The Good: Good sculpt, Decent accessory, Good balance
The Bad: Low collectibility, More articulated versions exist.
The Basics: The necessary supplement to most people’s Power Of The Force AT-AT, the exclusive AT-AT Driver figure is all right, but not incredible.
Recently, when I dug out my Power Of The Force Imperial AT-AT Walker toy (reviewed here!), I was pleasantly surprised to find packed away in it the Power Of The Force AT-AT Driver I got right around the same time. The figure is a good supplemental figure, largely because the AT-AT comes with only one, but there have since been more articulated and sophisticated versions of the AT-AT Driver. That said, the Power Of The Force AT-AT Driver meets all one’s real needs for an AT-AT Driver; the characters were only seen briefly, always seated, piloting the AT-ATs! One does not need a removable helmet or super articulation for the figure.
For those unfamiliar with AT-AT Driver, they are the Imperial officers aboard the AT-AT vehicles on Hoth at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). These are basically Stormtroopers with gray jumpsuits and red detailing on the helmet, in addition to tubes that connect to a chest control panel.
The 4" AT-AT Driver figure is decent and fleshes out the overall Star Wars universe, but it is hardly an indispensable or even exciting action figure.
Basics
AT-AT Driver is a humanoid Imperial pilot, seen very briefly in The Empire Strikes Back. The figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his helmeted head. AT-AT Driver is dressed in a gray Imperial jumpsuit with a white helmet that is very similar to that of a Stormtrooper. The outfit is clean, which makes sense because AT-AT Driver just sits in the cockpit, with should be pretty clean! The AT-AT Driver figure is cast in monotones, lacking realistic shading, though the characters were very clean and un-subtle. The figure is made entirely of hard plastic.
This toy is a decent sculpt, looking precisely like the imperial pilot, which is easy considering all of his skin is covered. The AT-AT Driver is fairly bland in his coloring detail, though that is accurate for the monotones of the outfit and the helmet. There is no sense of shading to costume. The gloved fingers are molded to hold either of his accessories in either hand. The figure has enough detailing to make it worthwhile, though things like the safety harness straps are molded on as opposed to layered on after the sculpt was complete, as later versions of the figure did.
Accessories
The AT-AT Driver, pilot for the Empire, comes packed with only one accessory: his blaster pistol. The one and one-half inch long choking hazard fits in either of the AT-AT Driver's hands. This is a monolithically molded black plastic blaster that is simple and looks a little large for his hand. Still, the surface detailings, like the scope and power pack are pretty cool and this looks wicked in AT-AT Driver's hand!
As part of the Power Of The Force toy line, the AT-AT Driver was given a Freeze Frame action slide. This is a very simple slide (like for a slide projector) which features a frame of the AT-ATs marching across Hoth!
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and the AT-AT Driver is fair in that regard. The figure is poorly articulated, but he does have decent balance. The AT-AT Driver lacks significant articulation to make him a big fighter, or even sit down properly. When the figure is posed flatfooted, he is solid as far as the balance goes! He comes with only six points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and waist. The elbows do not extend, so all arm posing is straight-armed. In addition to standing fine when flatfooted, he may be posed in more outlandish poses on playsets because of the holes in the soles of his feet. They may be stuck in pegs on various playsets. With those, he may stand even better.
Collectibility
The AT-AT Driver is part of the Power Of The Force four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was incredibly common. The AT-AT Driver was not overproduced and was originally released only as an exclusive figure through the Star Wars Insider, the fan club magazine. However, since several subsequent sculpts have been released, this figure has been devalued and is hard to recommend to anyone other than those who have the Power Of The Force AT-AT and need a supplemental pilot.
Overview
Once a decent figure for those who could not afford the AT-AT, yet had a love of obscure Imperial pilots, the Power Of The Force AT-AT Driver is now objectively good, but practically hard to recommend and comparatively inferior.
For other Power Of The Force figures from The Empire Strikes Back, please check out my reviews of:
Spirit Of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ugnaughts 2-pack
Princess Leia Organa in Hoth Gear
Snowtrooper
C-3PO with removable limbs
2-1B Medic Droid
Zuckuss
Bossk
Captain Piett
Hoth Luke Skywalker
Yoda
Luke Skywalker In Dagobah Fatigues
4-LOM
Hoth Han Solo
Dengar
R2-D2
5/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please be sure to visit my Star Wars Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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