Lego Review: Star Wars AT-ST Walker

To assemble Lego is to travel back in time to a simpler age; an age that involved sitting on the floor to watch television and reading the backs of the General Mills box while consuming unholy amounts of sugary breakfast cereal. I challenge you, reader, to give into the urge the next time you are at the mall, slip into the Lego Store, take home a box of colored bricks and revel in the joy of these magical projects. In 2016, we are able to watch our Lego turn into replicas from our favorite movies, and on this day, we will be discussing the new Lego Star Wars set that puts an AT-ST Walker on your toy shelf (come on—I know you’ve got a toy shelf…or display…or display room).

The AT-ST Walker kit is a humble 449 pieces, but to unbox the three bags, it feels like more. Many of the bricks are not bricks at all but rather are the small detail pieces that turn a clunky pile of plastic into a Lego-accurate model of this two-legged terror first seen in Empire Strikes Back, hijacked by Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, and now appearing in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The detail and attention put into the design of these Star Wars kits is inspiring. I once believed that a pile of loose Lego could yield up any design my mind and hands could create… but upon seeing the carefully engineered knee joints or the toe covers of the AT-ST, I understand that this youthful dream is dead. That isn’t to say that these kits are any less satisfying to make, just that my adult, cynical brain won’t let me proceed with a licensed Lego project without first telling me, “You could never do this with your box of loose Lego upstairs.”

The kit assembles quickly, with only a few of the well-designed instruction panels requiring a second examination before executing correctly. My favorite part of the build was Step 21, where the neck joint is mated with a control knob on the back of the model. It allows the user/adult/child to turn the AT-ST head on a transfer gear. Love it!

There are seven decals that add some flair to the build, and they will likely require some adult assistance for the younger maker.

Once finished, the model has a few limitations. The only way to move the legs is at a stiff hip joint. To do it requires a finesse that a smaller hand might not possess, resulting in a spontaneous and possibly catastrophic disassembly. Also, despite the fact that my larger, gentler hands were able to move this hip joint, there was no way to pose the AT-ST in any other way but foot-by-foot without the Walker tipping over.

At this point, I realized that my jaded mind had tainted the review, and I found it necessary to evoke the opinion of my good, five-year-old Lego buddy, Z, in order to give proper praise to this kit. After seeing his new Porsche 911 Technic model that he and his father had recently completed, I showed Z the AT-ST, allowed him to play with it for a few minutes, and quizzed his innocent mind about its merits.

“I like the way the top opens. And the shooters.” And with that, I was back on track.

The top of the model has two openings; one is more movie accurate–a small port hole–while the second opening is the entire top of the piece, making it very easy to seat the included AT-ST Driver figure into his place at the helm of this Rebel killing beast.

There are two red plastic laser bolts that you can load and shoot from the toy. I loved that part of the neck construction included the building of the actual mechanism that would load and shoot these projectiles. I was a bit surprised to see that they were very powerful as they shot, and very narrow—a sure reminder that the age recommendation of 8-14 years is solid. Even then, play time may require a well-advised reminder from a supervising adult to avoid aiming the lasers at the eyes of others.

As mentioned, there are figures that accompany the set–the AT-ST Driver (with two faces!), a Rebel Trooper, and the named Baze Malbus. Look for him to be interacting with an AT-ST in the upcoming film.

All-in-all, this is a fun kit, a quick build, and a beautiful piece to enjoy. It is available in stores now, retailing for around $39.99.

Ryan McKinley
Author, podcaster, costumer and maker, Ryan has been enjoying Disney, Marvel and Star Wars since his first years of life and is thrilled to be able to pass that passion along to a new audience on LaughingPlace. Check out his award winning novels "The Pirate Bride" & "The Lost Crew" in bookstore nationwide.