When I first saw this figure, I told myself that this is the "must-own" figure of Wave 5. And up to now, that's still how I feel about this figure. Yes, the Cobra Trooper figure is wicked as hell, but everybody knows I'm more of a Joe-guy, and my vote goes to General Hawk. Heck, the Cobra Trooper isn't even my second choice, because the Steel Brigade soldier is my clear number two. I told you so, I'm a Joe-guy.
For another figure composed of mishmashed parts, this one still manages to get high grades. It's really mind-boggling how Hasbro on one hand can make an almost perfect figure like this one , and on the other hand make a horrendous figure like Snake-Eyes w/ Tornado Kick. But that's the way it goes, and I'm just thankful that they didn't screw General Hawk's POC debut up.
This figure reuses the head of the single-carded 25th Anniversary Collection General Hawk figure. The headsculpt is nice, but I believe that it doesn't convey the good General's age correctly. The packaging art depicts the General's face to be a bit more matured, but what the figure gets is quite the opposite. It's a small error in the grand scheme of things, but it's worth noting.
General Hawk also reuses single-carded Resolute Duke's torso, POC Dusty's upper arms, lower arms, and hands, and POC Recondo's upper legs, knees, lower legs, and feet. The combination of body parts works so well that one might think the entire figure is made from all-new parts.
The paint applications are great, and they add another layer of detail on top of the amazing sculpt. Without looking at the packaging, one might assume that this figure belongs to the Jungle Assault theme of the Pursuit of Cobra line due to the camouflaged pants and the olive drab vest. That's part of this figure's charm, a color scheme that could work in different environments: urban, jungle, and desert. Amazing.
Articulation is good, though the absence of the new wrist joints somehow hurts this figure. I firmly believe that every new release should have the new wrist articulation, even if that means Hasbro must retool a lot of stuff. The use of Resolute Duke's torso ensures that the figure doesn't suffer from Recondo's limited head movement, and that's a major plus for this figure. The vest doesn't restrict arm movement that much, and the elbows can bend nearly 90 degrees.
General Hawk comes loaded with a ton of accessories to the point of being ridiculous. The figure gets TFAC Dusty's helmet, fitted with Sandstorm's goggles (POC Zartan's disguise). It also uses TFAC Gen. Hawk's backpack, and chest and hip holsters. The chest holster features a sculpted, non-removable pistol, while the hip holster has a removable pistol that originally came with the ROC Gen. Hawk figure. The attention to detail on this figure is awesome. The figure also has ROC Gen. Hawk's rifle, the Cobra Shock Trooper's submachine gun, 7-pack Resolute Destro's computer/briefcase with submachine gun (minus the MARS logo on the briefcase), and Resolute Beachhead's vest. The sheathed knife on the vest's right shoulder strap has been replaced with a radio which is also from the Cobra Shock Trooper. The requisite display stand which features two foot pegs rounds off his accessories.
Believe it or not, Gen. Hawk can kind of carry all of his issued gears at once. The figure is packaged with the Shock Trooper's submachine gun secured on his left upper leg by a tiny clear rubber band. The idea is so cool I decided to keep the look.
This figure is simply top-notch. The design and execution is unbelievable, and we get a figure that can be used in multiple scenarios. The accessories are awesome, giving us a version of the General that is willing to get down and dirty on the battlefield. The younger-looking face and the absence of the new wrist articulation are both minor issues, and they are the only things that keep this figure from being perfect.
Parting Shot:
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