This week, we learned there is a General Hawk coming.� I'm not excited.� The reasons for that is that this new Hawk is not going to be better than the 1986 figure.� He's not going to feature at least...
This week, we learned there is a General Hawk coming.� I'm not excited.� The reasons for that is that this new Hawk is not going to be better than the 1986 figure.� He's not going to feature at least an attempt at a different look like this 1997 figure.� And, he might not even be better than the 2005 Comic Pack figure.� Hasbro's re-makes of Joes have gotten steadily worse since they were debuted.� And, that's a near certainty to continue since we, as collectors, don't punish bad products.� So, Hasbro learns they can give us crap and we'll gratefully gobble it up.
Which really takes me back to this 1997 General Hawk.� The 1997 figures were the 15th Anniversary figures from the beginning of the vintage line.� Now, they are 26 years old and all us old, adult collectors recall finding them as adults.� And, at the time, we vilified these figures.� Sadly, we didn't know how good we had it.� The 1997 series is full of fun repaints that have aged quite well.� Even figures like Hawk, which didn't deviate too far from the original figure's colors, is still a very nice update to the mold and gives collectors something different to add to their collections.��
The main reason I enjoy this figure is that the colors are subtle.� Even in photos, it can be difficult to catch all the various colors that comprise this figure.� Lost in the dark jacket are some rich greens, subtle browns and some black.� The grey pants help offset the upper body and are a nice diversion from the green camo of the 1986 figure.� And, the details that are painted on the figure are convention level quality.� To think, we got figures like this for $3 each.� This Hawk, a completely repainted A-10 and an excellent Ace figure were sold for 1/4 of the price that two figures and a smaller vehicle cost today.��
While the sunburnt skin isn't my favorite, it's light years ahead of the pale, painted faces of the 2022 and 2023 releases.� It also gives some diversity to the skin tones of the Joe team.� That and the figure's accessories are the only main complaints. The Battle Gear 1986 helmet works for this figure, though.� And, back in 1997, it was both cheap and easy to find 1986 Hawk pistols.� So, it was a lot easier to outfit this figure in other accessories than it is today.
Back in 1997, I wasn't too high on that year's figure releases.� And, I passed most of them by to focus on vintage collections and POTFII Star Wars figures.� But, in short time, that changed.� And, in the ensuing decades, the year has grown on me and I now consider 1997 and 1998 to be among the best Joe years Hasbro ever produced.� They are full of great character repaints, main and obscure characters and lots of nice army builders.� It's unfortunate that the formula for success was never repeated.� I just wish some of the lessons learned from the late 1990's could be applied to the Joe line today.� But, that's just a pipe dream at this point.
