"The Galactic Stallion with Magno Power Action and missiles, Vehicle for the Leader of the Micronauts"
 

 
"Leader of the Mighty Magno-Powered Micronauts..." no need to continue here...the text from the file card concentrates mostly on Force Commander and doesn't really concentrate on what any Magno-powered leader can be without...his Magno Steed! Released in 2002, Oberon was included for the first time with Force Commandere as a 2 figure boxed set. These new Oberon's were replicated from the Mego vintage Oberon, and come in 3 amazing colors: clear red, original white, and clear.
 

 
Oberon was also one the Magno figures that almost didnt get made. He was slated as a Toys-R-Us exclusive, but when TRU bailed on their order, the galactic stallion of Force Commander possibly wasn't going to see the light of day! But since the tools for the magno horse body were already made (and it was just a matter of running different colored plastic), head of production Ken Lilly decided to give it a go regardless, and sold FC and Oberon through their Collector's Club.

"Classic" Oberon repro

The new Palisades Oberon gets a slight makeover, with nice gold chrome replacing the old solid white coloring on the torso joint, hooves, tail and wheel hubs. A red main was also added to match the other highlights.

On November 27th, 2002, Palisades finally offered the Force Commander/Oberon sets for sale (as a pre-order only). There were three different versions of Oberon produced: White (180), Clear (120), and Red (60). You were able to order one or all three if you wish. The sets were broken down and sold in bundles: SET 1 (Limited to only 180) One White FC/Oberon, SET 2 (Limited to only 120) One White and One Clear FC/Oberon, and SET 3 (Limited to only 60) One White, One Clear and One Red FC/Oberon. Because they were produced in such a limited number, ordering was limited to 1 of each set, and only to club members. They shipped by December. The new Oberon's all come equipped with the same accessories as the vintage ones with some minor alterations. The new steed is a slight mix of the first and second vintage version releases. While the side rocket missiles are of the "Japan" style (pointed 1st release) the tail is the "HK" version (2nd version), with the more blunted end. Also, only 2 of the side rocket missiles have been included, so be careful firing those projectiles kids...!

Oberon translucent red with white highlights

Oberon's wheel accessories, color co-ordinated to match each figure (l-r: clear, white and red)

When is a toy not a toy? When it doesn't pass safety regulations. Included on the front of the packaging is this delightful sticker:

 
Another new feature included with the Palisades figures are fantastic "crack-n-peel" stickers (packaged in the lower right hand corner of the box) showing off the fantastic artwork of artist Dave Dorman. The reverse of the box shows off the same artwork again, this time as part of a collectible file card. The Force Commander "microbyte" reads: "Force Commander shares the exact same body design as the four other original Magno-Power Micronauts toys released in the US and abroad: Baron Karza, Emperor, Green Baron and King Atlas."
 
 
 

 

Due to today's safety regulations, the new springs on the missile launchers have had to be weakend a little, to avoid any choking (or related) accidents. Also included with the new set are 3 rubber tipped safety missiles.

The Palisades Retro Series 1 Magno figures are a welcomed addition into the ever expanding Interchangeable World of the Micronauts.