Review: 75201 First Order AT-ST
Posted by CapnRex101,
The few remaining Imperial forces fled into the Unknown Regions following the Battle of Jakku, giving rise to the First Order. It therefore makes sense that a great deal of First Order technology has been adapted from designs belonging to the Empire, including 75201 First Order AT-ST.
Unfortunately, this 370-piece set has received a barrage of criticism since being announced. It is based upon a specific scene from Star Wars: The Last Jedi in which BB-8 comes to the rescue of Finn and Rose, commandeering an AT-ST and providing suppressive fire as Captain Phasma approaches them. The armoured head shears off during the battle, leaving behind this spindly vehicle which seems ill-suited to a LEGO set. In fact, this could be the worst LEGO Star Wars set released to date...
Minifigures
Both the Galactic Empire and the First Order have proven vulnerable to infiltration by Rebel agents, a weakness exploited by Finn and Rose during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The heroes wear First Order officer uniforms in this set and both look marvellous, perfectly blending in with the similar minifigures that have appeared in 75166 First Order Transport Speeder Battle Pack and 75190 First Order Star Destroyer. Finn's pearl dark grey torso appeared in the latter of those sets but Rose's torso is brand new.
Rose also includes an unusual hair piece, moulded with a dark blue command cap, which is exclusive to this set. I like her textured hair and the intricate First Order insignia printed on each cap looks great. Finn's head is printed with a new stern facial expression while Rose's double-sided head is identical to that found in 75176 Resistance Transport Pod. Both figures are equipped with blaster pistols and Finn wields a Z6 riot control baton.
BB-8 is becoming increasingly common but this is still an excellent rendition of the droid, consisting of a spherical body and a domed head. Both elements are printed with attractive orange and metallic silver details which are faithful to BB-8's design in the movie. I especially like the unique tool bay panels on each side of the body but it would perhaps look even better with small terrain sensors breaking up the white areas between the panels.
Captain Phasma has only previously appeared in 75103 First Order Transporter so I am very pleased to see her return here. Phasma wears an updated helmet in this set, featuring a narrower mouth shape than the original version and smaller lenses. The metallic silver and dark bluish grey printed details look superb and I like the shiny pearl silver finish, although chrome silver armour would certainly have been even better.
The torso and legs remain unchanged. Both elements are printed with impressive detail and match the standard Stormtroopers perfectly, as one would expect. I love the cape worn over the villain's shoulder and the red stripe along the edge looks brilliant but a plain black head is used underneath the helmet, unfortunately. Phasma exhibited unmatched combat skills on her home planet of Parnassos so is armed with a blaster and a lethal quicksilver baton.
The Completed Model
This set consists of two models, the smaller of which is a hangar lift. A rudimentary Technic mechanism allows you to raise and lower the lift quite easily, stopping it at four different levels along the way. This function works well and I was pleasantly surprised by the stability of the model but it looks awful, due primarily to the exposed Technic elements which dominate the design. The blue Technic pins seem particularly out of place.
A few standard System pieces are used for the platform itself so this area of the lift looks a little more complete than the rest, featuring railings on either side and space for a couple of minifigures. Only the studded area is actually useful though as the platform tends to rock when moving up and down so I am unsure why the designer chose to include a 2x3 tile.
Unfortunately, the entire model is rendered useless when placed alongside the AT-ST. It is described as a boarding lift in LEGO's official set description but does not reach the height required to actually board the vehicle, falling several centimetres too short! Errors like this one are absolutely inexcusable in my opinion, demonstrating a total lack of attention on the part of the designer as I can only assume that they never bothered to test the lift.
The First Order AT-ST stands 22cm in height so looks appropriately imposing, although its proportions appear odd without the head section. The model therefore matches the source material well and includes a few attractive mechanical details, many of which are represented using stickers. I would question LEGO's decision to design a set based upon an incomplete vehicle though, especially given the obvious potential for a complete AT-ST which could include a removable head function.
75153 AT-ST Walker was among the most popular sets from the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story range and this set borrows numerous design features from the 2016 model, as one might expect. The legs are therefore very sturdy and they look pretty good from most angles, although the exposed Technic that detracts from the appearance of the Original Trilogy walker has not been improved upon which is very disappointing.
Furthermore, the articulation of the legs remains unchanged, consisting of a single ratchet joint on each leg. The poseability of the AT-ST is therefore extremely limited and displaying the model as though it is walking is impossible. This could be attributed to the weight of the head were it not for that fact that the head has been removed. I was therefore hoping that the designer would take this opportunity to include additional points of articulation but instead they have copied the earlier design almost exactly, to the detriment of this set.
Turning a knob at the rear of the engine compartment causes the head to rotate from side to side, just as in 75153 AT-ST Walker. I like this feature and the mechanical details in front of the knob are superb, despite being partially reliant upon stickers. However, the Technic liftarm fitted behind what remains of the head looks terrible and the liftarms which support each leg are not present at all in the film. In this respect the design of the legs has actually regressed since the previous AT-ST was released!
Twin blaster cannons are slung beneath the front of the cockpit. These look a lot larger than on most AT-STs, due in part to the inclusion of two bulky spring-loaded shooters but also to the removal of the head armour which would usually cover the internal mechanism. The blasters can move up and down on a click hinge which works quite smoothly and I like the simulated rotational joint underneath which is also visible in the movie.
BB-8 seizes control of the walker during Star Wars: The Last Jedi but there is room for any minifigure at the stickered control panel, as well as a couple of passengers behind the driver. This is perfect should you wish to recreate the heroes' escape from the Supremacy, although that scene is only very brief and the set would be far more appealing if it could also serve as a standard First Order AT-ST, as its name suggests.
Overall
More than 600 LEGO Star Wars products have been released since 1999 and 75201 First Order AT-ST is perhaps the worst of them all. The duel between Finn and Captain Phasma is short but had the potential to be quite memorable so in that regard I can see why LEGO might choose to create a set like this. However, the incomplete design of the AT-ST severely restricts its appeal and choosing not to include the remainder of the head is inexcusable, particularly since the removable armour could have been an interesting function.
Furthermore, the hangar lift is totally superfluous, offering very little play value and even failing to fulfill its fundamental purpose! The price of £54.99 or $39.99 is therefore absolutely absurd, especially when compared with 75153 AT-ST Walker from 2016 which cost less than this set in the majority of countries. The minifigures are the only redeeming factor but even they are not outstanding so this is certainly a set to avoid.
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.
JANGBRiCKS' Video Review
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94 comments on this article
Horrible, horrible set, but great review!
I never thought there would be a bigger LEGO Star Wars fail than Insult on Hoth - but somehow, they managed it...
EUR 64.99 on Irish LEGO site for a partial AT-ST? Ridiculous. 75153 was EUR 54.99, so EUR 10 extra for an inferior set.
Glad I'm not alone in thinking that this set is rubbish on many levels....
Doesn't make any sense at all to not have the armored head, especially with the potential play value of having it be pulled off (as in the film). Finn should have come with his normal hair piece to more accurately show the Finn/Phasma battle, and it wouldn't have hurt to include DJ in First Order disguise, BB-9E and some First Order stormtroopers to have more aspects of these scenes represented. An alternate version of this set at a different price point could have included the shuttle they escape on.
I don't think it's the worst of all time, but it does feel like a rush job. Disappointing.
"The price of £54.99 or $39.99 is therefore absolutely absurd" . Some of the recent exchange rates of the new SW sets have also been absurd.
And they still didn't give Phasma a face?? I thought they held that back in the First Order Transport in an effort to hide her identity (I believe the set was announced at a time where very little was known about Phasma), but they still don't have a face for her here? They really cut corners on this one.
I just can't comprehend what the thought process behind this set was. It's just BAFFLING. Someone came up with this and thought it was okay. Someone else must have said "Aren't we going to include the head?" and apparently enough people said "Nah, the head can go, people will love it!".
You know what could be even worse? A Cassino set and horse race with our least favorite couple, Finn and Rose. Meanwhile, sets everybody would want, like a Snoke Throne's battle are only in our imagination.
@Somnium. A Snoke's Throne Room set will be released in the summer wave.
@Somnium: The Snoke Throne's battle set will be released in August.
(ArchitectureFan was faster than me)
While I get the criticisms, I'm surprised at how strong and consistent the negative responses are to this set. My first impression of it was 'Neat, something different, and you get BB-8 and Captain Phasma too'.
I feel really bad for the designer of this set. The negative reaction to this set seems to be overshadowing the praise the designer received for the other sets they have made, such as the Resistance Transport Pod and the Bounty Hunter BP to name a few.
https://brickset.com/sets/list-21078
^ Poor guy... some great sets in there! Particularly Ahch-To.
I've got a genuine theory for how this could prove to be useful.
After the battle of Jakku, a few imperial ones got left behind on the surface. Scavangers then found them, repaired them, and used them to gather parts. However, because of the climate, they had to take the heads off, and the cannons might be upgraded to fend off rivals who might want to steal their salvage.
Therefore, perfect for a niima outpost scene. Use found. Just not worth fifty five pounds.
^
I also feel bad for the designer, granted segments of the design are repeated from the previous version - but other than the lift segment being short, the design is actually 'fine'.
They were given a silly aspect of the movie to replicate and responded in kind. It's not their fault that Lego & Disney charged extortionate prices for what is effectively a weaker version of the previous AT-ST's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAwD7foxTQ
That said, i could have done better. Sacrifice the lift to alter the leg design a bit.
Only thing worth having in this set is the Phasma minifig.
With exception of the figures, this set unfortunately gets a nomination for the worst set of 2018.
The Rogue One At-St was so much better in every way. $39.99 is already pricey enough let alone the £54.99 price in the UK.
The major problem with this set is the price... at least in Euroland.
I struggle to understand where TLG is going... the sales and the bean counters need to get their act together and achieve some consistency concerning pricing.
How does TLG manage IP theft when it relates to Star Wars themed sets? This must have consequences with cloned copies... it hurts Lego (and Lego fans)... I hope that Disney has taken stock... it must be hurting them as well... and that will reflect on the RRP on Lego SW.
THAT'S TAN! ;)
The "mild spoiler" warning should really be the first line in a review.
I must have been one of the very few that liked the concept of this as a LEGO set from watching the movie.
Although I do agree from reading the review that the execution is not the best, and could be considered lazy designing.
We all know what this means though, after this set retires and very few purchased it.....
Out of curiosity, what do people think is the worst Star Wars set ever released? I will compile the suggestions in a poll to be published at some point next week.
I think people are being extremely unfair to this set. Jang's review was downright shocking since he's usually levelheaded. It's not a good set, don't get me wrong, but it's not like this is a complete fantasy, it's not like the scene in the film didn't feature a headless walker. Yes, it would've been a vastly better set if it was a complete AT-ST with a head you could "tear off", but LEGO likely didn't know the full story when they designed it, as is so often the case with licensed sets for future movies. If any Last Jedi set should be shamed and scorned it's 75177 which literally didn't show up at all, not even for a fraction of a second.
This set is also noteworthy in the sense that it is 100% accurate in its minifigure selection. Most sets come with fillers, padded with extra characters that have nothing to do with it, but this set actually came with all the essential characters and no filler.
Not a good set, and a very overpriced one too, but worst of all time? Not even close.
@CapnRex101 Got to be 7262 "y-wing and tie fighter episode III - another re-release"
It's based on one of the worst scenes in the film (and Star Wars in general), so duh... It's obviously not the worst ever, with all the terrible battle pack models released over the years, although it's up there. That new Grievous set is the first bad set that springs to mind. The original AT-ST from 2001 is the second. The third is that weird "Juniors" pod racer set from Episode I. There are a few duds throughout the years to pick from if you put your mind to it.
@Graysmith—I think the price has a lot to do with it. To charge as much as they did for a complete AT-ST (with the same number of minifigures) less than a year and a half ago is ludicrous. If it were a $25 or $30 set, for example, the reaction might not have been as strong—but to have such a direct comparison shows how inferior this one is.
Since it is based on the scene and not the vehicle I think the set is fine. Kids are sure to love it. (Unless their parents tell them how lame it is)
Price aside, I actually think this is a fun set. If it had been a cheap set, I would be happy enough with it. But that's discounting the weird hangar lift thing. And the lack of the ability to look like it's walking is definitely a problem. I know my nephews (9 and 10 years old) would love this; but they have little concept of money, or at least, value for money ;-)
The Duel on Mustafar set from 2005 is pretty rough, as is the original and 2011 Sith infiltrators
I wonder how hard LEGO is laughing at this set and the people who buy it. Laziest choice by LEGO by far
You know a set is bad when JANGBRICKS, the guy who defended Assault on Hoth, says it's trash.
"I would question LEGO's decision to design a set based upon an incomplete vehicle though, especially given the obvious potential for a complete AT-ST which could include a removable head function." I mean it is not like they had an exploding function for the Quadjumper, the model may have been based on an artwork but there is no excuse. The platform is basically the only I arresting build for me and the walker could be placed on a factory MOC but I will buy and build my own thank you
This set is pretty bad, but to answer @CapnRex101 call for the worst Star Wars sets, I would throw in the first MTT released in 2000. What a mish-mash of colors and blockiness that was! I'll second the earlier post about the Ultimate Lightsaber Duel from 2005. Just a horrid execution of a pivotal scene. And that Twilight from 2008 in The Clone Wars line-up...only good on heavy discount and if you want a lot of gray bricks to add to your inventory.
CapnRex101, for a poll choice: set from 2005, it's 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel. And I even own it. LOL. Bad idea for light up sabers, set doesn't resemble movie, half the pieces are useful, difficult to have a duel at all, and the set "is not entirely stable".
Its also very sad b/c you cannot use it as a filler set for crait. Without the head this set is completely useless. It appeared in the background of TLJ on several instances **WITH** the head, so they could have included it.
The spoiler warning is supposed to come before the spoilers :D
The Brick Pal, you were almost there. I think after how badly received the Hoth set was LEGO went 'Oh yeah?! You want to see bad?!' and dared themselves to make something truly epic bad.
Hand rails? On a lift? Can't be Star Wars.
How can this be the worst Star Wars set ever? Surely people would rather have this than most of the crappy old sets?
Fortunately, neither this nor that spider walker thing have any figs I want or need (as I have Phasma and BB8). It's very rare that I would pass up ANY Lego set at half price, but both of these would make that list.
@Judgeguy Though some of the old sets may have unsavory designs, at least they were complete builds. This "AT ST" is completely missing the head- for the same price as one with a head
I can't say this set is good, but I am among the few that think it isn't bad.
If this was $30, it wouldn't be getting nearly as much hate.
I'm not sure why we have so much secrecy still - if you were a real Star Wars fan, I would've thought you might see it within 5-6 weeks, if only because avoiding spoilers is so difficult! I look forward to the non-specific time when we can all speak about the film like it's common knowledge. Having said that though, it's pretty difficult to review this set properly and not give away some element of plot.
The set is pretty disappointing to say the least, I got mine for £34.99 because I had a £20 TRU voucher and I still felt ripped off! (Much like the head of the AT-ST). I do like some of the mechanical detailing but it's pretty inexcusable that there isn't a removable head - it would've been a massive play feature and good sales point. I would've bought it at £50 if it had a head (and probably still the lift too). I also would've bought the same set totally unchanged at around £30 - and I did. But £55 is ridiculous for such a small and spindly model. I'm definitely more infuriated by the price setter than the designer in this situation!
@David1985, perhaps. ;-)
I'd like to name the original Slave 1 set as being worst ever, just because we've come so far in modeling. It's horribly inaccurate in size, and the printed Han-in-Carbonite brick just doesn't compare with the molded piece today.
For CapnRex101's list, I find it interesting that 7257 Ultimate Lightsaber Duel is being panned so much. There are a number of criticisms, like the light-up gimmick, the characters looking inaccurate to the scene, and the build being a little bare bones, but it is still quantifiable as being a complete set, and it has a number of functions that all work and make for an enjoyable play experience. You could even have the battle go either way with Obi-Wan losing unlike in the movie. I do like the remark that the third release of the Y-Wing and TIE Fighter set (7150, 7152, and 7262) being the worst simply because it was the third release of that set, but even then the ships are not bad. While I am a collector, I do not collect everything, only the stuff that truly interests me, so I tend to avoid remakes and ones I can already tell will not be very exciting for me.
Subjectively, I'd say a number of battle packs can count as being bad sets, but that is due to price and the models they come with except nobody buys those things for the models, just the minifigs, and even then I stayed away from the ones I had no interest in getting because of the minifig selection. While there is most certainly a couple sets I own I am not super pleased with, it has more to do with them being something that turned out to be barely prominent in the movies or shows, or it was the last straw of the battle packs that made me stop collecting them all, like when they became obscure and I knew nothing about the subtheme or just because the price finally inflated to a point I could not justify for the model and part count unless the minifigs were truly stellar like in 75167 Bounty Hunter Speeder Bike Battle Pack.
However, if you were to twist my arm, I would actually say 2007's 7657 AT-ST is one of my least favorite sets, and not 2001's 7127 AT-ST which I adore. Partly due to nostalgia, but the 2001 AT-ST is still slim and can appear to walk while still keeping it's balance compared to the chunky appearance and bad articulation of the 2007 AT-ST. I only bought it off my friend because it was the last thing I needed to have every set based on the Battle of Endor from the ground. (I don't own the "Best AT-ST" because it was based on Rogue One and like I need another AT-ST anyway since I had three already when you include the one from 2009's 8038 Battle of Endor. AT-ST's and speeder bikes are the Snowspeeders of the Empire when it comes to LEGO sets, I do not need any more of them.) While I may wear nostalgia glasses, I can't say that the older sets are bad like some are saying. Yes, some colors may be everywhere, but I find that to be some of the charm. They may not have a bunch of functions, but was anybody really on board for the flick-fire missles when those were the new function in town? I'd gladly take swooshing a model than have something I can lose easily particularly since I noticed that they do become loose if you use them even once. And the parts selection is severely greater now than back then and it grew every year since 1999; you can't blame a set that is old for not being as good as stuff we are getting now if the 18 years of new pieces has changed the game so much. What you can do though, is measure older sets against sets of the time to see how they stand up to the quality of LEGO at the time, and compare newer sets to older ones in how they have or have not improved.
[Continued below] Apparently there is some sort of limit on comments for Brickset. I only had two more paragraphs to go. :P
[Continued from earlier] That's where this review works so well at showing why this set is one of the least liked. The design is near identical to a previous model which does not help much in making the build interesting for returning fans (Although it was nice consistency for Jedi Starfighters which at least had interesting color palates and designs that changed things up.), the platform suggests something it cannot do outside of ascending and descending, and it feels incomplete with a name like First Order AT-ST instead of something like AT-ST Escape, AT-ST Rescue, or BB-8's Joyride (That last one feels like a LEGO Batman Movie name actually), especially to those that saw the movie and would love to recreate the scene in its entirety but then can't. Maybe kids won't care that much, but I know I'd have tried to make a canopy for it, grow to hate the one I made, and then get rid of it only to be disappointed in there still not being an actual canopy from the set.
So is it the worst set? I don't know since I don't own them all, but this would be high up on the list. I would hate to actually see "the worst" be an older set since it is not really fair to some degree. I'd rally for a battle pack, an oddly boring rendition of a model that's been remade more than once, or better yet one that dipped in quality proving earlier models having been better like I hear with the AAT and the MTT. But it is going to be hard to beat something that is for the most part unfinished.
Same quality as the movie, then.
So let's see ...
Half an AT-ST that should have had a fall away head feature to recreate the scene properly and also then have a use as a standard vehicle - but didn't.
Utterly useless lift that only works as part of a diorama if you have a lot of various elements like it, but could have just as easily been left out.
BB-8 which you probably already have, and a character some people do not like as he overshadows a classic droid.
Finn, a divisive character for a figure in a costume that is not his main look so can easily be passed.
Rose, an overwhelmingly hated character in a costume which is once again not their main look.
Leaving us with Phasma as really the only thing to get excited about in the set - she has no face underneath however.
All this in an overpriced set to boot. Not worth it and easily makes it the worst Star Wars set ever made.
Only worth buying for the Captain Phasma minifig I think. Other than that, this set is as pointless as that Rose Tico character and casino scene. Not to mention BB-8 has actually killed people in The Last Jedi. So much for building up its cuteness in The Force Awakens.
You missed fact Phasma AGAIN comes with no face.
I wonder why people are so upset with this poor half-baked walker design. It leaves Lego with an excellent opportunity to produce a Lego litter bin set to dispose of substandard designs. Hope it's going to be a large rubbish bin cause Insult on Hoth also belongs in there!
I actually liked this set when pictures of it first showed up...that price though. What?
I just loved Jang's review for this set. Never have I seen him so emotional (and angry) about any Lego set, iirc. Especially the ending is a treat ;-)
As for my opinion on the set: well, it's certainly no highlight, and hideously overpriced in Europe, especially the UK, too. The minifigs I wouldn't even call a redeeming feature. I have an army of BB8's already, and as for the others, meh. Phasma, ok, but at that price point she should at least come with a face!
I think I will recreate this set in a proper way by just using one of my 75153s and blowing its head off ;-)
I must admit this set comes close to be the worst one ever, but in my opinion the "UCS" Insult on Hoth still surpasses this one on this rather sad ranking.
(Imo you always just need to glance at the back of Insult on Hoth to remember just how execrable that set was).
Apart from the price and hangar lift I actually quite like the design of this set.
This set is very disappointing. It's pathetic. Surely I started to narrow my collection of lego starwars sets to the original trilogy.
Boooo!! Lepin, you can keep this one.
My initial thoughts on this set echo many of the others here - less bricks, less features, more money. There's no point repeating many of the criticisms already ascribed to this set so I shall just focus on one thing - and that's that leaving EVERY thing else aside the model is not even an accurate representation of a blown up AT-ST. I suspected this was the case from the off but the comparison photo in the review confirmed my suspicions. What is going on with the body?! I'm guessing it has to do with balance and weight distribution but the main body of the walker has been elongated and therefore makes the whole thing out of proportion. Even if you were to add a "head" onto it the resulting model would just look weird with those dimensions.
What I find most disappointing is that I actually though this was a great idea - whatever your take on how "Star Wars"y the scene is in the film it is perfect for a good playable vignette for kids. It screams out for it in fact (and in all likelihood "child appeal" is likely the reason the scene is in the film in the first place as the plot could have moved on in a number of ways without requiring this stand-off. So to be presented with this severely lacking representation of the scene is not only a dis-service to Lego, Star Wars and consumers who are being offered this at a stupid price but also to the children for whom this could have been so much more. I don't lay all this at the feet of the designer though - far from it - they will have had a budget and timetable to adhere to along with limited source material and a crowd of interference from all sides - without the whole scene to compare it to it's not a disaster as a model (despite my frustration and the proportions) but in context with the scene it is meant to represent it's just pointless. IMO.
Now the real question is, will TLG right the wrong and issue a service pack that restores the walker head to its full glory?
On a cheerier note: it's doesn't seem impossible to get a job as a designer at LEGO....
My points have already been covered by everyone... to me, this is only worth getting for a Captain Phasma. Otherwise, yeah.. Lego should have made this a set where you can remove the head rather then wasting time with the crappy lift.
@CapnRex101: its hard to pick a set as you have to judge a lot of the older sets by the standards of the time.
That said, the old technic figure were particularly terrible as they looked nothing like the characters they were meant to be. 8007 and 8009, C3PO and R2D2 respectively in particular.
Currently, while this set is right up there with the worst ever list, The First Order Heavy Scout Walker 75177 was terrible as the walking mechanism was just shockingly executed with the exposed wheels and the choice of the none moveable head.
The updated 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina is also a rather poor effort and a massive downgrade over the previous version.
£55 to exploit figure collectors again Lego. Just rubbish.
Not much defence of the designer too - saying "Well he designed the bounty hunter BP though" is like saying "He copied the almost-standard speeder bike design from most BPs and had 4 sought-after figs at a low price" - not a hard sell.
Terrible, terrible, terrible! Why did Lego think this was a good idea? A full AT-ST with a removable armor shell would have been so much better.
Thank you for eschewing diplomacy and giving this... thing... yet another well-deserved panning.
The Australian Lego.com is charging $90 for this set. That would be hilarious if they weren't actually serious. There's no way on God's green and verdant Earth that this set is worth almost a hundred dollars. I wouldn't pay half of that.
Plus, it continues this unsettling undercurrent when it comes to these absurdly over-priced licensed brand sets. If you listen closely, you can hear Lego employees murmuring to themselves, "Eh. Fans will buy this rubbish. Kids will want it. Who cares?" And the idea that a company would show that much contempt for its customers (while charging them a frankly ludicrous amount of money for an inferior product) really, really troubles me.
When I first saw this set I thought it was a mistake or maybe a joke. It seems like a pretty cynical cash grab, but I’d love to hear the SW design team’s reasoning behind it. Surely it was just the result of a series of unfortunate choices.
You know what the funniest part (and the final insult) is: there is no clone version from Lepin of this set (there is one of 75153 though).
And if even Lepin thinks it's too crap to copy...
;-)
The official price in Czech Republic is more than absurd...CZK 1799 is equal to app USD 85.
I like how you put the spoiler alert right after giving a spoiler from the film.
By now there are so many mediocre SW sets, I only buy them at 50%+ discount if at all, which is usually easy to find eventually. But this one I will skip even at that price.
Thank you so much for this honest review.
I was going to add this to my collection...mostly because I liked the scene in the movie.
However I will definitely wait for a sale/ clearance for that.
I totally agree that a pull away version would have been much better, and probably more challenging to build.
I just cannot comprehend how this costs 65 euros in the Netherlands. 'We were trying to keep the cost down by not including the head, otherwise this little AT-ST set would've cost 100 euros.'
Laughable how bad this set is. At best, it recreates HALF of a movie scene - and not the cool part where the head comes apart and reveals BB-8. I can't fathom how this mess made it all the way to production.
Increasing the price (in any currency except US dollars) over that of a great, complete AT-ST model just adds insult to injury.
Props to Lego for producing a set that required no research/work what so ever to produce and charging the same price for a less quality product/less quantity pieces.
This better not be a trend with the move to more IP themes.
I agree that this set is a terrible mess on many levels, but I'd like to caution people against insinuating that the designer is incompetent, as I noticed a couple comments doing that. I'd advise you to take a look at his Flickr phototstream and remember that he designed the excellent Resistance Transport Pod and Ahch-To Island Training before making any judgements.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124546590 @N03/
The weird thing is, for what it's supposed to be, the design detailing is actually pretty good. The reason why this set is bad is because of the pointlessness, lack of value, and the fact that this is just an existing set that has been stripped down and sold for the same price.
When I saw the first photos of this set, before I watched the movie, I thought that the First Order AT-ST was an unmanned vehicle. That first impression made it look less horrible.
@AustinPowers, I think that's TLG's new anti-intellectual property theft plan; create sets so horrible Lepin and the other clones won't want to copy them. It's the only reason I can think of why they'd ever make such a monstrosity. Like Jang when I first saw leaked images I too thought they were fakes, and bad ones at that. So glad I'm not a SW completionist anymore!
I got this set for free so I can’t complain about it.
I love the comments for this set over at Lego LEGO.com. Got the be the worst rated set ever, even lower than 42070 :-)
Perhaps TLG gets the message.
I guess TLG had the idea "if we make this set hideously expensive (the US seems to be the only market without a radical price increase over 75153) everyone will think it has to be good."
I'll end up buying it, but probably in 18 months when the price is slashed. I bought Insult On Hoth quite early after release but this one really has no appeal other than my insatiable need to have all the minifigures.
This may sound a little severe but all involved in this set should be taken out and shot .... I kid I kid but in all seriousness they should be very embarrassed.
what? this is far from the worst star wars set ever you pinheads! so you think the DC SUPER HERO GIRLS sets are better than this? wow just wow
This is not a fantastic set, but I don't think it's by any means the worst Star Wars set ever. One that comes to mind right away is 7258: Wookiee Attack with its really weirdly colored Tank Droid, and as others have mentioned the early MTTs and Slave I were really blocky.
For what this set is, it works really well, and I honestly really wanted a stripped down AT-ST set after seeing the movie. The fact that it doesn't come with a removable head is a shame, but the Rouge One set is just a little over a year old; you know how much fans hate rereleases in that short of a time frame.
I tend to wonder if the design was based of of a picture provided by Disney and Lucasarts with very little info as to the context of the scene. Not all set designs are based off of full info of the scenes it will be in.
That being said I am in agreement that it could have been much better.
$80 AU...are LEGO smoking something mind bending. I am glad that this article told it as it is. A horrible overpriced Disney Star Wars offering nothing except the figures I hope to get when this set gets heavily discounted.
The Rogue One AT-ST has a tendency for the head to flip forward due to weight. That may be the reason for the new leg connections. Too bad the head wasn’t actually included here as well.
As far as worst sets, the first AT-ST design is pretty hilarious. But it is hard to fairly judge the older sets because they were built in such a different time with respect to pieces and scope.
As a set it just doesn't work. It might replicate a scene from the film but when did Lego start selling sets based on part vehicles?. The price is too high also. The mini figure's are it's strongest point.
100% agree with this review thank you for confirming what I thought as well. It truly is a waste of money especially if you already have a Captain Phasma figure. You're better off buying the Rogue One AT-ST which is one really good sale currently and just converting it to the First Order version yourself (which is what I am doing)
- 10€ more expensive than the last AT-ST
- overpriced in regard to price per piece
- overpriced in regard what you get
- terrible design choices
- play features without any sense (the lift)
+ nobody's forced to get it
On a side note - don't confuse the designers job with product management or product development. The designer doesn't make the choice what set to make. In that regard, someone else should earn the praise that we got the Bounty Hunter pack, and someone else is to blame that we got this terrible set. Still, there are some awkward design choices like the lift or the front cannon, for which there is no excuse. Same as the FO speeder not having rounded of plates beneath, unlike every other SW speeder since 1999.
Pointless set.
A good minifigure selection, a mediocre lift, and three-quarters of a better set being sold for the same price point. If the cost was maybe a quarter less (say, $30 USD, for example, but similar fraction in other markets) it would be fairly acceptable. So many of the problems come what it is being offered for.