AT-AT Driver - TSC - Basic (SAGA 009)

Do you ever scratch your head as to why Hasbro designs what would be a flawless action figure then just stops short by making shortcuts that hurts the overall aesthetics of the final figure? We think that The Saga Collection’s AT-AT Driver is a prime example of that. This figure may have what you would consider more than just a few issues, but for us it is almost perfect if it weren’t for the angle cut swivel joints. We have said it once and we will continue to say it every time it applies that it is better for a figure to have no elbow joints than swivel elbow joints. They are annoying, poorly constructed and don’t achieve the level of articulation needed to make your action figures look their best. Hasbro adamantly disagrees with this sentiment and they think this articulation is better than none. (They're wrong.) So the AT-AT Driver suffers from this decision. But despite this setback, the figure should make you extremely happy. Hasbro did a really fine job on getting a much needed update to a character that most fans love in the basic action figure line. Part of the Battle Of Hoth sub-collection (the second wave), the AT-AT Driver will undoubtedly be one of the most popular action figures in The Saga Collection.

Not that clearly seen in The Empire Strikes Back, the AT-AT Driver has quickly gained steadfast notoriety as one of the symbols of the Galactic Empire in the film. We mostly saw the back of their helmets, but if you looked hard enough on the widescreen version of the film, you could indeed see the front as well. The AT-AT Driver comes with 11 points of articulation. He doesn’t come with a waist joint, but what makes this worse is that his cod section has been assembled backwards. (The front is in the back and the back is in the front.) He also doesn't have articulated ankles. The chest box is not removable and this design allows it keep its place nice and straight on the front of the figure. The paint job is very good. Hasbro made use of multiple colors which serve as the blinking lights on the AT-AT Drivers chest box and they used a beautiful light gray color for his uniform. Hasbro created separately molded flight straps for added authenticity and as you can imagine they inhibit the movement of the figure a little bit. Still, we prefer the aesthetics of them being different pieces apart from the figure because it looks so much more realistic.

If you look carefully enough in Episode V, you will indeed see different AT-AT Driver helmets. In one shot you can see a red stripe going down the back of the helmet and in another shot the back of the helmet is all white. Hasbro has opted for this figure to be the all white version. This isn’t a mistake or something that was missed. This version of the AT-AT Driver is definitely screen accurate. There has been some debate over the accuracy of the shape of the helmet however on this figure. Many collectors have stated that it looks too squashed and narrow. We don’t know how to exactly respond to this. While we do think the helmet may be ever so slightly narrow, we still feel this figure looks rather fantastic. And it goes without saying how important of an update this figure is because before it we only had both The Power Of The Force versions (the pack-in to the Imperial AT-AT and the Freeze Frame exclusive figure). Just like General Veers, there will undoubtedly be better versions coming down the pike. But that doesn’t mean that this figure isn’t very good because it is. (Editor’s Note: Hasbro updated the AT-AT Driver BD49 in 2009’s Legacy Collection.)