs of over-spray or sloppiness. You’ll likely be satisfied with the final results. Overall, AT-ST Driver is a very nice looking action figure. For variation hunters, you’re only going to find multiple packaging variations because no variations exist on the figure itself. Originally released in Collection 2, it went through a series of packaging updates during the green phase of The Power Of The Force “2” line. You can also find the figure on a Collection 3 card back as well. The nice thing about the AT-ST Driver figure is that you can army-build it, and it won’t matter that it’s the same figure. The black goggles cover the figure’s eyes and identity, so they can be different characters while looking virtually identical to one another. It’s quite unbelievable it took Kenner/Hasbro so long to get out the pilot to the vehicle they released years ago. But as the old adage says “better late than never,” we’re delighted to have pilot and vehicle once and for all. The “green” phase of The Power Of The Force “2” has come very far, and they’re not afraid to release some of the more “background” characters from the Original Trilogy. We hope they keep banging them out!