The Lark - A geek blog

Hot Wheels is a brand of die-cast toy cars introduced by American toy maker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys , former owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Wheels ------------------------------ A soft drink (see  terminology  for other names) is a  drink  that typically contains  carbonated water , a  sweetener , and a natural or artificial  flavoring . The sweetener may be  sugar ,  high-fructose corn syrup , fruit juice,  sugar substitutes (in the case of  diet drinks ), or some combination of these. So...

The Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid, Mark I (also known as the Vulture-class droid starfighter or simply as the vulture droid) was a droid starfighter used by the Trade Federation . Later, in much greater numbers, it was utilized by the Confederacy of Independent Systems . It participated heavily in the Clone Wars , at engagements such as the Battles of Kamino and Coruscant . Like most of the Trade Federation's armed forces, it carried no living pilot , but rather a droid brain that was linked to a central control computer , often aboard a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship . Each Trade Federation battleship carried 1,500 such droid starfighters . The Vulture-class was designed by Haor Chall Engineering , which was founded by the fanatical Xi Char , a religious order dedicated to high-precision manufacturing. As a result, it represented classic Xi Charrian design— an insectoid appearance, multiple weapons emplacements, and a compact body that offered only a smal...

Slave I was a modified Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft used by the infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett before the Clone Wars and later his unaltered cloned "son" Boba Fett just prior to the Fall of the Republic and during the reign of the Galactic Empire . The ship in its original form was produced by a subsidiary company of Kuat Drive Yards , based on the planet Kuat . http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Slave_I -------------------------------- Star Wars  is an American  epic   space opera  franchise, centered on a  film series  created by  George Lucas . It depicts the adventures of various characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". The franchise began in 1977 with the release of the film  Star Wars  (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981), which became a worldwide  pop culture   phenomenon . It was followed by the successful sequels  The Empire Strikes Back  (1980) a...

During the Galactic Civil War , at least three X-wing starfighters used by Rebel pilots bore the name Red Five. Cadet Pedrin Gaul operated an X-wing dubbed Red Five in the Battle of Scarif , and also used the corresponding callsign, but was shot down and killed by TIE/ln space superiority starfighters . Days later, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 flew a T-65B X-wing starfighter dubbed Red Five in the Battle of Yavin . R2 was damaged by Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 , but Skywalker used the Force to destroy the Galactic Empire 's superweapon , the Death Star . Also his callsign , the Red Five designation became synonymous with the actual spacecraft that Skywalker flew. Skywalker continued to operate his X-wing until the Battle of Vrogas Vas , when he deliberately collided with Vader in mid-flight to draw the focus of the battle to the planet 's surface. Skywalker was rescued by Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon and was forced to abandon his craft. http://starwa...

The Black One was a T-70 X-wing fighter that was used by Resistance pilot Poe Dameron . Dameron was usually accompanied by his trusty co- pilot , the spherical astromech droid BB-8 Black One was an T-70 X-wing fighter manufactured by the Incom-FreiTek company . Like all T-70 X-wing fighters , Black One was armed with four Taim & Bak KX12 laser cannons . For the Evacuation of D'Qar , it was equipped with a booster pod. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Black_One ------------------------------ Star Wars: The Force Awakens  (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) is a 2015 American  epic   space opera film co-written, co-produced and directed by  J. J. Abrams . The direct sequel to 1983's  Return of the Jedi , The Force Awakens is the first installment of the  Star Wars   sequel trilogy , and stars  Harrison Ford ,  Mark Hamill ,  Carrie Fisher ,  Adam Driver ,  Daisy Ridley ,...