The Trade Federation Armored Assault Tank has appeared in Lego before but this model is the most accurate to date.

The Minifigures

Jar Jar Binks: Despite my issues with this character, the minifigure looks superb. He features a custom head piece with eye stalks and long ears in tan with salmon coloured highlights to nice effect. His torso is simple but appropriate with a vest and salmon pink arms. His grey legs are unfortunately unprinted. Jar Jar carries an atlatl weapon, and a fantastic energy shield which is transparent purple with gold trim.

Pilot battle droid: Most Lego battle droids use the same custom legs, body, arms and head pieces. The pilot has a blue chest which differentiates it from other battle droids and the custom moulds look very accurate. It carries a blaster pistol.

Battle droid: This set includes a standard tan battle droid with a blaster. The figure looks plain but appropriate, however I would have preferred a battle droid commander as it would have been more useful for this set.

The Set

The AAT has a unique shape that can be difficult to capture in Lego and this model is reasonably accurate. This set is based on the original Trade Federation version seen in The Phantom Menace and has the appropriately tan colour scheme. ‘In universe’ the model is a single colour but the mix of tan and dark tan in this set add visual interest.

The smooth shapes at the bottom of the model are created using large curve pieces which look very accurate but are missing the signature missile launcher tubes. I feel they could have been represented using stickers, a print or a redesigned body. I like the fact that this model is sticker free but the lack of missile launchers is unfortunate.

The front body section of this model is less smooth than its movie counterpart but looks attractive and has room for a single figure. Two cylinders are angled back adding to the interesting shape of the vehicle.
The two main guns on either side of the body look fantastic but don’t rotate. This is possibly my least favourite aspect of the set as they rotate ‘in universe’ and it would have been very easy to add this feature.

The ‘head’ of the model where the commander sits is oversized but detailed, and rotates 360 degrees freely. The sides have interesting texture and the front facing cannon can move up and down. The canopy opens and can fit a second figure which allows both the included battle droids to fit in the model.

The build incorporates a single action feature nicely. Dual, spring-loaded shooters are cleverly integrated into the model and they can be launched by the levers at the back of the set.

This set is a fairly accurate model of a nice vehicle ‘in universe’. It's not one of the most iconic vehicles but it's a good build regardless. All the figures are good although I’d rather the inclusion of a battle droid commander. The action feature is great and the price good. $40 AUD is neither great value nor bad value so if you find it on sale I definitely recommend this set.

Welcome again Brickset users to another review! Today we are reviewing the AAT (2015 version) from Lego Star Wars. Let's dive into the review.

Box/Instructions:

The box shows the product on the Battle of Naboo. The instructions are clear and pretty easy to follow.

Parts:

This set features a lot of tan and dark tan pieces. It also features some gray and black pieces. The set also features some spring loaded shooters and orange missiles.

Minifigures:

The minifigures are very generic. The battle droids are the same as usual and are armed with blasters. Jar Jar Binks is the same as he is seen in other sets.

The build:

The build featured a lot of technic pieces and complex building styles. It will take only a few minutes if you are an experienced builder, but will take longer if you are not.

The completed model:

The model looks just like the infamous tank in the prequel trilogy. The first play feature is the spring loaded shooters with orange missiles. Next, you can open the cockpits. Last, you can rotate the cannon on the top cockpit.

Overall opinion:

I higly recommend this set, as it is a huge improvement over other variations. This set also goes well with the most recent Flash Speeder.

I was looking for a new set to build my droid arsenal up a little and this was the perfect set for just that. But looking at the pictures of it, I thought it was too small. Here is what I now think of the newest version of the AAT (and only the 2nd from episode I).

Box/Instructions

The box has the new stormtrooper helmet logo, just as the other sets in the 2015 line. The instructions weren't really bent. It shows the play features, just like most other sets you see.

Parts

The parts are just what you would expect from an episode I AAT. There are many nice curved pieces mostly in tan and some in a beige color. There are also some cool tan astromech bodies, but not sure what you'd really use them for outside this set. It has many great pieces. I also got my first (and only so far) spring loaded launchers from this set. It also has a large light gray disc that fits on the spinny bottom part.

Minifigures

Almost every lego fan owns a battle droid or two so you probably know how they are. The pilot is the same, but with mostly blue body that has some tan printing. Jar-Jar has the same torso printing as he did in the Battle Of Naboo set. He also comes with one of the gungan shields that are also in the Battle Of Naboo set.

The build

The build is fun and easy. It took me about 30 minutes to complete, and I thought I was building it pretty slowly myself. It has 3 sections of the build- the front/ hover part (I don't know what to call it), the middle section and the turret. The build is also symmetrical, but not really repetitive. It has some interesting parts to it, such as the turret and a little inside technic work.

The completed model

The model is great. At first I thought it was going to be too small, but it is actually pretty much to movie scale (don't quote me on this, as I haven't watched the movie in a while). It has a nice sleek design to it and looks great along with my other trade federation/ separatist machines. It is a very sturdy and good looking model.

Overall opinion

This set surpassed all expectations. It has a great size and look (unlike the big clone wars hunk of junk, or the blocky 2000 version). It also has some nice good play features and it was definitely worth $25. I recommend this set to every lego Star Wars fan, not just separatist/trade federation sympathizers like myself.

This set has the potential to become a good set or to become a fiddly, irritating set.

Box/Instructions- Wonderful box design with slightly unclear instructions.

Parts- Nice parts used and plenty of spares.

Minifigures- Nice minifigures, although it could of come with Captain Tarpals.

The build- Nice, well structured build with wonderful, curvy pieces.

The completed model- Lovely Model with quite small hatches and flick-fire missiles.

Overall opinion- My overall opinion of this set would be that it has a good structure but when it comes to size this one is just too narrow. 4.1/5 Stars

Oh Star Wars... Even if I didn't adore that galaxy far, far away, as a Lego fan there is something of a duty to pay homage to Star Wars. The franchise was the first license acquired by TLG, and I firmly feel that it can be given most of the credit for launching Legos from 'that quirky European toy with the yellow people' to a god of the household toy chest. So in complete opposition to the sentence I just penned, we have a more humble (and likely divisive) set that I found quaint from the moment I picked up the box until I swept up the spare parts: the third iteration of the AAT.

For those unaware (and also because it makes for a more cohesive transition between paragraphs), the AAT, or Armored Assault Tank, made its debut in the generally accepted debacle of a film Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But gungans and midi-chlorians aside, the film had a strong set of vehicle design with clear factions very reminiscent of the classic trilogy. This Star Wars-esque methodology for visual storytelling carried through best in the first generation tank: better than the MTT and droid starfighter from the same era anyway. The tank failed to make appearances in the next two films, instead finding a very welcoming home in other mediums, most notably the Clone Wars show from whence Lego's second generation AAT sprang.

This third version returns to the original color scheme, but is easily the smallest (full size anyway). This drastic reduction in size originally had me persuaded to not spend my money on the set, as I was more than aware of how right the scale of the second gen tank felt since my brother owned it. But as these things often happen, I purchased it a little while later as a small aside with some other mid-range sets. And funnily enough, of all the parts assembled that evening, this admittedly half-size tank was the most satisfying.

This satisfaction comes not from the pieces nor the build itself. The turret spins, the cannon and pilot hatches are hinged, and the missiles can fire (the mechanism for which is simple but amused me as time was taken to create one where for many larger sets the rods are just left to hang in the open... looking at you B-wing). And equally, I was not mesmerized purely by the design of the AAT inherent. Realistically, there's just not much happening with this set. Not anything we've never before that is. Even the minifigs feel rather par for the course.

The power in this set is, in fact, its size. When the thought first struck me, even I did a mental check on what my brain had just metaphorically barfed into in existence. It seems like blasphemy at first consideration, especially when compared against its two older brothers. But my gut reaction was right... for once. Let's face it, despite many, many Star Wars sets standing as true crown jewels of the Lego medium, the majority of fully realized Star Wars Legos crest the forty and fifty dollar (US) mark. Sure it makes sense from a business standpoint (I doubt there will ever be a point in my lifetime Star Wars doesn't sell) and even from a 'proper' scale view.

But the reality of this is that when given the ability to buy a Star Wars set, an X-wing or TIE fighter will probably win out over an accurately sized AAT in the minds of a lot of people. And that's why I appreciate, even genuinely like, this smallest of Armored Assault Tanks. For the regular fan or the average kid who isn't a die hard collector like me or you, this AAT doesn't ask you make that choice. It can be a spur-of-the-moment set, and even if it isn't, still makes good and then some on the promises its cover gives.

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Wow. I really have no words for the amount of traction my previous two reviews seem to have gained. And thank you to those of you liked them. Really made this week to see them rated as highly as they are.

That being the case, if you wanna request I review a set, think there's one I don't have yet that really is worth the effort to grab, or just wanna chat Legos you can find my Skype below. Just let me know you're from over here yeah?

Skype: inky_jay (Nathan A. Nimtz)