The AT-AT is such an iconic, forbidding presence in "The Empire Strikes Back," that landing set 75288 certainly brought me back some 40 years (yes, I am old).
My initial impression of the build as it began to take shape is that it seemed a bit small. However, after some consideration upon completion, the 1,267-piece set is an appropriate size in retrospect.
Perhaps the biggest highlight is the phenomenal detail on the exterior of the AT-AT. The neck and cockpit area is very well done, and the interior and cockpit spacing is well-appointed, with the ability to place all the included minifigures.
The playability is also excellent, with Luke's grappling hook allowing you to place a detonator in a trap door in the belly of the beast. The included speeder bike and turret allow for some mini-moc opportunities.
The biggest miss from the jump is the six minifigures, with Luke, General Veers, two snowtroopers, and two AT-AT pilots. With a $150+ price point, the set suffers from both a lack of minifigure variance and volume. I would have liked to have seen a probe droid included at the least, if not a Han Solo in cold-weather gear.
The legs are also a bit unstable and difficult to reposition, although I don't know how the Lego engineers could have easily fixed that issue.
Overall, this was an extremely challenging build, intricate and requiring of close attention but supremely clever. I'm a big fan of the recent re-focus on Hoth, and I'd be curious to see the differences between this set and the Ultimate Collector Series version.
While the included minifigures were a bit of a letdown, this is a worthy set, and we look forward to potentially pairing it with other Hoth staples, like the medical center, Echo base, and even a Wampa cave.
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