Behind The Scenes Of Empire Strikes Back

When Star Wars came out in 1977 I was 9 years old, the perfect age to be warped for life. I can remember scouring every issue of Starlog, Cinefex, Cinefatastiqe and every other magazine and book I could find. Images like this scene, brilliantly recreated by Konrad Aksinowicz fueled my imagination and ignited my passion for visual effects and filmmaking. The creative geniuses at ILM have always been heroes of mine, and paved the way for me and entire generation of anonymous craftspeople making movie magic behind the scenes.

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Battle Of Hoth

The moment I looked at this excellent little Empire Strikes Back vignette by builder GolPlaysWithLego John Williams' phenomenal score started playing in my head. Then the scene played out in my imagination, and I was 12 again. This is part of the magic of LEGO and Star Wars, they just go together like peanut butter and toast (which is what I was eating when I wrote this, I'm a man-child).

Imperial Walkers On The North Ridge

The AT-AT is one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles, always has been. And as many times as it has been portrayed in bricks, it never gets old. This midi-scale version (and it's AT-ST counterpart) by Rogue Bantha not only look amazing, but are photographed perfectly. The low angle makes it look huge and imposing, and the composition is very cinematic (albeit pan and scan).

Walky Walky, Stompy Stompy

Few people know that the original name of the AT-AT was the All Terrain Walky Stompy, but when it was discovered that name was already in use by a punk band in south London, it was quickly changed. There was also a scene where they gallop and frolic in the snow, but in the end George thought it reduced their menace. Nice build tastenmann77.

The "AT" Stands For All Terrain

Whether it's the classic AT-AT or the newer AT-ACT, or the other Imperial walking vehicles, the AT stands for All Terrain, and they mean in. We've seen these things walk through everything from snow to forest to tropical paradise, and keep those pesky rebels on their toes. These positively adorable micro scale walkers from builder Grantmasters show just how versatile these machines really are.

Use Your Tiny Harpoons and Tow Cables

This is by far the best small-scale AT-AT I have seen in LEGO form! Thanks to MIro Dudas, we instantly recognize this iconic scene and vehicle from The Empire Strikes Back. This model is so incredibly accurate, if I happen let my eyes go out of focus, it doesn't even appear to be LEGO. It also appears that the midsection could be easily switched out with orange elements to remake this as an AT-ACT (though there are other differences between the two variants). I appreciate that Miro even included the walker's footprints in the snow, a detail others leave out of their scenes. Nicely done!

"Use Your Harpoons And Tow Cables, Go For The Legs!"

We sort of take it for granted now, but the battle of Hoth is one of the most imaginative an exciting battles ever put on celluloid. The music, the vehicle design, the action, it's all just amazing. I can vividly remember sitting in a theater, mouth agape as this scene unfolded, it was just awesome. Builder GolPlaysWithLego brilliantly pays homage to this greatest of battles with one of the coolest AT-ATs I've seen at this scale. Those nano scale snowspeeders are pretty nifty too.

We've Spotted Imperial Walkers!

One of my favorite Star Wars vehicles in one of my favorite Star Wars scenes in one of my favorite Star Wars movies built out of my favorite construction toy. I still vividly recall seeing this for the first time with my grandmother, who kept asking who the bad guys were. All we need is a large painted backdrop, a snowscape (with trap doors) and some patience and we can animate an epic battle, who's with me? Nicely done dmaclego.

The Cutest AT-AT Ever

Here at BrickNerd we like to look back from time to time, and to the icy plains of Hoth. As is usually the case these days, Star Wars is on my mind this morning. I glanced at the Microfighters AT-AT and thought about how much better it could be. Then I thought of this, the quintessential chibi AT-AT. This is by MacLane for the FBTB Chibi contest, which happened so long ago now I don't remember if I even entered. Wouldn't have mattered though, this baby won the second it was posted.

Even AT-ATs Can Be Repurposed

So your tyrannical government has been overthrown and weapons of war litter the landscape, what's a desert nomad to do? Well if you're resourceful you make good use of all that scrap and existing structure and make yourself right at home! Builder markus19840420 has imagined what this would be like and built this stunning diorama. In other news I'm so freakin' excited for EP7 I can barely contain myself.

SPLAT-AT

This is freaking awesome. I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. The captured action is brilliant, check out the troopers tumbling out and the displaced snow shooting away from the head.  Jim Walshe posted this but did not create it. Will the builder please step up?

UPDATE! We now know who the builder is, Daft Vader1 has come forward. Not only that, there's plenty more pictures of this awesome MOC.