LEGO Rebels Rex's AT-TE
January 2017
Dave
Dave
Manufacturer:
Lego, product code 75157
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Size:
36 x 22 x 22 cm (Lego mini-figure scale)
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Year of release:
2016
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Price:
£75 - £100 ($90 - $120)
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In Star Wars: Rebels season 2 (aired in 2015 and released on blu ray and DVD in summer 2016) we saw the return of my favourite character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Captain Rex. In the show Rex is living on the planet of Seelos, inhabiting an old Clone Wars era AT-TE – the six legged walking tanks that the clones used to great effect during the war. To commemorate the return of this fantastic character Lego has released an AT-TE model based upon Rex’s mobile home.
The kit comes in a box of a decent size, and I have found that Lego (unlike a number of other product manufacturers) tends to package their products in boxes suitable for the contents, weighing about 1.5 kilos (circa 3 lbs). Within the box are eight bags numbered from one to eight to aid in the building, holding 972 bricks. This is a model kit more suited to a more experienced builder (or one less experienced with a little help). Step up my youngest son who decided I could not do this alone! |
As well as the bricks Lego also includes a very useful instruction book – practically a novel at 159 pages long. By following the 265 steps (yes 265 – be prepared for a bit of work here) you can have fully functional (ish) AT-TE!
Beginning with bag one, my youngest and myself worked our way through all eight bags over the course of two and three quarter hours to build this fantastic model. Depending upon the experience of the builder this set could take between 2 and 5 hours so will provide a decent amount of distraction if this is a gift for a child!
As with all Lego sets I have built, the AT-TE is a pleasure to construct. Very well designed so that you begin by building the main deck (the rear cabin and cockpit) using a number of longer spar and pins to make a strong but light central frame. From here you build up the walls to complete the main ‘rooms’ of the tank before moving onto all six legs, the landing pad on the rear and then the main gun turret on top.
I love this model, simply love it. This has to be my favourite Lego kit so far (and I have a few). The detail is amazing, and the stickers supplied, to be used in strategic places, along with mismatched legs (indicating the walker has undergone repair work at some point) ensure the model has the worn and tired appearance you would expect from a piece of equipment used on a dusty planet for fifteen years!
Faithful to the Rebels TV show, the walker has a number of ‘improvements’ that the residents have added to enhance its use, these include the cranes for lifting items onto the landing pad, the landing pad itself, a number of ladders and additional walkways and lookout posts around the main body. These additions make this AT-TE larger than the kits previously released by Lego.
And, as a toy as well as a model for collectors, the finished AT-TE has a large number of additional props and moving parts to allow little hands to play. Props include crates, a wrench, macrobinoculars, and even a mug for a hot drink! And moving parts cover a number of areas, from the main rotating cannon (which fires missiles), opening doors, removable rooves, lifting cranes and even an unfolding ladder for access from the ground. This really is an excellent kit!
Beginning with bag one, my youngest and myself worked our way through all eight bags over the course of two and three quarter hours to build this fantastic model. Depending upon the experience of the builder this set could take between 2 and 5 hours so will provide a decent amount of distraction if this is a gift for a child!
As with all Lego sets I have built, the AT-TE is a pleasure to construct. Very well designed so that you begin by building the main deck (the rear cabin and cockpit) using a number of longer spar and pins to make a strong but light central frame. From here you build up the walls to complete the main ‘rooms’ of the tank before moving onto all six legs, the landing pad on the rear and then the main gun turret on top.
I love this model, simply love it. This has to be my favourite Lego kit so far (and I have a few). The detail is amazing, and the stickers supplied, to be used in strategic places, along with mismatched legs (indicating the walker has undergone repair work at some point) ensure the model has the worn and tired appearance you would expect from a piece of equipment used on a dusty planet for fifteen years!
Faithful to the Rebels TV show, the walker has a number of ‘improvements’ that the residents have added to enhance its use, these include the cranes for lifting items onto the landing pad, the landing pad itself, a number of ladders and additional walkways and lookout posts around the main body. These additions make this AT-TE larger than the kits previously released by Lego.
And, as a toy as well as a model for collectors, the finished AT-TE has a large number of additional props and moving parts to allow little hands to play. Props include crates, a wrench, macrobinoculars, and even a mug for a hot drink! And moving parts cover a number of areas, from the main rotating cannon (which fires missiles), opening doors, removable rooves, lifting cranes and even an unfolding ladder for access from the ground. This really is an excellent kit!
You get five mini-figures as well. And three make sense: Captain Rex and two of his clone officer colleagues, Commander Wolfe and Commander Gregor. In the Rebels show we see all three living together in the walker. However the additional two figures make less sense to me: Fifth Brother Inquisitor and a Stormtrooper. I get that Lego could have been looking at including ‘baddies’ (as my boys call them) to allow for instant action, but neither featured in the episode with the walker. It would perhaps have made more sense to include Agent Kallus and an AT-AT driver as both of those were in the episode. Could their absence imply that Lego are planning an AT-AT release to complement the AT-TE? I do hope so!
Play or display, I love this set (I think I may have said that already)! As of late 2016 this kit is available from a range of retailers (the Lego Store, supermarkets, toy stores and online) and retails for about £75 to £100 ($90 to $120) and can be picked up fairly easily. I really recommend you add this to your list! |