Unwrapping the Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar: Day 11

Day 11 of the 2023 Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar unveils the Clone Wars era Armored Assault Tank, or AAT. The Confederacy of Independent Systems sure is well-armed in this year’s calendar!

The AAT first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace. They were designed by Baktoid Armor Workshop specifically for the Trade Federation’s invasion of Naboo, per Wookiepedia. As we’ve seen in previous builds this year, when the Trade Federation joined the Separatists, they brought with them their stockpile of AATs, making this tank the main vehicle used to support infantry forces throughout the Clone Wars. The B1 battle droid, the STAP and now the AAT—all originally deployed on Naboo and then scaled up to lay waste to the galaxy.

(You wonder how in the weeds Palpatine got in his master planning. Manipulating well-armed financial institutions sure seemed like the right way to blow up peace.)

The AAT in this year’s calendar is blue and gray, the typical color scheme of the Confederacy forces. If you, like me, have one of the original LEGO builds of this vehicle—#7155 “Trade Federation AAT”—and then started wondering, “Why so blue?” when building the newest iteration—#75283 “Armored Assault Tank (AAT)”—wonder no more.  All AATs were repainted before going to war.

After the Clone Wars, a handful of AATs were commandeered and deployed—and often repainted—by the Rebel Alliance, as seen in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

The little build itself is pretty nice. The turret can easily swivel side-to-side, and the two side guns can swivel up and down. It’s obviously not going to fit its usual crew of four, unless this is an AAT for ants. But it’s a great mini version of an otherwise imposing vehicle. My favorite detail is the translucent orange piece that goes on the bottom to represent the propulsion.

But c’mon—tomorrow we’re going to leave the Clone Wars, right?