Value: 7

Casting Quality: 6

Detail: 6

Accuracy: 6

Parts Fit: 5

Ease: 6

Overall Rating: 6

I've always loved the real creative design of most of the starships and vehicles of the Star Wars saga. Alas, most of the SW kits from Esci-Ertl look more like toys than plastic kits. But that's what's available ...

Building the model.

I wanted the AT-ST to run, and to run fast! To emphasize the action of the model across the diorama I decided to stop it in a real hazardous position: with only one foot touching the ground! I studied many books about running birds (ostriches, emus, chicken, etc.) and dinosaur reconstructions before deciding how to position the monster. But it was only the beginning... (do you know Murphy's law?).

^ More functional feet were scratchbuilt from 1:48 and 1:72 scale bombs.

^ From the side, the scene really looks dramatic.

^ The turret and armament were completely scratchbuilt.

So, the first things I decided to change were the legs (and their position) and the feet. The feet provided by the kit (like the AT-STs in the movies) were useless and clumsy and could not be folded like a running foot or paw should fold, thrusting on the ground.I thought that a dinosaur or chicken-like foot should fit, so I took from my huge spare parts warehouse a handful of USAF WW II plane bombs in 1:48 and 1:72 scale. I cut the tail fins and used two 1,000 kg bombs (1:48 scale) to make the ankles, and four split 1500 kg bombs (1:72 scale) - cut in two pieces each - to create the toes. The toes were all linked together with a double 0.8 mm steel rod glued on the hollow (in) side with epoxy glue. With the feet assembled, I only had to fold gently the toes to obtain a natural and dynamic position.

The kit's legs are only one piece each, designed to obtain a fixed pose (for the inexperienced modeler, I hope). I had to cut off the "thigh" from the rest of the leg, thus rebuilding from scratch the knees (using two wheels from a WWII German Sturmgeschutz IV - 1:35 scale) and the ankles, then I cut along their length all the three pieces of the left leg (the one fixed to the ground) gluing inside it, from the "hip" to the foot, a piece of 1 mm steel rod. I made the double 0.8 mm rod linking the front toes of the left foot longer than the one of the right foot: it's folded down through the plywood of the diorama, bearing all the weight of the model (I'm a little bit nervous when I carry this diorama to model exhibitions).

Now, the rest: if it has to be improved, let's improve it all! In the original AT-ST from the Star Wars series, the twin laser turret under the hull was unarmored and unable to fire at targets above its horizontal sight line, so I decided to increase its firepower and weapon systems.

I rebuilt the twin turret completely from scratch, taking a slice of an empty plastic lipstick tube (courtesy of my girlfriend) and using it as gunshield and hinge: it would be the new "chin" of the AT-ST. On its centre I glued an old cannon-base, stolen from the turret of a WWII German Pzkw III (1:35 scale), then I prepared the two laser gun barrels with pieces of medical hypodermic needles glued in holes drilled into the cannon base. Between the barrels I added a small copper cylinder to suggest an optical/laser aiming system. With that, the turret, now fully orientable, was ready to be assembled in the model. To fit the lower turret I lengthened the lower sides of the hull with plastic sheet, putty, etc.

The hemispheres of the sides of the hull carried, on the left, a small and harmless laser-gun and, on the right, a small sensor. The laser on the left was replaced by a scratchbuilt triple laser-gun made of two modified WWII 2 cm German Flak guns (1:72 scale) and a American O.5" machine-gun (1:35 scale); the three original barrels were discarded and replaced with pieces of medical hypodermic needles. I added copper wires and various plastic pieces.