Design master Henrik Andersen wasn’t wrong when he declared that the new AT-AT “is the one everyone has been waiting for” and judging by the amount of coverage that the Ultimate Collector Series AT-AT received from the LEGO blogosphere – including our own midnight launch special feature, deep-dive into the release freebies and gift with purchase review, minifigure focus, building guide, public service announcement on a perceived packaging mistake, recap of the global launch of the set, as well as our in-depth set review – his claim certainly found purchase!
Just what do other notable LEGO blogs – most of which are Recognized LEGO Fan Media sites who received advance copies of 75313 AT-AT and got out their reviews in time for its Black Friday release – think of this set?
An engineering marvel
Previous LEGO editions of the vehicle and action figure compatible toys from Hasbro are huge in a child’s hands, firing up the imagination and making it feel like this mechanical beast stepped off the screen. What 75313 AT-AT delivers above anything else is an experience for adults that lives up to that.
Blocks Magazine
You’re going to want this one.
The AT-AT is truly jaw-dropping. Its scale is truly hard to comprehend from pictures. I never thought I’d see LEGO produce an AT-AT that’s actually properly scaled to minifigures, and it’s jaw-droppingly cool.
The Brothers Brick
Exceeded my expectations
The model looks magnificent on display and captures the shape and proportions of the imposing Imperial walker with extraordinary accuracy, featuring incredible details from the onscreen vehicle.
Brickset
An absolute beast of a set
The level of detail across the entire model is phenomenal. The sheer scale of the final model is bound to leave most people speechless, and it makes for an absolutely dominating display piece.
Brick Fanatics
By and large, all the reviews have been positive about the set’s design, functionality, and minifigure complement – but all have drawn attention to its exorbitant US$799.99/CA$949.99/UK£699.99/EU€799.99/AU$1299.99 price tag.
Each of the reviews noted that the AT-AT’s dollars per brick – at 0.12 is 2 cents higher than that of 75192 Millennium Falcon. It might look like a small cost difference but it equates to a 20% disparity in value. While the dollars per brick metric isn’t necessarily the best benchmarking method because it gets skewed when there are lots of small pieces, the UCS AT-AT isn’t heavy on greeblies. In fact, it is one of the least greebled sets in the entire Ultimate Collector Series subtheme.
This has yet to be explained away, but it’s likely that the rapidly increasing cost of transportation – as well as materials and printing – will have something to do with it.
If there was one positive that every single review focussed on is the sheer scale of the finished model, and while it’s easy to quote numbers and fun to see 75313 AT-AT posed with other Imperial Walkers, it’s this photo from Jays Brick Blog that really sets the scene.
Currently, the biggest topic of conversation surrounding this set is availability and many of those wishing to spend their Christmas bonuses on it can’t.
Within a day going on sale at midnight EST on November 26th, all stocks in North America were depleted, with potential customers still waiting for a follow-up production run to be able to place their orders. Those in Europe fared slightly better, with the set coming in and out of stock numerous times over the holiday period. Curiously, the only region that 75313 AT-AT has been consistently available in is Australia and New Zealand, where LEGO has used Qantas to fly in more stocks from LEGO UK.
Regardless of size, cost or availability, 75313 AT-AT has been a massive hit and it’s only fitting to give Henrik Andersen the last word on the matter.
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