One of the highlights of the recent opening ceremony for Fox Studios Australia -- besides the
appearance of C-3PO and R2-D2 -- was the landing of a full-size X-wing fighter accompanied by a dazzling show of smoke and lights. This wasn't ILM digital magic, but a real-life special effect. As these behind-the-scenes rehearsal photos show, technicians at the studio rigged a two-ton X-wing that had been built years ago for a
Star Wars video promotion and "flew" it onto the stage with a giant construction crane. A dazzling display of pyrotechnics accompanied the landing, and the droids seemed to emerge from the fighter's cockpit.
