ATL Interceptor Vehicle (Droids 1985)

While the Droids line was not very popular, and did not last long, it did produce some unique vehicles. One was the A-Wing, which hadn’t been made in the ROTJ series, the Side Gunner, and the ATL Interceptor. The ATL box was shown with Thall Joben in the cockpit, but a photo shows it with a B-Wing pilot. Like the Side Gunner box pictures, it seems evident the Droid figures weren’t yet ready when the ship went into production.

Despite being Droids, it is a neat little ship. The maneuvering struts can come down, like the action in an X-Wing deploying its wings. It has one nose gun and two more on the sides that are revealed when the wings come down. It looks very much like a Star Wars vehicle should.

Why should you get this vehicle? Five reasons:

1. Very rare and popular. The line was declining at this point, so a cool ship was instantly rare.

2. An official part of the SW universe, so use it with any figures.

3. Three cool guns – always a hit with the kids.

4. Has a cool transforming action – what’s not to like?

5. Actually a little imposing with the wings down.

Backstory:

The ATL (Air To Land) Interceptor was first conceived as the Death Star Defender for the ROTJ line, but was never produced. When making ships for the cartoon Droids, Kenner used the unproduced design as the ATL. In the SW universe it is known as the Defender Starfighter by Republic Engineering Corporation. It had three laser cannons and deployable s-foils for maneuvering. It did not have a hyperdrive, and was designed mainly for planetary defense.

Known as the "Defender Starfighter" in official continuity:
Wookieepedia article

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