The_Rancor waxes lyrical about an exceptional Star Wars set today:

No one will be surprised to know my featured set is a Star Wars set, but the one I’ve chosen is far from my first. I’ve been playing with or collecting Lego Star Wars since 1999 so the latter honour probably belongs to 7128 Speeder Bikes.

As much as I love scout troopers, the set I’ve chosen is younger... and far more powerful. If you were a prequel fan, 2008-9 brought a fantastic range of Clone Wars sets, but none greater than 10195 Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker. The technical build was excellent, minifigs were plentiful and the vehicles have never been recreated since -- in my eyes a true icon!

In 2008 I was 15, a time quite challenging to prevent myself from going into a Lego dark age. As a hobby it wasn’t something I told many people about and I’d started going out with friends more, spending money on other things, buying less Lego. Fantasy Castle was just about keeping me in there but Star Wars hadn’t been very interesting for a couple of years.

The introduction of the Clone Wars subtheme gave me the much-needed injection of interest I wanted out of Lego Star Wars. Almost everything from the first few waves was excellent (except perhaps The Twilight). But the point that really got me more heavily involved again was the release of 10195 in 2009.

10195 belongs to an exclusive group of Star Wars sets larger than most playsets and Lego Exclusive, but not technically having UCS status, much like 2019’s 75244 Tantive IV. At the time 10195 was my largest single set I’d ever purchased and eliminated my Lego budget for months afterwards. But it was a great combination of System, Technic, large scale and Star Wars and I just had to have it!

It’s relatively rare to find a Star Wars set with two vehicles aligned to the same side, and certainly at this scale. LEGO had already released a Gunship, AT-TE, Fighter Tank and V-19 Torrent in the first Clone Wars wave - so this was the perfect follow-up to complement them. It was even better that this set straddled the lines between Episode II (Dropship at Geonosis), III (AT-OT briefly featured on Felucia) and Clone Wars (multiple times).

Nowadays we’re used to at least one exclusive figure in most sets, particularly larger ones. 10195 did something different and supplied only existing Clones: 2 pilots and 6 troopers. That meant a driver for both vehicles (forgiving inaccuracies) and enough troopers to fill a lot of the seats in the AT-OT. Clone Wars sets get a bad rap for their stylised faces designed to match the nature of the animation but in this you didn’t have to see them because they were all behind helmets. Anyway, though the numbers were nice, the minifigs themselves weren’t a deciding factor at all in my purchase. It was all about the vehicles.

The Dropship or LAAT/c is configured, as you might expect, closely to 7676’s Gunship (LAAT/i) design, but extends the length and wingspan accordingly to suit the intended load with a technic core for strengthening the central beam. Only one cockpit is used to pilot the vehicle but there are also some more hangar bay doors customisable using stickers like 7676 - here either a clone arm ripping off a Clanker head or a fearsome Wampa - I went for the Wampa as it felt more like a fighter plane of old. The mix of white and dark blue colour plating finishes it off nicely.

The AT-OT also borrows some construction methods from its similar namesake the AT-TE, with 8 ‘dangling’ loose walker legs and a similar chassis. The All Terrain Open Transport however provides rows of seats for the clones to sit on with a prominent printed cockpit area. Nowadays with different pieces and jumper plates Lego could probably fit a couple more seats in but 16 is more than enough for a small detachment, with turret holes and a loading ramp for maximum playability.

I’ve always thought the biggest USP of 10195 is the carrying function which not only carries the AT-OT but is also been designed to carry 7675 AT-TE Walker. A catch on a Technic assembly can easily be released whilst holding the Dropship that picks up whichever walker you like with surprising strength, cradling it with circular dishes on either side quite accurately depicting the magnetic clamps. The AT-TE doesn’t need changing but the AT-OT has a specially folding cockpit to fit into the space. Carrying around a Dropship with a walker attached beneath is enormous, heavy and not recommended over a long distance, but you feel like you can launch an assault all by yourself — swooshability on steroids if you like!

If you want this set nowadays, be prepared to pay big money. It originally cost £180/$250 but adjusted for inflation, that’s about £240/$300 in today’s money which would be a higher expense UCS or MBS set. You’ll be lucky to nab a complete used 10195 for less than £400 on the secondary market - but a modern classic this good demands a price to match its status.