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Friday, March 27, 2015
Action Figure Review: AT-DP Driver from Star Wars: Rebels by Hasbro
One of the things that you can always count on in the Star Wars universe is that the armored troops will have some awesome visual designs. Today I'm looking at another figure from Hasbro's Rebels assortment: The AT-DP Driver. Also known as Imperial combat drivers, AT-DP drivers pilot a variety of the new vehicles features in Rebels including the All Terrain Defense Pods that are employed on the planet Lothal as part of the Imperial security forces. I don't have an AT-DP yet but I did manage to find the driver on the same day that I picked up my Jedi Temple Guard. The Rebels figures have been pretty tough to come by, at least in my experience, so I was glad to find this one. Ready for a quick look at this figure? Then join me after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 4 inches
Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.
Accessories: E-11 Blaster Rifle
Non-Scalper Price: $6 to $7 dollars.
The Positives:
*I'm really pretty impressed by the way that Rebels has utilized various Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston concept art to create a look that definitely feels like it belongs to the era shortly before the original films. The AT-DP Driver is an excellent design that manages to blend elements from other Imperial troops such as the AT-ST driver, the AT-AT Driver, and the Imperial Pilots. I love the sculpting on the helmet and the detail work on the armor pieces and the jumpsuit.
* Like the Jedi Temple Guard, the AT-DP Driver can easily fit in well with pretty much any other modern Star Wars figures. Being an armored and masked figure, his appearance doesn't have the more stylized appearance of the typical human characters from Rebels or Clone Wars.
*It's not much but I'll always take another blaster. It's not a bad sculpt and it fits well in either hand (but better in the left).
*There are some very nice painted elements on the AT-DP driver, particularly the work on the helmet. The various symbols and fine details look very neat and crisp. The bluish grey armor also has a bit of a metallic sheen to it. It's very faint but it's there.
The Negatives:
*Of course, there are some sloppy paint areas, too. The belt buckle and edges of the chest armor are a bit messy.
*The articulation on these guys is what it is: Five points only. What bothers me, though, is that the torso seems to not fit together flush and thus moves a bit when the arms arms and head swivel. I'm not really afraid of it falling apart but it's definitely a quality control issue. Gosh, remember when Star Wars figures at least had swivel waists?
I really like the design of the AT-DP Driver but I'm a bit miffed by the way the torso doesn't quite fit together perfectly and by a few questionable paint applications. Still, there's a lot to like here as this is a fabulously designed Imperial trooper that fits right in with the look of the original films. Overall, I'm giving him a Good and a 1/2. He's not one of the best troop builders ever but he's not bad if you snag him for $6 bucks somewhere.
I've reviewed a few other Star Wars figures, including:
Star Wars by Kenner
My First Star Wars Figures
Star Wars: The Black Series (3 3/4 inch) by Hasbro
Biker Scout
Clone Trooper Sergeant
Star Wars: The Black Series Phase II (3 3/4 inch) by Hasbro
Darth Malgus
Star Wars: The Black Series (6 inch) by Hasbro
Boba Fett
Darth Maul
Greedo
Han Solo
Luke Skywalker (Bespin Outfit)
Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Revenge of the Sith)
Princess Leia (Slave Outfit)
R2-D2
Sandtrooper
Stormtrooper
Star Wars: The Black Series Phase II (6 inch) by Hasbro
Boba Fett (Prototype Armor)
Chewbacca
Clone Trooper Sergeant
Darth Vader
TIE Pilot
Star Wars: Rebels by Hasbro
Mission Series
Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios and Stormtrooper
Saga Legends
The Inquisitor
Jedi Temple Guard
Star Wars: The Vintage Collection by Hasbro
Imperial Scanning Crew
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The mask on this character is to WWII'ish for my taste. WWII'ish crossed with a skull to be exact. It just doesn't feel like Star Wars to me.
ReplyDeleteA great deal of the Imperial outfits are WWII inspired, though. Most of the blasters are even modeled after or were built from various WWII weapons, too. There's a ton of WWII inspiration in the Original Trilogy.
DeleteI think you might be overstating the case a little. Yes, there's a certain amount of aesthetic influence from the Second World War in circulation in the OT, but it was never so overpowering as all that, being rather one thread among many in the huge tapestry of SW visual design. So, while a number of blasters might have been built off of, or simply have been slightly redressed WWII-era weapons, others were quite a bit older, or newer. Han Solo's iconic sidearm, the pistol Luke carries in ESB and the Jawa EMP gun used to stun R2-D2 are all built off of 19th century firearms like the Mauser C96 automatic pistol and Lee Engels bolt-action rifle. The heavy Sandtrooper blaster is the WWI-vintage Lewis light machine gun, virtually unadorned by any spacey add-ons. On the other end of the scale, the ubiquitous Stormtrooper blaster (and its Rebel equivalent) was built off of the then-relatively new Sterling submachine gun, and Rebel blaster rifles incorporate parts from the M-16 and post-war tactical shotguns. Likewise, the pilots' headgear seen in the first two movies are inspired by and built off of the then-very modern APH-6 helmets worn by USN aviators.
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