Meet the Grand Army of the Republic and the fantastical creatures of Revenge of the Sith in the latest issue of the Star Wars Das Offizielle Magazin, the official magazine of the German Star Wars Fan Club.

Issue #40 takes a look an in-depth look at the Grand Army of the Republic with an extensive guide to the troops that serve the Emperor. The issue also features the background of various creatures, as well as concept art, from Episode III. Get to know original trilogy special effects wizard Phil Tippett in a special interview. There's also a tutorial on customizing action figures, exclusive fiction by Veronica Whitney-Robinson, Lucasfilm news, book/games/comic news, and more.

Fan Club members can check out the supplemental Journal of the Whills magazine which explores the German dubbing of Revenge of the Sith, reviews a special fan-made puppet movie, offers a "point of view" by Thomas Köllner about the entire Star Wars saga, and interviews Alan Hume -- the man behind the camera of Episode VI. Journal of the Whills also includes extended letters from readers, merchandise news, and fandom reports.

Issue #40 is already on its way to subscribers and will soon appear on German newsstands. For more information about the German Fan Club, click here.