Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Incredible Cross-Sections

Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections #5

by Jason Fry, Kemp Remillard (Illustrator)

See the vehicles of Star Wars: The Force Awakens™ in unparalleled detail with this newest addition to the Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections series. Twelve breathtaking artworks bring the new craft to life, showing all of the weapons, engines, and technology, while engaging text explains each vehicle's backstory and key features.

Reviews:

"[The Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections] is just as awesome as its predecessors." - StarWars.com

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections offers 12 full-color, geek-tastic detailed "cut-away" illustrations-and specs-of the weapons, spacecraft and other technology." - Parade.com

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Fiction, Reference, Art, Fantasy, Film

48 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2015

About the author

I am the author of The Jupiter Pirates series published by HarperCollins -- visit the official site at http://jupiterpirates.com.

In addition to Jupiter Pirates, I've written or co-written more than 30 novels and short stories set in the Star Wars galaxy, including The Essential Atlas, The Essential Guide to Warfare, The Weapon of a Jedi, and the Servants of the Empire quartet.

I spent more than 12 years at The Wall Street Journal Online, where I wrote or co-wrote the Real Time and Daily Fix columns. My non-fiction work has appeared on ESPN.com, Yahoo! Sports, Poynter.org, Deadspin and Baseball Prospectus. I blog about the New York Mets at Faith and Fear in Flushing and live in Brooklyn with my wife and son.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of the series of Incredible cross sections from the Star Wars franchise. Now I will admit that this is far from a challenging read - however it has some pretty amazing artwork in it. I dread to think how long it took the artists to create these images or in fact how big they must have been to encompass so much detail - it is all very impressive.

However there are a few niggles here - the book focuses a lot on similar material covered in other books from the series - yes they are updated and they are relevant to the new film (although is it a fault of the book to cover old ground or that the film itself was nostalgia heavy - I will leave that argument for another day). But the repeat of the Falcon, TIE fighter and X-wing did feel like it was going over old ground - or maybe that was for the benefit of the new fans. Either way the quality of the artwork was without question and to be honest any complaint I had was soon over looked.

So I guess now I will have to keep and eye out for the rest of the Star Wars instalments appearing in Cross section format too - not that I am complaining I am sure there will be some amazing additions to study.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this because I can't tell how much of this is supposed to be canon or thought out and how much is just simply buzzwords and profit. Like, when it says that on Han/Chewie's freighter there is a Sadoxxian crypto-lock cargo module 9906753 that they haven't been able to open - is that actually a thing? In another book? Or important? Or was someone just going for it?
NEVERTHELESS, it was pretty alright.
Rey's speeder was my favorite page, and I appreciate the Tie Fighter's solar paneled wings (though...let's just say I have questions). Devin almost started crying on the Millennium Falcon page because Rey and Han were in the cockpit together and he said something like, "Think of what we could've had."
SO THERE'S THAT.

[Jasmine]

Aww they are trying SO HARD to make things make sense and meanwhile literally everything has been designed only to look cool. Nothing makes sense at all.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally this book should have gotten five stars, but some page-sized photos are useless and I was hoping for a bit more content. Artwork is really well done. The Eravana is the most interesting from them all, with a couple of references to the old Han Solo Daley novels :-)

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The very concept of this level of technical detail being provided for an unreal galaxy is fascinating - I found myself wondering what would happen if a future generation got the book and thought it was non-fiction. The detail isn't there, by any means, but it's near enough to give the illusion of veracity. The artwork and notes make for interesting reading, and there's a lot of nice detail work included. I don't know that there's anything here that's really important to the Star Wars galaxy (although the size comparison is a nice touch), but it's a nice piece of fan work for the fantasy worlds.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can appreciate the effort and quality that went into this, but I prefer the art style in earlier Star Wars cross-section books. The line art used by previous artists did a better job showing details on larger ships.
Look at drawings in the other cross-section books like the Death Star. It is the size of a small moon but every line is visible and brings across the sense of technological complexity across a large scale. Small vehicles in The Force Awakens Cross-sections still look great, but larger ships become boring and fuzzy.

[Geekster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zéér knappe, tot in de puntjes verzorgde illustraties met een hoge graad van high tech realisme. Alsof het handleidingen zijn om zelf een echt werkende X-Wing in elkaar te knutselen. Maar misschien te mager qua inhoud. Een 12 tal voertuigen zijn snel verteerd en laten mij wat op mijn honger zitten. 't is lekker, maar graag nog een extra portie, aub.

https://www.geekster.be/films/star-wa...

[Terrence Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Wars Incredible Cross Section books have always been a good reference for those who love the technical side of the Star Wars franchise, and this book is no different. All of the ships and vehicles from Star Wars: The Force Awakens are featured here with detailed information on the origins, features and design for each. While they do make a single book that has all of the vehicle from all of the movies in one volume, it's a good 2" smaller than this "coffee table" sized edition.

[Lewis Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adore the DK Star Wars books and this is a worthy addition to the series. It’s a bit light on content, but the writing is convincing and descriptive, helping you believe these machines exist and function in some form of reality. The artwork is absolutely fantastic with more of a realistic look as opposed to the original, more painterly look.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

August 2019;

Another of the Star Wars detail works, where you can see inside crafts and buildings. I love these books and the intricate level of new information they hand us. Definitely recommending to those who want to get down in the nitty-gritty of this whole universe.

[David Runyon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subspace in Star Wars? Thought it was a Star Trek thing.

[Kerby Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this!

[Kristina Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating view of the different ships in the SW movie.

[Jonathan Ytreberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly not the best of these that they've done for Star Wars. Only a handful of true cross section pages. Scale chart at the end is cool though to get a feel for how big things are.

[Taka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give a 7.5/10

It's a very nice sized book, with interesting pictures and information. But it's really short and some of the pictures are out of focus. You'll be done with it in a breeze.

[Lisa]

Delivers what it promises - the large format is fun but the book doesn't take full advantage of it.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully lavish and detailed full-page glossy specs on this imagined tech. It reveals love for the fantasy in its rich exegesis.

[Erin Skrodenis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My seven year-old son and I liked reading this book together. We liked seeing the sizes and levels of each ship—our favorite was reading about the Finalizer.

[Hayley Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool stuff. I understand the ships better now after reading. Quite useful if you're a sci-fi geek like me.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed the cross-sections books, and the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections book keeps the fun going for the new sequel trilogy. There’s cross-sections for most of the key ships and vehicles featured in the movie. Each has great artwork showing off the interiors of the ships and all their assorted mechanical parts. There are brief descriptions of each vehicle and vessel along with identifying labels for the key features. Fans can enjoy seeing the details of Rey’s custom speeder, the innards of Hux’s star destroyer, or the new features of the Millennium Falcon. It’s a nice addition to your The Force Awakens reference library.

At 48 pages, this cross-sections hardcover is a bit longer than the past books which only came in at 32 pages for each film. The vehicles and vessels covered in this book include: Stormtrooper Transport, Poe’s X-Wing, Command Shuttle, Finalizer, Rey’s Speeder, TIE Fighter, SF TIE Fighter, Quadjumper, Millennium Falcon, Han’s Freighter, Resistance Transport and Snow Speeder.

Each ship gets two pages of coverage except the Finalizer which gets a big double gatefold. There are some filler pages that have two page spreads of scenes from the movie, but these filler pages add to the book rather than padding it to make it as long as the others since this one is actually longer than usual. The artwork is big and beautiful, though some of the dark colored ships can be hard to see with the black backgrounds of the pages. Not all of the ships have black backgrounds, and not all of the black background ships are hard to see, but the TIE Fighters and Kylo Ren’s shuttle blend in a little too well. That aside, the cutaways are fun to look at as they give a nice peek inside the ships and how they work. One of my favorites is Han’s freighter as it shows what’s in some of the cargo bins. Apparently Han was hauling a lot more than just Rathtars.

It’s worth noting that the artist for this book is different from the past ones. This one is done by Kemp Remillard. Kemp has a fine eye for detail. In fact the coloring looks better than ever. Jason Fry also does his part in adding fun little names for all the technical parts of the ships and vessels. There’s some cool details hidden away in the book, and the descriptions for the ships, while short, add some nice info. For instance, we learn that Unkar Plutt was in the process of buying the Quadjumper from some arms dealers. Little details like that make the book enjoyable to read, even though it’s primarily a reference book and not something you’d read cover-to-cover.

For Star Wars fans, The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections makes a nice addition to your reference library. For some, the big lure might be the awesome artwork. For others, it’s getting inside the ships and finding all the extra details and information. It’s a good reference book and a fun one to look at, but it’s not something you’ll want to read cover-to-cover, at least not if you’re pouring over all the labels for the various ship parts. Regardless, it’s a good way to dive deeper into the vehicles and vessels of The Force Awakens. I give it a four out of five.

[Art of the Film · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vehicles and starships in Star Wars are among the most interesting aspects of the films. In "The Force Awakens: Incredible Cross Sections", we get insight into the newest designs that appear in the saga's seventh episode. This includes spacecraft (such as the Finalizer) as well as land vehicles (such as Rey's speeder). The cross-sections allow you to look under the hood, so to speak, so that you can see what features and technology is on board (whether it deflector shields, communications antenna, sensors, landing gear, or blaster cannons). A personal favorite of mine in this latest film is Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle - the very large wings that fold upward while landing gives it a very unique look.



Of course, the Millennium Falcon is included - slightly different than when it last appeared in "Return of the Jedi". Also included are the First Order's TIE Fighter and the Resistance X-Wing. Again, the designs are quite similar to the previous incarnations of these fighters, with a few upgrades in both look and capability.



The book is only 47 pages in length and features 12 different cross-sections, but each one has a lot of detail and the image quality is extremely high. The introduction includes a quick primer on technology - including energy weapons, shields, and hyperdrives. The back of the book has a size comparison that allows you to see all 12 vehicles on a single spread. If you are interested in the vehicles of Star Wars, then you should consider a purchase.

Review from MovieArtBook.com

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I make no buts about my love of pretty things. Star Wars is a pretty thing, and when I saw the ‘Incredible Cross-Sections of The Force Awakens’ was only $12 I couldn’t resist.

Of course, if there is a bad side to ordering a book online, it’s that you can’t immediately tell that a book is 8 pages long when you’re staring at a thumbnail. You might be thinking, ‘Yes, but you can easily check to see how many pages long the book is if you’re looking at the meta-data.’

Of course, my answer to you then is, ‘shut up.’

I mean, it’s not really an impulse buy if you’re doing due diligence first. Also, apparently even your thoughts are subject to my judgement. Just helping you get prepared for the day coming soon where your thoughts are subject to government intrusion. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

So, I’m a sucker for pretty pictures. This book has them. Not many, because this entire book is a single two-page spread or something. Maybe it’s more than that, I forget, as I read it in about 30 seconds a couple of weeks ago.

But what I remember is that the two or three pictures I looked at – were amazing. I paid $20 bucks once for some prints of a comic book artist. Actually, it might have been $30. Crap, I can’t remember. Regardless, what I’m saying is that it isn’t a surprise that I’m willing to pay for something if I like the way it looks. I liked the way this looks. I just really wish there were a bit more of it. And also, I don’t want to come off as being anything other than super-savvy about how I spend my money.

So, if you remember anything about this review it should be that Rusty is amazing at spending money frugally and with much foresight.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, let me say that I love Jason Fry and I place none of the blame of this review on him. Really, it comes down to the movie itself.

Whether you liked The Force Awakens or not (I personally enjoyed it despite its flaws), you have to admit that it was heavy on the nostalgia, light on the "new stuff."

Which is where this book kind of falters. We've already seen cross-sections of X-wings (almost just like these), Tie Fighters (almost just like these), the Falcon (just like this sans the dish)... There just isn't a whole lot new in TFA to talk about here and so it makes for a dull book for a long-time fan. The author and artist have done a great job with what they were given - they just weren't given a lot of cool new stuff to examine. (and I wish they could have gone obscure... Show the Jakku scavenger vehicles, the Takodana pirate vessel that Finn almost boards... That would have definitely made it more worth the cash.)

If you're a new fan or a youngster and you haven't read the earlier cross-section books, then add a couple of stars to this review.

[Narariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Star Wars fan, I found the book fairly interesting. The illustrations were very well done, detailed out to a remarkable degree. Like most, if not all, of the SW cross-sections book, this one is geared a bit more towards a specific subset of fans, the ones who "want to know how it all works." But there are little tidbits of interest to the average fan as well. And a view of the updated Millennium Falcon is a lot of fun. Those who are fans of the original EU (Expanded Universe) may also find a few things of note.

[Darth Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY COW THIS BOOK IS SO FREAKING COOL!

Seriously! And they say it's just for kids. The cross sections were highly detailed and very cool to look at. I had absolutely no idea that the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon was off to the side and not in between the two mandible things at the front.

My favorite part was the size comparison.

Other than that, it is a big, hefty book that's a tad hard to read.

[Craig Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a fascinating look into the details and world building of vehicles and vessels in the Star Wars universe, this is slightly weaker than the previously reviewed Complete Vehicles, as it relies on photos and art assets from the movie for some cutaways rather than the more impressive illustrations of its predecessor.

Also, and this might be due to the release date of the book wanting to avoid movie spoilers, the complete lack of a cross section for Starkiller Base is a disappointment.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations of the vehicles from the new Star Wars movie are a lot of fun to look at. You can see them in detail because this book is actually pretty big. The thing that I don't like about it is that only about half of the pages have cross-sections. The other half are just double page spreads of shots from the film, and even worse some of them are quite blurry shots.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively thin book as it only contains 12 cross-sections. What it lacks in quantity it makes up for in depth. The book contains cross-sections for all the new vehicles found in The Force Awakens. The detail in the art is really great. If you want to know where the shield generators are on Kylo Ren's command shuttle or the inner workings of Rey's speeder, this is the book for you.

[Paul Hartzog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just want to say that I own all of the Star Wars cross-sections books and the art in this one is exceptional. I mean, the other ones are good, but this one is noticeably better.

The ships themselves aren't as interesting (because of the movie's visual design), but the quality of the artwork in this book is outstanding.

And the text is actually really entertaining as well.