AT-ST from Empire?

[Mysta2]

Does anyone know anything about the two legged walkers that are seen briefly in only one or two shots on Hoth?

I've always been really curious about these as the AT-STs have always been my favorite vehicle from the series and the ones used in Empire are fairly distinct from the later design used in Jedi. For all I know they may have only even modeled the left side of them (...or it)

Do photos exist of this? I've never seem one.

 

[MonsieurTox]

Yes, it was a concept made by Joe Johnston from kit bashed part, George Lucas liked it so much that he wanted to include it in the movie. They disassembled it, made an armature and reattached the kit parts on it with hotglue. It was going to have more screen time but from what Ive heard, the matte painting background felt at some point and ruined the scene.

Only the left side was really detailed indeed.

Here's a pic :

You can also do some search in the studio scale section of this forum and you'll find several builds of this very ones.

- - - Updated - - -

It no longer exists in its former state, the kitparts have been stripped off the armature at some point (circa ROTJ production) to do some test on the armature for the new ROTJ AT-ST miniatures (they added some extra joints at the feet etc).

 

[astroboy]

I love that one too. The Kenner toy was pretty badass

 

[Mysta2]

Interesting, that's not nearly as different as I thought, looks like mostly dimensional changes. I have seen that picture, I just didn't realize it was from Empire.

Looking at this picture I had always thought it had much larger blisters on the side. More like the ones on the new AT-DPs in the current Rebels series. But I can imagine how it's just a trick of the harsh lighting.

 

[sbaxter]

Interesting, that's not nearly as different as I thought, looks like mostly dimensional changes. I have seen that picture, I just didn't realize it was from Empire.

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net...ision/latest?cb=20080219143938&path-prefix=nl

Looking at this picture I had always thought it had much larger blisters on the side. More like the ones on the new AT-DPs in the current Rebels series. But I can imagine how it's just a trick of the harsh lighting.

I had the same thoughts when I first saw the AT-DP. After looking around a bit, I realized there are detailed sketches of an earlier design of the AT-ST in The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook that are strikingly similar to the AT-DP in Rebels, and I studied that book like crazy back when it was new. I think that's where I got my mental image of Empire's AT-ST.

The AT-ST as shown in the Sketchbook from 1980: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Szag4OVqe...s1600/996610_567913736589241_1024520825_n.jpg

And the Hasbro version of the Rebels AT-DP: http://www.starwarscollector.com/ph...at_dp_735394000/735394000pic/735394000flp.jpg

The inspiration is obvious. Also obvious, to my eyes at least, is that the vehicle earned the "chicken walker" nickname based on those sketches. I can't put my finger on exactly why it looks more chicken-esque than either of the AT-STs we saw in the films, but it does.

Qapla'

SSB

 

[Albertese]

....
The inspiration is obvious. Also obvious, to my eyes at least, is that the vehicle earned the "chicken walker" nickname based on those sketches. I can't put my finger on exactly why it looks more chicken-esque than either of the AT-STs we saw in the films, but it does.

Qapla'

SSB

I think it's the feet. The three claws definitely give it that Chicken quality.

Also Rebels (especially, but even Clone Wars to a large degree) is going out of it's way to make as much use of old LFL archive sketches as possible. As you watch the she show, most every episode has something that is a throwback to one of those old sketches.

--Alex

 

[astroboy]

I think it's the feet. The three claws definitely give it that Chicken quality.

Also Rebels (especially, but even Clone Wars to a large degree) is going out of it's way to make as much use of old LFL archive sketches as possible. As you watch the she show, most every episode has something that is a throwback to one of those old sketches.

--Alex

That actually bugs me more than anything. As much as I love seeing those old sketches, it was the model makers and set designers that brought everything to life. The mquarrie stuff looks like dated 50's sci-fi to me. It isn't the used universe that we fell in love with. And the way rebels keeps going back to the mcquarrie well on that stuff really limits it's appeal IMHO. And it kind of takes it out of the star wars continuity for me. Other than the ghost, very little of Rebels has been new, or out of the film saga