Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank (AAT) - TCW [R] - Vehicles

The marriage of repulsorlift and heavy armor has resulted in formidable floating tanks known as AATs. These assault tanks form the frontline of Trade Federation armored infantry divisions. A crew of battle droids drives the tank and operates the laser and projectile weaponry carried by the vehicle.

There exists quite a few molds in Hasbro’s very large catalogue of Star Wars toy parts that have brought them more profit than you could possibly imagine. One of these described toys is the Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank (AAT). Year after year Hasbro finds a way to release it “one more time” even when we think they can't possibly find another way to do it. It doesn’t seem like there are plans to change that. It’s a vehicle we personally enjoy seeing year to year even though we have to admit that The Clone Wars property should get us very tired of it shortly. But Hasbro never seems to get tired of this Separatist vehicle, and to be fair, it always seems to fit in well with whatever line it gets released. The vehicle has two distinct molds, but aside from the outer paint job differences, the date stamp (1999 or 2002) is determined by what color droid is included in the “battle-damage” action feature. There aren’t really any tooling differences. Hasbro first changed the battle droid action feature from a tan droid to a maroon/red droid in 2003’s Clone Wars line (way before Filoni had anything to do with it). Ever since, Hasbro has been relatively inconsistent with which model they decided to use to accompany the 3.75” basic figure line. Often, the interior battle droid didn’t necessarily match the scene where the vehicle was based.

The 2008 TCW [B] Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank (AAT) is another sensible release in Hasbro’s popular mid-size vehicle assortment and focues on this vehicle's appearance during the Battle of Christophsis in The Clone Wars theatrical release. This particular line of Mid Size vehicles has been popular since day one. And since The Clone Wars multimedia event and television show have taken center stage, why not release this popular vehicle in a color scheme that befits this property? Meant to interact with one to three action figures, vehicles in this assortment usually accommodate a popular episode in The Clone Wars franchise, or just add a whole new unique perspective on “just off screen” storylines. The newly decorated The Clone Wars interpretation of the AAT is very Separatist-ish. We find it bizarre that the Separatists in Episode I didn’t flaunt their logos and insignias so blatantly across their vehicles like they did during The Clone Wars. Perhaps an official war is the reason behind this. But whatever the reason is, we think the gray and blue coloring of the AAT suits this vehicle well and the disparity between its appearance in The Clone Wars when compared to Episode I is pretty striking. Based on the various AATs seen during the Battle of Christophsis in The Clone Wars film, Hasbro did a great job on replicating the paint job of these vehicles with incredible precision and exactness.

Hasbro released a similarly decorated AAT in 2008’s TCW [B] The Battle Of Christophsis Battle Packs set that was released as a TARGET exclusive. Coming just 30 days later was the mid-size vehicle assortment Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank (AAT), which looks like a very close relative of the Battle Packs version, but with obvious differences. It’s hard to say which has the better paint job, but we find it very interesting how well they look together and would fit perfectly in a Battle of Christophsis diorama you may have set up somewhere within your collection. You may find it interesting that the Battle Packs version utilizes the 1999 sculpt of the AAT while the individually packaged AAT from the mid-size assortment is based on the 2003 vehicle. So, we find it odd that The Battle Of Christophsis AAT comes with a tan battle droid (the action feature we mean) while the 2008 TCW [B] Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank (AAT) vehicle comes with a maroon/red battle droid instead. Most collectors can’t stand this action feature and will most likely display this vehicle with the battle droid covered up (the “hood” piece does this very nicely). Now this great vehicle is part of 2009's The Clone Wars [Red] line. This time it includes a beautiful cardboard backdrop. Get used to the AAT making a repeat appearance for the next umpteen years. It’s a standard that’s becoming a permanent fixture.