Scout Walker Vehicle (ESB)

The Scout Walker is analogous to some of the Star Wars action figures: when it was first released it had only scant seconds of actual screen time. Rumor has it that more Scout Walker scenes were shot/planned for ESB, but decisions were made to show more of the menacing AT-ATs. What was also weird was that the Scout Walker came out in both ESB and ROTJ boxes, but the name on the box never changed from “Scout Walker Vehicle.” Yet, there was an action figure specifically name “AT-ST Driver” from the ROTJ releases. Odd.

The Scout Walker came in and ESB box (showing a Hoth set-up) and an ROTJ box (showing an Endor set-up). Like many of the toy vehicles, it was slightly scaled down from the movie, so it only held one figure rather than two. However, it still had a rotating head and side head guns, and tilting chin guns. There was also a cool button on the back to make it “walk.” This feature also had a switch to put it in just standing mode. It also featured a top-opening cockpit and round hatch.

Why should you own this vehicle? Five reasons:

1. That funky leg-pumping action with the button.

2. It was a smaller, more moderately priced vehicle if you couldn’t get the AT-AT. Which I’m sure many a kid’s parent opted for.

3. Recreate that cringe-worthy scene where Chewbacca lets loose with a Tarzan yell and mounts the beast, I mean, Scout Walker.

4. Set up your own Scout Walker destruction line using logs, rocks, and other things you can find in the yard.

5. I gotta mention the funky leg-pumping action again. That was just cool/weird.

Backstory:

A precursor to the AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport)(also called “chicken walkers” by Rebels) was seen as early as Revenge of the Sith, being used by clone troopers. By the original trilogy it was manufactured by several different companies.

In ESB it was used as cover for the AT-ATs, since AT-ATs were actually poor at covering things attacking their own legs. They were used by the Empire on Endor because the dense forest demanded a smaller vehicle than the AT-AT. However, the bipedal propulsion of the AT-ST was its undoing when a scrappy bunch of Ewoks took a lot of them out using logs, and rocks. Heck, there was even a scene from ROTJ showing yet another way they destroyed and AT-ST that was cut from the theatrical release.

The AT-ST crew consisted of a pilot and a gunner. For armament it had grenade launcher on one side of the head, a blaster cannon on the other, and chin-mounted double medium lasers.

After the Battle of Endor, AT-STs still remained in use, but never gained the significance they once did.

Want more? Its Wookieepedia article

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