phantom

Following up on last year's popular launch of official "Star Wars" currency, the New Zealand Mint revealed a new set of coins featuring Queen Amidala, Yoda, Darth Maul, and Anakin from the epic sci-fi prequel trilogy.

The colorful 1.6-inch diameter coins work as $2 legal tender on the tiny South Pacific island country of Niue and individually contain one ounce of .999 silver. A ripple in the Force indicates that few people would probably actually spend these collectors' items, and if they do, they may get clubbed over the head by Yoda's cane. … Read more

Fans may never forget the numerous sandy scenes of the "Star Wars" saga, which George Lucas and crew mostly filmed in the North African country of Tunisia.

A recent glance by RocketNews24 at famous "Star Wars" locations such as Mos Espa (where Anakin grew up) and the Lars Homestead (where Luke grew up) paints a much different picture of the movie sets beloved by countless geeks around the world. … Read more

The next generation of "Star Wars" Lego hardware includes two sweet throwback scenes that will tempt any fan of the sci-fi series, as well as a cluster of exotic early-trilogy ships, according to images and information garnered from past toy fairs and a recent update on Lego's official site.

Jabba's Palace, pictured above, appears to be the easy winner in the summer 2012 collection with an all-star cast of nine characters including Leia as Boushh the bounty hunter and a captured Chewbacca. While the $119 tag might turn off some buyers, the charm factor appears high. We love Jabba's ridiculous form factor, his hyena-like minion Salacious Crumb, and the foreboding Han frozen in Carbonite. While the play area appears limited, other views indicate the 717-piece set offers far more detail than first meets the eye. … Read more

The bulbous Phantom Eye UAV flew for less than a half-hour in its debut autonomous flight -- but that was just a bite-size test in preparation for eventually staying aloft for days at a time.

Boeing announced this morning that its Phantom Eye made a 28-minute flight at the end of last week, reaching an altitude of 4,080 feet and a cruising speed of 62 knots. The unmanned aircraft, which looks rather like a propane tank outfitted with wings and a tail structure, is powered by liquid hydrogen. Ground tests took place earlier this year.

Eventually, the Boeing-funded aircraft … Read more

Someday the Phantom Eye will soar at 65,000 feet. For now, Boeing's excited just to see it go four-wheeling on the desert floor.

The hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft earlier this month took a modest, ground-level spin at Edwards Air Force Base in its first medium-speed taxi test, Boeing said today. Nestled on its launch cart system, the Phantom Eye traveled some 4,000 feet at speeds of up to 30 knots in a trip that lasted less than two minutes. (In the air, it's expected to have a maximum speed of 200 knots.)

Additional taxi tests are yet … Read more

I knew there was something missing from my life. I just didn't know what it was until I came across ToyOtter's latest list of rejected "Star Wars" merchandise ideas on Action Figure Insider.

I'm missing a Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader salt and pepper shaker set, without which my life will never be complete. How did this product not get made?

"Let these legends of the kitchen table be a constant reminder of the battle over good and evil in the galaxy," the concept reads. Each morning there could be an epic battle for the very soul of my scrambled eggs.… Read more

UCLA film school undergrad Michael Barryte of the Belated Media YouTube channel suggests a hypothetical story alteration to "Star Wars: Episode 1" that seems much more engaging than the original.

"Initially I wanted to do something on Episode I because of the rerelease, but I didn't want to bash the movie, because everyone's done that," Barryte told Crave in an e-mail. "So I started doing a video highlighting all the things that were good about the film, and that evolved into me just going through and taking those key points and 'rewriting' the whole thing."

I don't think the prequel is a total dud, but even I have some difficulty keeping track of the many plot holes and twists and turns in the story. Then there's the matter of the outspoken Jar Jar Binks, which is not exactly the most popular character in the Star Wars universe. … Read more

Last night 20th Century Fox treated me to a screening of the new 3D version of "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," which is in cinemas now here in England (Friday in the U.S.). As I got to see it for free, it only seems fair I should let you know if it's worth spending actual money to see it.

First off, it's worth mentioning the obvious. No amount of 3D can change the fact that there's waaay too much about trade taxation routes in this film. The whole "is Natalie Portman grooming a child?" sub-plot is still there. Jar Jar Binks hasn't been digitally erased. But if you're reading this, you probably already have your own views about the artistic merit of this movie, so I'll stick to the techy stuff.

Read more of "Is it worth seeing Star Wars in 3D" on Crave UK. … Read more

Case-mate's latest tough iPhone 4/4S case, the Phantom, just started shipping, but it's worth calling out because Case-mate is officially launching it at CES in Vegas.

This is a "two-piece" case, but it doesn't include an integrated plastic screen cover like some tough cases do (it comes with a stick-on screen protector).

As noted, the Phantom comes in multiple colors and retails for $50. When I get my hands on one, I'll see if it's worthy of making it onto our Top 20 tough iPhone 4 and 4S case list.