Battle of the AT-ATs

After several weeks of concentrated building, the AT-AT collection is now complete!  Today's build was the 2020 version (75288), following a Friday night build of the USC motorized version (10178). That adds to the three other versions I already had built, plus the First Order Assault Walker... and having done all but one of these in the last couple of weeks, I'll be glad to move onto something without four legs.

First, a few thoughts on the builds from the last 24 hours and then a comparison across the full gamut.  Taking the UCS motorized version first, this was obviously a 2nd hand Ebay purchase.  The seller had clearly done some work to replace the worst of the yellowed pieces as there were some more recent molds in there instead of the 2007 contemporary ones.  I also then replaced another 30 or 40 parts from spares/bricklink and am now passably happy that this is in ok condition. 

The build was fun and quite different from the rest of the AT-ATs being very focussed on the technic substructure rather than using bricks.  As such, it's actually quite light compared to its siblings.  There's a reasonable amount of detail but this isn't the focus of the set.  I may be wrong but I think this is the last verion that has the nice printed dishes, which is now what makes this set so expensive. 

Rather, it's the pretty cool mechanism which allows the AT-AT to walk and move the cockpit from side to side.  Here's a video (might be sideways... sorry):

One thing I didn't appreciate at the time is that it's the only version without the big technic rotation joints, for obvious reasons.  

Then we move on to the most recent addition to the squad.  The 2020 version comes with a speeder bike which can be loaded into the rear, which harks back to the original 2003 version.  You also get two drivers and two snow troopers in addition to General Maximillian and the obligatory Luke.  A nice feature of this version is that you can open a flap at the front of the body and wind Luke up and down. 

In terms of detail, this one is definitely my favourite since the 2003 version.  The rear end is pretty movie accurate and I like the use of the three technic steering wheels in the neck.  The modern range of angled plates also means that the various plates can be joined up much more closely than they used to be.  One other touch I like is that this is the first not to use technic steering rods as the stabilisers for the feet - it's surprisingly nice to have a change on this!

So... to compare the full set.  I think the full size AT-AT family is as follows:

• 2003: 4483 with 1070 parts and 4 minifigs
• 2007: 10178 UCS version with 1121 parts and 4 figs
  
• 2010: 8129 with 782 parts and a whopping 8 figs
• 2014: 75054 with 1107 parts and 5 figs
• 2020: 75288 with 1243 parts and 6 figs
• And to include the 2017 Assault Walker (75189) with 1355 parts and 5 figs

 

A few things which struck me in comparing the full set... firstly the 2020 version very much harks back to the original 2003 version in terms of size and design.  Clearly, it can make use of the much wider brick palette available now but the 2003 version must have been a tour de force at the time and I reckon that it's only just been bettered 17 years later.  The 2010 version is a disappointment with not very much to recommend it apart from the range of figs; the 2014 version is a touch better but key observation 2 is that it very much follows the design of the 2010 version.  The UCS version is the widest of the set and is a good balance between the USP of being able to move but also delivering quite a bit of detail.

Favourites... 2020, 2003 and then 2007 UCS. 

Finally... the gossip is that this year's record-breaking set will be a huge AT-AT.  Whlie I do have a fondness for these from my childhood of endlessly watching the original trilogy, I'm not massively enthused by the thought of this.  Let's see...