Figure of the Day: Day 349: AT-RT Driver

AT-RT DRIVER Missile-Firing Blaster
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 85664
Number: III-54
Includes: Blaster, firing launcher, projectile, "damaged" armor
Action Feature: Firing Blaster is big enough to bludgeon most large housepets
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Specially trained Clone Troopers operate AT-RTs (All Terrain Recon Transports) on patrol and reconnaissance missions across the jungle terrain of the planet Kashyyyk. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray. Pictured with the Elite Corps Trooper, Kashyyyk Trooper, and Commander Gree.

Commentary: Some scenarios have been treated better than others when it comes to toys-- Hasbro seems particularly keen on Kashyyyk, for example, with figures like this AT-RT Driver, a nicely articulated plaything and a bit of a surprise considering a "dedicated" pilot was included with the AT-RT vehicle rendering a separate figure somewhat unnecessary. Still, I'm quite pleased this figure exists-- mostly. The figure itself is great. You get all the articulation you've come to expect from a Clone, except the waist is a normal joint and not anything vaguely ball-joint-y. He even has snap-on "damaged" armor for his chest, so he can look... well, frankly fat. But fat and battle-worn. Depending on your dioramas it looks like it might be pretty good, and it is a fun added action feature.

The figure has some nifty accessories. Some aren't so nifty though-- sure, that snap-on armor is a neat idea. The firing blaster, though, is about as large as the figure itself-- it's ridiculous. He can't even barely hold it. At least if they made it like a bazooka it might look vaguely natural carrying it, the weapon is so large that it's essentially the biggest and goofiest accessory since the POTF2 TIE Fighter Pilot's larger rifle was made in 1996. Sure, it fires, but it's not exactly sized for this scale of figure. The other blaster-- the one that doesn't fire-- is pretty cool and designed to be worn over his shoulder. However, if the figure actually holds the weapon, the strap... sort of levitates funny. It just doesn't look good. So if you keep the small rifle over his shoulder and the big one in the junk drawer, you'll be fine.

Collector's Notes: This figure was pretty popular in 2005 as it provided fans with yet another trooper to buy en masse. It was so popular that Hasbro invented a couple more color schemes for it-- an all-white version in 2006 and an orange Utapau-themed version in 2007. Both are pretty awesome. They both drop the large firing rocket, but the orange version tweaked the smaller blaster to drop the shoulder strap-- an improvement, if you ask me, so now he can actually hold the thing without looking like he's in some anti-gravity field. Anyway, the original one is still arguably the best, so if you see the Kashyyyk version featured here for a fair price, buy one or two. It's a nice addition to your Kashyyyk forces. I will say, though, that it would be very nice to see Hasbro re-release and/or retool the AT-RT so we have some more vehicles for these brave pilots.

Day 349: April 20, 2007