The 2025-2026 NBA Playoffs are underway!  My Knicks are 1-0 over the Hawks, and Chris’s Celtics are up 1-0 vs. the Sixers. It is likely we will have a second round rematch from last year, when the Knicks beat the Celtics 4-2, before I had my heart crushed by Indy.  Meanwhile, the woeful Mets have lost 11 in a row.  Their season looks over just as it is barely beginning.

Another entry in the “Not Hoth But Who Cares” category, we have the Imperial Remnant AT-RT.  When announced, it was yet another item that I just kinda shrugged at.  First and foremost, it makes perfect sense for Hasbro to be releasing items in support of the new film.  It’s also just good business that we have returned, even if rather muted, to the days of new product on the shelves before the corresponding media premieres.  I ain’t got no problem with that.  My beef was that it’s once again a large investment in new tooling for an item that we ostensibly already have available to us.  The 2005 AT-RT was a fun little toy 20+ years ago, but it certainly would be a war crime if Hasbro were to repaint it for Mando purposes and cram it into a TVC box.  So if they were going all in on this “Act I: Cold Weather Planet” thing (I assume it’s Act I, but who knows), I guess a new AT-RT was a likely a smart call.  But that didn’t mean I had to like it.  Eh, I’m already drowning in redo’s and rehashes over here, so what’s one more?

The advertising photos for this product made it look interesting, but I have to admit that once it was in my hands, I have found the final product to be a delight.  The 2026 TVC AT-RT is a complete re-design.  At first glance, the most obvious difference is the size/dimensions.  The ROTS version is larger and heftier, while the M&G version is slimmer and more nimble-looking. I don’t know which is more accurate to the CGI model used for ROTS, or if the Remnant was using a more modern model of AT-RT so many years later, but it totally works for me.

The next thing I noted was something I had forgotten over the years.  The 2005 AT-RT was a battery-powered walker.  It kind of looks and sounds like an old-school wind-up toy, but it was reasonably effective for the day.  The problem was that the legs were essentially un-posable, as they had no joints aside from the “hip” that sort of rotated to create the automatic walking motion.  You were locked in to the basic “at rest” standing position when the battery was switched off.  It was cute for about 20 seconds, but didn’t do a whole lot for the displayability aspect.  While some might think the removal of electronics is a step back, I have no problem with it.  Sorry, 2005, but I award you no points.

Once I started messing around with it, the first thing that struck me was the articulation.  The legs have 4 points of articulation, allowing for a slew of dynamic poses.  It can stand upright at various heights, it can hunch down for the driver to get on board, and it will remain upright in a few simple walking poses.  But the real win here is that Hasbro included an adjustable, clear “flight” stand.  They’ve done simple stands for a few items in the past, but I don’t recall there ever being an articulated stand offered in the 3.75” line.  The two-piece arm has a ball at the end that snaps lightly into a socket underneath the cockpit.  The base fully supports the weight of the AT-RT and driver with no problem.  It serves as a support for some walking poses that wouldn’t be sturdy, but also allows for some fully dynamic running or jumping poses.  It’s pretty fun, and I hope Hasbro finds reasons and ways to include this type of thing in future vehicle releases.

The front cannon is articulated, and can turn left/right/up/down.  Included is a translucent red, double-blast effect, which plugs into the front cannons, if you so desire.  The handles/grips and the pedals are swivels, to assist with fitting the driver comfortably.  The vertical double antenna behind the seat is made of a rather rigid plastic, which is good.  It has some flexibility so it may not easily snap off, but it’s definitely better than the noodle plastic that was used for the antenna on the 2005 AT-RT.

The vehicle is painted fairly simply.  It looks like it was cast in some dark gray, and that’s like 95% of the color.  There are a few silver highlights added to the machinery, as well as a few nice wear-and-tear marks of silver on the main armor.  The feet and lower legs are covered in what I assume is meant to be snow, but it looks really good. 

The figure is about as good as you’d expect.  It looks like a kit bash of the recent Snowtrooper, along with a new chest and helmet (which may be retooled from the decade-old Shore Trooper - I can’t tell).  He’s got a new belt/holster accessory (different from the Snowtrooper Commander), and includes a blaster.  The blaster fits nicely in the holster, but it’s a little loose in the right hand of the figure.  He’s also got a floating trigger finger that doesn’t make it inside the trigger guard.  But even though it’s familiar, it’s still feels different.  The articulation is basically the same as the Snowtrooper.  He’s got the wrists with opposite plane joints, which actually doesn’t help when he’s trying to grip the controls.  With a small amount of patience, the driver can grip both handles and put both feet onto the pedals.  The grips and pedals are all articulated to assist with a decent enough fit - it just takes a minute to get it done the way you might want.  Surprisingly the pedals do not have pegs for the feet, so they don’t exactly “lock” into place.  But it all comes together well enough.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this release, but now I’m happy to have it. I can only assume that at some point in the not to distant future, we’ll get an ROTS repaint.  I’m not losing sleep over it, but it’s probably inevitable. 

This item seems to shine a little bit extra when there are multiples.  I had a surprising amount of fun posing 2 AT-RT’s side by side for the various gallery shots.  Hasbro did a great job with it.  The figure is cool, while the AT-RT articulation and sculpting are top notch.  It’s a fun set.  10/10.