Space Commander series 1.5

Does the color scheme of this new Space Commander look a little familiar? It should...if you read the Marvel Comics Micronauts series in the 70's and 80's, you will recognize this figure for sure. When Palisades was deciding on what new color schemes to choose for the re-tooled Series 1.5, they had to look no further than the members of the Micropolis Embassy mailing list.

A few members from this mailing list comprised the Palisades consultant group, and the color schemes were overwhelmingly decided upon quickly for the new Space Glider. Fans from all over have been wanting a Space Glider that resembled the one from the comic, and he has finally arrived! Dubbed "Space Commander", this new blue/yellow figure is the "unofficial" comic colored version of the all time favorite leader of the Marvel Comics Micronauts; Commander Arcturus Rann.

Released and sold only as a set of 4 in March of 2003 through Palisades website, the new 1.5 Space Glider has been re-tooled at the new factory, and sports an exciting new feature never seen on a Space Glider figure. As a test for the new factory producing the series 2 Micronauts, a very detailed paint application was designed and applied. Collector/fan and Palisades CGI artist Bryan Wilkinson came up with the idea that the yellow highlights should more closely fall on the details of the body, and came up with a combination that really looks amazing.

Added to the back of the S1.5 card is stunning new CGI art created by Bryan Wilkinson, designer of the Med-pod and the Series 2 accessories. You can see the un-cropped images in all their glory by visiting his site.

Palisades consultant and ISO webmaster Dave Waugh also suggested something new that this particular Space Glider could not do without. If he is based on Commander Rann, he has to have a caucasian colored face...behold the first ever Micronaut with painted face and hair!

Space Commander also comes packed with a clear figure stand and new yellow helmet and transparent blaster and dash wing with chrome front.

The Series 1.5 set also comes with a few new changes besides the CGI art and tweaking of the QC problems...the card color has been changed to red to differentiate it from Series 1, and the Dave Dorman collector card/sticker art has been changed in house at Palisades to reflect the new color schemes.

The Space Commander also has new file card text that reads: "Regarded by many to be a leader among the Micronaut toy characters, Space Glider dashed on cybernetic wings through the stellar reaches of collectors' childhood imaginations. In blue and gold commander markings, this special Space Glider edition reflects some of our fondest memories of this classic Micronaut." The Microbyte continues: "Most of Space Glider's body is die-cast metal, placing him in a tradition of "retro" metal space adventure toys dating back to the space hero toys of the 1940's." The new Series 1.5 set is a welcomed addition to the world of the Micronauts.