Review: 75283 Armoured Assault Tank (AAT)
Posted by CapnRex101,
Ahsoka Tano and colourful Clone Troopers from the 332nd Company appear during the climactic episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and have attracted significant attention. 75283 Armoured Assault Tank (AAT) includes both characters and should prove accordingly popular!
Unfortunately, this version of the Separatist AAT has received criticism based upon its inaccurate proportions when compared with the source material. The price of £34.99 or $39.99 seems rather expensive too, although the presence of exclusive Ahsoka Tano and 332nd Company Clone Trooper minifigures is certainly appealing.
Minifigures
Four unique Ahsoka Tano minifigures have been produced since 2008, reflecting her changing appearance throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. The latest example is based upon the seventh season of The Clone Wars and appears faithful to the series. Her dark blue attire features metallic silver and metallic gold highlights which look superb and I like the continuation of this design across the hips.
The metallic silver band below Ahsoka's montrals is attractive, although this should have been printed slightly lower. Furthermore, the lekku seem too long when compared with the onscreen character because this component was originally created for Shaak Ti, an adult Togruta in 7931 T-6 Jedi Shuttle. The alternating blue and white stripes look excellent though.
Ahsoka wields two blue lightsabers, reflecting her weapons from the final episodes of The Clone Wars. The character has now used three different lightsaber colours in LEGO sets! Her double-sided head features appropriate facial tattoos and two expressions, displaying determination on one side and a smile on the other.
Clone Troopers from the 332nd Company accompany Ahsoka during the Siege of Mandalore, hence the second minifigure is identified as Ahsoka's Clone Trooper. His distinctive helmet is immediately recognisable, featuring orange designs that correspond with Ahsoka's appearance. A darker shade of orange may have been more suitable, although this colour matches Ahsoka's LEGO skin tone.
The torso and legs are identical to those from 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers which is sensible as the 332nd Company is part of the 501st Legion. These elements include superb detail, continuing onto the feet. Removing the helmet reveals a new Clone Trooper head that looks splendid and the figure carries a standard blaster rifle into battle.
Two identical AAT Driver Battle Droids are included, although one is described as a standard Battle Droid on the packaging which is odd. These figures have appeared in two previous sets, where they were identified as Kashyyyk Battle Droids, but they are inspired by the AAT driver variants from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The olive green and dark green highlights across their heads appear accordingly accurate and both droids carry pearl dark grey blasters.
The Completed Model
Curved shapes dominate the AAT and compromises have accordingly been necessary since 7155 Trade Federation AAT became available in 2000. However, the range of different curved slopes and bows has grown dramatically during recent years, thereby enabling the designer to include more authentic shaping around the cockpit. The distinctive 'foot' section could definitely be improved though as this design appears too bulbous.
Several minifigure-scale renditions of the AAT have been produced since 2000, varying quite substantially in appearance and size. The latest model measures 14cm wide while 75080 AAT, released during 2015, measures 12cm wide and 8018 Armoured Assault Tank (AAT) measures 20cm across. I think the modern design is the most accurate in scale beside minifigures.
Viewing the model from either side reveals its most notable shortcoming as the primary laser cannon is too long when compared with the source material. The body section and turret both look reasonable as individual components but appear as though they might belong with models of two different scales! Fortunately, the laser cannon barrel can be modified easily.
Two spring-loaded shooters are positioned within the armoured body, vaguely resembling the projectile launchers which appear onscreen. The missiles are activated by pushing dark bluish grey Technic elements below the antipersonnel laser cannons and I think they look reasonable, although the launchers could have been situated further back. Furthermore, the flanking 6x6x2 arch bricks should have been decorated with accurate projectile launch tubes.
The dark blue and light bluish grey colour combination corresponds with AATs deployed during the Clone Wars. This design is relatively faithful to the source material but subtler details, such as the stripe across the cockpit hatch, are missing. Fortunately, the interior looks splendid and offers ample space for one Battle Droid to sit between the control panels.
I am particularly impressed with the bodywork shaping around the cockpit, making ingenious use of 4x4 wedge slopes. The rotating laser cannons on both sides are similarly effective and the angled power converters also look superb. Otherwise, the vehicle appears relatively bland when viewed from behind, lacking any appropriate texture.
Despite its excessive size, the primary laser cannon includes reasonable detail. The weapon rotates all the way around and elevates, yielding an impressive field of fire. Unfortunately, the elevating joint is too wide, even in relation to the turret housing which already looks unusually broad when compared with the animated series.
The external detail is outstanding though, featuring two control command receiver antennas beside the opening hatch. Ideally, there might be some information displays inside but there is adequate space for the second AAT Driver Battle Droid to survey the battlefield. The head must be retracted when closing the top hatch, matching past renditions of the AAT.
Overall
75283 Armoured Assault Tank (AAT) certainly introduces some improvements over previous models of the AAT, including the shaping around the cockpit and the scale beside minifigures. However, the proportions between the laser cannon turret and the body section look awkward. Both components are individually attractive but they appear incompatible in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the new Ahsoka Tano minifigure is impressive and the Clone Trooper from the 332nd Company corresponds precisely with his onscreen counterparts. I anticipate these two minifigures alone may justify the price of £34.99 or $39.99 for many fans, although I also think that feels too expensive based upon the size of the AAT. Even so, those who enjoy Star Wars: The Clone Wars will undoubtedly appreciate this set.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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54 comments on this article
Ashoka and the 332nd Clone Trooper will sell this set easily. People will buy multiples to go along with the 501st Battlepack.
An absolute must-have for me as a Clone Wars fan. This one will go well together with the 501st Legion Clone Troopers set.
(Besides, I noticed this set has a "501st Legion" tag, but the 501st Legion Clone Troopers set doesn't.)
I think Double_J_Bricks nailed it, really; this is a set people are going to buy for Ahsoka and the Clone Trooper, inaccuracies in the model or not.
Yah I'm pretty sure most people will buy this for the figures, me included haha, and not for the AAT. Hopefully the AAT will have decent parts for better use..
@CapnRex101 Which one do you prefer, this one, or the one from 2015?
Sometimes I muddle through the box of minifig parts and end up with clones/stormtroopers/spacepeople who are a random assortment of whatever bits are left.
That's this clone here.
Not a $40 set. But... SW, so it’ll sell.
Similar piece count , and figure/droid count as the 2018 Hoth Medical Chamber, and that set was either well priced ($30 in US), or terribly priced depending on country (€50 in NL)
Now, it looks like it's $40 or €40 , so at least the extreme price spikes seem to be gone, but still a bit overpriced.
Sure, large parts, unique molds, and 4 figs, but compare to something like Ninjago Journey to skull dungeon, €25, with 400+ parts and 4 figs, was considerably cheaper and had a large rock piece included as well.
So clearly this is license fees playing a role.
@TomKazutara said:
"The most proportional accurate AAT is still the 7155 from 2000.
Still the best version."
Completely agree! The 2000 set is still my favorite. I keep hoping they will make a better AAT, but nothing has beat the one from 2000. This is one of the sets Lego just can't seem to get right.
Looking forward to getting this set....on sale.
Thanks for the excellent review.
As usual, a poor price to parts ratio...
"The metallic silver band below Ahsoka's montrals is attractive, although this should have been printed slightly lower. Furthermore, the lekku seem too long when compared with the onscreen character because this component was originally created for Shaak Ti, an adult Togruta"
Now I know how my parents felt in the early eighties when I tried to explain to them how the video worked.
I like this, but £25 like this. The battle droids are worth basically nothing to me, even if they're not the completely typical version. And you do need them. It might even be that price if they didn't know the value that the new Ahsoka and Ahsoka Trooper have, and the premium they can command.
I like the size as well. We need small but minifigure scaled/proportional vehicles. If Lego thinks they can't do a TIE Bomber because a basic TIE is £65, models should be scaled back a bit. The minor vehicles need that sanity check.
This is a prime example of that kind of vehicle. It's recognizable without being central, and having a little squad isn't a bad idea. That 2009 version was £40/$50, so maybe £55/$60 today? AATs don't warrant that, particularly when this and the 2015 models can cover all the necessary features seen on screen, and include some launchers for play value.
In eleven years they've managed to make an AAT that's half the size of 8018 but costs almost as much, is missing key details and color patterns that were present on that model, and has sections (the whole gun, the saucer) that are entirely the wrong shape and size. The improvements in shaping in other areas don't make up the difference.
I hate how Lego is relying on two minifigures to sell a set. I was hoping for a Bo Katan minifigure in this wave. I'm going to wait for a discount to buy this.
@Double_J_Bricks said:
"Ashoka and the 332nd Clone Trooper will sell this set easily. People will buy multiples to go along with the 501st Battlepack. "
Many people will probably buy this once and the battle pack many times, because of the Ahsoka Figure.
I have to agree with TomKazutara, I prefer the earliest version, too. The printed (!) parts are a bit weird-looking, but the set is simple and well done. This here not so much. I never get why they have to include exclusive minifigs of important personel in sets that are essentially army builder sets. What do I do with the extra Ahsokas?
I thought the 2015 version was a bad joke and the design couldn't possibly get any worse. But I was wrong.
I still think I like the 2015 version better, but this isn't as awful as it initially felt. Still would prefer it for 30 instead.
I don't have this set yet, but I love it. It may not be accurate and it may be a little pricey, but this will be my first AAT. Love the figures and it will go great beside my 15 501st battlepacks.
Instant buy for me, first for the new Ashoka minifig, then the clone, and last the AAT.
I was able to make an AAT with better shaping on the bottom half using the pieces from Grevious's Combat Speeder (Which I bought at full price just to cross the threshold for a GWP.) Even the stickers depict torpedo tubes.
I wanted this set initially, but now that the proportions have been pointed out to me, I'm not so sure. The turret housing is the exact same width as on 8018, and it looks like the laser cannon is about the same length as well. That's a little ridiculous...
Seeing the first images, I was definitely under the impression this has the same price as the 501 battle pack. I was a little surprised to find out it's so expensive. I think it's a bit of a cheap move from Lego to grab the hardcore fans money, now that LSW is not a major line anymore, SW is not a trend theme and so they just milk the real fans harder. They just know we want those 2 minifigs. That's a cheap move.
@Snazzy_Bricks said:
" @CapnRex101 Which one do you prefer, this one, or the one from 2015?"
I am edging towards the new model because I prefer the wide turret design from The Clone Wars and broadening the 'foot' significantly improves its appearance. However, I also agree with others that 7155 Trade Federation AAT from 2000 offers the most accurate proportions between the four sets.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @Snazzy_Bricks said:
" @CapnRex101 Which one do you prefer, this one, or the one from 2015?"
I am edging towards the new model because I prefer the wide turret design from The Clone Wars and broadening the 'foot' significantly improves its appearance. However, I also agree with others that 7155 Trade Federation AAT from 2000 offers the most accurate proportions between the four sets."
Good to know. I built the 2015 in Earth Blue and Dark Stone Grey, would the turret from this new one look good on that I wonder...
I absolutely see this set's shortcomings with the shaky proportions and iffy price, but personally I'm very excited for this and I'll probably grab it day 1. Ahsoka, being my fave SW character definitely greases the wheel but I'm also super into how this build looks. It scales great and while the turret is undeniably way too big, I can totally deal with it. It makes it feel a little stylised in a way I can definitely get behind. Besides, if you're gonna make part of a tank oversized, might as well be the turret, right?
Armoured assault tank. Good thing Lego don't build military vehicles.
Despite its proportions, I’ll try to get this on release. I love the figures in particular, even though there dosen’t seem to be any Sepratists in the Seige of Mandalore Arc, except for the opening.
Cool set though.
It's worth talking a bit more about the Ahsoka minifig. When she was first introduced, everyone basically hated her (to be fair, when she was first introduced, Clone Wars was...not great, so the hatred was well-deserved). There have been two Clone Wars minifigs of Ahsoka, both with short "kiddie" lekku, and both with those ginormous anime eyes. There's only been one previous set that included an adult Ahsoka, and she had dark-orange skin in that one. That minifig also lists for more than this set costs. So, right there, it's cheaper to buy this minifig with a free set included, than it is to buy the Rebels Ahsoka loose. Also, if you want to de-anime young Ahsoka, this head looks like it can do that for you, where the dark-orange Rebels head didn't match the orange visible on either of the Clone Wars torsos.
It's the most stubby looking abbreviated version yet. The lower section, especially the front looks bad. This set isn't worth more than $23 USD.
It's fine, nothing to write home about and slightly overpriced
I've been a Star Wars fan since 1977 and Star Wars is what drew me back to Lego in 1999. I love Lego Star Wars but they are pricing me out of the theme and I find I buy more sets in other lines (and other toys from other brands, mainly Hasbro SW) because my money goes further. I only want this set for two of the four minifigs but there's no way I'm going to spend $40 on it. I'd rather have the two new Galaxy's Edge action figures that are exclusive to Target for the same price. Not a hard decision.
This will be a seller because of both the Ashoka and 332nd Trooper, it could have been better.
Nice set, though it would be better with a second clone trooper.
I'd love to get this for the Ahsoka figure, I just absolutely can't stand the design of this one and the previous Trade Federation version. Granted, I'm a big fan of the first Clone Wars one, despite some size inaccuracies. The new design just feels so... eh to me.
Im really bored with sets that exist solely to sell minifigs, with the lackluster and overpriced builds seeming like an afterthought. Marvel sets have infamously been like that for many years now, its disappointing to see Star Wars moving in this direction as well. Am I crazy for thinking the whole point of a Lego set should be, you know, the actual building aspect?
I'll only get this set for Ahsoka, but I sure won't buy it at full price. I rather wait for this to go on a significant discount.
@MegaMechaLesbian said:
"I absolutely see this set's shortcomings with the shaky proportions and iffy price, but personally I'm very excited for this and I'll probably grab it day 1. Ahsoka, being my fave SW character definitely greases the wheel but I'm also super into how this build looks. It scales great and while the turret is undeniably way too big, I can totally deal with it. It makes it feel a little stylised in a way I can definitely get behind. Besides, if you're gonna make part of a tank oversized, might as well be the turret, right?"
Agree. And if we don't, a bit of a MOD might be possible.
@TomKazutara said:
"The most proportional accurate AAT is still the 7155 from 2000.
Still the best version."
Agreed. I don’t know if it’s necessarily more accurate to the source material or not but it just...looks more right is the only way I can put it. It doesn’t seem as awkwardly shaped as this version and the 2015 one do
I thought the final battle of The Clone Wars was supposed to be Ahsoka’s allies against Maul’s-how do battle droids factor in?
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
""The metallic silver band below Ahsoka's montrals is attractive, although this should have been printed slightly lower. Furthermore, the lekku seem too long when compared with the onscreen character because this component was originally created for Shaak Ti, an adult Togruta"
Now I know how my parents felt in the early eighties when I tried to explain to them how the video worked."
Hard to imagine what it would have been like if Star Wars was around in the early 1980’s.
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
""The metallic silver band below Ahsoka's montrals is attractive, although this should have been printed slightly lower. Furthermore, the lekku seem too long when compared with the onscreen character because this component was originally created for Shaak Ti, an adult Togruta"
Now I know how my parents felt in the early eighties when I tried to explain to them how the video worked."
Rex's reviews have always focused as much on the made up words as the bricks.
I’m still holding out for a 332nd battle pack. And a set with Rex, and a set with bad batch. And a decent Cody Minifig. What would be perfect would be if LEGO released a set with Rex, Ahsoka, and Maul. It would probably jack up the price to have three Minifigs with that high of a demand. I’m hoping that bad batch will get a set or more from their show.
Is this an Aug. 1st release? Has anyone found it in the stores yet?
LEGO: Hey’ we’re making a new AAT!
“oh well that’s kinda neat but I’m not interested.”
LEGO: “It has Ahsoka and a new clone trooper!”
“WHERE’S MY WALLET!?”
@SinKiller_Nick said:
"Is this an Aug. 1st release? Has anyone found it in the stores yet?"
No. LEGO, on its website, says that this, along with all summer sets excluding the Razor Crest and 501st Legion Clone Troopers, will release September 1st in the US.
Waiting for -20% off at least
For 50$ cad I will wait...
@anthony_davies said:
"Armoured assault tank. Good thing Lego don't build military vehicles. "
Lego is against Modern war, not sci-fi war.
I have 7155, and quite honestly AAT’s don’t excite me too much. Even less exciting is battle droids that are a dime a dozen both for the separatists as well as for Lego fans. Had they included 2 clones I probably wouldn’t even debate buying this. As it is, I’m hoping target has an awesome Black Friday sale on this set, because I want Ashoka and the clone.
That 332nd trooper is totally grabbing my attention! The Ahsoka minifig is sooo amazing! I’ve been wanting one of these for ages! And the AAT! One of my favourites of the new sets being released this summer. Those droids are awesome too!
I didn't hate the 2015 one as much as other people did, so I ended up getting it just to have a version of the tank, but that comparison picture highlights how bad it is compared to this one and the old CW one.
@PurpleDave said:
"It's worth talking a bit more about the Ahsoka minifig. When she was first introduced, everyone basically hated her (to be fair, when she was first introduced, Clone Wars was...not great, so the hatred was well-deserved). There have been two Clone Wars minifigs of Ahsoka, both with short "kiddie" lekku, and both with those ginormous anime eyes. There's only been one previous set that included an adult Ahsoka, and she had dark-orange skin in that one. That minifig also lists for more than this set costs. So, right there, it's cheaper to buy this minifig with a free set included, than it is to buy the Rebels Ahsoka loose. Also, if you want to de-anime young Ahsoka, this head looks like it can do that for you, where the dark-orange Rebels head didn't match the orange visible on either of the Clone Wars torsos."
Oh yeah, the fandom has had a complete 180* change of how The Clone Wars and Ahsoka are viewed. I remember in 2008 it was all discussions of how Ahsoka was a winny kid being compared to the likes of Weasley Crusher from Star Trek, a Mary Sue with a snarky attitude. Then The Clone Wars as a whole was seen as trampling on the stories made in the prior Clone Wars series, Karen Travis's Republic Commando series and the Star Wars Republic comics. Its easy to forget, but The Clone Wars had a lot of negative reception from the fanbase at launch.
I was an early fan of The Clone Wars, having seen the movie in theaters and going on to watch the series weekly from there. I was, hesitant at first... while the movie was entertaining enough I knew it was pretty bad, like worse than Phantom Menance type bad (I'd argue its better than Rise of Skywalker now, but that is another discussion entirely). Fortunately the TV show had the first glimpse of potential in season 1 shortly afterwards in the episode Rookies. A clone focused story? Nearly no Jedi in sight? Realistic war stakes? Swearing on a kids network? Rookies was the moment The Clone Wars fully hooked me and I was in on the ride for good, although I think it wasn't until Season 3 when the series really started to become consistently good.
I am glad The Clone Wars and Ahsoka both have a loved place in Star Wars canon now. The Siege of Mandalore from the final season on Disney+ ranks up with The Mandalorian, Rogue One and Rebels as my favorite products of the "Disney Era" and I think Dave Filoni and crew did an excellent job maturing Ahsoka over the series.
Bit of Lego trivia though, Henry Gilroy who worked on The Clone Wars and Rebels should be familiar to Lego fans as having a screenplay credit on the first three Bionicle films... so there is a strong Lego connection to The Clone Wars in more ways than just the sets!
I got one from Target today. Yesterday, according to Target.com, it was in stock at the Target 2 miles from me, and another about 20 miles away. Nowhere else in Minnesota. Went to both stores, no luck- but the other sets from this wave were available. The AAT was supposedly in store, but not available for pickup or delivery. But this morning, the nearer store now listed it as available for pickup- but only 1 left. I ordered it, and got it about 3 hours later.