Revell AT-AT
I have one (actually, I have many - but I took one home and whipped out the dykes and the sanding sticks). A quickie review: It does not suck. It is, in fact, the definitive mass-market injection kit of the subject.
Which is not at all a difficult feat.
The scale, I’m told, is around 1/52. Seems small for that - the Wong 1/48 (marketed by SMY and Blue Moon) is half again as large. My guess would be closer to 1/72 - but since Revell didn’t care to do any of these Easy Kits at an established scale, it’s anyone’s guess what it really is. That aside - if you like small and sucky, the MPC/AMT/ERTL kit is for you. If you like tiny and sucky like a wet-vac, the ERTL Structor is for you.
Detail is simplified over the studio models … in fact, it looks like Revell used a CAD file “interpreted” from the studio models, or maybe even a CG rendering from Lucas. I’ve been looking up various pictoral reference and the most definite discrepancy I can find is the “head”. Revell has a pronounced bar running back from the “ear” position. I don’t see that on the ESB models, but I do see that in the latest Soviet Revisonism version of the original movies. As with every previous plastic version of the machine, the ass-end of the model is just a “stamped” piece protecting the rear drive unit. From the pictures of the studio model it looks as if the inside face of the end cap should have some sort of detail. It’s also missing some scribed detail, especially on the “feet” Easy enough to add. There’s some sink marks on the foot “yokes”. Other than that, no mis-matched molds, no flash on parts, no overly large sprue attchments - in short, the molding is pretty good.
As a snap fit, it’s very well done - you really need to sand off all the attachment stubs after snipping the parts from the sprues - any extra WILL interfere with the fit. Once the parts are together, they don’t wanna come apart. Seam lines fall in areas - for the most part - where they will not be obvious. Of course, gluing and putty will make for a better model - but honestly, even without glue there’s not a lot of room for putty. And hey - no rubber-bands.
The paint job is …. OK. Serious modelers will immediatly plan on repainting…. but as is, the finish is OK from 3 foot away.
Not a perfect kit by any stretch - buy Fine Molds Y-Wing if perfect is what you’re striving for - but pretty darn good, considering …(considering it was built to be played with, for a foreign market, and not as an exacting testimonial to the scale modeler’s art),
12 December 2007 at 2:31 pm
Good helpfull review,the model kit sounds awesome going to buy one now thanks merry xmas.
22 February 2008 at 11:52 pm
Hey there. Just scored one of these kits via Hobbylink(Japan). I love the kit- it is awesome! Plenty of scope for detailing & painting/weathering. I totally agree regarding the head detail- I’ll have to create armour plating/panelling from the outer edge of the to meet the ‘ridge’ that they have created along the side. I think that the contour will be right after that. The main guns are a tad too short (again!). The side guns are just blobs of plastic& are destined for a complete scratch- build! I can live with the raised panel lines(just). The feet need the scribing tool work-over and the foot tabs will have to be removed & rebuilt… I could go on but I won’t.
It is an impressively large kit- one that I had always wished for as a kid while building the meagre MPC/ERTL version. I think that it is closer to 1/48 scale than 1/72, going by the incredible cross-sections reference book. 1/50 sounds closer, but is harder to source & modify troopers or other kits for diorama or enhancement. Would go well with at least 3 confirmed 1/48 scale Star Wars kits- X-Wing(Finemolds), Naboo fighter or droid starfighters(AMT/ERTL).
Thanks for your review.
PS- your cat must be huge because he/she made the AT-AT kit look relatively small!
28 February 2008 at 5:44 pm
That’s the beauty of Star Wars - it can be whatever size you like. 1/50 is close enough to 1/48 that no-one will ever notice the difference.
I still say it’s closer to 1/72 …. but hey, it’s your model. Call it what you will and have fun.