Sometimes it’s hard to believe I didn’t own every single Star Wars toy produced by Kenner as a kid. I suppose it had to do with the finite number of birthdays and Christmases that fell between 1978 and 1985. Truth be told, as early as 1983 I was already beginning to lose interest in the Kenner toys, which narrows that window even further.
The AT-ST, which goes by several names, is one of those vintage toys I didn’t own. AT-ST stands for All Terrain Scout Transport, but the original box identified it a Scout Walker. Colloquially, most people know the two-legged vehicle as a “chicken walker.” The AT-ST made its debut in The Empire Strikes Back during the Battle of Hoth, and was featured much more prominently in Return of the Jedi during the Battle of Endor against the Ewoks.
Despite all that talk about being armored, Ewoks — the teddy bears of the Star Wars universe — had no difficulty taking out multiple AT-STs. In Jedi, one is tripped by a stream of fallen trees, while another one gets its armored head smashed in by a couple of logs. A third one explodes when it is shot by a fourth that has been commandeered by Chewbacca and a couple of Ewoks. It’s a little hard to take the AT-ST seriously when an army of Care Bears are able to take them out of commission so quickly.
Kenner’s Scout Walker, originally released with Empire Strikes Back packaging in 1982 and re-branded as a Return of the Jedi toy in 1983, doesn’t hold up much better. In an attempt to make the toy more interactive, Kenner added a unique walking-mechanism to the toy. A button on the back of the walker actually makes the legs move up and down. Through normal play over time, the legs loosen to the point where getting the metal chicken to stand on its own becomes increasingly difficult. Even with the small tab on the rear of the unit slid into the “stand” position, the walker leans as if it has downed one too many mugs of space ale in the cantina.
Like most vintage Kenner vehicles, the AT-ST is off in regards to scale. In the films, the AT-ST stood 30′ tall. Kenner’s version is 11″ tall. If a Luke action figure is 3 3/4″ tall and Mark Mark Hamill is 5’9″, that would make this one just over 16′ tall, or about half of what it should be. Regardless, it doesn’t look terribly off when standing next to vintage action figures. While the AT-ST in the film has enough room for a pilot and co-pilot, this scaled down version only has enough room for one figure. The small cut out windows on the side of the cockpit are a nice touch.
For anyone looking to pick up a vintage AT-ST, there are lots of things to look for. Mounted to the head are four guns — one under the chin, one on top, and one on each side — all of which easily disconnect and can become lost. There’s also a two part hatch on top that tends to get lost. Ordering any of these missing parts through eBay can cost you close to the cost of a complete AT-ST toy, so if having a 100% complete toy is important to you, check thoroughly before purchasing. Finally, you’ll want to check those legs and make sure the walker has enough stamina left to stand on its own accord.
The Scout Walker looks great when displayed next to its bigger brother, the four-legged AT-AT, and goes well with any of the Hoth or Endor line of toys. I’m glad I was able to find this one and add it to the collection.
I had my tonsils removed when I was 7 and as “get well” presents I was given this and a Kermit the Frog puppet. The puppet of course disintegrated but the AT-ST still resides in the attic mostly complete!