Star Wars Episode II: Incredible Cross-sections (Golden Duck Awards. Picture Book (Awards)) [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Dr. Saxton has long been a highly regarded member of the Star Wars technical enthusiast community, as I call it. His site is one of the most referenced authorities on just about anything Star Wars and this book is in many ways an extension of his site (hosted on TheForce.net if you care). What Dr. Saxton has done is take all the available material that LucasFilm would give him and given us the most comprehensive review of the vehicles and vessels that liter the worlds of Attack of the Clones and give each place its own personality. He also does two small things which I am appreciative of and I hope many others are equally appreciative of.

Firstly it goes into great depth as to the "purpose" (in the SW world) of thousands of tiny bits and pieces of the starships and vehicles. It is the kind of detail that can make a world seem more real, it gives depth much as telling us the number of cylinders in an engine gives depth to a car. The little blurbs surrounding the excellent illustrations give you a feel for the nity gritty and also serve as a nice way to just skim through the book. They are each litle windows into a piece of the SW world (whether through telling us what hot-rod engines are doing on a speeder or informing us of how big troop formations are).

Secondly it gives you real world figuires for acceleration, shielding, and firepower. These are the things that some fans have been asking for a long time (not many but some). How much damage a turbolaser does might not matter to some, probably most, fans out there but again for the technical comunity I feel it is a boon that gives us one more way of connecting with the SW universe in our own wierd way.

For those who are less inclined to the "nitty gritty" then please note that this book is also an excellent coffee table piece. The illustrations are first rate and many younger kids will absolutely glory in the intricate deck levels and engine compartments because they seem so real. I give credit to the artists but in the end I give greatest praise to Dr. Saxton.

Not to mention some of the trivia is interesting. Wonder what type of ship Slave 1 (Jango Fett's ship) is? Why don't you see more in the universe? Who built it and how did Jango get it? What modifications did Boba make later? All these questions are answered for Slave 1 and the other prominent vehicles in the movie.

I've spent hours pouring over the details. The details present in the "schematic" of the enormous Republic Assault Ship can be mesmerizing. The cross section of the Trade Federation Core ship is simply fun. Try figuring out how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan got around the thing in Episode One. The artists usually placed a figure in the drawing to give you some idea of the scale of the vehicle. You don't appreciate how big some of these ships are until you see a batallion of clone troopers dwarfed in comparison.

I'd recommend this for any Star Wars enthusiast, anyone that appreciates detailed Science Fiction, or fans of creative art.

Great job Dr. Saxton, and thank you Lucasfilm.