Funskool Road Pig

At some point in either 1987 or early 1988, I saw a published interview with Larry Hama.  In it, he mentioned that one of the new characters to which he was most looking forward was a new Dreadnok named Road Pig.  I don't recall much other than that.  But, the mere mention of a new character name and the fact that he was a favorite of Larry Hama gave Road Pig all the street cred that he needed.  I was looking forward to seeing the new figure.  (I hadn't, yet, realized that I would be all but abandoning Joe toys as 1987 ended.)  Finally, the character appeared.  Almost immediately, I found the character uninteresting and annoying.  As 1988 moved into 1989, I dreaded any comic cover that featured Road Pig and any story where he figured prominently in the plot.

As I looked to fill in the holes in my collection in the late 1990's, Road Pig simply wasn't a figure I wanted to track down.  I still hated the character and didn't think his figure was all that interesting, either.  For me, the Dreadnoks worked best as offbeat characters who filled multiple roles.  As I had them in my childhood collection, I was more forgiving of them.  While I don't really think Road Pig is any more outlandish than Zanzibar, the fact was that Zanzibar was a figure I owned as a kid and, therefore, has value.  Road Pig's existence is just a reminder of my least favorite parts of the comic.

To this day, I'm not sure why Road Pig never resonated with me.  In terms of comic characters, he's really no more annoying than any of the other Cobra foils who were introduced just to sell their action figure.  I think it was the dual personality that ruined the character for me.  I didn't like the juxtaposition of the uber smart Donald and the neanderthal Road Pig.  To me, it was too much of a Hulk rip off in non superhero form.  (To be fair, I never much cared for the Hulk, either.)  I preferred characters who could develop arcs and who could grow.  I supposed that Road Pig's inner struggle to gain control of himself could have been an angle worth exploring.  But, by 1988, there were over 300 Hulk comics that already covered that ground.  And, again, since I wasn't actively collecting the toys, Road Pig never got the chance to get developed into something other than his comic character.

As a figure, though, Road Pig is well designed.  While I don't care for the Mad Max inspired design, it is well done and Road Pig is recognizable as a trope.  The figure's head is well sculpted and is in scale with the massive torso that conveys Road Pig's considerable bulk.  The legs are accented with darts and detailed boots.  While the black base of the figure isn't anything interesting, the combination of brown, silver and the flesh colored top help give the figure depth beyond what you'd expect from the color palette.  The white hair with a red stripe also convey the figure is a villain while also being different enough from any other Joe released to that point.

Gear-wise, Road Pig stands out.  While his gear isn't as useful as that of the 1985 Dreadnok class, they fit with his character.  Of course, the hallmark is the shoulder pads.  These aid in the Road Warrior-esque facade of the figure.  And, they give Road Pig something that also breaks up the bare chest to face.  He also has an arm shield and a wrist mounted crossbow that shoots explosive projectiles.  Road Pig having some sort of firearm allows him to be more useful in a combat setting.  The character's signature weapon, though, is a cinder block hammer.  The massive weapon makes no sense.  The head looks like the triple shot power up from the Castlevania game.  But, in the context of Road Pig, it works.  You have this over the top trope of a figure who carries around a hammer with a concrete block on the end.  The uses for such a weapon are limited.  But, in the right setting, they would be devastating.  For me, the weapons make Road Pig worth displaying.  But, to this day, I don't think I've ever really used the figure for anything.

The Funskool version of Road Pig is, basically, the same as the 1988 American figure.  The base coloring is close enough that there is no reason to own one figure over the other if you are trying to economize either money or display space.  Funskool Road Pigs are usually of decent quality, even the ones produced during Funskool's quality lapse in the early 2000's.  As he was a staple of online Joe dealers of that time, there are plenty of Funskool Road Pigs out there.  He was a rather popular figure during that time both due to the fact that Hasbro Road Pigs were somewhat expensive and the fact that customizers loved cheap versions of him to outfit their post apocalyptic customs.  Funskool also released Road Pig on a Russian card.  And, large quantities of those have continued to be available through the 2010's, keeping Road Pig more available than his popularity would otherwise dictate.

Road Pig got a nice bit of use.  This original figure was discontinued in 1989.  In 1991, though, the entire mold was repainted as the Super Sonic Fighters Road Pig figure.   Orange accessories notwithstanding, this isn't a bad figure when you consider he's a Dreadnok.  In his case, the orange hair and outlandish colors are more sensical than they'd be for other, more military inclined figures.  The entire Road Pig mold then showed up in India.  Funskool released this exclusive Road Pig, based on the 1988 figure, for many years.  He was a staple of the Funskool heady days of 2001-2004 and was a great way for collectors to get a version of the figure as he included his full complement of gear.  Road Pig was then one of the molds that Funskool returned to Hasbro in April of 2003.  He quickly showed up in the 2004 Dreadnok Convention set.  Again, he had his full array of accessories.  But, the figure wasn't too different from the 1988 release.  (Though, to be fair, you can't do too much with a guy who doesn't wear a shirt.)  The figure disappeared after that.  (The character did reappear in the Anniversary sculpt style in 2011.)  Road Pig was the only full vintage Dreadnok mold that appeared in the 2004 convention set that did not also later appear in a comic pack.  Considering how many comics featured Road Pig, this seems like it must have been an intentional omission.  But, collectors have three very unique versions to track down and one foreign version that's easy to find.  For a figure that doesn't really lend himself to massive repaints, that's not too bad.

Road Pig remains relatively popular.  American figures are among the more expensive 1988 carded figures.  But, the Funskool version remains a $15 to $20 acquisition if you want a MOC specimen.  It's relatively hard to find a loose, mint and complete Funskool Road Pig.  If you can track one down, you'll still pay around $10.  So, it's easier to just get a MOC figure and call it a day.   The figure remains a favorite of many customerizers who prize Road Pigs for their adaptability to other franchises' custom characters.  Personally, I couldn't pay that much for a figure that I don't really like.  But, I'm in the minority on Road Pig's appeal.  For many other collectors, he's a solid character and one of the characters who is a must own in some form: either as a way to complete the Dreadnoks or as a complement to Zarana.  Either way, the character and his original figure are popular.