Review: 75177 First Order Heavy Scout Walker
Posted by CapnRex101,
75177 First Order Heavy Scout Walker has received some robust criticism since being revealed, due in no small part to its unusual appearance. We have yet to see the vehicle in any trailers or promotional material but I tend to agree with the overwhelming sentiment that an eight-legged walker like this does not really fit with the existing aesthetic of the AT-series.
However, the walking mechanism demonstrated on the packaging is quite intriguing and models of a similar size such as 75153 AT-ST Walker have proven popular in recent years. In addition, the inclusion of a rare General Hux minifigure provides a further incentive to add this set to your collection, particularly if the price of £49.99 or $49.99 proves to be as reasonable as the piece count of 554 would suggest.
Minifigures
General Hux has only previously appeared in 75104 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle so is perhaps the most appealing of the four minifigures included. His unique officer's cap has been replaced by a dark orange hair piece on this occasion and the head is decorated with matching sideburns and eyebrows as well as a stern expression.
The minifigure sports a long jacket which is printed across both sides of the torso and onto the front of the legs. It is fairly simple but matches the character's appearance in the movie and I like the metallic silver buckle visible around Hux's waist. The officer is armed with a black blaster pistol and I hope we will therefore see him in action during The Last Jedi.
The First Order Flametrooper was one of my favourite minifigures from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens range and its design remains unchanged for the next film in the saga. I love the smooth shaping of the helmet and the narrow visor looks very intimidating while also serving to protect the trooper from the glare of flames. A few black lines highlight tiny ridges which are present in the film and similar detail continues onto the torso, hips and legs.
A pair of large propellant tanks are fitted to the back of the minifigure using a translucent neck bracket. These are constructed using 1x1 round bricks and 3L bars so look pretty good in relation to the source material, as does the flamethrower which consists of a standard rifle with some flame elements fitted to the end of the barrel. It would have been nice to see a hose linking the weapon to the tanks but this may be impossible at such a small scale.
First Order Crew have already appeared in a few sets based on the Sequel Trilogy and an identical minifigure is found here. However, this one is described as a First Order Gunner on the box and seems to serve as the walker's driver given the absence of a specialist pilot. Presumably these troopers will helm the scout walkers in the movie, in which case I think a second such figure should have been included as the cockpit seats two.
Unfortunately, only one gunner is included and he looks very plain in relation to other Star Wars minifigures, featuring a simple design on both sides of the torso and a generic head beneath the helmet. These characters wear similarly simple attire in the films but a little fabric detailing on the legs would have been welcome, much like that seen on the Imperial Gunner minifigure in 75034 Death Star Troopers and 75159 Death Star.
This Resistance Trooper seems hopelessly outgunned, armed with just a pearl dark grey blaster, but is a useful addition to the set for play. The helmet first appeared in 75131 Resistance Trooper Battle Pack and features a new printed design on this occasion, with a single tan stripe rather than two. I love the trans-yellow visor and the absence of a chin guard bothers me less than I had anticipated, although I still favour the alternative configuration.
The torso is also new and features a row of narrow pouches strapped to the front along with a folded hood on the back. This design looks superb and does not include the curves often associated with female minifigures, thereby allowing you to use it on male figures if you wish. The legs are equally versatile so are worn by a different trooper in the larger 75189 First Order Heavy Assault Walker.
The Completed Model
The scout walker stands a little over 20cm in height and is far more compact than most models of this kind. Its legs are firmly linked to the central structure and do not stretch out as I was expecting, instead scuttling along in close proximity to the core. This is unusual within the Star Wars universe but seems sensible as the armour plating remains tightly packed at all times, reducing the likelihood of damage to an individual leg by small arms fire.
Four wheels are hidden at the base of the vehicle, allowing you to roll it back and forth and cause the legs to move. A similar function has appeared in several previous sets, memorably including the excellent 70708 Hive Crawler, but this mechanism is far simpler than that. It is reliant upon a series of cams which rotate with the wheels, lifting the legs and then releasing them again. This is effective as long as the motion of the legs remains consistent but the four wheels are not connected so often cause the legs to move in an irregular pattern.
Furthermore, the Technic mechanism is easily visible from most angles and the wheels are particularly prominent. I do think it was worth including the walking function as it would be a lot of fun to play with if the mechanism was a little more tightly constructed but the concealment of the wheels should definitely have been improved. Perhaps a single large wheel could have controlled all the cams from the very centre of the model instead.
The design of the head is more traditional of the AT-series. It is heavily armed and armoured, featuring a combination of dark and light bluish grey to create some textured detail. I like the trans-red viewport which matches that on 75189 First Order Heavy Assault Walker but it is hardly visible until the hatch on top is opened as there is no source of light inside. This vulnerable point is protected by a shield over the top and two laser cannons are mounted underneath, both of which can be angled to point up and down.
A large spring-loaded shooter is fitted to either side of the head. These can be rotated to aim in any direction and can be launched an impressive distance but little effort has been made to disguise the missiles so they look rather awkward to me. I think stud shooters would have been more appropriate as those can be incorporated very neatly, although the spring-loaded weapons are more effective for play.
The exterior of the cockpit looks marvellous, especially on the back where a pair of laser guns are cleverly used to depict some mechanical details and there are two clips for blasters or the spare missile. However, I was surprised to find that the head cannot be rotated which makes it a lot more difficult to display and hampers play to some degree.
A small tab allows you to open the hatch on top with ease, revealing seating for two minifigures along with a printed control panel. The interior is fairly spacious and slotting the minifigures into place is surprisingly easy given the depth of the cockpit. Dark tan is a perfect accent colour for the hatch as it matches the other tan pieces dispersed throughout the model, helping to break up the otherwise grey exterior.
Overall
This is definitely my least favourite of the seven Star Wars: The Last Jedi sets. The walking function is a nice idea but has not been implemented very well and the Technic that dominates the lower half of the model is unattractive for display. Moreover, the eight-legged design has proven rather unpopular and I suspect many Star Wars fans will ignore the set on that basis. I am trying to reserve judgement until we see the vehicle in action on screen but it is certainly a significant departure from past walkers.
Star Wars sets are well known for containing impressive minifigures but this aspect of 75177 First Order Heavy Scout Walker is also somewhat disappointing as the majority of the characters included are very common, having previously appeared in Battle Packs. I would not therefore recommend this set unless you wish to complete your Star Wars: The Last Jedi collection and it becomes available at a significant dicsount.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
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44 comments on this article
Thanks for the review, CapnRex! I too was/am unsure of this one but the minifigure selection looks pretty decent to me. I don't see much functionality though in this particular walker and I think I'll only get it if it is very deeply discounted. My oldest son (who is 7 years old) and I recently looked at the box and he was not at all interested in it. So, there you go.
Horrible set. Thanks for the review, though!
Completely agree. This is not a good set at all from a design point of view, and the lack of a movable head makes it poor from a play point of view too. Its only really the Hux model theat gives the mini's any value as well.
Definitely not worth the £50 price tag, I'd only pick it up if it went 50% off in a sale.
I only bought it at full price to get the GWP VIP set. I guess it would have been wiser to buy something else and pick this up at a discount.
The function of this model is definitely disappointing given that the actual vehicle seems like it's supposed to be based on a "Strandbeest" (an amazing piece of artistic engineering by artist Theo Jansen). Admittedly, the actual complexity of the function would be hard to achieve at this scale, but at least linking the wheels so that the legs moved in the proper sequence would make a big difference.
It is certainly nice to get Hux with his hairpiece, though, given that it goes a long way toward making him more recognizable!
Ugh why must they put Hux in such garbage
I absolutely love the design of this thing, and considering that I disassemble most sets or display them with my kaiju collection, playability means nothing.
Great minifigs, ugly machine.
I love the resistance fighter and will get multiples of her! That is my positive spin on this set. I'll keep up the good work.
As Pewku from the 2003 year of BIONICLE proves, LEGO is fully capable of creating a believable and streamlined walking function. Odd they couldn't put that amount of effort in here.
I am currently working on a better walking mechanism, but it's hard to make it compact enough
The wheels really made it hard to figure out what this set was supposed to be when images first showed up. It’d look so much better without them. It would also be so cool if it actually moved like the strandbeest.
I’m sorry but this vehicle looks hideous.
Designers for Lego Star Wars sets are just getting lazy (aside from the UCS ones of course)
This is the kind of set your Grandma would gift you for Christmas. You'd thank them, build it, then tear it apart and use the pieces for something better the next week.
Man what is going on with this set?
Price-per-piece it's not terrible, but it just doesn't end up looking like a $50/60€ (!) vehicles. Crew Member and Flametrooper seem to be in every darn First Order set already. I'll have to wait and see the thing in the film to decide who's really to blame for the design here, but it's decidedly not attractive looking, and by all accounts the functions are lacking as well.
Kind of a mess, especially at the price point.
They release this garbage... And still no Luke. What a waste of plastic.
Doesn’t look like a practical combat vehicle. With almost zero ground clearance it would probably trip over a small rock, unless the First Order is invading a pool table.
There's absolutely nothing about this set that urges me to get it at the moment. It's exactly the sort of thing I usually relent over and get for the minifigures, but there's nothing exciting here if you've already given Hux hair! Maybe after the film cones out, people will start modding the legs using ball joints to achieve some dynamic poses. Until then, it's staying on the shelf!
Funny thing is this doesn't appear in the trailer. Looks like they changed them for a slightly new version of the AT-ST.
Thanks for the review CaptnRex101. Any chance you could post something that demonstrates how it moves (like a video or an animated gif)? I am curious.
Wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the First Order Snowspeeder of The Last Jedi. We'll have to wait and see if this vehicle even sees any screen time.
Ever since my wife mentioned it looked like a dead spider, that's all I've been able to see and it's really turned me off on the site.
This has to be the worst SW set ever imo.
@CapnRex101, should I get the UCS Tie Fighter or the UCS Snowspeeder. I have the UCS X-wing, B-wing, BB-8, and Slave I. I'm looking to buy the falcon, but I wanted to buy something in between. What do you think?
Great review! Yeah, I definitely don't think it looks good. The set and the original walker. Ah well. One thing less to long for.
Okay, call me crazy, but I love this set for some reason. Maybe it's the weird design, which I can understand why people hate, but it draws me to this one. Plus the fact that I didn't buy any FA sets means all these guys are new to me.
Also Hux! Yay Hux! Just looking at his minifig I can think of other uses for every part.
Despite the walking mechanism and the opinion of the vast majority of people commenting here, I think that the walker, though unusual, is a cool design. I can't wait to get my hands on this set!
This freaky set should be titled Star Wars: The Nightmare before Christmas.
You forgot to mention THE HEAD CAN'T MOVE!
This set had a chance to be one of the most unique SW sets.
Sadly I notice many new SW sets lack features when simply focus on looks.
Y'know what? I'm going to go against almost everyone else on this site and say that I think this set looks really cool, in a weird sort of way. I look forward to getting it and displaying it next to my at-st.
I would imagine on the battlefield a 2 legged walker is less terrifying than an 8 legged spider like machine! But not one I'll be purchasing until the big discounts kick in for sure. I do like its looks, and I think it will display well, wondering if a technic base with a motor could replace the wheels and show the walking motion whilst on display?
This set just doesn't offer anything that would entice me to purchase it, no matter the discount.
I'm out.
OK, when even Rex is criticizing a set this much, it's really crap :D I don't know what this will look like in the movie, but I have a feeling this will be the snowspeeder of this movie. We've seen so many walkers in the background already, I'm not sure this is even needed, and if it's anything like the LEGO version, it might be the stupidest looking walker yet.
I seriously thought this was just the collapsed view and the thing was actually able to stand up. What a terrible set.
Bleh. Not good. Great review, though!
@deephorse. Glad to see I'm not the only one looking at this and the new assault walker and seeing them as not feasible in combat. Even in our modern day military I doubt we would head down research the prospect of vehicles like this. If we did, they'd most likely barely make it to proto type stage before being scraped.
I can't blame this on Lego designers they are only replicating the source material. Disney has opted to keep the new movies as close to the originals and thus aren't really coming up with anything new or innovated.
@shaase: to be fair, the original walkers wouldn't be feasible in combat either, as their first appearances also demonstrate pretty well.
I think I'd like the "real" walker, but the set could've been a lot better. Nice minifigs though.
@Gvh - 75095 TIE Fighter is the older of the two so is more likely to retire first should you wish to add them both to your collection eventually. However, I much prefer 75144 Snowspeeder so would recommend that if you can only purchase one.
Always love reading your colorful reviews. I'll be passing on this set unless it comes at a 40+% discount.
Man, I'm like the only one (or two) who like this set. I like the unusual look of it. Wish the head/turret would turn but I still like it. Good figs too.
60€ is too much, even if the set wouldn't be ugly. The last AT-ST and the AT-DP where on the same price scale and are much larger and have much more to them.
Why are people hating on this set so much? Sure the build is repetitive, but just because we haven't seen anything like it in the trailers or in previous movies doesn't mean that you have to instantly say that it is a terrible set. Sure it is strange, but I like it because of that. It is new so people should be open minded about it.