I built the Lego UCS AT-ST Walker, a hulking 1,500-piece ode to one of the Empire’s most famous vehicles from Return of the Jedi

The Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) is a brick-built representation of one of the most iconic Imperial ground vehicles, which was famously commandeered by Chewbacca and a pair of Ewoks during the Battle of Endor.

Eagle-eyed Star Wars fans will know that the affectionately named ‘Chicken Walker’ first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, during the Empire’s assault on Hoth. These earlier variants are lankier, with differently proportioned heads. This set, then, is a representation of the AT-ST’s appearance in Return of the Jedi, during the Rebel assault on the Death Star’s shield generator.

But this isn’t just any Lego AT-ST, it’s part of Billund’s premium Ultimate Collector Series, home to some of the best Lego sets. This is home to the largest and most accurate Lego Star Wars sets money can buy. It’s also the second AT-ST in the range, the first being the long-discontinued Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s AT-ST (10174), released way back in 2006.

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While this near-20-year gap suggests the vehicle is in desperate need of an update, it’s a fine example of an earlier Lego Star Wars set that stands up very well to scrutiny. So, let’s find out what Lego’s finest has up their sleeves to justify the second coming of the evil Empire’s All-Terrain Scout Transport.

Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) Features

• 1,513 pieces
• 18+ age rating
• One exclusive minifigure

The Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) sits at the more accessible end of larger UCS sets, but is still a considerable investment. It retails for £179.99 / $199.99 and with 1,513 pieces, it doesn’t meet the price-per-piece ratio of comparable UCS sets, Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder (75341) and the A-wing Starfighter (75275).

However, price-per-piece ratios aren’t everything, and the AT-ST boasts a commanding presence when built, even if its upright design means it takes up a comparatively small amount of space. I purchased this set for my own collection around Christmas, where some seriously good discounts were available, so if you’re not prepared to pay full price, do look out for the next sale.

Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) build

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• Five-hour build
• A challenge to put together
• Only five stickers

An 18+ rating can signify a lack of playability, a high level of difficulty, or both. As such, plenty of ‘adult’ Lego sets provide little challenge, but Lego Star Wars’ Ultimate Collector Series has historically turned out some of the most difficult Lego sets to build, and the Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker definitely lives up to its UCS moniker.

There are lots of Technic pieces, and the largely gray aesthetic makes finding and placing the right pieces more difficult. It’s not the hardest set I’ve ever built, but I still had to go back and fix a couple of errors. As such, I would definitely recommend adult assistance for younger builders, and if you’re an adult who hasn’t built many Lego sets, you may even find this to be a challenge yourself.

The symmetrical nature and size of this set do mean there’s a good amount of repetition, too. However, if you’re a glutton for punishment, like me, there’s plenty of fun to be had, not to mention a sense of achievement as you watch the set slowly come together. I usually like to bash out a Lego set in one or two sittings. Unusually for me, I spread the AT-ST Walker across five nights, a total of five hours of building. Given the size, all-gray aesthetic, and lack of any side builds, I found this more leisurely approach to be more enjoyable and less of a slog.

The 1,513 pieces are spread out across 14 bagged sections, and I’m pleased to report that all of these bags were paper (not plastic). You begin by piecing together the central chassis that accommodates the legs and the head, before moving on to the legs. Each leg is largely comprised of Technic pieces, providing maximum stability in spite of the tall, thin design.

Repetition is impossible to avoid here, but if you’re building with a friend, you could each take a leg, with one using the paper instructions and one referring to the digital instructions via the Lego Builder app. You then attach the legs to the chassis and finish each section with some detailing and greebling. I was surprised at just how involved these three sections were. In fact, the legs and central chassis took me roughly 60% of the way through the instruction booklet.

The head is built from the inside out, so you build up the chassis, interior, and twin blaster canons first, before moving onto the front, sides, rear, and top panels, respectively. You finish the vehicle by constructing the side-mounted light blaster canons and grenade launcher, before putting together the AT-ST Driver minifigure and free-standing plaque.

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I was pleased to find only five stickers, although it’s a shame two of them are on the mid-sections of the interior seating, when both the top and bottom sections are made purely using bricks. What I was most impressed with was the range of clever build techniques. Place this AT-ST next to the 2006 set (10174), and they look surprisingly similar. And in many ways, both builds are similar, but the execution is quite different.

The new model is chock full of modern refinements that add up to a much more convincing finished article – especially when you get close to admire the details. I was really impressed, for example, by the central chassis, where clips are used to invert the underside, allowing for detail on the top and bottom, without there being any connection for the studs.

Each foot features a half-cylinder, attached to a clip, which is used to hide a gap between the two half-spherical panels. This is actually very similar to the original model, but done in a much more accurate way. And finally, instead of slotting into two, upright Technic axles, the head’s side panels are each attached using a single axle, which slots horizontally through three connectors, with a rubber connector at the top of each panel to stop them from sagging.

The Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker might not boast the most engrossing build for youngsters or newcomers, but for Billund nerds, it’s a real treat of modern Lego engineering.

Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) design

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• Stable set
• Lovely interior
• Premium minifigure

The Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker is a fantastic-looking set that improves upon its predecessor exponentially. Having said that, it’s not a perfect representation of the prototype. It’s noticeably more squat, with thicker, shorter legs, larger feet, a wider central chassis, and a gaunt face thanks to a more extreme taper towards the twin-blaster canons on its ‘chin’. The result is an ever-so-slightly ‘toonish’ appearance.

And yet, it’s still a marvelously imposing set that’s attractive in its own right. Some may bemoan the wealth of studs on view, particularly on the vehicle’s ‘head’. Personally, I like Lego sets to look like Lego sets, so studs don’t bother me, but if you’re a fan of tiling everything over, you may wish for a smoother appearance.

It’s also worth mentioning that the AT-STs in the Original Trilogy were hand-built models that have been replicated again and again in various forms of media over the years, so there’s arguably no such thing as one single, definitive AT-ST. I hate to be so picky, but the Ultimate Collector Series has set the bar so high that this is the standard by which all UCS sets are now judged. It’s important to note, however, that there is most definitely a practical aspect to this AT-ST’s appearance.

The large ‘clown feet’ enable it to stand proud and stable with no fear of falling over, and as somebody who’s writing this with the recent UCS X-Wing Starfighter (75355) on a nearby shelf – with its sagging wings – I personally think practicality beats aesthetics when it comes to over-sized Lego sets. A neat touch on the underside of each foot is four rubber nubs to provide extra grip. Rest assured, even a hardy squad of Ewoks would have a tough time tripping this thing up!

Don’t get me wrong, this is still a delicate Lego set that’s not to be thrown around. Pick it up by the head at your peril (it’ll separate from the body), but given the size and inherently spindly nature, the designers have done a great job making it as stable as possible. And indeed, another by-product of the stability is that the legs don’t articulate, just like the original.

I’m in two minds about this: on the one hand, it would have been lovely to take advantage of modern building techniques and innovate articulated limbs, but on the other, joints can loosen over time, and the last thing you want is a large set like this to come crashing down. Ultimately, I refer back to my saggy X-Wing and conclude that the designers made the right choice here.

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Looking back at imagery of the original UCS AT-ST, I couldn’t help but notice that the pose looks slightly more dynamic. I think this is partially to do with the top horizontal portion of each leg being set at a slight angle. This tips the central chassis and head back slightly to produce a less square look. It’s actually mentioned in the current model's instruction manual that the design was tweaked for stability, and I’m sure this is one such example. It’s not a big problem by any means, but it does give this AT-ST a more stationary aesthetic, like it’s parked and awaiting its crew.

Like all good UCS sets, this model looks fantastic from every angle. You’ll find precious few anti-studs on the rear, with some really impressive greebling and tiling to represent various exhaust ports. The designers have also used a tyre to hide the neck joint, which isn’t particularly prototypical, but looks the part all the same.

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It’s hard to see in the imagery, but the all-gray color scheme is interrupted in a few places by the odd tan-colored Lego brick. No doubt this is intended to be dirt, transferred onto the vehicle from the forests of Endor. I personally think this is a nice touch, although, considering I can barely count 10 tan bricks, it would have been nice to have the gray pieces as well, for anybody wanting a factory-fresh look. This certainly isn’t beyond Lego’s remit. I recently reviewed the Lego Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock Subway Train Scene (76321), which comes with spare parts for anyone wanting to run the carriage on a Lego train set.

As you’d expect from a UCS set, playability features are few and far between, but you can tilt the head from side to side, the front twin-blaster canons up and down, spin the side weaponry, open the small top hatch and the larger panel, and open and close the ‘eye’ hatches. The latter are a little fiddly, given that they’re each articulated with a single droid arm, but they certainly look the part.

The top panel is also fiddly to open up, but what it reveals is a lovely interior. You’ve a pair of seats for the AT-ST drivers, as well as three control panels, two printed and one stickered. As is often the case with UCS sets, the AT-ST is not minifigure scale. Previous AT-ST playsets have been much closer to minifigure scale, while this set is much larger.

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Still, it does come with a delightful AT-ST Driver, although anyone hoping for a full crew of two will be disappointed. Most UCS sets of this size feature a token minifigure or two, but rarely a full contingent. Given the price of this set, I would have preferred to see another figure. I actually think Chewie and an Ewok would have been a lovely touch, but that wasn’t to be.

Thankfully, though, the AT-ST Driver is a near-perfect minifig. Some may bemoan the lack of dual-molded legs, but these would have gotten in the way of the lovely leg printing. All in all, you get leg, hip, torso, back, arm, and helmet printing, as well as a nice face print, complete with a head strap. The helmet is lovely, with some exquisite molding and printing. I consider this a premium minifigure, and it’s currently exclusive to this set, too. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only AT-ST Driver/Pilot with printed arms, making it the definitive Endor offering.

The driver is placed on a small, separate stand, which features the traditional UCS plaque with a little bit of information regarding the vehicle. I say this every time, but I always appreciate these plaques being printed (they used to be huge stickers).

Should you buy the Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417)?

The Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) is a solid addition to the Ultimate Collector Series. It lacks the wow factor of some UCS remasters because the original 2006 model was so ahead of its time. And yet, it’s still the definitive UCS AT-ST, it still betters the original in (almost) every way, and it still looks marvelous as an ornament or part of a wider Lego Star Wars collection.

I’m a big fan of the roughly $200/£200 UCS slot that the AT-ST occupies, which was filled by Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder (75341) and the A-wing Starfighter (75275) before it. And while it’s the worst value of the three, this isn’t surprising given rising prices. And yet, I picked up my AT-ST on sale for an exceedingly good price indeed.

It would be easy to wish for a more dynamic pose and articulated legs, but I want stability from my large-scale Lego sets, and a solid ‘Chicken Walker’ that’s unlikely to succumb to Ewok mischief is a win in my book.

This set also boasts a subtle charm that reminds me a lot of the UCS sets of yore, likely, in part, due to an abundance of visible studs. A turn off to some, but I’m perhaps at odds with the modern contingent of collectors who prefer a smoother, tiled-over aesthetic. I like a Lego set to look like a Lego set, and for me at least, this set strikes a perfect balance.

Ratings

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Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417)

I built the Lego Star Wars AT-ST Walker (75417) at a leisurely pace in five sittings, during the course of five hours. I then displayed it in my study for a couple of weeks, so I could enjoy it. As always, I love photographing Lego models, and during the photo shoot, I tested the set’s durability extensively by constantly moving and posing it.

I’ve been a hardcore Star Wars fan ever since I watched The Phantom Menace in the cinema at the tender age of eight. By the time Attack of the Clones was released, I’d watched the Original Trilogy umpteen times and digested various books. I still consider A New Hope to be my favorite movie of all time (OG Trilogy all the way!).

Pair my love of Star Wars with the fact that I’ve been collecting Lego since the early ‘90s, and you can trust that my opinion is not only valid, but impervious, even to Jedi mind tricks.

For more information on our procedure, take a look at how we test products.

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