When The Empire Strikes Back hit the screen way back in 1980, there was a lot to take in that was completely new to us. Massive blockbusters that are equally massive in scope are commonplace today, but in 1980 the notion of what a space epic could be was still being defined, and it was being defined by Star Wars. Among a multitude of moments that left our mouths hanging open in complete awe, the sight of the Imperial AT-AT making its way toward the Rebel base on Hoth was absolutely incredible, and it’s still one of the defining images from the entire Star Wars saga, referenced again and again in meme-form every time some random city gets some snow. We had never seen anything like that before, and Kenner’s AT-AT became THE toy to get when it was released, along with one other vital element — the Driver. What we’re looking at here is Hasbro’s update of the AT-AT Driver in 6-inch form. Let’s take a closer look!
Standard and familiar Black Series packaging. The white and gray of the figure contrast nicely with the red backdrop. But in the trash the box goes. I’d imagine the entire lineup to this point probably looks pretty great in a carded/boxed collection, but I find these boxes get easier and easier to toss with each subsequent release.
The Driver’s sculpt is spot-on for what I remember of the AT-AT Drivers from the movie, and it’s an excellent update of the original Kenner figure (see below). What’s great about the Stormtroopers is they don’t suffer from a lack of paint apps the way the human characters do. Not that there’s an abundance of paint apps or anything — they just don’t suffer from the lack of them. The vast majority of the necessary colors here come from the color of the plastic he’s molded in, which is adequate. The few paint details are clean and crisp and look good. He could do with some weathering though, I think, because he looks so factory fresh, but that’s just a personal preference and not completely necessary. The Empire’s troops often appeared impeccably outfitted, so I’d imagine this was the norm for AT-AT Drivers.
Vehicle-specific figures are an odd thing to get without their respective vehicle because that particular vehicle provides all the context that makes the character and figure necessary in the first place. When The Empire Strikes Back came out and the market was awash in that massive deluge of Star Wars product, I had the Kenner AT-AT Driver, but I never had that big, glorious AT-AT. The one you’re seeing here was literally rescued from the trash a short while ago, and, as luck would have it, the original Driver was even sitting in the cockpit — I freaked. So even though it’s not the same scale at all, I like posing my Black Series Snowtrooper and AT-AT Driver with it. It works as a background prop, and it helps to have an actual AT-AT represented in some capacity to give the Driver purpose and context because without that vehicle … what is he, really?
This was always my favorite variation on the original Stormtrooper helmet because it almost looks like a spacesuit with a breathing apparatus, almost as though this guy was something in between a Stormtrooper and Darth Vader. Since I never had the AT-AT growing up, I used to pretend this guy was just that — a Stormtrooper specialist who was able to go places the standard trooper wasn’t. It gave me something to do with him since he didn’t have an AT-AT cockpit to sit in.
In terms of articulation, he’s pretty standard. There are no major shortcomings and there are no new revelations. I still wish every figure had both double elbows and double knees, but what we get here feels adequate. The tubes that extend from the back of his helmet don’t hinder his head articulation that much, fortunately. I mean, they do, but it isn’t awful, and I can get his head positioned how I’d like it without too much fuss. The straps that hang over his legs move easily and are flexible enough that they don’t get in the way at all, so that feels like a win here. You can see all of that in action in Robo’s video review.
This was a figure I wasn’t sure I even wanted when Amazon put those preorders up back in August, mainly because he feels kinda pointless without an actual AT-AT to pilot, but having him in hand brought me straight back to the day when he was my “super Stormtrooper,” so I’m enjoying having him in that respect. His design is cool enough that I think he’s a worthy addition to the Original Trilogy collection, so I’d recommend tracking down one (or more) if you can.
