MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicle

The MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicle was a single-track, double-wheeled groundcar used by the Imperial Army to scout planetary terrain during the height of the Galactic Civil War. The MTV-7, adaptable in multiple mobile configurations, was operated by a single pilot and armed with a single laser cannon. The Galactic Empire utilized MTV-7s among its ground forces as part of the Imperial invasion of Echo Base, the Rebel Alliance headquarters, during the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY.

Characteristics
The MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicle was a wheeled scouting car utilized by the Imperial Army during the prime years of the Galactic Civil War. The MTV-7 boasted a range of transportation modes, with the ability to crawl, climb, or even fly over planetary terrain&mdash;in addition to the vehicle's basic upright position, the MTV-7's large double wheels could stretch outward from the main superstructure to adopt a low, ground-hugging configuration. Armed with a single rotating laser cannon, the MTV-7 held room for a single pilot in an open-air cockpit. A forward-facing, grilled headlight was positioned at the front of the vehicle.

History
During the Battle of Hoth, the massive Imperial campaign to crush the Rebel Alliance High Command headquarters of Echo Base on the Outer Rim ice planet Hoth, in 3 ABY, the Empire utilized at least three MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicles as part of its ground invasion forces. Both snowtroopers and Imperial Army pilots operated the MTV-7s to scout Hoth's hostile terrain.

Behind the scenes
"They crawl, they fly, they climb, they go just about anywhere! MTV-7 is a MULTI-TERRAIN VEHICLE used by the Empire to scout the hostile ice planet, HOTH. It carries one Action Figure. It has spring-loaded legs and a movable laser cannon."

- 1981 Kenner Toy Fair Catalog

The MTV-7 Multi-Terrain Vehicle was a unique creation of the Kenner toy company as part of its 1981 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Mini-Rig vehicle series. The vehicles of the series, which did not appear in any of the three films of the Star Wars original trilogy, were fairly inexpensive models designed to carry one character and thereby increase play value at a lower cost than Kenner's larger toy vehicles. Kenner reissued the MTV-7 in both 1982 and again as part of its Return of the Jedi series in 1983, before being discontinued.