Minifig Focus: 75322 Hoth AT-ST

After the discovery of the Rebel Echo Base on Hoth, it was time for the Empire to put feet to the ground to stop them. In some cases it was the four feet of the All Terrain Armored Transport, and in others it was the two of the All Terrain Scout Transport.

Riding the wave started by the release of 75313 AT-AT comes a variety of Hoth-based sets for January. Included amongst them is 75322 Hoth AT-ST which is the first version of the two-legged walker to be based off of the Hoth design. The set gives us three all-new minifigures and a brick-built droid.

Chewbacca

While commonly thought of Han Solo’s loyal companion, Chewbacca had his own set of adventures throughout the saga and apparently he is on the prowl on Hoth. Everyone’s favorite Wookiee is ready to tear some arms off of an Imperial in this set!

As we previously mentioned in his Mini Steps feature, the most common version of the Chewbacca minifigure has been in use since 2014 and has appeared in 13 retail sets. It seemed unlikely that another version would come along unless there was a print update.

To the surprise of many collectors, the print update would end up being the addition of snow! The base Chewbacca is still the sw0532 version, but both the head sandwich board element and the legs have gotten the update. Visible through the snow is his classic silver bandolier printed on both sides of the minifig. He comes with a stud-shooting bowcaster that unlike the Advent Calendar version does not shoot a snowball!

Hoth Rebel Trooper

Although Rebel Troopers come fitted with various styles and equipment to match their environments, these front-line soldiers of the Rebel Alliance stood their ground on the ice planet of Hoth.

With a new focus on Hoth-themed sets, the addition of some new faces for the Rebel Alliance is a welcome one because who else is going to be able to stop a fully stocked AT-AT?

This subset of troopers were also referred to as Cold-weather Soldiers because they were specifically outfitted for and trained in arctic environments. Those outside of the base differed slightly in their uniform from the ones fighting in the trenches. This Rebel is wearing plain white pants with her dark tan backpack vest over her white jacket. She comes with the classic helmet, white goggles, and white Alliance cold weather backpack. Equipped with a DH-17 blaster, she is ready to take on the Empire.

Imperial AT-ST Driver

Imperial AT-ST Drivers – also known as AT-ST Pilots – were Imperial Army combat drivers that were specifically trained to operate the All Terrain Scout Transport.

Since this is the first time a non-Endor based AT-ST has been created, this is also the first AT-ST Driver that would have been coming from the icy planet. Since the other types of Imperial Troopers that were found on Hoth had specialized equipment to fit the environment, it would be reasonable to think that AT-ST Drivers may have also. However, we have no evidence of this so keeping the design the same as the ones on Endor makes sense.

These Drivers traditionally wore an all-gray one piece jumpsuit with minimal armor plating. They wore an open-face gray helmet with a black chin strap and had black blast goggles to protect their eyes. This minifigure opts for a white jacket over his gray pants both of which are unique prints. The helmet is the same as the one used for General Veers but comes in dark bluish gray instead of sand blue. Although he would have primarily been using the AT-ST’s weaponry if needed, these Drivers carried blasters just in case.

Imperial Probe Droid

The Galactic Empire was set on finding the secret Rebel base, so Project Swarm was initiated which saw the release of tens of thousands of Viper Probe Droids across the galaxy.

These droids were used by the Empire for deep space exploration and reconnaissance. Commonly known as Imperial Probe Droids, they had five manipulator arms, a blaster, and a communicator. They also featured a self-destruct mechanism and repulsorlift engines.

We have previously covered the various Probe Droids in a Mini Steps feature. Although several designs have come about over the years, this is the first version to be made primarily of dark bluish-gray elements. Its 45-piece construction is quite a bit different from the other Probe Droids and is nearly double the part count of every other build.