This version of Hawk was one of the first Funskool figures who American collectors were able to acquire shortly after his initial release. In the subsequent years, this became commonplace and American collectors were often privy to new Funskool releases even before they were able to saturate the markets in India. This Hawk holds some distinction for me, though, because of that status. He was one of the first "new" foreign figures that was available to the American market at a time when most collectors didn't even know that ARAH style Joes were still being produced in India. This fact alone made him a must buy for me as soon as he was available.
There is no denying that this mold has been done to death. After the 1991 Hawk figure, Hasbro used the mold again in 1993 for the Star Brigade Roadblock. That same year, the entire mold was used again for a convention exclusive Hawk figure. This neon green monstrosity has remained obscenely cheap on the secondary market despite a production run of only around 3,000 figures. This convention Hawk was then also used as a mail away exclusive as the line died a slow death. In 1994, Hasbro repainted the Star Brigade Roadblock into a somewhat hard to find orange beacon of a figure. That ended the figure's American run. Funskool released this Hawk starting in 2001. As it was still around when Funskool ceased producing Joes, it is likely that Hasbro would have access to this mold. While I would not want to see this figure return as Hawk, the mold does have potential for other characters. This mold could easily take a head from the comic packs and some silver paint to highlight the straps and you would have an acceptable version of Grand Slam. You would even mold the figure in baby blue and have an updated Star Duster. While these aren't inspirationally creative uses, it would be a way to get these two characters back into ARAH form in a more affordable format.
1991 was a year where Hasbro designers progressed quickly. The 1990 figures were loaded with awesome complements of accessories. Many of the accessories added play features that were design challenges for the engineers. It's likely that this was a byproduct of extra development money from years of success, improvements in technology and a simple desire by the toy designers to alleviate the boredom of doing the same thing over and over again. 1991 followed the same path...for the better and the worse. 1991 brought us innovations such as the kid activated launchers such as those seen on the mighty Crimson Guard Immortal. It also brought us the advent of spring loaded missile launchers and water cannons that actually worked. This Hawk mold, though, showcased some of the enhancements that 9 years of experience had brought to the design team. Hawk does not feature a clear helmet with painted details like the Ace of previous years. Instead, he has a fully featured helmet that has a removable face shield. (This became useful later on when Hasbro used different colors on the transparent shields to help differentiate figures who used the same mold.) Hawk's jetpack has hinged wings that fold up or down. They are sturdy and are, to this day, still largely found unbroken. But, to top all this off, the jetpack and rifle are also compatible with the JUMP platform from years earlier. The barrel of Hawk's gun is about the same width of the weapon that was included with the JUMP and easily fits into the slot meant for the original blaster. As such, this figure retained full compatibility with previous years while still taking leaps forward in design.
In my collection, this figure is mostly just for show. My original suffered from poor quality and the subsequent version I acquired is my "display" figure. As this figure isn't as nice as the original American version, though, I find myself rarely using him. In fact, the first figure I acquired back in 2001 was at the bottom of my Funskool drawer and his accessories were still in some bags that I had packed up in 2003 as part of my move. So, he obviously doesn't get much use. If I would pull him out, it would likely be as a nameless, faceless jet pack trooper in the vein of how I use Maverick. Even in that capacity, though, this figure is inferior to other uses of the mold in the vintage line. The base color of the figure, though, is quite good. The deep evergreen flight suit would actually work quite well were it not for the neon orange highlights. Had this figure black boots, gloves and straps, it would probably have been better received. But, without the neon orange, the figure also loses much of its camp value.
While I miss new Funskool Joes, I have also realized that, for the most part, my interest in them was as a collectible. There are few Funskool figures (aside from those similar to their American counterparts) who see much use in my collection. Mostly, they are bagged up and packed away, awaiting the day I have a Funskool display case for them to call home. The horrible colors and bizarre parts combinations gave my Joe collection a welcome respite from the Hasbro offerings that were largely lost in a sea of drab green or endless repaints of the same parts over and over again. Funskool figures retained an innocence about them that you would never see from a company in the US that was trying to cater to both adults and children. Maybe if Hasbro had just focused on the kids, the lines would have been more successful. Maybe not. But, without Funskool releases giving us a good laugh every few months, the Joe world lost much of the levity that helped break the tensions of adults collecting a children's toy.
Unfortunately, this Hawk was released during Funskool's period of horrible production. As such, many of the early figures suffer from poor paint jobs, frozen joints and loose rivets. For many people, it is these Hawk figures that forever soured them on Funskool figure quality. If you can find a Hawk that was produced in late 2002 or even 2003, though, the quality does improve. But, if you are in the market for a Hawk figure, be prepared to find a few that suffer from the poorest of Funskool quality.
Another point of interest on this figure is that Funskool altered the mold. On the American versions of this mold, the words "Made In China" are stamped across the top of the back of the waist piece. On the Funskool figure, these words are wiped out. The fact that the words were removed isn't that interesting. Funskool was known as a crusader against cheap Chinese toys in India and they were not likely to want their products as being stamped with a "Made in China" stamp. On the early Funskool figures, these words were simply rubbed out. The legacy of this can be seen on figures like the 1998 Cobra Troopers and Firefly. In the case of this Hawk, though, Funskool did not simply wipe out the offending words. Instead, they actually sculpted three new little boxes on the upper rear of the waist piece. It is a slight mold modification, but something that shows Funskool was still preserving their brand image well into 2001. There are also variants on this figure that, like the quality, are dependent upon the production date. The earliest figures from 2001 have a flat finish on the orange highlights. This orange is also much, much brighter on these early figures. It also appears to have a layer of white primer underneath the neon orange. Later figures lose the primer and, instead, have a much more muted red color on the highlights. The figures are easily distinguishable by eye and you can see a comparison photo below. Of the two, the later figure is probably more useful to the modern collector. But, Funskool aficionados will appreciate the brighter, neon figure as an example of Funskool's infatuation with bright hues. Of course, the silver accessories also have slight differences with the earlier being a shinier silver. As this is a Funskool release, you can be sure that there are more variants just waiting to be discovered.
It's hard to believe that it's been nearly 5 years since Funskool ceased producing Joe figures. (It's harder still to fathom that it was 8 years ago this month that the first waves of mass imported Funskool figures appeared for ~$5 each!) Slowly, though, collectors have managed to consume most of the remaining Funskool overstock. During that process, this Hawk was, surprisingly, one of the first non army builder to sell out. However, this isn't a testament to the figure's popularity. It is an indictment of it. As this was an unpopular figure, most dealers didn't carry much inventory. So, while the figures did sell out, they did so from much smaller numbers than more popular figures like Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander or Beach Head. If you look around, though, you can still find a few out of the way dealers (usually dealers who don't specialize in Joe) who will have this figure in stock for close to the $5 price tag we've grown accustomed to. Barring that, you can still find the figure for sale on occasion. The prices on these fluctuate, though, as I've seen this figure sell for $10 or go unsold for $5. If you are missing many Funskool figures, though, the best option is still a large lot. There are still solid numbers of sellers out there who sell lots of 5 to 10 carded Funskool figures at a time. Often, these lots sell for under $3 per figure. So, if you are a bargain hunter, this figure is out there for you to find. That is probably a just fate for a figure such as this. It is a mold that has never endeared itself to collectors and is in inferior colors to the American release. Worst of all, it's a take on General Hawk that most collectors find out of character and can't bring themselves to adopt. In time, this is one of those figures that will be truly forgotten. In the meantime, though, he's still a figure who finds occasional use in my collection.
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