AT-AT (#4483)

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love bricklink. You can't beat it for buying (or selling) Star Wars Lego. It's way better than eBay.

I think a small part of my obsession with Star Wars Lego is now I finally get a chance to collect all the Star Wars vehicles and ships I never could when I was growing up. Let's not kid ourselves though, I'd still be doing this even if I had them all when I was younger.

The moment the All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT, stepped onto the screen, you knew the rebel forces were in trouble. Heavily armored and virtually indestructable, unless you have a harpoon and tow cable handy. Who would've figured that as being a weakness? High center of gravity, long legs, you do the math...


Here it is... the little yellow pieces sticking out on top are only temporary. There was a slight mix-up in packaging, but the replacement parts are on their way.


For some reason, I've always liked the AT-AT driver, his suit just seems cool to me. But then again, I'm probably not a leading authority on cool. I want to check out the instructions for the motorized version to see if there's a way to retro-fit this one with a head that can go up and down as well as side to side.


Two pull-out crew compartments (one on each side), total seating for four snowtroopers.


Here it is, with the seat pulled out.


There is a snow speederbike which docks in the back. Don't bother rewinding the Hoth battle scenes, you won't see it anywhere in the movie...


Speederbike removed and trooper mounted up and ready to go.

This is a great set, and goes very well with my two snowspeeders and the Hoth playset. I'm looking forward to August when the other Hoth set comes out (Han & a tauntaun, a couple more rebel troopers and snow troopers).

Armored Assault Tank (#8018)

Yet another set from the Clone Wars series. I like this design over the original (#7155, Federation AAT). It is bigger and has improved hinges and swivels.


Here's the profile view. The gun pods on either side rotate up and down. The black guns also double as flick-fire missiles.


Front view. The turret on top swivels smoother and easier than the original version does. Several people complained on the Lego site that the turret doesn't rotate 360 degrees. It's not supposed to, but if you want to make it go all the way around there are only two small pieces you need to remove.


Top hatch opens to view the pilot.


Turret hatch opens for the gunner. This is a nice improvement as well, the old version had notched hinges so it could lock in place. The drawback with that was the hatch lid usually comes off as you try to open it.


Rear view.


The sled folds down...


...and comes out. There is room in the back for the other battle droid.


And Yoda. He looks much better than the original version.

The set also comes with three super battledroids with the "rocket launcher" arms and a clone trooper. It's a great set, nice size, and the right amount of minifigs.