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.
