Figure of the Day: Day 1,219: AT-AT Commander

AT-AT COMMANDER with AT-AT
Power of the Force Vehicle Pack-In
Item No.: No. 69733
Manufacturer: Kenner
Number: n/a
Includes: AT-AT, AT-AT Driver
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $79.99
Availability: Summer 1997
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: The stern and polished General Maximillian Veers is completely loyal to the Empire. He launches an invasion to destroy the Rebels' shield generator protecting the base from attack. (Taken from his Assault on Hoth Bio.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' yard.

Commentary: For some reason, figures were really growing tall in the 1990s. This AT-AT Commander (later, General Veers) was huge, towering over other figures to the point of ridiculousness. On the bright side, he looked pretty good, and was primarily designed to sit inside the AT-AT. Since he was made before Hasbro started experimenting with skirts more, he has no trouble sitting in an AT-AT canopy and should be your go-to figure for all your pilot needs. After, of course, you use the drivers. The facial detail is nothing special, although it did look better than many other human figures released around the time. The armor and limbs are perfectly fine, and do look a lot like those of Grand Moff Tarkin and Piett.

13 years on it's not going to win any beauty pageants, but it gets the job done and it certainly holds together well. The 1997 release with vehicle has no blaster, but the 2005 release in the battle pack does include a chunky POTF2-era Stormtrooper rifle.

Collector's Notes: First released in 1997, the figure was packaged with the first modern release of the AT-AT. In 2005, he was repackaged in the Toys "R" Us exclusive Assault on Hoth Battle Pack. While he was essentially unchanged, it's notable that the diorama on the back of the box showed the 1982 AT-AT Commander rather than the modern figure-- a rare instance of Hasbro using a vintage Kenner figure in modern packaging photography. The 2006 General Veers figure has removable armor and more articulation, but is not capable of sitting quite so easily-- so get either, as each is better in different ways. Yet another AT-AT Commander figure is coming in or around August 2010.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,219: February 15, 2010