The All Terrain – Armoured Transport (AT-AT) walker is arguably one of the most recognisable vehicles in the entire Star Wars saga and is from my favourite film out of all of them. I had the opportunity to get 75288 AT-AT near the end of last year and is one of my favourite LEGO sets in my collection. I wanted a LEGO AT-AT for a while so when 75288 was released I knew I had to get it. This version of the iconic Imperial assault vehicle is the best one LEGO has ever produced, to date. With a superb minifigure selection useful side builds and huge main build, the AT-AT is a fine addition to any Star Wars fans collection.

The AT-AT in-universe is the primary ground assault vehicle utilised by the Imperial Army. Unlike its predecessor, the Republic era All Terrain -Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE), the AT-AT has 4 legs and a taller structure, a design improvement over the Six-legged walkers used by the Republic. The AT-TEs were low to the ground and as a result were susceptible to landmine and anti-vehicle countermeasures which would destroy the AT-TE if it walked over them. The AT-AT removed this issue by having a heavily armoured hull and longer legs which prevent any damage which may be inflicted by mines to the main body. Of course, we know this unwittingly created the weakness exploited in the film where they could be toppled over by the Snowspeeders, due to their top-heavy nature.

We see the AT-AT many times throughout the saga but its most famous appearance has got to be in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” at the Battle of Hoth. The walker makes a few appearances in the comics and videogames and a brief scene on Endor in “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. This set is based on Episode V and was released to coincide with the film’s 40th anniversary in 2020.

I will start with some information about the set then get into the review.

• Name: AT-AT
• Set Number: 75288
• Year released: 2020
• RRP: £139.99
• Pieces: 1267
• Theme: Star Wars
• Minifigures: 6

LEGO AT-AT Minifigures

As usual I will start the review with my personal favourite aspect of the set, the minifigures. The first figure I will start with is the best in my opinion: General Veers. This is the 4th minifigure based on this particular character and it is undisputedly the best version. The face print resembles Julian Glover and has a stern expression on one side of the head and a smirking one, presumably for after the Imperials have destroyed the shield generator, on the other. The helmet piece is a great reuse of the mud trooper mould released in 2018 for the “Solo” wave, this time in sand blue. The additional details moulded on the helmet set this one apart from the other Veers figures. This is also the only Veers that features the google print on the helmet.

The torso is really nicely detailed and represents the combat armour worn by Veers. It is in sand blue to match the helmet and features the rank insignia on his chest, indicating he holds the rank of General.  The legs are plain grey which is a shame, some dual moulded legs would work really well for Veers and enhance the detail. Despite this the figure is still fantastic and only appears in this set so he is quite collectable. 9/10

The next figure is Luke Skywalker in his pilot jumpsuit. We’ve had this figure numerous times before in various sets but he’s still a nice inclusion to the set. The pilot’s torso and legs are really well detailed and have the flight vest and control box on the front leading into the legs. The legs have the pockets and straps on them and look good. The helmet is the same one as we saw in the 20th anniversary Snowspeeder, but it is much better than the 2018 dual moulded one which only featured in one set. The head print features the chin straps and goggles we see rebel pilots wear but this is clearly Luke rather than a generic pilot. On the other side of the head, the visor has been flipped up and Luke has a smile on his face, perhaps for when he has destroyed the AT-AT.

However, fans of the film will know that this figure has a few glaring inaccuracies. This figure is based on the X-wing jumpsuit from “Episode IV A New Hope” for some reason. The Episode V jumpsuit worn by Pilots on Hoth has a big puffy collar and white gloves. Also, the strap around Luke’s ankle should be on the other leg, and he should have a brown belt on his chest. I imagine this figure was included rather than an accurate one due to the cost a new print would incur, but it’s still disappointing, especially given the RRP of the set. Not exclusive and inaccurate but still a nice figure. 7/10

The next figures are the snowtroopers, they are both the same, but they have different head prints, which I will cover both here. The snowtroopers are a staple of any Hoth set so it’s great that LEGO included 2 here. They both use the newer style of snowtrooper helmets introduced in 2014 which capture the look of the onscreen counterparts remarkably well. The torsos and legs are the same as those in the Hoth action battle attack sets from 2019. They are both nicely detailed and feature the cold weather survival armour. The legs have the Kama printed on and they don’t have their backpacks unfortunately, neither did the 2019 ones. This is quite annoying as the 2014 Snowtroopers had both backpacks and the cloth Kama waist accessories, however I understand the reason for why they were left out, which I will cover later.

This set is actually a landmark in LEGO Star Wars infantry minifigures history. All 4 non-named infantry figures within the set feature generic heads with varied printing, to represent the people underneath. This is a refreshing change from the notorious “angry clone” head print which nearly every generic LEGO Star Wars infantry minifigure has had since 2013-14 despite many of the characters it has been used on not being Clones. Despite the fact some people may not care what’s under the figure’s helmets, it offers some variety to army builders or collectors which don’t want to have countless numbers of the same faceprint over and over again.

The snowtroopers have a young-looking generic face with a stern expression for one of them and an older looking soldier with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones and an equally serious expression. The consistency of these figures with the 2019 ones is good as people can army build this figure and put them with the AT-AT in either a diorama or a shelf display. The inclusion of individual face prints is a welcome inclusion and almost redeems the lack of Kama or Backpacks. 7/10

The next 2 figures are AT-AT pilots. Every LEGO AT-AT playset has come with one version or another of the AT-AT pilot. The 2 in the set are the newest variants and I’d say they’re probably the best so far. The helmet print is the most realistic design and is incredibly detailed. It has the imperial insignias at the top of the helmet, in dark red. The mouth grille is also intricately detailed in comparison to the last version. The printing on the body and legs matches up nicely and the colour scheme is consistent through both. The breathing pack is great and has an extensive level of detail on it. The pockets on the legs and creases increase the realism factor of the design and really make the figure stand out.

 

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Like the 2 snowtroopers, both the pilots have individual face prints. The first pilot has the generic cheekbone and stern expression print which has been used for a while, for characters like Bruce Wayne in the DC sets or Loki in the Marvel sets. The second pilot has a relatively new print, first used in the LEGO Harry Potter sets for Tom Riddle. The face works well as it has a menacing smirk which is similar to Veers’ alternate face print. Both the figures are great, it’s good that they included 2, unlike some previous versions. Great figures and quite collectable. These are perfect if you want to get every stormtrooper variant as they are hands down the best version of this particular trooper. 8/10

That’s all for the figures so I will move onto the build.

LEGO AT-AT Build

Side Builds

The set consists of 2 side builds and the main build. The side builds are a 74-z speeder bike like the ones in “Return of the Jedi” but in white, akin to the one in the 2003 LEGO AT-AT, and an Imperial E-WEB turret which we see in Episode V. These builds are both great and compliment the main build well. They add additional playability to the set too and both the speeder and the E-WEB have vastly improved since the first builds LEGO released for them years ago.

The speeder looks really sleek and clean in the white and black colour scheme, and the new E-WEB makes great use of the BB-9E head piece and the relatively new candle piece. My only complaints here are that the E-WEB doesn’t have the big power block we see in the film and more recently, ‘The Mandalorian’. Also the angling vanes on the front of the speeder can fall off relatively easily as there is a lack of friction in the connection.

Main Build

Now onto the main focus of the set, the AT-AT itself. The build is satisfying and is quite imposing when it is complete as it stands at about 35cm tall, so it dwarfs the minifigures, as the in-universe vehicle towers above the rebels in the film. This AT-AT makes full use of its interior, unlike some previous LEGO models. There is enough space inside the main body to fit 5 troopers, the E-WEB, and the speeder too. Both of the side panels are on technic arms so they can lift up to reveal full access to the inside. The chairs are in a nice sand blue colour which is accurate to their design in the Star Wars Universe, as is the speeder storage compartment, albeit scaled down. The seating area is the most likely reason for why the snowtroopers don’t have Kama or backpacks, as they wouldn’t fit on the chair elements if they had these accessories on.

The angles of the AT-AT are captured really well in the model and it looks like its on screen counterpart. The head is able to be posed however it has a rubber technic connector in the connection to the body which restricts its full range of movement. The head is the biggest area of improvement in this set. Not only is the design the most accurate to date, but it is the only LEGO AT-AT which can fit both of the pilots and General Veers inside. There are some 1×2 cheese slopes with the computer detailing printed on to act as the controls for the pilots. There are also a couple used to represent Veers’ command seat, where he can order the destruction of the rebel shield generator.

The faceplate is constructed with SNOT and fitted on with a friction hinge joint. The eyes are good but are a bit narrow so I added 2 1×2 translucent red plates and then the 1×2 cheese slopes. There are 2 spring loaded shooters on the underside of the head to simulate the chin cannons firing, these work well and add some playability. You can remove the bolts and they blend in nicely with the colour scheme if you want to keep the model for display only. There are a lot of interesting techniques used in the build particularly the angled bits under the side doors. These are made partially with SNOT and look great.

Another play feature of the set is the winch. In the film we see Luke Skywalker get out of his crashed Snowspeeder and use a grapple gun to winch himself to the underside of the walker and throw a Thermal Detonator into the main body to destroy the AT-AT. The winch works remarkably well and doesn’t detract from the build at all so if you don’t want to use it you don’t have to, but you don’t have to remove anything either. It is installed just behind the neck and the mechanism to wind it up or down is well integrated so you wouldn’t even know it was there upon first glance. There’s also a hatch which opens so you can put the Thermal Detonator accessory into the body if you want to recreate the scene.

The legs are all constructed identically and have the correct detailing, like the support bar connected to the inside of the leg. The knees and hips are on ratcheting joints which have a great range of motion and allow you to pose the AT-AT in a variety of ways. You can simulate it walking or leave it standing as it is, the options are there if you want it for play or display.

The last play feature is the speeder bike storage area. The back of the AT-AT body folds down and the hinge plate folds up allowing access to the inside of the body, where you can keep the speeder, either for reconnaissance or escape in the event the Walker crashes. This is a great storage solution and matches with the canonical storage of the bikes. Sometimes you can get sets which have great side builds but nowhere to store them but this set offers you places to keep them so the set can be kept all together. Another thing which was particularly good is the lack of stickers. All of the console detailing is made with printed 1×2 cheese slopes and the exterior detailing is all built up with pieces rather than stickers.

Final Thoughts

I really like the smooth look of this build and the level of detail it was able to capture. The figure selection is good but I wish we had gotten a new Snowspeeder Luke, however I am willing to look past that as the build is so good and obviously the main draw of the set. The Imperial minifigures are all great, despite the lack of the Kama or backpacks on the snowtroopers. The build is enjoyable, the finished product is impressive and looks great on display, whilst being a good playset too. Overall, I rate this set a 9/10.

 

Pictures via Brickset

 

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