Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike - POTJ - Vehicles (Exclusive)

To destroy the second Death Star, the Rebels need to gain control of the shield generator on Endor. Just before the battle begins, the wily Ewok, Paploo, commandeers an Imperial speeder bike and creates a diversion that enables the Rebel strike team to infiltrate the bunker. The Rebel team, lead by Han Solo and Princess Leia, is soon surrounded by Emperor Palpatine's finest troops and pinned down by an Imperial AT-ST. Just when it looks as if the Rebels will be beaten, the Ewoks ambush the Imperial army in a pivotal battle between technological brawn of the Empire and the organic resourcefulness of the Ewok tribe.

Does an exclusive become more appealing by the inclusion of the yet-to-be-released character pack-in figure, or should the actual exclusive (in this case, the vehicles themselves) be the factor that should draw collectors towards it? It’s a loaded question, but one we has asked ourselves when it comes to the Toys R Us exclusive Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike multipack exclusive which is part of the Power Of The Jedi line. It’s always nice to find new exclusives in a gorgeous diorama setting, but the two vehicles that make up this set have become quite tired and it feels like more of the same. Hasbro likes to keep core vehicles in the lineup throughout the various product years, but this time this one may not be effective in grasping the collecting community like previous exclusives have done in the past. Admittedly, most will be drawn by the fact that Hasbro has included a “new” Ewok in this exclusive. Paploo, the Ewok who stole a Biker Scout’s Speeder Bike so the Rebels could penetrate the Endor bunker, is also one of the original vintage Kenner figures from 1984. It’s nice to see an update to this character, although we’re struggling to see the resemblance at all. The Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike exclusive is about average quality. It excites us as much as it does disappoints us, so maybe the frills of it being new are working towards its advantage. Because the contents inside really aren’t that overwhelming.

The Imperial AT-ST has gone through its share of metamorphosis over the years. Now it’s been completed in a style to recreate its presence on Endor. Though colored in a medium to dark gray, Hasbro has added plenty of greenness to the feet and lower legs of the vehicle to show that this is a vehicle sourced from the Battle of Endor. As mentioned, the vehicle is really aged at this point. It has nice proportions from its side views, but when looking at this head on or from the back, you really begin to realize just how out of scale it is and how its proportions aren’t accurate. Still, Hasbro did what they could to make it as fresh as possible again. The gimmicky walking feature is still present (complete with labeled STAND and WALK switch). By pressing the button on the vehicle’s back, you can recreate a walking (stomping) motion with the legs and feet which is perhaps fun, but not entirely screen accurate. The Imperial AT-ST has an interesting paint job. It perhaps comes across a little too colorful in our opinion. But those that want every vehicle release to be unique should be happy that this one is quite different from the ones released in the past. An updated AT-ST Driver might have befit this exclusive set the best as the Imperial AT-ST is really the focal point of this exclusive. Even an updated Biker Scout/Scout Trooper may have sealed the deal a little more strongly for us as well.

One vehicle that has overstayed its welcome in the Hasbro line is the Speeder Bike. Yes, it’s a cool small-sized vehicle and the versions of it that Hasbro have released throughout the years are always acceptable. But now is the time for the Speeder Bike to receive an all-new sculpt. The vehicle still cannot “sit up” by itself, so unless you have it in your hands zooming it around in the air, you’ll probably be disappointed in its resting posture. It’s been given an all-new paint job, but looks very similar to past iterations. The best part of the included Speeder Bike is the pack-in figure that’s meant to ride it. Welcome Paploo the modern Star Wars line for the very first time, collectors. Sadly, Paploo doesn’t look at all like the onscreen character. This is mostly due to the fact that Hasbro utilized the Logray sculpt from the 1998 POTF2 Ewoks: Wicket & Logray two-pack from the Freeze Frame series of the line and gave it an all-new head sculpt. But frankly, Hasbro has done a very poor job at sculpting the new portrait as well as decorating it to look like Palpoo. We believe however that collectors will still be excited to get a new Ewok in the basic figure line, especially one that checks off one of the original vintage Kenner figures. Overall, the Imperial AT-ST & Speeder Bike Toys R Us release is somewhere between fair and good. We appreciate the focus on Episode VI for a diorama styled exclusive, but all of the pieces included are already screaming for updates.