AT-ST & Chewbacca - TVC - Vehicles (Exclusive)

If you’re looking for a case in point example of what is wrong with The Vintage Collection, you needn’t look further than the Fan Channel exclusive AT-ST & Chewbacca vehicle and figure set. Collectors of a 3.75-inch scaled line probably never needed to see an AT-ST vehicle released ever again, especially this tooling, and when fans think of the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi, this isn’t the kneejerk first impulse item we want. No, where is a re-released or updated Imperial Shuttle? Where was the Jabba The Hutt playset in Kenner-inspired packaging? We could go on and on here, but the point is that the egregiously overpriced AT-ST & Chewbacca set is setting the tone that things are grim for the Hasbro Star Wars brand and that we shouldn’t get our hopes up that we’ll see the stuff we’re desperate to see added to this format. How in the world is it possible that a vehicle Hasbro first released in 2009, and then MULTIPLE times through the years that followed, now has a set MSRP of $89.99? And with this ridiculous pricing, how is the included Chewbacca figure not carded? And why are they re-releasing the 2004 VOTC Chewbacca with this vehicle from 2009? It’s so painful to process that we’d think Hasbro was punking us if we didn’t know better. But this isn’t a joke, and we’re confident this is Hasbro’s attitude: “Here is your 40th Anniversary-focused toy for Return Of The Jedi. Take it or shut up.”

Compared to the original 2009 LC AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) Walmart exclusive and the one included with 2010’s SW [SOTDS] Attack On Hoth Target exclusive multipack, this one doesn’t necessarily rank any worse or better. However, Hasbro has released the best-looking AT-ST vehicle for your collection with the 2012 TVC Scout Walker (AT-ST) Kmart exclusive. And let us not forget about the dreadful Walmrt exclusive 2017 TBS [P3] Imperial AT-ST Walker And Imperial AT-ST Driver release. But all of the AT-STs released to date have gravity and balancing issues. So, why couldn’t Hasbro remedy this issue once and for all with this latest release? We managed to secure mostly general images for our Photo Gallery, but we can’t tell you how often the stupid thing toppled over in the middle of our photoshoot. It was maddening. Does the packaging save this vehicle? Probably. However, perhaps the best answer is that this release gives those who missed out on the original another option. Hasbro knows that the older collectors eat this stuff up, and they’re banking they’ve tugged hard enough on our heartstrings to get us to purchase this again, but that steam has run out. Many of us are willingly voting with our wallets lately. The box artwork for this release isn’t fantastic. Hasbro has an amateur photographer taking these pictures, and the inexperience shows. However, seeing the Return Of The Jedi entertainment logo emblazoned on the box art is lovely.

We have compared all three previous AT-STs with this release. They include the 2009 LC AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) vehicle, the one from 2010’s SW [SOTDS] Attack On Hoth exclusive set, and the 2012 TVC Scout Walker (AT-ST) vehicle. And it’s easy to assess which TVC version works best for dioramas and displays. The AT-STs are especially unstable in the shoulder and hip areas, which is frustrating and downright annoying. The potential fixes should have been relatively easy to remedy. However, we do adore the paint operations. Hasbro did well here. They managed to mimic the deco of an AT-ST from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi film (see our reference image to see what we mean). They replicated the “nose” scar perfectly. The gray is as exact as we’ll ever see in the Star Wars line. Previous versions have been too light or orange (or just off-color). But now we have a natural steel gray that looks unbelievably amazing. We still appreciate the articulated “eye” ports and the opening top hatches. But what we won’t get past is the included Chewbacca figure. It’s high time they upgraded or completely redone Chewbacca for The Vintage Collection. Every single dang Chewbacca figure’s base buck is the 2004 VOTC Chewbacca release. And it no longer meets expectations. Its legs inhibit any meaningful lower body movement. And Chewbacca can barely fit into the cockpit. It’s ridiculous. We proudly secured our sample on clearance when Best Buy blew it out for half price.