Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,884: AT-ST Driver (The Vintage Collection)

AT-ST DRIVER Photoreal Richard Marquand Edition
The Vintage Collection Walmart Exclusive Action Figures
Item No.: No. F3115
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #190
Includes: Blaster, harness, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.93
Availability: July 2021
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: AT-ST Drivers control the two-legged transports used by Imperials in both the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor. (Stolen from Walmart's ordering page. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This AT-ST Driver sat next to my desk for months before opening it - I just wasn't in a rush, and since Walmart didn't sell out if it, apparently you weren't either. This figure is a redeco of a retool - the mold is over 10 years old, but this particular version uses a Richard Marquand head - which debuted later as a Kmart exclusive - and gives it photoreal paint. It's pretty essential as the only "vintage" carded AT-ST Driver, and if you take the helmet off it's a really nice Richard Marquand head you can use for your Jagged Edge making-of dioramas.

For a modified figure that's over 10 years old, this is excellent. It's a super-articulated body (pre-weird hip joints) so you get 22 points of articulation. The sculpt is nice and clean, but what I love about this one is that even though the legs are sculpted apart when he's standing, they swing forward and get closer together. He just slides right in the AT-ST's seat with zero fuss. That's a perfect pilot figure right there! It helps that he also has swivel wrists and jointed elbows, so you can get some pretty good poses out of somebody whose sole purpose is to occupy a seat in a small box on stilts. This is a well-made toy figure that is also a nice figure for collectors.

As mentioned before you could buy him at Kmart in a 2-pack, but this one is an upgrade - the head has pretty good photoreal paint that seems to shave a few years off the director of the third movie. He looks good! Not much else to say - but if you disagree, you can leave the helmet on. It slides off and on easily with the chin strap not getting in the way, which is in and of itself a notable feat. Sometimes it's a nuisance, here it's a joy.

Considering that this is an older figure brought back to market, it holds up remarkably well. It does everything I want a pilot figure to do, plus it has a secret cameo by the film's director. There's even an Imperial cog on the shoulder. What more could you ask for? Vintage packaging - and you got that too. If for some reason you missed this one, and he's still available, he's worth the $13. There's probably little chance of them making a more perfect and easy-to-use pilot for your vehicles, and it's a great example of them looking in their tooling library and saying "this is as good as it's going to get."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,884: December 23, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,955: AT-ST Driver

AT-ST DRIVER Endor AT-ST Crew
The Vintage Collection Kmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. A1116 No. A0398
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Packaged with AT-ST Gunner, helmet, blaster
Action Feature: Removable helmet
Retail: $14.99
Availability: October 2012
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: These two Imperial troopers find themselves in trouble when they encounter a couple of Ewoks and one giant Wookiee.  The unlucky driver is knocked unconscious by Widdle Warrick, Wunka and Chewbacca.  The gunner fares no better: he is unceremoniously tossed out of the vehicle by the trio.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary: This is a really interesting one.  The AT-ST Driver is director Richard Marquand, best-known is the dude who helmed Return of the Jedi.  The card game identifies the character as "Major Marquand," but Hasbro gives him a less specific name despite having a head which looks more than a little like the director.  The figure's super-articulated 14-joint body was used with a Hoth AT-ST Driver in 2010, but was given a number of upgrades.  For starters, the helmet now has goggles stuck to it and it looks way, way better than the separate goggles.  They're also given green lenses, which look quite distinctive.  The head is particularly lively, the color of plastic looks great even in dim light and the eyes have a tiny simulation of a spark of life behind them, thanks in part to a good choice of paint and a couple of very small, very subtle wrinkles.  Sure, he looks plastic, but the figure manages to feel just a little more alive than others.  I'm loath to keep him behind a helmet, it just looks so well done.  This AT-ST Driver is good in so many ways that the Vintage boxed AT-ST vehicle isn't.

The blaster is a typical Stormtrooper blaster, but here's where things get weird.  There was supposed to be another change to the figure which you can see on the package, which either the factory (this is my guess) or Hasbro (not as likely) left out for some reason.  There are straps on the figure's shoulders and belt, just like the 2010 version.  However the packaging shows a couple of minor sculpting changes, including a holster for the blaster!    Given that this might get in the way of a figure sitting down inside the vehicle, I am not completely sorry to see it go.  It fits in the AT-ST head just fine, and is, if you ask me, the very best AT-ST Driver action figure your money can buy as of today.

Should this set wind up on clearance, I think I'm more likely to clear Kmart out of these guys than the Ewoks.  They're really well-done, and I honestly did not anticipate liking them so much.   I've got three "modern" AT-STs needing 2 pilots each, so should these ever go down to $10 or less, I'm cleaning them out.  For $15 it's an amazing value and it's a wonder Hasbro opted to leave these off the Vintage cardbacks.  Actually, I thank Hasbro for NOT putting them in the main line because unlike the 1990s, today, the only way you can pretty much be guaranteed to (eventually) find a figure is if it's a store exclusive.  The regular line stuff remains elusive these days.

Collector's Notes: DON'T PANIC!  Kmart exclusives are generally quite common and wind up on clearance, but are slow to roll out.  Also, Kmart's web site is notorious for filling orders with the wrong products.  I suggest being patient and/or networking here, as the numbers tell us Hasbro made a good number of these and they should be plentiful in the next few months.  The packaging is really nice too, although it's astonishingly wasteful.  It's about twice the size as it needs to be, you could cram the Ewoks in this box and have room to spare.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,955: December 11, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,802: AT-ST Driver

AT-ST DRIVER Another One
30th Anniversary Collection Target Exclusive Battle Pack
Item No.: Asst. 87565 No. 87567 
Number: n/a
Includes: Helmet, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: November 2007
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio:  The Rebel Alliance learns that the Empire is building a second Death Star and that the Emperor is on board overseeing its construction. The Rebels plan to destroy the station, but a deflector shield protects it from attack. Han, Chewie, Leia, Luke, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are sent to Endor to disable the shield. After being chased by Scout Troopers, they are befriended by the native Ewoks, who join their fight against the Empire. Han tricks the Stormtroopers into letting him into their bunker and shuts down the shield. Rebels and Ewoks battle the Stormtroopers, with Chewie arriving ot help his friends in a captured AT-ST Walker. With the shield down, the Rebel fleet destroys the Death Star, ending Emperor Palpatine's rule.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary:  This AT-ST Driver was a great example of Hasbro exploiting its existing mold library when coming out with one of the best-ever exclusives for the price.  The big boxed set included numerous repaints and a few new guys, but this was one of the highlights in the set.  The head is a reuse of a 2002 Rebel Trooper, now with gray hair.  The body is a repainted 2003 Han Solo (AT-ST disguise/Endor Strike) outfit, which itself was a retool of the 2001 Imperial Officer figure.  The outfit was painted a little more green, given a little more detail, and presto-- instant "new mold" AT-ST Driver.  (A Super-Articulated AT-ST Driver would be sold at Target in 2010.)  This one is quite good and definitely meets the "good enough" criteria for an above-average vehicle driver figure.  the sculpt may not be the most current, but he has no problems sitting plus has limited elbow articulation and a swell communicator sculpted right in to his hand.  Some of you articulation fiends hate everything, but there's no denying this is a quality figure released, as a part of a boxed set, at an excellent price.   Had Hasbro carded it, it probably would have sold fairly well.   I'm actually somewhat surprised Hasbro hasn't cranked this one out for more gift sets.

Collector's Notes: Similar-but-different AT-ST Drivers were included with the Ultimate Battle of Hoth set and Walmart's exclusive AT-ST.  The Endor set, boxed, on eBay seems to go for as little as $60 and as high as $250.  At $80 or less, it's well worth owning, even for just the exclusive Ewoks and the logs.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,802: May 10, 2012

Figure of the Day: Day 318: Han Solo (Endor Strike)

HAN SOLO Endor Strike
Saga Collection
Item No.: Asst. 84715 No. 84775
Number: 0419
Includes: Blaster, helmet, display base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: Spring 2002
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Han led a strike team to the moon of Endor, to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star high in orbit. Han had to get inside the Imperial bunker to disable the generator. Commandeering the uniform of an AT-ST driver, Han pretended to be an Imperial trooper. Using a communicator. he told the forces in the bunker that the Rebels were fleeing into the woods and reinforcements were needed. The troopers opened the bunker, and Han and his team attacked. With the help of the native Ewoks, the Rebel strike team defeated the Imperial forces and destroyed the generator, paving the way for victory at the Battle of Endor. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' floor.

Commentary: This particular version of Han Solo both kind of did and didn't appear in the movie. In a brief shot, you could see an AT-ST Driver message inside the Imperial Bunker for help, and according to the script, that's Han in disguise. The movie went by really quick so most viewers never could figure out who it was supposed to be, but Hasbro picked up on this and cobbled together a figure based on this scenario-- and it's pretty cool! They took a 2001 Imperial Officer, gave it a new head, retooled a hand and gave it a communicator, and after adding a helmet, came up with this nifty design. The articulation is good, he can sit inside a vehicle, and is arguably the best AT-ST Driver to ever be sold on an individual card-- except for maybe the 1984 Return of the Jedi release. Still, with 10 points of articulation, he's plenty good and overall better decorated than the version packaged in the Toys "R" Us exclusive Imperial Forces gift set. Plus there's really nothing better than a figure in disguise-- it's like getting two figures in one!

Collector's Notes: This figure was repackaged in late 2004 in the Original Trilogy Collection packaging, which was (in most markets) much more common than the original Saga version. It also looks a lot better.

Day 318: March 20, 2007

Figure of the Day: Day 161: AT-ST Driver

AT-ST DRIVER with Blaster Rifle and Pistol
Power of the Force Collection 2 and 3
Item No.: Asst. 69605 No. 69623
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster Rifle, Pistol, Freeze Frame (on later releases)
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.99
Availability: January 1997
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Imperial Army pilots were the Galactic Empire's support personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of a variety of vehicles, such as the AT-AT and AT-ST, within the Imperial Army. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: The toy shelves of Adam Pawlus.

Commentary: When this figure first hit, people were thrilled. Some thought that the new AT-ST Driver was meant to be director Richard Marquand, who had a cameo as the ground walker pilot. This figure was released roughly 17 months after the AT-ST, at which point it was more than a little tricky to find the then-slow selling chicken walker. The figure itself was a new version of an old favorite, as the vintage AT-ST Driver was an excellent figure for its day. This beefy upgrade added a waist joint and extra guns, and fit in the vehicle quite nicely. (Or nicely enough, as POTF2 figures and pilots were not what you would call "play tested" before release.) The figure was improved on later during the modern Star Wars line, but this first release is pretty gosh darn good-- it stands out as an early highlight of the line, and was one of the first individually carded Return of the Jedi figures. (Actually, #3 if memory serves.) The coloring is great, the sculpt is good, and while it's a little primitive, it makes a great pilot figure.

Collector's Notes: The figure was very popular, and remained so when a Freeze Frame variant came out later-- which it turned out was a little hard to find. Realizing the body was perfect for multiple figures, fans requested Hasbro reuse it to make other characters. Sure enough, they did-- the Imperial Scanning Crew Tech was first released in 1998, and used this body with a new head and retooled hands. The same figure was repainted and released as the Imperial Trooper in 2004 as an unofficial Fan's Choice rerelease. Fans looking for the perfect AT-ST Driver may wish to check out the Toys "R" Us Imperial Forces gift set, or the Han Solo in AT-ST Driver disguise figure from 2004. Which are good, but not perfect-- their goggles can't cover the figure faces like this release can, which for my money makes this original POTF2 AT-ST Driver my favorite modern release.

Day 161: October 14, 2006