LEGO Star Wars AT-RT sets are a bit of a meme for fans because of how comically oversized they are — but are the models actually that huge?
The LEGO AT-RT is one of the most prolific vehicles in LEGO Star Wars, rivalled only by the likes of Luke’s Landspeeder and Hoth sets. There’s even soon to be two on shelves at the same time, with 75444 AT-RT Attack joining 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper Battle Pack soon.
But for its many appearances, a fully accurate AT-RT has yet to make it into a set. Some have come close, but for fans it feels like every time a new AT-RT comes out, it’s grossly oversized and thus stands out next to similar vehicles like the AT-TE and AT-AP. This has led the AT-RT to become a bit of a joke among LEGO Star Wars collectors, since the sets usually are full of desirable minifigures but end up having a build that’s borderline useless for custom building due to the absurdities of the scale. Yet digging deeper into LEGO AT-RT history, you might just be surprised by what you find…
The first LEGO AT-RT was 7520 Clone Scout Walker in 2005, and its size is part of the LEGO AT-RT’s PR problem. It’s a great little set, but it’s woefully out of scale compared to what was seen in Revenge of the Sith that same year. The size made it great for play and great for having a bit of stage presence on a shelf, but for collectors who prefer more accurately-scaled models, it leaves a lot to be desired. And since the first iteration is as monstrously sized as a lot of what would come later, it’s easy to point to this set and say that LEGO AT-RTs have always been huge.
Except they haven’t been.
The next three LEGO AT-RTs were more accurately scaled. Or, well, close enough to accurate.
In 2009, 3006 Clone Walker released as a small polybag during the early days of The Clone Wars subtheme. It’s vaguely AT-RT shaped, and notably quite a lot smaller than the 2005 model. It goes so far as to be a bit too small, if you can believe that. Its problems mostly stem from wonky and blocky proportions that make it too cartoony to feel like a proper AT-RT.
Then in 2010, two AT-RTs hit shelves as part of larger sets: 8098 Clone Turbo Tank and the first LEGO Star Wars Brickmaster book. The latter AT-RT was dubbed “Swamp AT-RT” and, much like the 2009 one, doesn’t really resemble any “real” AT-RTs. But it’s still a fun little model.
The AT-RT included in 8098 Clone Turbo Tank on the other hand… is still one of the most accurate LEGO AT-RTs made to date, if not the most. It’s right in the range for size and it captures the spindly proportions seen in the Clone Wars show. It was such an effective model that it even featured in LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars the following year.
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So by the time 75002 AT-RT Walker released in 2013, LEGO AT-RTs were more often than not small. Which is why the gigantic 2013 model is as confusing as it as massive. There was the precedent for large AT-RTs from 2005, yes, but it had been eight years since that model. But the 2013 set didn’t care. And it’s still the biggest LEGO AT-RT to date.
Oddly enough, the record-breaking AT-RT was followed up by not one, but two smaller models. 75089 Geonosis Troopers had a smaller, two-seater AT-RT in 2015 that’s not really an AT-RT if you get technical, so it’s getting glossed over. 2016’s model is the real deal.
Part of 75151 Clone Turbo Tank, the 2016 AT-RT isn’t quite as legendary as 8098 Clone Turbo Tank’s, but it’s notable for being the last time a LEGO AT-RT has been anywhere remotely near minifigure scale. It helps that it’s a solid model, too.
Since 2019, there have been four large AT-RT sets released: 2019’s 75261 Clone Scout Walker – 20th Anniversary Edition; 2020’s 75280 501st Legion Clone Troopers; 2025’s 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper Battle Pack; and 2026’s 75444 AT-RT Attack.
With a streak like that, it’d be easy to assume that large AT-RTs have finally won the battle and become the norm. But it’s once again not so simple.
75261 Clone Scout Walker – 20th Anniversary Edition was similar in size to the 2013 giant, but since then, they’ve gotten smaller. So much so that the one included in 75431 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper Battle Pack is closer in size to the smaller AT-RTs than it is to the massive 2013 model. And 75444 AT-RT Attack’s walker looks to be about the same size.
So where does that leave LEGO Star Wars AT-RTs? Answer is, no one knows. After back-to-back huge models in 2019 and 2020, it seemed like AT-RTs would be eternally huge. But with recent models shrinking the scale, perhaps a minifigure-sized one is possible. It’s not all that likely, given the last tiny one came out a decade ago, but it could happen.
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