Thanks to the people at Wal-Mart.com, I was able to purchase a copy of the Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross Sections book a bit early. (The picture on the right is of a different version. The U.S. one has the Gunship on the cover.) It is illustrated by Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore and written by Curtis Saxton who also happens to run the Star Wars Technical Commentaries hosted by this site. Believe it or not, we had absolutely no idea he was working on it until it was publicly announced. I guess security is working somwhere! :)

The book is an incredible treat for Star Wars fans and a goldmine of detailed information and artwork. Here are some samples of information you can find in the book:

- The Naboo Cruiser fixes some of the problems with the Queen's ship in Episode I. There are two hyperdrives, more defensive capabilities, and stronger shields. Four Naboo starfighters can lock into the wings.

- The ASN-121 Assassin Droid tucks into Zam's Speeder in a hidden compartment. Her speeder can create a foul odor with it's exhaust and radiation around the front can make bystanders sick. It can travel at 496 mph.

- Anakin's airspeeder can travel at 450 mph.

- Here's what the book says about the Imperial logo on the Jedi Starfighter - "The starboard wing of Obi-Wan's craft is marked with a symbol of a disc with eight spokes. Theis ancient icon dates to the Bendu monks' study of numerology wherein the number nine (eight spokes joined to one disc) signifies the beneficient presence of the Force in a unitary galaxy. After the fall of the Galactic Republic 1,000 generations later, the Emperor will personalize this symbol by defacing the icon with the removal of two spokes."

- R4-P17 was crushed while repairing a trash compactor fault in the KDY research shipyards over Gyndine. Anakin found "her" and repaired her with an R2 dome.

- Owen bought his swoop from a Revweid merchant in Mos Nystram. It can travel 217 mph and is a Zephyr-G model.

- Anakin and Padme sneak onto Geonosis by lowering the shields and being mistaken for a falling asteroid.

- The Geonosian Fighter is painted to look like a porlceetin - a large venomous hexapedal creature found on Geonosis.

- Kuat Drive Yards secretly built the Republic Assault Ship and Attack Gunships for the Republic in retaliation for a Trade Federation assassination of a Kuati executive.

- Speeder bikes are stored in the back of the Republic Gunships.

- The sail on Count Dooku's ship is rare and unique to the Geonosian species. Dooku bought the sail from an antiques dealer near the Glee Enclave.

No scan can possibly do the artwork justice, but we took a few pictures of the book so you can get an idea of what to expect:

Count Dooku's Solar Sailer
Geonosian Fighter
Republic Gunship
AT-TE
Trade Federation Core Ship

This book hits shelves officially April 23rd, so be sure to pick up a copy!