Funskool Streethawk

The G.I. Joe collecting world of 2023 is vastly different from that of 2003.  You'd expect 20 years to make a difference.  And, many of the changes we've seen are things that were unforeseen back in the early years of this century.  The one change that's the most baffling to me, though, has been the meteoric rise of the 2000's era Funskool figures.  These were sold by every dealer under the sun in 2001 through 2005.  Untold thousands of them flooded the market.  Collectors who wanted them were able to buy all that they could ever desire.  Those who didn't want them still usually ended up with some as they were so ubiquitous in lots and trade fodder.  Despite this, Funskool figures from that era are now overly expensive for their availability.  In general, though, the more popular Funskool figures from the early 2000's remain the cheapest.  While, the most garish figures that were unliked at the time of their release have gotten substantially more expensive.  There is one exception, though.  And, that is the Funskool Streethawk figure.  He's become the most expensive figure from that era, even though he was among the most popular figures of the time.

Streethawk has a few reasons for his exceptionalism.  The first is that he was only sold with the Streethawk motorcycle.  He was still a carded figure.  But, the inclusion of the cycle meant that new Streethawks would cost you $7 or $8 each as opposed to the standard $4 per standard carded Funskool figure.  Streethawk was also a character.  While this particular version shares a lot in common with the TARGAT mold and can be used as such, most people still saw him as a unique character.  So, even though he was about the same cost as a Hasbro retail army builder at the time, not as many people army built the figure since they were good with a single version of the character.  These two aspects combined to reduce sales on the figure as opposed to, say, the Night Viper.  But, Streethawk was still a common site in the collections of the early 2000's.  And, dealers would even sell out of Streethawk figures from time to time.  Everyone may have only had one or two of them.  But, everyone had at least one.

If you had told 2003 me that a handful of the common Funskool figures available at the time would be worth more than $100 each just 20 years later, my first guess for the figure would have been Super Cop.  But, Super Cop was also only available for a few months, cost $13 or more to buy at retail and was more of a one off warehouse find than a figure Funskool had in production.  So, if I'd thought about it, the only other real options would have been a couple of the very late, 2004, releases that collectors ignored.  Or, this Streethawk.  He was popular during his time.  And, he has a bit of crossover appeal to Streethawk fans.  (Yes, they exist.)  He was more expensive to acquire than other figures.  So, army building wasn't as common as it was with other figures.  All of these factors would have made him a good candidate.  But, at the same time, I doubt that I'd have believed any of the figures from that era would reach the prices we see on them today.  And, I'd have probably gone with someone like Stormshadow who also tended to sell out from time to time and wasn't a figure people army built.  But, his later inclusion in the common Russian series helped to curb his appeal.

In the end, the TARGAT body versions of the Streethawk figure are not rare.  There are tons of them in the collecting community.  But, like the Satan figure from Argentina, the figure's popularity drives the price moreso than the rarity.  Everyone wants a Streethawk.  And, that drives the $100 price tag.  You're not buying a rare figure.  You're buying a popular figure.  But, that's why there's both supply and demand elements to pricing.  The figure's popularity drives the price.  And, that popularity has held steady for more than 20 years, now.  So, this figure isn't a fad that will be subject to collector whims like some other joke or meme figures that have risen in price in recent years.

Black and silver are a rare combination in the vintage Joe line.  The only figure who uses only those two colors is the 1989 Snake Eyes.  (The 1993 Cobra Commander and 1994 Action Sailor are close, though.)  Because of that, figures like Streethawk stand out.  It's not an overdone combination of hues.  So, the figure works as part of Cobra and as a stand alone figure who is affiliated with the enemy faction.  The black complements many other figures.  So, you can use Streethawk with everything from classic blue Cobras to the more brightly colored enemies from the 1990's.

Streethawk includes just the black visor.  This part was omitted on the bagged vehicle driver figures, though.  The visor adds a lot to the look of the figure and is somewhat essential to the figure's overall appearance.  As he was never really available without the motorcycle, though, you could consider a complete figure to also include the black and silver RAM.  I find the motorcycle is my more used part of this toy as I use it all the time with a variety of figures.  But, most people consider the figure complete with just the visor and the motorcycle a separate part.

The upside to Streethawk is that he's a blank slate that anyone can use as they please.  He can be a recolored TARGAT, an astronaut, a motorcycle driver or anything else your mind can conjure up.  I've always seen him as a villain since he uses a Cobra mold for the majority of the figure.  I created a character for the Spearhead chest variation of this figure.  But, I see this TARGAT version as something different.  Really, I don't have a defined role for the figure.  I don't use him all that often in photos.  So, those don't even provide much of a clue as to his true purpose in my collection.  Most people seemed to view Streethawk as a Cobra or other villain.  But, the figure is an empty canvas that everyone can use differently.

There are several variants to the Streethawk figure.  The first figure released was a swivel arm 1983 Snake Eyes repaint with a black helmet.  This is not an easy figure to find and remains very pricey.  The second version introduced the TARGAT head.  But, it was on top of a Spearhead body.  The Spearhead chest version is also pretty hard to find and commands a hefty premium these days.  This version features TARGAT's head, arms and chest.  It's the third variant and probably exists in lower quantities than the fourth variant which just added in TARGAT's waist.  That waist change was made in late 2001/2002 so most Streethawks that were sold by dealers featured it.  But, it's so subtle that many people pass over it in their quest to just get 1 version of the character.  There are also some upper arm variants that may have originated from Funskool vehicle drivers.  And, I'm sure that if anyone could get a group of 100 Streethawk figures, they'd find some additional variants.  That's just how Funskool worked, especially on figures that were in production for a decade or more.

Here's the bad news.  Funskool Streethawks are now hard to find.  Carded versions of the TARGAT chest figures fetch over $200.  But, due to low availability, loose mint and complete figures with their motorcycle will run in the $150-$200 range, too.  Dealers will get up to $300 for the same set.  If you can find just a figure with the visor, you'll pay in the $100-$120 range.  That's a lot for this figure.  But, surprisingly, all black figures outside of Snake Eyes were uncommon in the vintage Joe line.  So, the coloring is distinct and really meshes well with a variety of Cobra scenarios.  Personally, though, I've had the figure for 20+ years and I don't use him all that often.  So, there's no way I'd pay $100 or more for one.  Heck, back in the Funskool heyday, I wouldn't pay $7 for a second one.  But, that's part of the reason why this figure is expensive today.  He's a cool design.  But, an easy pass for me at his current pricing.