Despite the vehicles from the Star Wars movies being built time and time again, from endlessly re-hashed official sets to uncountable builds from the LEGO community, sometimes a fan creation comes around that makes you say “Wow.” This Imperial AT-ST by GolPlaysWithLego is one such build, capturing the likeness of the scout walker impeccably. The hips have the wobbly look that is so distinctive of the aptly-nicknamed chicken walker, always sorely lacking in official sets, yet it still seems solidly put together while maintaining excellent proportions — it’s certainly the best I have seen.
The fine shaping of the cockpit (or head) stands out, but the most impressive area of the build is the “torso”, where the legs and cockpit connect together. An inside-out tire gives a great look for the neck, and some Speed Champions rims provide sublime greebling, too. Other notable greeble elements include the jackhammer on the back of the cockpit and skis under the torso. The gun on the port side includes binoculars, ski poles, and one of the armor plates from buildable figures. “Illegal” connections abound, allowing for the precise detailing that elevates the build over the rather pedestrian official sets.
Best of all, it has a full interior, too! Now we just need to have a Tarzan-yelling Wookiee and a couple of adorable little furballs drop in from a swinging vine. Or else see how stable those wobbly hips really are by having it walk over some rolling logs.
Thanks for the post!
Note that I don’t do illegal connections, other than for the inverted tire (I have to credit Brick Doctor for this trick on his own AT-ST, btw). I even only redid the eyelids when Lego started inserting tiles into clips. A lot of fragile connections for sure, thus Lego would never build one this way, but none in Lego’s rule book (AFAIK) (hose bending is a grey area I guess).
FWIW TLG used hose bending to form the rail in avengers tower, 76038. Great looking build!
Sure Lego bends hoses all the time, they’re made for that, but they let them naturally bend into shape by clipping them. Here I pre-bent the hoses behind the legs, something Lego wouldn’t do. I also pre-bent the rail on the roof, because the natural bending is a bit too round, the “real” rail is harshly angled (the closest I can go without pinching & thus pretty much destroying the hose, I’ve seen that in MOCs but it’s not something I would do).